The bottom line: If anything, these figures are conservative, since in some sense, all mobile users are part of a mobile social network: the one represented by their handset’s phonebook. This list of contacts is arguably users’ most important social network, and will increasingly meld with those of online social networking services, blurring the line between users and non-users.

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THE VALUE OF THE EUROPEAN CONNECTED VEHICLE MARKET WILL DOUBLE TO 6.2 BILLION EUROS BY 2013, says Telematics Update. The growth will be driven by the mandatory installation of eCall black-box devices in cars, as well as consumer interest in connected vehicle services. Additionally, the group expects insurance companies to take advantage of telematics in their consumer offerings. Source

The bottom line: Cars are increasingly getting connected to mobile data networks, generally for navigation and traffic services. Some content networks are emerging, particularly in the US, but the growth in telematics and connected cars could represent a significant opportunity for mobile developers and content providers.

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ANDROID IS GAINING MOBILE WEB MARKET SHARE,  say the latest metrics from the AdMob ad network, but iPhone remains on top, accounting for 40 percent of all the ad requests on its network worldwide. The company says Android is growing strongly in North America and Europe, and accounts for 13 percent of US ad requests from smartphones. The Palm Pre is also showing strong growth, accounting for 9 percent of US smartphone usage. Source

The bottom line: These stats show just how hungry the market is for devices that make browsing the web a breeze. The strong figures from the Pre, a device that’s not sustained its early buzz in the US, underlines this. Also, expect the Android share to keep growing as more and more devices running the platform hit the market.

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WORKING MOMS ARE A GOOD TARGET FOR MOBILE MARKETING, says a new report from Scarborough Research, based on their mobile usage and spending. It found that they spend $94 per month on average on their mobile bill each month, compared to the overall average of $78. In addition, the firm found that working moms are 42 percent more likely than the average mobile user to download content to their phone. It’s a decent market segment, too, accounting for 9 percent of the user adult population, or 11 percent of mobile users – 21.6 million. Source

The bottom line: Males aged 18-34 are often touted as one of the most desirable segments for marketers, but this research says they should take a look at working moms as well, particularly for mobile content. This makes some intuitive sense, as working moms generally have their hands full with work and their families, making the prime mobile users.

The bottom line: Another reason to be optimistic about the development of the mobile advertising market in the U.S.  Forecasts that growth will be stunted in 2009 are now tempered by bullish predictions for 2010. Advances in handset penetration, the spread of ad-funded content/services schemes, and a wealth of app store offerings should result in an even greater take-up of mobile advertising.

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THE MOBILE INTERNET, MOBILE EMAIL AND MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING ARE USED BY MORE THAN HALF of mobile phone users. A mobile Internet poll carried out by user experience consultancy Webcredible showed that of the respondents who used the mobile Internet (52 percent), over half (55 percent) used it primarily for emailing and social networking. Source

The bottom line: We know that the growth of mobile Internet usage is linked to the youth demographic and their particular usage pattern (transferring their fixed-line Internet/PC behavior to mobile). This study provides us with some numbers to back this up.

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SMARTPHONES REPRESENT A MINORITY of U.S. mobile device purchases, accounting for 23 percent of handset sales volume in Q1, says recent data from market research firm NPD Group. Yet as a percentage of overall handset sales to consumers in the U.S. from January through July 2008, smartphones represented 19 percent of all handset purchases compared to just 9 percent for the same period in the previous year. This rise was put down to declining prices, streamlined form factors, and Internet connectivity bringing devices into the mainstream. Source

The bottom line: It’s easy (particularly if you are focused on the mobile content industry) to lose sight of the fact that smartphones, despite the hype and their urban cool factor, remain a minority in the marketplace. The percentage is rising, but there is no doubt a large and untapped market opportunity in catering to plain-old, low-end devices.

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51 PERCENT OF U.S. SUBSCRIBERS ACCESS ENTERTAINMENT, games, news, and social information via their mobile phones every week, according to a new study published by research and consultation firm Frank N. Magid Associates. Based on a January 2009 survey of 4,000 U.S. consumers between the ages of 12 and 64, Magid says mobile content users now spend about the same amount of time with content (39 minutes) as the average user does sending text messages (38 minutes) or talking on their handset (44 minutes).

The study also suggests that mobile entertainment content like games, music, and social network services are used for longer periods of time than ‘utilitarian’ content such as news, weather and sports scores. Behaviors are split along demographic lines (as you would expect). For a whopping 80 percent of 12-34 year olds, mobile social networking is the thing to do; news consumption is dominated (79 percent) by 18-54 year olds. Source

The bottom line: Encouraging stats that outline how we use the mobile Internet and underline the role of the youth demographic. The one to watch is the richer, data-heavier mobile content consumption habits of the 12-34s.  So called ‘utilitarian’ content often leads towards instant hits – quickly check the headlines, scores, and weather – but means reduced browsing time.

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AUDIENCE TARGETING MOBILE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS OUTPACED demographic targeting campaigns by nearly four times in April, according to Millennial Media, which has released its April brand advertiser-focused Scorecard for Mobile Advertising Reach and Targeting (SMART). It says that this translated to major increases in purchase intent for key age groups, while the complexity of mobile ad campaigns demonstrated a lift in the number of users being driven to an established destination. Source

The bottom line: These figures underline the importance of delivering relevant mobile advertising content to a known audience with known interests, as opposed to bracketing by demographics.  While it’s a given that social networking and entertainment are consumed by a generally younger demographic, the ability to tailor advertising directly for people with specific interests – whatever their age – is critical to the success of mobile advertising.

Peggy adds: Indeed, as my close friend and colleague Tomi Ahonen – a late-40-ish, Scandinavian who is totally (!) into rap music and Formula 1 racing – has reminded me many times. No one fits the mould – and no one should. Plug that in your age demographics! An approach based on demographics is fundamentally flawed, with the difference that we will perhaps tolerate the mismatch between who we are and how brands sell to us on TV (commercials for pension schemes during the network news and ads for annoying ringtones on music television), but on mobile it’s spam. I’ll have more on the Millennial Media stats in a briefing with Paul Palmieri, president and CEO of Millennial Media.

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BLACKBERRY APP WORLD’S LOCATION APPLICATIONS are four times more expensive than iPhone and Android location apps, according to a Skyhook Wireless Report. The study found a marked disparity in application cost between the three stores, with the average price of a location-aware application in the Blackberry App World store being $13.60, compared with $3.60 in the iTunes App Store, and $0.84 in the Android Marketplace.

The Apple App Store has the greatest number of location-based applications (over 2,300), and the highest percentage of paid LBS apps (over 75 percent). 67 percent of Blackberry apps are paid, and 80 percent of Android Marketplace apps are free.

The report found that the most popular location aware apps were for Travel, Navigation, and Social Networking, but new apps like Music, Finance, and Games were also beginning to gain traction. Source

The bottom line: These mobile application storefronts cater to slightly different markets, so they will price their products accordingly.  However, such an obvious inequality in pricing for similar applications using identical location technologies will surely persuade many prospective customers to think twice before joining the BlackBerry camp, especially when Microsoft and Palm application storefronts come online giving consumers more choice and increasing overall competition between storefronts.

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APPLE SOLD 3.9 MILLION HANDSETS DURING the first quarter of 2009 to more than double its market share, says Gartner. Smartphone sales hit 36.4 million, representing a 12.7 percent increase from 12 months earlier. The report also says that smartphone sales represented 13.5 percent of all mobile device sales in 1Q09, compared with 11 percent in 1Q08.  It also reflects a doubling of Apple’s market share from 5.3 percent to 10.8 percent. Source

The bottom line: These statistics make Apple the third-ranked smartphone manufacturer by volume.  Although it remains in Nokia’s shadow – Nokia still commands a 41.2 percent share – it will be interesting to see how the imminent arrival of Nokia’s application storefront, the Ovi Store, and its success or otherwise, impacts on Apple’s apparently relentless growth.
Mark Hawkins is a Director of the Mobile Data Association and a freelance communications practitioner of mobile technologies.  He previously managed global communications for MX Telecom, the mobile data aggregation group.  His personal blog can be found at http://amarkhawkins.wordpress.com