Tuesday, March 27, 2012

JWT’s 15 Ways Mobile Will Change Our Lives

Very neat compilation.

My predictions of key global mobile trends for 2012 earlier this year were - 
  • Smartphones -> Superphones
  • Multi-screen play - Single OS play across sceens
  • Smartphone platform = Brand to the consumer
  • The proliferation of the 'Cloud' - Online services, sync across devices, 
  • Media Trends (Video, eBooks, UGC, DRM free)
  • Apps = Consumer Life Dashboard!
  • 'Social'ization of everything
  • Convergent communications - SN increasingly platform for all communication
  • Increasing leverage of Location & Presence
  • Rapid Biz Model innovation - In-app
  • Rising importance of Mobile Money
  • Increasingly Sensory UI
  • Revolutionizing Retail Commerce via Mobile
  • Brewing Battle for Online Identity Management
  • Resurgence of NFC
  • Increasing OTT play


22 March, 2012

JWT Press Release

Report shares findings from the recent GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona 

NEW YORK — In this special report, JWT, the world’s best-known marketing communications brand, explores the emerging trends and insights coming out of the GSMA’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.

“If one thing’s clear, mobile will disrupt it all, and earlier than we could have expected. The pace at which technology is reshaping the world will only speed up, and many innovations that we may believe belong to the future are here already or even in our past,” said Alex Pallete, JWT Planning Director.

“Online ubiquity provides the catalyst for a new understanding of what mobile means, what mobile does and how it is experienced.”

JWT’s “15 Ways Mobile Will Change Our Lives” outlines key takeaways based on the hundreds of panels, keynotes and exhibitors from Mobile World Congress, providing real-world examples to illustrate the ideas.

Executive Summary:

1) Everything Is ‘Smart’: It’s no longer just our mobile phones that are getting “smart”—that is, gaining access to the Web and the ability to communicate wirelessly. All kinds of things, from cars to refrigerators and entire homes, are getting connected in this way as well. Down the road, as more manufacturers embed WiFi, SIM cards and other technologies into more products, expect anything and everything to link in to the intelligent Internet of Things.

2) Widening Access: Internet access is incredibly important to people around the globe. Mobile providers are expanding infrastructure in rural areas and bolstering existing systems to ensure that more people can communicate, while manufacturers are producing low cost devices that will open up Web access to millions.

3) The Humanization of Tech: As voice and gesture control become more common, our technology (mobile included) will adapt to us, rather than us adapting to it. Our digital experiences will become simpler and more user-friendly.

4) Mobile Device as Wellness Guru: Smartphones will help people lead healthier lives by providing information, recommendations and reminders based on data gathered through sensors embedded in users’ clothing (shoes, wristbands, etc.) or through other phone capabilities (motion detectors, cameras, etc.).

5) Mobile Device as Lifesaver: Internet-enabled mobile devices are becoming important tools in broadening access to health care, diagnosing diseases and saving lives in crisis situations.

6) Smartphone as Everything Interface: The smartphone will become the key interface between connected devices and products (the Internet of Things) and their users. Among other things, people will use the device to remotely control household appliances, interact with screens and automatically adjust car settings to their preferences.

7) Seamless Living: As all kinds of devices get connected to cloud services, mobile technology will help us navigate the world more seamlessly. And as key players like Microsoft, Google and Apple expand their product lines across devices—from televisions to tablets—we’ll see more unified experiences across platforms.

8) Mobile Identity: The mobile device will become a summation of who we are all in one place. It will be packed with personal information and images we’ve accumulated over time and serve as our mobile wallet and keychain, enabled by secure and seamless technologies such as Bluetooth and NFC (near field communication).

9) Friction-free purchasing: The smartphone will become a passkey to the retail experience. QR codes allow smartphone users to shop anytime, anywhere, as we’re seeing with the rise of retailers’ coded out-of-home displays. The integration of NFC in handsets will enable fast and easy mobile payments. And as e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailing integrate and overlap, shopping may entail simply snapping a photo or tapping a sensor, then collecting the order or having it immediately delivered.

10) Media Multitasking: The mobile is becoming a complement to or distraction from most other types of media platforms and content. Consumers are hopping between screens (and the printed page), toying with their tablet or smartphone as they watch television, play video games, work on their computer and so on.

11) Access Over Ownership: With the proliferation of cloud-based services and Internet-enabled devices, consumers will shift from owning media to accessing it through subscriptions however they want (via various connected devices) and wherever they want.

12) Hyper-Personalization: Mobile devices will increasingly use the data they’re privy to—from purchases made to social interactions to location—to offer information tailored to the user. They will analyze past and current behavior and activity to provide recommendations on where to go, what to do and what to buy.

13) The Data-Sharing Debate: Mobile owners are growing more aware of the value of their personal data. While third parties will seek access to more data (location, browsing history, social graph, etc.) in order to fine-tune personalization engines, people will increasingly think more closely about what they’re willing to share.

14) Security Consciousness: App usage, mobile browsing and mobile payments all put personal data at risk, and security threats are rising. We’ll also see a rise in cloud security concerns and claimed solutions as people share more personal data with third parties and as more businesses store customer and proprietary information in the cloud.

15) “NoMoPhobia”: This term for “no mobile phobia” refers to the fear people feel when separated from their mobile device. With the mobile in particular, our attachments are deepening as the smartphone evolves into an indispensible Everything Hub and as it becomes more closely linked to our identity. Increasingly, going without this appendage will provoke real anxiety.

 

Windows Phone Marketplace officially passed 70,000 apps. 300 new ones added each day » Unwired View

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, UNwiredview.com
22 Mar 12 

  • Windows Phone Marketplace officially passed 70,000 apps
  • 300 new ones added each day
  • 100,000 registered developers

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Rovio : Angry Birds Space downloaded 10 Mn times in < 3 days

Looks like another hit from Rovio!


Monday, March 26, 2012

AT&T Brings First LTE Windows Phone to Market with Nokia Lumia 900, Available for Customers April 8 for $99.99


What a smashing entry – Making it one of the least expensive LTE phones to debut to date ! Just what was needed !!

AT&T Press Release
Dallas, Texas, March 26, 2012
The Nokia Lumia 900, the Windows Phone named “Best of CES” for all smartphones, will be available exclusively in the U.S. from AT&T* on April 8 for $99.99.  One of the first 4G LTE Windows Phones in the world, the Nokia Lumia 900 gives AT&T customers more 4G LTE choices than ever before and the largest selection of Windows Phones in the U.S.  For more information, customers can visitwww.att.com/lumia or AT&T’s Consumer Blog.
Customers who can’t wait to get their hands on this new smartphone can pre-order it in cyan or black beginning March 30 by visiting http://www.att.com/lumia or any AT&T company-owned retail store. Qualified business customers who receive wireless service discounts can pre-order the Lumia 900 online, beginning the afternoon of March 30, at http://www.att.com/nokialumia900.
Running on AT&T’s superfast 4G LTE network, the Lumia 900 delivers an unsurpassed mobile experience. With 4G LTE speeds, the people-first style of Windows Phone 7.5 and outstanding design lets customers access their emails, music and social media quickly and helps them look good while doing it.  The Lumia 900 will be available in unique and eye-catching cyan blue and a matte black on April 8, with a newly announced high-gloss white version on sale beginning April 22.
“AT&T and Nokia’s relationship spans many years and we’re thrilled to introduce their first 4G LTE Windows Phone only for our customers,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president – Devices, AT&T Mobility.  “The Lumia 900 is impeccably designed with clean lines and a camera that rivals stand-alone digital cameras on the market today.  Combine that with the people-first Windows Phone experience and our 4G networks – the nations’ largest – and it’s clear that this is one of the best phones customers can find.”
The Nokia Lumia 900 has a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display for rich, bright images both indoors and out and a long-lasting 1830 mAh battery for enjoying content.  
Its 8 megapixel camera includes Nokia's exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, with large aperture (F2.2) and wide angle focal length (28mm) for high-quality, uncropped images even in low-light conditions. The front-facing camera boasts a large aperture and a wide angle lens that ensures sharp, bright images for high-quality video calling, right out of the box.  Additionally, customers can enjoy their favorite music and videos from their Lumia 900 wherever they are with the Nokia Purity HD On Ear Stereo Headset by Monster, also available beginning April 8.**
The Nokia Lumia 900 offers AT&T customers a range of leading content experiences such as:
·         AT&T U-verse Mobile lets U-verse TV subscribers browse the U-verse TV program guide, schedule and manage their DVR recordings, and watch hit TV shows while on the go. The U-verse Mobile library includes more than 100 TV series and more than 700 TV shows from a variety of genres.
·         Nokia Drive, available to download from Windows Phone Marketplace, provides free voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation with a dedicated in-car user interface that turns the Nokia Lumia 900 into a GPS navigation device.
·         The exclusive ESPN sports hub is pre-loaded on the Nokia Lumia 900, and provides a one-stop sports application for news, videos and scores. 
Limited 4G LTE availability in select markets.  4G speeds delivered by LTE, or HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul, where available.  Deployment ongoing.  Compatible device and data plan required. LTE is a trademark of ETSI.  Learn more at att.com/network.
Limited-time offer. Nokia Lumia 900 requires a new 2-yr wireless agreement with voice (min $39.99/mo) and min monthly data plan ($20/mo). Subject to Wireless Customer Agrmt. Credit approval req’d. Activ fee $36/line. Geographic, usage and other terms, conditions and restrictions apply, and may result in svc termination. Coverage and svcs not avail everywhere. Taxes and other charges apply. Data (att.com/dataplans): If usage exceeds your monthly data allowance, you will automatically be charged overage for additional data provided. Early Termination Fee (att.com/equipmentETF): After 30 days, ETF up to $325. Restocking fee up to $35. Other Monthly Charges/line may include a Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge (up to $1.25), a gross receipts surcharge, federal and state universal svc charges, fees and charges for other gov’t assessments. These are not taxes or gov’t req’d charges. Visit a store or att.com/wireless to learn more about wireless devices and services from AT&T.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

India Mobile Rev-Share Changes Might Spark a Fire - NextWala

No comments on professional proprietary grounds

Click for full article


D Khare, Nextwala
March 4, 2012


Jonathan Bill of Vodafone spoke at both these events about upcoming changes in Vodafone's offdeck rev-share regime in India.  This change, along with a potential broadband data plan price war and growth in smartphone users could result in a real transition in mobile data usage over the remainder of this year, charting a way out of the slump that I discussed in my last post .


Vodafone will start to offer more favorable rev-share deals to those direct-to-consumer mobile apps/services companies that will not rely on Vodafone for promotion and customer acquistion. In other words, developers will keep 70% of the revenue from their applications (at a scale of Rs 1 cr+ in billings; 60% below that), as opposed to the 25-30% currently prevalent here.  70% is more in line with what Apple and Google offer to developers for iOS and Android apps respectively as well as what operators are offering in the US, Europe, China and Japan.

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Zynga's "Project Z": Social Games on Its Own Site (Through Facebook) - Lauren Goode - Social - AllThingsD

Social Gaming is the new engaged avatar of gaming !
Lauren Goode, AllThingsD
March 1, 2012
Zynga is finally pulling back the curtain on “Project Z” to reveal a beta version of Zynga’s own social gaming platform on Zynga.com.
The move is supposed to foster a more social gaming environment that’s focused just on games, without other social media updates getting in the way.
Zynga is also opening up its game platform — which consists of 240 million monthly active users and 54 million daily active users — so third-party developers can create their own Zynga games. Developers will have access to something called Zynga’s Active Social Network, or ASN, which will tell them not only how many people are playing their games but also measure engagement levels.
So what about Zynga and Facebook’s codependency? While it may initially seem as though Zynga is staking an independent claim, it’s still cozy with Facebook when it comes to its own gaming site.
Users will still have to log in to Zynga.com through Facebook Connect in order to play the games — which will include CastleVille, CityVille, and Zynga Poker. (And, for fans of the Words With Friends mobile app, it’s going to be available on Zynga.com, as well.)
Players can start a game on Zynga.com and then easily pick it up on Facebook, and vice versa. There are still the same sharing functionalities, in terms of sharing scores and progress.
There are some notable ways in which Zynga’s own gaming site differs from the experience of Zynga games on Facebook, though. Zynga.com offers a clutter-free news feed that’s only about gaming, unlike a Facebook feed dotted with Zynga game scores amid status updates and photos of food experiences and kids in Halloween costumes. There’s also a live chat box for real-time communication among game players, which, unlike Facebook’s IM box, keeps the game going while you’re chatting; and Zynga players can become “zFriends” with each other, without having to be Facebook friends.
In Facebook’s recent S-1 filing, the social networking giant revealed just how dependent it was on Zynga, with Zynga accounting for around 12 percent of Facebook’s $3.7 billion in revenue last year. Facebook said social games are currently responsible for “substantially all of” its revenue generated from payments (outside of advertising revenue.) 


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