With technology's every advance comes an increased rate of evolution. The numbers above visualize this and point to a movement towards mobility. More and more often, tools are being used on-the-go as iPhone apps are developed and downloaded. Just look at the money made off of global mobile messaging and data, or the number of SMS's sent worldwide! It reminds us of Sprint's Plug into Now effort.
Social Sites Losing Popularity with Young [Financial Times]
According to figures published by UK government agency Ofcom, some social networking websites have lost their “cool” factor with younger users (usage by British 15- to 24-year-olds fell for the first time last year from 55 to 50%), while older internet users are still flocking to the sites (usage among 35- to 54-year-olds rose by 8 percentage points to 35%). Seems like teens are moving onto what's next...
Technology 'Priority for Britons' [BBC News]
More news from the UK: In a poll of 862 people, over 40% said they would cut holidays and meals over their mobile phone (19%).
Sprint and Samsung Launch Biodegradable Phone [NYTimes]
Another eco-friendly phone: The Samsung Reclaim, offered on the Sprint network, is 80% made of corn-based material. The materials are recycled, the packaging is soy-ink based, there is no paper manual, and part of the sale goes to an eco-charity.
Savings.com Makes Coupons More Social [TechCrunch]
Savings.com is integrating social networking into its coupon offerings. Coupons can be rated, commented on, shared via Facebook and Twitter, and some can even be submitted by users.
Meet Sherpa, the Hottest Android App [GigaOm]
The Android-based app Sherpa is a location-based application that helps you find parking or restaurants and actually learns from the user, making a more customized experience.
Livestation Brings Live TV to the iPhone [ReadWriteWeb]
Livestation's new video streaming platform for the iPhone allows any broadcaster to deliver live TV through a dedicated app.
Google’s Android Is Moving Into The Digital Home [mocoNews]
MIPS technology is porting the Android platform to TV, set-top boxes, and home media player, bringing the mobile platform to home electronics. The move promises more integration between mobile and home entertainment.
Why Teens Don’t Tweet [Mashable]
Teens are shying away from Twitter for two simple reasons: It's not centered around friends, like Facebook or MySpace are, and teens have nothing to say to people they don't know.
Young Muslims Turn to Technology to Connect, Challenge Traditions [CNN]
More coverage of how young Muslims in the Middle East are using the Internet and their mobile to discuss, share, and even challenge the traditional power and religious structure of their countries.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America Launches First Mobile Public Education Campaign [PRNews]
Partnering with Smart Reply, the PDFA is sending out texts to help parents talk about drug and alcohol use. The texts offer advice and a visual/audio link to download material for the teens.
Why Cloud Computing is the Future of Mobile [ReadWriteWeb]
Based on the ABI research paper that inspired our post the other week on "cloud computing" and what it means for mobile, this piece from RWW gives a great overview of why cloud computing will become a disruptive force in the mobile world.
Wireless Solutions for Census 2010 [CScout]
The U.S. Census Bureau is using wireless for the first time -- automating the address canvassing portion of the census--to make the 2010 Census more accurate and efficient.
Metaio's Augmented Reality Trick Lets You Metatag the Real World [Technomix]
Metaio is offering the ultimate metatagging service. Through a dedicated AR browser, users can leave tweets, images, 3D animations and even AR notes for others to see.
Fast Food Goes Mobile With GoMobo [Fast Company]
GoMobo, which partnered with Subway back in January, is now bringing their "Fandango for food" service to franchises like Starbucks and Burger King. Read The New York magazine interview with founder Noah Glass here.
Despite Banning Twitter, 92% of China Uses Social Media [ReadWriteWeb]
Chinese netizens are twice as likely to use chat and three times more likely to micro-blog, blog and use video conference than American users.
Deaf-Blind Communication Goes Portable [BBC News]
A new portable device for deaf-blind people allows them to have face-to-face conversations, make phone calls using a text relay service, and communicate by SMS.
Stop Calling Young People Tech Addicts! [Ypulse]
Young people use the internet, their mobile, and social networks as a normal means of communication. YPulse argues that calling them "tech savvy" just illustrates how older people are clueless (were you tech savvy for using a landline in 1972?).
Making the Case for a More Open U.S. Wireless Industry [RCR Wireless]
Breaking phone exclusivity is the final step to letting consumers fully take control of their mobile experience. From the iPhone to branded phones, the model is proving archaic.
EA Mobile Holds Lead [Wirelles Week]
The mobile gaming industry is thriving with EA announcing revenue is up 14%, and Gameloft up 20%.
Disney Takes Web Surfers to the Lab to See Which Ads Work [NYTimes]
By tracking eye movement, heart rate, skin temperature and facial expressions, researchers are attempting to decipher how people consume media on emerging platforms, including the web and mobile.
Text Mining Provides Marketers With the 'Why' Behind Demand [Ad Age]
In other consumer research news: 7-11 and other brands are turning to text mining of conversations on blogs, Twitter or other social-media sites in order to identify the emotional aspects and reasons--the "why"--behind consumer behavior.
The ‘Mayors’ of Manhattan Meet and Compete [NYTimes]
Demonstrating how passionate they are about the new location-based service, top Foursquare users ("Mayor" status in the game) staged a bar crawl meet-up across Manhattan bars they called the "Town Holler," inspiring other cities like San Francisco to do the same. Meanwhile, Mashable calls foursquare, who we interviewed back at SXSW, the next Twitter.
Booyah Will Capitalize On Giving iPhone Users Sense Of Achievement [moconews]
Like Foursquare, Booyah is a new example "prescriptive social software", i.e. an application that encourages certain user behavior and turns life into one big game. The app, (from the team behind World of Warcraft) rewards users for doing things like updating their status, which they hope to brand as a "Booyah Moment" (good luck with that.)
Nissan Unveils IT System, iPhone App for New Networked Car [GigaOM]
In a move towards the "car 2.0," Nissan has unveiled the ultimate "mobile" vehicle. The electric, fully networked car has an iPhone application and a system called EV-IT, which will connect the company’s upcoming plug-in vehicle to a global data center via mobile networks.
Sprint Buying Virgin Mobile USA For $483 Million To Boost Prepaid Offer [mocoNews]
A huge industry move today, as Sprint is buying Virgin Mobile to extend its prepaid offering and reach. Sprint hopes to cross-sell its products as well to the Virgin customer base.
Why is Apple Stifling Google Voice for iPhone? [Fast Company]
Third-party Google Voice apps have been removed from the App store, and Google's own GV app has been rejected by Apple. It seems that Apple/Google rivalry is to blame, but AT&T is probably defending its turf as well.
Stay Tuned for Bluetooth on Your TV [GigaOM]
The movement to put Bluetooth into television is gaining momentum. LG just announced a new line of Bluetooth-enabled TVsets, joining Sharp and Samsung. The technology gives consumers the ability to use their mobile phones as a remote control, connect wireless headsets to the TV, and stream music from an MP3 player to their TV, all without a wire.
Age Demographics of Top Social Networks [BitBriefs]
The age demographic data for 2008 clears some misconceptions about social networking sites. The most popular amongst 13-18: MySpace. 65+? Facebook.
Mobile Spam Very Discomforting for Three in Five Japanese [What Japan Thinks]
Data from Japan shows that 93% of Japanese hate mobile spam (wonder who that 7% is that like it). The data highlights the personal relation that users have with their cell and how intrusion creates a vivid response.
69% Of Adults Don't Know What Twitter Is [The Business Insider]
LinkedIn and Harris report that 69% of adults do not know what Twitter is. 12% of those surveyed also said that twitter was only for young people, and 50% of advertisers think it will grow (12% of consumers think that).
We observe emerging mobile technology, cultural trends, and consumer behavior, then connect the dots to generate mobile strategy and intelligence for leading global brands. This is what we're seeing and thinking.
