Mobile Economics Will Trend Toward Web Economics

By BusinessInsider

I've been saying for a while now that I think mobile economics will trend toward web economics as the mobile web goes mainstream.

In other words, the business models that work best on the web will ultimately work best in mobile.

The corollary to that is that the business models that don't work well on the web will not work well in mobile in the long run.

And that includes tablets. There is some discussion in the tech blogs today about why iPad magazine sales have been disappointing.

I don't understand why anyone would ever think that adding a presentation layer on top of web based content would make it something people would want to purchase when they are not willing to purchase the same content directly on the web.

A central issue with the Internet, no matter what device and presentation layer you use to access it, is that there is an unlimited amount of content available. Evan Williams calls it "a web of infinite information" in this chat with Om Malik. What is valuable is filtering and curation. Restricting access to content doesn't work. Someone else's content will get filtered and curated instead of yours. Scarcity is not a viable business model on the Internet.

For a while Apple has provided something that has looked like exclusivity and scarcity. They force everyone through their app store and they provide a transaction engine in that app store. Some have chosen to execute a paid content or a paid app business model in that app store. A few have built interesting businesses with that model. Most have not.

But the mobile web is going mainstream in a big way in the next year. And other devices and presentation layers will develop that will have different models and transaction systems. I suspect that, like the web, we will see a plethora of marketplaces and transaction systems develop across multiple platforms and devices. Developers who want to access users on those devices will have to use different approaches. This interview with the developer of Angry Birds is a good discussion of these issues in real time. Angry Birds uses Getjar on Android instead of the Android marketplace. We will see more of that kind of thing, not less.

I do not believe that Apple's model is going away. And I think Apple will remain an important and leading mobile platform for a long long time. But their period of being "the mobile platform" is ending and it is important to understand what that means.

I think it means the mobile is slowly but surely moving to a web model. And as that happens, it is important to think of it as one big web and lots of devices and software accessing it. Lots of devices means billions of devices accessing largely free content and applications with advertising and freemium and commerce and virtual goods and many other business models generating trillions of dollars for developers. Just like the web, but even bigger and more exciting.

Apple, Google TV, Foursquare to face cyber threat in 2011: McAfee

By SiliconIndia

New Year is not having good news for mobile devices including Apple products, Google TV, geo-location services such as Foursquare and Gowalla, and other social media sites as McAfee Labs researchers predict an impending attack from cyber criminals which will be far more advanced than the traditional
e-mail methods reports ABCNews.in.

Though the threat platform has not changed significantly, the criminals will harness the platforms of geo-location service providers, social networking sites and mobile devices effectively and continue the rate at which they sophisticate malware. Researchers feel that malicious apps and Botnets will cater to the needs of cyber criminals to get what they aim. While the malicious apps will depict privacy data over platform, the Botnets will probably manipulate physical devices using compromised apps, controlling the devices. The report from McAfee Labs researchers rendered an austere image for Apple products which had not been under malware threat recently but parts a genuine warning to the firm on the same.

The popularity of these products, especially in the business environment, along with the "lack of user understanding" about securing them, will make "Apple botnets and Trojans" a "common occurrence" rather than a "rare encounter," predicted the researchers. Researchers predicted that Cyber criminals will exploit the transmission of user's location over internet by geo-location service providers such as Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook.

It is reported that during Christmas time, Facebook blocked all the j.mp shortened links as more than 70 percent of them turn out of either spam or malicious sites.

Nexus S upgraded to Android Gingerbread over the air

By SiliconIndia

Google Nexus S has been upgraded with the latest version of the Android operating system - Gingerbread (Android 2.3.1) that arrives over the air. The update brings with the latest version of Google maps and fixes bugs.

The updates don't do anything massive to the phone. Plus if you have got yourself the Google maps for Android version 5, it won't make much of a difference to you. However, it appears that the slow browser  has been fixed.

But we must say that given the Nexus S has just launched, the upgrade comes pretty soon. The update is reported to be of 1.9MB. With no confirmation date for the upgrade, users can dial *#*#checkin#*#* to check if their phone has received the update or not. 

Google promotes education software through App stores

By SiliconIndia

 To come out with an industry for online learning programmes with a value so ambitious that it may approach $5 billion the next year is the current discussion between Google and Educational Software companies.

Google Apps Marketplace has already made available games and instructional tools for teachers from companies such as Grockit and Aviary. Being the largest search engine, Google seeks to attract more educational developers which has resulted in Google stepping up in generating revenue from the  project.

As stated by the Parthenon Group, the software sales for US schools and colleges this year should surpass the 2009 total of $4.6 billion. Google expects this to be the new growth machine, which gets most of its sales from search advertising.  

The company makes available word processing, e-mail and spreadsheet programs to students and teachers free of cost while working with them. Now it wants to enlarge its domain by helping the outside developers sell applications to educators.  

"If we can provide access to education apps to our 10 million users in thousands of schools, then that would be a win all around," said Obadiah Greenberg, Google's business development manager for education.  

The sales generated through the site make available the revenue to the software makers with products on Google Apps Marketplace. In the coming months, Mountain View, California-based Google plans to begin taking a 20 percent share of sales, Greenberg said.  

According to James Birchfield, instructional technology specialist at Harwich Public Schools in Massachusetts, many schools have set up private web domains with Google wherein the programs in the Apps Marketplace can be operated. "A teacher logs into a Google Apps account and they can access anything in the marketplace," said Birchfield, who is known by colleagues as the Google guru." "It gives you a one-stop-shop kind of thing where we know we can integrate it and we know where it's all saved."  

Aviary Education, which is a free Web-based tool that lets students edit images and audio recordings in a private environment, is made use of by the teachers who want students to record class presentations and share them online, said Michael Galpert, co-founder of New York-based Aviary. "The more that they promote Google services in the classroom, the larger the audience we get," Galpert said. The company now gets most of its new customers through Google's Marketplace, he said. 

iPhone 4 topped eBay's shopping trends list in 2010

By SiliconIndia

In 2010, it was all about Apple, the World Cup and toys, according to eBay, which released its top-10 list today. The Apple iPhone 4 has topped the most purchased item on eBay in 2010 with 1,634,674 units sold. This is quite an achievement considering last year's list did not include any technology item at all.  

Even iPad made it to the top five with 621,399 units sold this year. These two are the only tech related items on eBay's list this year. Other things include the Barbie, with 1,178,909 related items sold, while the third and fourth slots are taken by military jackets and Hot Wheels respectively.
World cup, The Beatles, Silly Bandz, Alice in Wonderland and New Orleans Saints are the others who made it to the top 10 list. 

Don't Declare Victory For Android Just Yet

By Business Insiders

As 2010 ends with Android growing faster than any other smartphone platform, some are declaring 2011 as the year of Android, imagining that it will vanquish all competitors like Windows did after 1995.

But if that's so, why are phone makers hedging their bets with alternate platforms?

That's the question asked in a provocative blog post at Counternotions. The blogger, Kontra, clearly has no love for Google, and some parts of the post--like criticizing Google for doing business in China--veer way off topic. But he also makes a few solid points:

• Google's goal with Android is to increase mobile use of Google services. Eric Schmidt said as much on Google's last earnings call, when he said that Android's main contribution to revenue is increasing the number of Google searches conducted from mobile phones.

• To meet this goal, Android doesn't have to provide the best user experience. Instead, Google can compete primarily on cost--Android is free---and let phone makers and carriers figure out how to attract users.

• This is very similar to Microsoft's business model for Windows, which wasn't free but was a relatively inexpensive part of the PC (compared to the hardware) back in the 1990s. This worked out great for Microsoft, which got to control the pace of innovation and spend only as much on R&D as necessary to preserve its huge margins.

• This was not so great for the PC makers, who ended up making more or less identical beige boxes and were forced to compete on price, with devastating effects on their margins. 

If phone makers let Android dominate the smartphone market, they could end up in a very similar position to the PC makers in the early 2000s--a race to the bottom on price, with ever shrinking margins.

The phone makers know this, which is why they may not embrace Android with the same level of enthusiasm in two years as they do today.

Kontra points out that two very successful Android phone makers, Samsung and HTC, are hedging their bets by supporting Windows Phone 7 and Samsung is also building its own Bada platform.

It's also worth noting that the biggest smartphone maker in the world, Nokia, has refused to jump aboard the Android bandwagon, and may be ready to embrace Microsoft's new platform instead. Research In Motion still has good market share in the U.S. and isn't going down without a fight either.

As for Apple, it lived through this scenario once before, and it's hell-bent on avoiding a repeat. This time, it's being more aggressive with lowering prices and making sure it attracts lots of third-party developers, while continuing to focus on user experience and innovative hardware. Looking at the massive spike in iPhone app downloads over Christmas, it looks like this strategy's working out quite well.

In other words, the smartphone battle is far from over. It's just beginning.

Apple Products Are Two Of The Top Three Gadgets For 2010

By Business insider

AAPL Off With Market 

Stock indexes are falling as China raised interest rates over the weekend to combat rising inflation. Shares of AAPL are off 50 basis-points as well, although not as battered as the rest of tech. Upcoming catalysts for Apple include monthly NPD data (Mac / iPod business); holiday iPhone and iPad sales updates and carrier expansion (Verizon); new content revenue streams such as video, books, newspapers and social (Ping); moving iTunes into the cloud; and the uptake of the new Apple TV. Shares of Apple trade at 15x Enterprise Value / Trailing Twelve Months Free Cash Flow (incl. long-term marketable securities). 

Apple Increases First Quarter iPhone Order (DigiTimes)Apple is telling component suppliers it wants 20-21 million iPhones for the first quarter of 2011, an increase over the company's original request of 19 million phones. That's a big order. Shipments don't equal sales, so it's not a perfect comparison, but for some context, Apple sold 14.1 million in the third quarter and Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray has a conservative estimates of 12 million iPhones for the first quarter. Of the phones Apple is ordering, 5-6 million are CDMA based, which means they could run on Verizon's network.
 Mark Who? The Financial Times Names Steve Jobs Person Of The Year (The Financial Times)
The Financial Times has handed its Person of the Year crown to Steve Jobs siting his year's unveiling of the iPad "capped the most remarkable comeback in modern business history." Apple's Jobs-led bounce-back from its near demise in the '90s, as well as the visionary leader's perseverance through his recent struggles with cancer. In terms of Silicon Valley lore, Jobs now shares the stage with no one. The icing on the cake for 2010 was the realization of a personal dream for Jobs, the featuring of The Beatles on iTunes.
Apple Takes Two Of The Top Three Gadget Spots For 2010, According To Mossberger (All Things Digital)
Taking Walt Mossberger's, technology axe from The Wall Street Journal, top spot on the gadget front this year was none other than Apple’s iPad. For a 1.0 product, the iPad was amazing. With the new iOS 4.2 operating system and its huge selection of apps, the iPad continues to stay ahead of the competition. Second were 4G networks. Tied for third were the Samsung Galaxy S and the Apple iPhone 4. Despite no longer being the only game in town and all the initial controversy over its antenna, the iPhone 4 is still the best overall smartphone, according to Walt.
Patent Turns Up To Fix Antenna Problem (Patently Apple)Remember Antennagate? A recently discovered Apple patent application dated from June 2009 suggests Apple may build future devices with an antenna housed directly underneath the familiar Apple logo. The Apple logo is going to be on the iPhone or MacBook anyway, so why not stick an antenna underneath it? This internal design would bring the antenna close to the surface without increasing the risk of accidental contact from your hand or any other interfering material.
Google TV's Challenge Of Apple TV Fell Flat In 2011 (AppleInsider)Logitech's supplier, Gigabyte Technology, is reportedly noting a hit on its revenues from the suspension of Google TV. The delay was intended to let Google refine the software which is anticipated for late February or March at the earliest. Sony has already slashed the price of its own Google TV product, signaling that sales were not going as well as expected amid less than charitable reviews. Meanwhile, Apple shipped it's 1 millionth Apple TV last week.
Mac App Store Like iTunes But Better For Across Device Software Downloads (The New York Times)Apple has announced that its Mac App Store will open for business on January 6. Don't they have iTunes? Yes, but it will be different. Apple won't just a broker for phone apps, but for all of the software you might want to use on your computer. Instead of buying something like Quicken or Photoshop at a brick-and-mortar store or from the developer’s Web site, you might get it through the App Store. The advantage to the buyer is single click downloads and installs with semi-automatic updates and the software will be licensed for use on all of your Apple devices.
Put Your Money In Apple Over Gold To Create Actual Wealth (The Motley Fool)Chris Baines at The Motley Fool would rather investors put their money into Apple than into gold. Why? Because gold is a commodity and, to a certain extent, commodities are like Ponzi schemes. They partake in no real business activity and have no cash-flow. I would argue that many investors have made fortunes off of gold. But to Chris' point, no wealth was created by the actual investment. Whatever was earned above inflation is not real.

5 Predictions for Mobile in 2011

By Mashable/mobile
Mobile really exploded in 2010, thanks to a surge in smartphone sales, the rise of the iPad, and of course the iPhone. Mobile devices are getting more powerful, data connections are getting faster and developers are really pushing the boundaries of how we define a “mobile app.”
It’s always tough to make predictions about technology because of the speed of innovation. This is especially true for mobile technology, where the landscape can change in a period of six months, let alone in a year.
These are five of my predictions for what we will see happen in mobile in 2011.

1. Tablet Mania Hits a Fever Pitch
Mark Zuckerberg might not think that the iPad is mobile, but I respectfully disagree. I define mobility more in terms of being portable, not pocketable.
Many people predicted that 2010 would be the year of the tablet, but in actuality, it was the year of one tablet, the iPad. I fully expect the iPad to continue to succeed but in 2011, it will finally get some competition.
The most important lesson that tablet makers can take away from the iPad is that user experience matters. We’re already seeing that in the early demos of the BlackBerry PlayBook and in teasers from Motorola.
We might also see HP use its purchase of Palm to bring some webOS tablets to the market.

2. Photo Sharing Will Expand to Video
The mobile photo sharing boom, led by apps like Instagram and PicPlz was a nice surprise in 2010. Fusing the improvements in camera phones with the ability to seamlessly share photos across social networks is something that just really clicks with users all over the world.
Smartphones have had the capability to record video for a very long time — and the hottest phones on the market all include the ability to record and upload HD footage. Still, we haven’t seen mobile video take off quite the same way as photographs.
This is in part because, though improving, the quality of a smartphone video camera isn’t a “real” replacement for a camcorder, and more importantly, the bandwidth needed to upload video just isn’t widely available.
As the major wireless providers across the world prepare or continue their 4G rollouts, the bandwidth issue has the potential to get a lot better.
Moreover, compression technologies with video make it possible to send video from a device more quickly, without sacrificing tons of quality. The companies that make the image sensors in smartphones are also introducing models that support 1080p video, which means full HD on a mobile phone is on the horizon.
We might not see the ease of sharing movies as we do with photos, but I expect mobile video to get bigger and better in 2011.

3. HTML5 App Explosion
Lots of app developers — or people hiring app developers — debated the merits of native versus web apps on mobile platforms.
Native apps can take advantage of more hardware capabilities of a device and have tighter integration with some of the key components of a mobile OS, but web apps can be more easily ported to other types of devices and can really be beneficial in areas like iterative updates and user testing.
With HTML5 however, many of the system-level and device specific features can still be harnessed by a web app. Moreover, developers can build a base application in HTML5, yet still put it in a native wrapper so that it can take advantage of some native device capabilities.
When comparing some of the Chrome web apps with their iPad counterparts, it was easy to see how a base HTML5 implementation could be ported to a straight web app.
This has been the idea behind development toolkits like Appcelerator’s Titanium, and with more and more devices of varying screen size and processor speed hitting the market, targeting the browser and then making modifications for the specific device will become more and more popular.

4. Flash Still Won’t Matter on Mobile Devices
It’s been an interesting year for Adobe Flash. The technology has withstood criticisms from Steve Jobs, has been heralded by RIM and is now available on Android (Android) handsets.
Adobe is doing a lot of work to help make Flash more suitable for mobile platforms; the problem is for Flash to really work well on these devices, existing Flash content needs to be reoptimized. For many developers or companies, if a site has to be retooled anyway, it is simply more pragmatic to adopt a solution like HTML5 that will work on a wider variety of mobile platforms.
Flash 10.1 was a big improvement, and I expect that Flash 10.2 will be even better, but I still don’t think Flash is going to become a massively adopted mobile technology.
That isn’t to say that Flash is dead — or that on the right platform (like the BlackBerry PlayBook), Adobe Air (adobe AIR) runtimes won’t be perfectly suitable. On the whole, I still think that the momentum that HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and native libraries have in the smartphone and tablet space is unlikely to be usurped by Flash.

5. We Will See a Verizon iPhone
Even though Apple’s exclusivity agreement with AT&T for the iPhone is supposed to extend until 2012, I’ll go on record as saying I’m convinced we’ll see a Verizon iPhone in 2011. If I’m wrong, I’ll gladly take my lumps, but the signs and the rumors are just too great to ignore.
First, Verizon is rolling out its LTE network. That removes one of the technical barriers of a Verizon iPhone, the CDMA factor.

Second, is the fact that Verizon is already carrying the iPad, albeit a Wi-Fi version with a MiFi plan and adaptor — but hey, they are running ads.

Finally, Verizon has made it very clear that it wants the iPhone, and AT&T has made it clear it knows its days of exclusivity are waning. With AT&T being a major factor with consumers who decide not to buy an iPhone, Apple has to want to break off that exclusivity agreement too.

5 Reasons for Small Businesses to go Mobile

In a down economy, small businesses can’t afford to waste money on unproductive advertising. Keyword advertising can boast a hefty price tag, and cannot guarantee a worthwhile ROI. Mobile marketing applications provide a more powerful, accurate, and inexpensive platform to break through advertising noise, and acquire new customers.

1. “Innovate or Die”: Most small businesses realize that they have to stay ahead of the technological curve. Dave McClure of Businessweek writes, “Addictive User Experience (Design) and Scalable Distribution Methods (Marketing) are the most critical components of success…” The Android and iPhone platforms provide businesses a powerful marketing tool to achieve both without breaking the bank.
2. Find your customers: Whether it’s a so-called “Crackberry” or “iPhone drone” people’s attention is rarely focused on what’s around them – let alone what’s ahead! The problem has gotten to the point according to Fox News that “A London street is experimenting with padded lampposts to protect those not paying attention from banging into them.” Mobile applications allow businesses to venture into this new area of consumer focus, and capture their attention…hopefully avoiding injury at the same time. 
3. Non-intrusive: Nobody likes being annoyed by advertising, especially when you didn’t ask for it. Need proof? Just glance at the Android Marketplace comments section and see how many people have immediately uninstalled applications due to inter-app advertising irritation. On the other hand, creating incentives for the consumer as the application itself, gives the power and control back to the user. App users only receive businesses incentives when they open the application looking for value, greatly increasing the % of sales conversion.
4. Geolocation: The rise of GPS and geoloation technology gives businesses to ability to reach consumers on the go. Consumers are always looking for the best deals when they are out, and this provides them with an easy way to explore. Location-based mobile marketing through geolocation is a great way to drive in foot traffic by offering sales and exclusive deals to a given area.
5. Inexpensive: Search engine advertising can be a gamble. You can bid hundreds of dollars for keywords without assurance that users are going to click on your special offers, let alone convert into paying customers. Mobile application marketing is not only less expensive by comparison, but lets you differentiate from your competition so your message isn’t lost in the noise.

Microsoft Reveals Windows Phone 7 Sales Figures

By Mashable.com

Microsoft is out with its first official sales number for the new Windows Phone 7 smartphones: 1.5 million in six weeks.

The number was revealed by Achim Berg, vice president of business and marketing for Windows Phones, in a Q&A posted to Microsoft’s website. Berg says the number is, “in line with our expectations – especially when compared to other new platform introductions.”

While that’s a fraction of the sales being reported by Google and Apple (there are currently around 300,000 Android devices being activated daily and 3 million iPhone’s were sold in the device’s first three weeks on the market), it is perhaps better than some were projecting given Microsoft’s unwillingness to talk numbers in recent public appearances by executives.

Earlier this month at All Things Digital’s D: Dive Into Mobile conference, Microsoft Corporate VP for Windows Phone Joe Belfiore acknowledged it would likely be years before Windows Phone 7 comes close to rivaling the market share of its competitors. At least we now have a starting point by which to draw comparisons.

Why Your Smartphone Will Replace Your Wallet

By Mashable/Mobile
The day when near field communication (NFC) will help replace plastic credit cards, coupons and loyalty program cards with a wave of a phone at a payment terminal has been long anticipated.
Wireless NFC technology enables devices, including mobile phones and payment terminals, to communicate with one another or read special tags. Its short-range signal, convenience and built-in security make NFC an apt choice for mobile payments. Its efficacy persuaded companies like MasterCard, American Express, and Visa to join the NFC Forum in 2004 shortly after it was founded to advance the use of the technology. Today, the possibility that this technology could replace a wallet full of plastic seems not only likely, but imminent.
Samsung’s Nexus S, the first NFC-enabled Android phone, will be on sale at Best Buy starting December 16; Nokia has announced that all of its Smartphones starting in 2011 will support NFC; and Apple recently hired an NFC expert. Jeff Miles, the director of mobile transactions worldwide at NXP Semiconductors, which co-invented NFC with Sony in 2002, says he expects more than 70 million NFC-capable handsets to be manufactured in 2011.
“As far as what will happen with it, who owns the keys and all of that, none of that has really been determined,” Miles says.
Players in multiple industries have made strides toward putting virtual wallets on consumers’ mobile phones. Here’s how some of them have been approaching the opportunity to transform the way we make purchases.

Credit Card Companies

Contactless payment terminals for MasterCard’s PayPass, American Express’s ExpressPay and Visa’s payWave could also be used to accept the tap of an NFC-enabled phone for payment. In essence, the terminals, which are installed in all U.S. McDonald’s, CVS Pharmacies, Home Depots and other merchant locations, are the beginning of a “tap-to-pay” infrastructure.
MasterCard, for instance, is now accepted on about 265,000 contactless payment terminals that would also be able to accept an NFC-enabled phone. Considering that the company has about 29 million locations worldwide, this is far from a complete infrastructure. But it’s a start.
“Definitely we’re seeing a lot of interest and support, and I think 2011 is really going to be a year when we really start seeing commercial deployment,” says James Anderson, head of mobile for the company.
Although NFC-enabled devices have been available in various markets for quite some time, with the exception of a handful of pilot projects, they haven’t been used for payment. In order to safely use the technology with checkout terminals, a “secure component” also needs to be either embedded in the phone, in a SIM card, or through MicroSD cards.
Visa recently made mobile contactless payments available using a MicroSD card solution that can be inserted into the phone’s existing memory slot. Wells Fargo announced this month that it would launch a pilot of the payment option with 200 of its San Francisco employees.
In the meantime, credit card companies have started programs to get customers used to the idea of tapping their phones to pay. MasterCard customers that bank with Citibank, for example, can ask for a mobile PayPass tag to attach to their phone to enable tap-and-pay. The adhesive chips use the same NFC technology that would be embedded in some phones.

Apple’s 2010 Rewind Reveals Interesting Mobile Trends

Apple’s 2010 Rewind is out and dishing on some of the best-selling, most popular and downloaded iPhone and iPad apps from its iTunes App Store this year.
Surprisingly, while Apple confirms the largely anticipated popular trend of photo-sharing apps for 2010, the level of interest expressed in augmented reality apps exploded this year, a factor that should be expected to heavily influence the aims of app developers in 2011.
In 2010, productivity and entertainment apps dominated iPad application preferences.
Apple’s “Pages,” word processing application, “GoodReader” and “Numbers” captured the top three places in the iPad app store for 2010. Books, Pandora Radio, Netflix, Google Mobile App, and Solitaire were among the top free applications for the iPad.
Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, and Skee-Ball were among the most downloaded paid apps for the iPhone this year.
The highest grossing iPhone app was MLB.com’s “At Bat 2010″ ($14.99).
Angry Birds was another top earning app this year. So were Call of Duty: Zombies, and Bejeweled 2+ Blitz.
Angry Birds also turned up among the top free iPhone apps, an accomplishment made possible by the game’s free “Lite” version. It placed just behind Facebook as the second most popular free iPhone app.

Smartphone owners prefer retail mobile Web sites over apps: InsightExpress

By Mobile Commerce Daily
If given the choice between visiting a Web site on a mobile phone or downloading an application to shop or browse a retailer, 48 percent of smartphone owners prefer the mobile Web and 38 percent prefer a mobile application.
As a result of consumers equipped with smartphone devices, holiday shoppers will use the technology to get better deals, comparison shop and increase their overall satisfaction with the shopping experience. With smartphone owners comprising 30 percent of the mobile-enabled universe within individuals ages 18-plus, and device ownership increasing each quarter, it is no surprise new behaviors are beginning to emerge.
“Smartphone owners are using their phones while they are in-store to discover deals, compare prices and share their finds with other people by taking pictures of the items,” said Joy Liuzzo, senior director of mobile research at InsightExpress, Stamford, CT.

“This behavior is the tip of the iceberg in terms of what retailers can expect in the coming year,” she said. “Furthermore, we found that when it comes to browsing retailers on their phone, it’s not enough for retailers to have an app or mobile Internet options since consumers are split in their preference.”
Mobile shopping trends
InsightExpress study data revealed that during this holiday season, 29 percent of all smartphone owners intend to use their device to look for a better price, 23 percent will be looking for product reviews, 22 percent will receive sale alerts and 20 percent will search for products at another store.
Shoppers also plan to make use of additional features such as mobile bar code scanning technology (19 percent) and coupons received on their phones (19 percent).
The research also showed that shoppers intend to employ their smartphone cameras, with 34 percent planning to take pictures of products in store and 25 percent planning to send pictures to other people to solicit opinions.
Also, 56 percent of smartphone owners have visited a retail Web site and, of that group, another 56 percent indicate that they were either happy or very happy with the experience.

Google Exec: More Than 300K Android Phones Activated Daily

By Mashable/Mobile

Andy Rubin, the Google executive who heads up the Android division, has just tweeted an astonishing statistic. According to Rubin, more than 300,000 Android phones are activated every day.
That number is around five times greater than the stat spouted by Google CEO Eric Schmidt in February of this year; at that time, Google was claiming around 60,000 devices shipped each day.
On the surface, quintupling the quantity of product moved within a ten-month period seems absurd, but the Android platform has actually had a blockbuster year. In the past year alone, Android has been the OS for dozens of product launches, including smartphones and tablets.
If you look at the most popular models in the Android family — many of which have only launched since Schmidt’s announcement in February — it’s easy to see how Android’s numbers have grown so quickly.
Motorola’s highly successful Droid spawned an entire line of follow-ups, including HTC’s Droid Incredible (launched in April) and Motorola’s Droid X (launched in June) and Droid 2 (launched in August). Meanwhile, HTC was churning out other Android smartphones such as the highly anticipated Evo (launched in June) and the Desire (launched mid-February). And Samsung brought the Galaxy S (another June launch) to the table, as well as the not-yet-available Android-based Tab. Another Android tablet from Dell, however, is available now: the Streak.
With all these options to choose from, more new-to-smartphone consumers began choosing Android devices over the iPhone; in fact, Android smartphones outsold iPhones for the first time ever in the beginning of 2010.
However, iPhone is still the device to beat; we’re not sure that any single Android device has yet had the traction to outsell the iPhone 4, for example.
Nevertheless, these numbers — and Rubin’s tweet — show that fragmentation, long held to be the weak point of the Android ecosystem, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Nokia Wants to Revolutionize the Mobile UI in 2011

By Mashable/Mobile

Nokia plans to embrace a completely new approach to the mobile UI, and it plans to launch first devices based on the new approach with Meego in 2011, said Director of Design Strategy at Nokia Marko Ahtisaari at LeWeb conference in Paris today.
Interestingly enough, Ahtisaari didn’t shy from praising Nokia’s competitors, namely Apple, calling the iPhone interface with one button “beautifully elegant” and “simple to learn.” However, other approaches are possible, he said, and it’s “too early” for the old idea of a smartphone – the one with a physical keyboard – to die out.
He didn’t give any details about the upcoming Meego-based smartphones, saying (quite cryptically) that he wants to give phone users a ‘head up’ experience again.
Speaking about the success of Nokia’s app store, Ahtisaari said that there are currently 3.5 million app downloads a day in the Ovi store. He also mentioned that 1.3 billion people use Nokia handsets every day.
During the Q&A session, Ahtisaari also weighed in on Android. Asked whether we’ll ever see an Android-based Nokia, Ahtisaari didn’t completely rule out the possibility, but the answer was still no. “We’re interested in platforms where we can create value, and from the point of view of the device manufacturer, Android doesn’t do that right now,” he said.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread Debuts on Samsung Nexus S

By mashable/mobile
Google has just officially announced the next version of the Android Platform, Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The long-awaited follow-up to Android 2.2 Froyo will be making its debut on the new Samsung Nexus S smartphone. On its developer blog, Google highlights some of the new features in Android 2.3.
These features include:

• Rich multimedia — including support for VP8 and WebM video and new audio effects.
• Support for front-facing cameras, SIP/VoIP and Near Field Communication (NFC).
• Enhancements for game developers, including new sensor types.

The first phone to get the Android 2.3 treatment is the Nexus S. Details of the Nexus S were leaked last month. The phone, which was developed alongside Samsung, combines many of the hardware elements of the popular Galaxy S series of devices with the new features in Android 2.3.

The Nexus S has a pretty impressive spec sheet. It features:

• 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor
• 16GB of built-in flash memory
• 4-inch Super AMOLED screen and Samsung’s new Contour Display curved glass screen
• 5 megapixel rear camera and front-facing VGA camera

In the U.S., the Nexus S will be available unlocked and without a contract at Best Buy stores on December 16, 2010.

How To Print From iPad, iPhone Without Compatible Printers...

Apple’s latest mobile-operating-system updates now lets you print from any printer from both iPad and iPhone. This brings a much-demanded feature: wireless printing finally to your rescue.
But there is a problem; it will only officially print from printers labeled: AirPrint-compatible. Now I am sure most of you don’t have that one. So what next: what if you want to print from just about any printer? Well here is a solution for that.
AirPrint Hacktivator, which offers a solution for Macs to set up wireless printing with iOS 4.2 with any printer shared on your network. You would just require:

• Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.5
• iTunes 10.1 (if you have neither, select the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of your screen and click “Software Updates” to download the latest software.
• And AirPrint Hacktivator [.zip] for that.

Then you need to :

• Copy the AirPrint Hacktivator software into your Applications folder
• Just launch the app
• Switch it on and enter your admin password
• A window will prompt you to add the printer you want to use with AirPrint
• The hack will launch the Print & Fax utility in your Settings folder, and you’ll be able to perform the add-printer task here.
• Now start with your printing, simple.

Note: You can also watch this video for further help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id5VOiO8Jd8&feature=player_embedded

BlackBerry Overtakes Apple in Mobile Wars

By CNN
BlackBerry OS overtook Apple’s iOS for the first time in the US in November in terms of mobile internet usage according to web analytics company, StatCounter. The company’s research arm, StatCounter Global Stats finds that for the first time in the US BlackBerry OS at 34.3% overtook Apple’s iOS which recorded 33% in November.
Google’s Android is rapidly gaining and has almost tripled internet market share from 8.2% last November to 23.8% this year. Apple’s iOS has fallen from 51.9% to 33% over the same period.
“These figures suggest that developers should not be developing solely for the iPhone to the exclusion of BlackBerry and Android,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. He added that, if current trends continue, BlackBerry and Android combined are on course to become twice the size of iOS as regards mobile internet usage in the next year.
Commenting on Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 he said that it was not yet registering significantly in terms of internet usage but would be interesting to observe over the next year. “This data demonstrates that there is a battle royal already going on in the smartphone market for the consumer and business internet user. You can never underestimate Microsoft but it looks to have its work cut out.”
BlackBerry’s US lead is not replicated in terms of worldwide share according to the StatCounter data. Globally Symbian OS leads with 31.9% followed by iOS (21.9%), BlackBerry OS (19.3%) and Android (11.6%).
StatCounter Global Stats are based on aggregate data collected by StatCounter on a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month collected from across the StatCounter network of more than three million websites. StatCounter, which provides free website traffic information, publishes worldwide internet usage trends via StatCounter Global Stats, a free online research tool.

Android reaches 1 in 5 smartphone users in US: comScore

The industry was abuzz when it came down to Apple’s iPhone and the potential for marketing via the platform. But comScore research shows that there is a new player in town, reaching more than one in five smartphone subscribers in the United States.
Google’s Android-enabled devices now reach more than one in five U.S. smartphone subscribers. With a total of 58.7 million people in the U.S., that is a big chunk of the smartphone market.
Brands, marketers and developers are taking note. There are now more than 100,000 applications in the Android Market and brands and advertisers are starting to ramp up their advertising on the platform as well.
ComScore’s research found that Research In Motion was the leading mobile smartphone platform in the United States, with 37.3 percent share of U.S. smartphone subscribers, followed by Apple with 24.3 percent share.
Google continues to gain ground in the market, rising 6.5 percentage points to capture 21.4 percent of smartphone subscribers.
Microsoft accounted for 10 percent of smartphone subscribers, while Palm rounded out the top five with 4.2 percent.
Despite losing share to Android, most smartphone platforms continue to gain subscribers.

Mobile Games Revenues to Surpass $11 billion Globally by 2015 as In-Game Purchases Overtake those of Pay-per-Download, says Juniper Research

A new report published by Juniper Research forecasts that revenues from in-game purchases will overtake the traditional pay-per-download model as the primary source of monetising mobile games by 2013. With Apple's in-app billing mechanism showing the way forward, total end-user revenues will surpass $11 billion annually by 2015, nearly double what they were in 2009 ($6bn).
An increasing number of games are being offered free at the point of purchase, in order to garner attention, with in-game purchases – which include extra gaming levels or gameplay items – being utilised by developers and publishers to monetise the game once the user has been given a taste of what the game has to offer. However, discoverability remains a problem for developers and publishers on some app stores, given that many now contain 100,000s of applications, the majority of which are mobile games.
According to Mobile Games report, " Discoverability can be a "chicken and egg" problem: high downloads lead to prominence, but achieving a high number of downloads is largely dependent on already being prominent. Consequently, a small minority of games achieve very high downloads, whilst the vast majority achieve very small download figures."
Nevertheless, Juniper Research's report finds that the mobile games industry is in a much healthier state than it was when the last edition was published. Apple's iPhone/App Store combination has set the benchmark, with a higher share of revenue for developers, and development platforms which take advantage of advancements in handset technology, as discussed in the report.

Mobile Web - ultimate choice of the youth

By SiliconIndia
Most 18 - 27 year old Opera Mini users use their mobile phones to browse the Web more often than they use a desktop or laptop computer for the same purpose, according to the results from a survey released by Opera.

The findings are published in Opera's State of the Mobile Web report also found that the countries with the highest percentage of respondents using desktop or laptop computers as the primary means of Internet access were countries where Smartphones are more common among the top handsets used, including the U.S. and Germany, where the split between phone and laptop or desktop is about fifty-fifty. However, in Nigeria, South Africa, and Indonesia, more than 9 out of 10 respondents said they browse the Web on their handsets more than they browse on a laptop or desktop computer. Looking at the top handsets used by Opera Mini users in those countries, the survey found fewer Smartphones compared to Poland, Germany, United States, and Brazil etc. This result presents a challenge to the long-standing belief that Smartphone uptake will be the major driver of mobile web usage globally.

But the results show that there is a need for a good browsing familiarity on feature phones as well, according to Opera. Opera signed a deal in April with Vodafone to use the Mini browser to push Web browsing in emerging markets. Also, Nokia acquired Novarra with the same intent which shows that Opera isn't alone thinking in the same lines.

At the same time, the phone market is changing rapidly, with the emergence of Smartphones at increasingly lower prices, according to Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. The arrival of 3G phones based on MediaTek's Android-based platform next year will help push prices down further, she said.

iPhone rules in smartphone customer satisfaction

By ZDNet

A recently released survey of new owners of smartphones by 5 manufacturers report that Apple continues to top the satisfaction list. The phones were purchased in the past 6 months. This survey of 1,212 smartphone owners was conducted by ChangeWave Research and covered phones from Apple (iPhone 4), HTC (EVO 4G, Droid Incredible), Motorola (Droid 2, Droid X), RIM BlackBerry (Torch, Bold, Curve) and Samsung (Galaxy S).

In an article at Investor Place, Paul Carton, ChangeWave vice president of research, said the results showed that the iPhone 4 “continues to outperform the industry in terms of customer satisfaction.” Here are the results for ratings of very satisfied by maker:

iPhone (77 percent), Motorola (71 percent), HTC (63 percent), Samsung (45 percent), and RIM (44 percent). The results for RIM and Samsung don’t reflect much of the recently launched models such as the Samsung Galaxy S and RIM Torch.

Here’s what Carton said about the iPhone 4 results:

The iPhone 4’s exceptionally high Very Satisfied rating (84% for 32GB; 78% for 16GB) confirms our earlier survey findings that despite the controversy surrounding its initial launch, the iPhone 4 has been extraordinarily well received by its owners. These iPhone 4 scores are even better than the ratings for the earlier generation iPhone 3GS models (81% for 32GB; 77% for 16GB) which were recorded in our May 2010 new smart phone owners survey.

Meanwhile, Carton also said a third of non-AT&T smartphone purchasers said they would have bought an iPhone if it was available from their current carriers. Ouch. And while the Motorola phones came in second place (a surprise he said), almost 40 percent of these owners wished they had an iPhone.

Apple Co-Founder Says That Android's Features Will Put It Out On Top.

By TFTS


Steve “Yellow Lasers” Wozniak spoke at a technology conference in The Hague and his comments are getting a fair bit of press today. The Apple co-founder said that eventually, Android‘s openness will put it out on top, besting the iPhone in marketshare. Though, Wozniak believes that the iPhone will still be the better quality device.
Wozniak, like so many other pundits in this space, have compared iPhone-Android to Mac-Windows. Wozniak believes that Android will eventually dominate the space, but he did say the he believes that the iPhone will be a better device. He said the iPhone “has very few weak points. There aren’t any real complaints and problems. In terms of quality, the iPhone is leading.”
Wozniak believes that, like early versions of Windows, Android has issues with the user experience and consistency, but you’ve got to reckon that those things will improve over time.
Finally, Wozniak went on to explain that Apple had co-developed a phone in 2004 with a Japanese company (Sony? Panasonic? Who?) and the phone was well-designed and well ahead of its time. Unfortunately, Apple decided not to bring the proto-iPhone to market then. As I’m sure you know, the first iPhone wouldn’t come out until three years after that.
Wozniak took a parting shot at European favorite Nokia in the interview. He said that Nokia was “The mark of a previous generation” and he feels that Nokia needs to launch a fresh new brand. Kinda like MeeGo?

500 million people will be using mobile health apps by 2015 -- A report by research2guidance

By Research2guidance
Smartphone applications will become the killer applications for mobile health solutions.
Although the potential benefits of mHealth solutions have been widely discussed for over a decade, the market never emerged from the trial phase. Smartphone applications will enable the mHealth industry to successfully reach out to 500m of a total 1.4bn smartphone users in 2015 the new “Global Mobile Health Market Report 2010-2015” by research2guidance says.
Ralf-Gordon Jahns, Head of Research at research2guidance, points out “Our findings indicate that the long-expected mobile revolution in healthcare is set to happen. Both healthcare providers and consumers are embracing smartphones as a means to improving healthcare.”
Not only are consumers taking advantage of smartphones to manage and improve their own health, a significant number (43%) of mHealth applications are primarily designed for healthcare professionals. These include CME (Continued Medical Education), remote monitoring and health care management applications.
Currently there are 17,000 mHealth applications in major app stores, 74% of them adhering to the paid business model. With more and more traditional healthcare providers joining the mobile applications market, the business models will broaden to include healthcare services, sensor, advertising and drug sales revenues.
“With the growing sophistication level of mHealth applications, only 14% of the total market revenue in the next 5 years will come from application download revenue” explains Egle Mikalajunaite senior research analyst. “76% of total mHealth application market revenue will come from related services and products such as sensors”.
The “Global Mobile Health Market Report 2010-2015” is a business guide for traditional healthcare companies as well as for mobile operators wishing to successfully engage into the new mHealth market.

Google’s new Android phone aims to replace credit cards

By Telegraph
Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, showed off the company’s next Android-powered phone, which will contain a chip that will allow people to make payments via their handsets.
Opening this year’s Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Schmidt showed off the new phone, which had the manufacturer’s label deliberately covered up, but is assumed to be the next Nexus device, following the Nexus One, and will contain a Near Field Communication chip, that will allow people to use their phones like credit cards.
The latest version of Android, called Gingerbread, due to come out in the “next few weeks”, will power this new handset according to Schmidt, and will feature this new mobile payments system as a key tool.
“This could replace your credit card,” Schmidt said. “The reason this NFC chip is so interesting is because the credit card industry thinks the loss rate is going to be much better, they’re just more secure.”
Users will need both a phone with an NFC chip and Android’s Gingerbread operating system in order to activate the technology. The near field communication technology allows people to tap their phones on a symbol or an item in the real world to make an action happen, such as a payment. Schmidt said it will it will allow people to “tap and pay”.
Schmidt stressed that Google had no alliances with any retailers and those relationships would be put in place by the credit card companies and retailers independent of the search giant. Instead Google will partner with third party payment processors.
He also said that Google would not retain any personal obtained through credit card transactions via the phone.
However, despite saying that he could envision this type of mobile technology replacing the credit card, Schmidt would not put a time frame on this migration. Instead he said: “ Who knows? [how long it will take]. I anticipate my credit cards will be around for some time.”
Schmidt was keen to emphasise that the new chip, which is a key feature of Gingerbread, provides a brand new platform for people to start thinking about new apps, which can use the same “bump for everything” technology, as it was described on stage. 

Over 27 percent workers deem laptops to be replaced with tablets

By   SiliconIndia

In a gadget war arena where tablets are gaining dominance day by day over laptops, yet another survey authenticates the tablet authority.27.4 percent of 'mobile workers' believe that tablets will replace laptops for general business use in the next year, according to findings from iPass, a provider of mobile connectivity services to companies.

 

The query was included in iPass latest Mobile Workforce Report, which will be released next week according to Elizabeth Woyke of Forbes.The report attracted 1,100 responses from people working at 'Global 2000' companies who travel and work remotely at least part of the time says IPass spokeswoman Kate Blatt. 37.2 percent of respondents sounded positive when asked whether they thought a device available today or in the next year could replace the laptop for general business use.

The majority of those respondents believed the iPad or another tablet would take that spot. While nearly 6.4 percent thought a netbook or Smartbook would replace laptops, an even smaller 3.4 percent responded that this new all-purpose business device would be a Smartphone. The figures underpin other studies that point to speedy tablet adoption in the workplace. BoxTone, which fabricates software for managing corporate mobile services, lately conducted a survey in which nearly 40 percent of respondents estimated iPad ownership at their companies to increase 20 percent or more over the next year. More than 50 percent of those respondents also said they plan to release at least one iPad application in the next 12 months.

The iPass figures may also reinforce theories about tablet sales cutting into those of laptops and netbooks - a subject matter that has attracted pervasive attention since more companies release tablets into the market. Another question in the survey also estimates the changing Smartphone preferences of business users. Nearly half (42.4 percent) answered that they would choose an iPhone when asked what type of phone people were likely to purchase once their current cell phone contracts expire. Handsets running Google's Android operating system were the second most popular choice with 23.8 percent. Research In Motion's BlackBerrys claimed support from only 19 percent of respondents.

The responses back up recent reports about companies ranging from Dell to Bank of America to Citigroup replacing corporate-issued BlackBerrys with iPhones and Android phones.

Android 3.2 Gingerbread arrives November 15, 2010

By Pressbuzz


According to rumors, it would seem imminent release of its new release of the mobile operating system made in Google. Android 3.2 should see the light to mid-November 2010, just in time for the Christmas period and then future terminal will occupy the place under the Christmas tree. Gingerbread course will be available immediately via OTA update for the terminals Nexus held software developer and later as decided by the manufacturer of smartphones.

Dell turns low-cost with its 3G ready Android smartphone

Dell seems to be bored of the PC business. Probably that is the reason, the PC maker is all set to explore the 3G boom that has begun in India. Dell's interest in mobiles was seen with the streak tablet which had 3G connectivity and used the Android mobile OS. Dell's recently launched two new smartphones- XCD28 and XCD35 are 3G ready and are based on Google's Android platform.

Take on the price war to win the market is the motto of Android in India and now, with its handshake with Dell, the latter too is toeing the same lines by unveiling its Android-based smartphones. The two models XCD28 and XCD35 entered the Indian market at a dirt price of 10,990 and 16,990, may be they were warned to see Apple iPhone and other smartphones face low-demand due to the price. Dell XCD28 will come with a 3.2 megapixel digital camera and a 2.8-inch LCD touchscreen display. Featuring a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, Dell XCD35 has access to Android Market for applications.

However, if Dell is hoping to play out the smartphone biggies and including the Indian new emerging players like Spice, Micromax with its brand name and the low-priced tag, then it should also be ready to get booed out by the gadget freak. All thanks to their resistive screen, whereby you can't use your fingers to work on the screen rather your only hope would be the stylus. So, lose the stylus and the XCD28 will be just a good-for-nothing answering machine.

Both the phones are powered by Android 2.1 OS and they will support 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth. Dell XCD28 provides full internet browsing, music, photos and features such as location awareness and a media player supporting multiple formats for videos. Supported with an FM Radio and access to Microsoft Email Exchange through Activesync, the phones are equipped with 200MB of internal memory that can be expanded upto 16GB using Micro SD memory cards.

"For more than 25 years, Dell has played a critical role in transforming computing, enabling more affordable and more pervasive access to technology around the world. With today's launch, we extend the same pioneering edge to the smartphones market as starting with the XCD series, we look to offer technology solutions to a much larger audience", said Mahesh Bhalla, General Manager, Consumer & SMB, Dell India.

XCD28 will be available immediately in the market while XCD35 will be available by December 2010.

Hasbro Intros 3D For iPod Touch, iPhone Hasbro Intros 3D For iPod Touch, iPhone

By Informationweek

Toy company Hasbro will debut a handheld device called My3D that will enable three-dimensional views when attached to the Apple iPod Touch and iPhone, according to the Associated Press.

The accessory, which resembles a pair of binoculars, is geared at both children and adults who want a 3D, 360-degree experience when playing games and viewing content. It is being launched at an investor meeting that the country's second-largest toy maker is holding on Tuesday, the AP reported. My3D is not due out until next spring and will retail for $30. It will be available in stores that sell the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Consumers can browse and purchase content for My3D at Apple's App Store. Some of the apps will be free, the AP said. Hasbro reportedly had assistance from Apple during development of the device, the AP said.

Over 125 million iPod Touches and iPhones have shipped, a figure that will rise to 200 million by the end of 2011, analysts predict, who also note that the My3D device may hold appeal if enough compatible content is made available.

Hasbro reportedly partnered with Dreamworks Animation to develop material, and is also planning to use content from a 3D television network set to debut next year from Discovery, Sony, and Imax. My3D users will be able to watch clips for up to 20 minutes of trailers and behind-the-scenes footage, the AP said. Hasbro will also use the My3D device to market its own brands, although it did not provide details, the AP reported.

The toy maker has also worked with the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau to develop virtual travel visits to the Wax Museum and the Santa Monica Pier so users can experience the feeling of being immersed in deep water and explore sea life while they learn about it, the AP reported.

Hasbro's brands include Transformers, Littlest Pet Shop, Nerf, Playskool, My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, and Monopoly.

Android Gingerbread set for 11 November

By t3 news.

The much-hyped and oft-touted Android Gingerbread update, Google’s next-gen edition of its mobile OS, is set to land this week according to inside sources.
IntoMobile has the scoop from a ‘trusted source’ which says Gingerbread, codenamed Android 2.3 and not Android 3.0 as some had expected, will be good to go on Thursday. Google is already testing a slew of devices using the latest version of the operating system, as well as sticking a Gingerbread Man outside its Stateside campus. Who needs hard facts when a life size version of a classic biscuit is on show?
That said, some updates to Google Maps do give an idea of the updated look of Android, while a mooted Samsung press conference was set to show off the so-called Google Nexus Two. It appears that the latter has been delayed, however, owing to major hardware concerns in the final testing stage.

What Do Customers Want from a Mobile Retailing Application?

The Sterling Commerce report indicates that product availability is becoming a necessity for impatient shoppers. Nearly two thirds (66 percent) of consumers surveyed considered it important to very important to be able to conveniently determine in-stock availability before visiting a store.  It was significantly more popular than store locators and even the ability to read product reviews while in the store.
This kind of product and inventory information is invaluable to retail companies developing mobile retail solutions.  However, providing this information may be difficult.  It means your inventory and POS systems must all be integrated efficiently to be able to provide this kind of information fast enough to keep a mobile user happy.

Twitter launches mobile app for Windows Phone 7

 By mobiputing


Twitter may have taken its own sweet time before launching official apps for smartphone platforms such as the iPhone and Google Android. But just days after phones with Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 operating system started to ship in select parts of the world, Twitter has unveiled its new Windows Phone 7 app. There’s no more playing catch-up. The official Twitter app is officially one of the first Twitter apps to launch for this new platform.
As you’d expect, the mobile app supports viewing messages from your timeline as well as direct messages, mentions, and lists. You can also view suggested users, and Twitter for Windows Phone 7 allows you to navigate Twitter without logging into an account. If you don’t have an twitter account.

Cloud Services Spur Mobile Enterprise Apps

By PCWorld

Mobilizing enterprise apps is nothing new, yet beyond e-mail and a few other horizontal applications, it's still a niche market. But combining the cloud with the newest generation of smartphones is just starting to change that.

Juniper Research expects the total market for cloud-based mobile apps to grow 88 percent between 2009 and 2014. About 75 percent of that market will be enterprise users, Juniper predicts.

An ABI Research study from a year ago predicts that a new architecture for mobile apps based on the cloud will drastically change the way mobile apps are developed, acquired and used. Cloud services can make it easier for developers by minimizing the amount of code they have to customize for each of the phone platforms. "This trend is in its infancy today, but ABI Research believes that eventually it will become the prevailing model for mobile applications," ABI Research analyst Mark Beccue wrote in the report.

Connecting a mobile app to a cloud-based service has other upsides for enterprises, said John Barnes, CTO of Model Metrics, a company that develops mobile apps that work in conjunction with Salesforce.com and Amazon Web Services. "One advantage of these cloud platforms is you can synch from the mobile device to the cloud without intermediate servers or a VPN," he said.

That means deployment can be simpler for companies that don't want to manage in-house servers that support the mobile app.

Salesforce is one cloud provider aiming to make it easier for businesses to mobilize their cloud-based services. "We see that mobile devices are changing how business applications are deployed," said Ariel Kelman, vice president, platform product marketing at Salesforce.com. Salesforce offers APIs and toolkits to help businesses extend applications they've build on Force.com to the iPhone or BlackBerry phones.

Rehabcare is one organization that used those tools to build an application for its workers. Based in St. Louis, Rehabcare owns and operates 34 hospitals nationwide and also operates more than 1,000 facilities on behalf of hospital owners.

The mobile application built on Force.com allows Rehabcare to be more competitive when bidding for patients, Dick Escue, CIO for the company, said. Typically, when a patient is being discharged from a hospital but needs further care, the hospital will put out a broad call to all nearby facilities asking if they want to care for the patient.