Mobile Groove

Developers are replacing a “lost enthusiasm for developing smartphone apps” with a new passion for tablets, according to a survey by Strategy Analytics. The company also notes that the mobile app ecosystem has matured, making it tougher for smaller, niche developers to complete with larger organisations.

• The launch of Windows 8 and Blackberry 10 will see Microsoft and RIM seeking to take advantage of the shift, by enabling developers to easily create products across tablet an…

Mobile has completely transformed how we shop. Or has it? While retailers struggle to win back the turf they have lost to price comparison apps and schemes that turned their shops into showrooms for rival retailers and Amazon, the 900-pound gorilla of mobile commerce, recent research shows the battle is far from lost. In fact, it’s just beginning, and retailers that arm themselves with insights into the new and complex customer segment known as the ‘mobile shopper’ can benefi…

Mobile is BIG. Really big. In fact, mobile — with a deeper penetration than electricity and safe drinking water — is the most pervasive technology ever invented. If 2011 was the year when mobile data, specifically mobile apps and mobile Web, reached the masses, then 2012 will be the year that companies everywhere on the planet do more than merely ‘go mobile.’ They will focus efforts and resources on providing people an optimized experience on mobile. Annette Tonti provides a deta…

Where is the BIG money in mobile? Why the disconnect between the time we spend on mobile and the amount of money brands spend to reach us on our personal devices? Questions around mobile monetization come fast and hard — and the answers are never easy.

Facebook — the leader in the combined power of mobile and social ­— has seen its stock price plunge, a development that has brought even more urgency to the discussion. The timing couldn’t be better for industry authority and analyst Mary Me…

Mobile apps or mobile Web? If the goal is to reach as many makes and models of devices, then mobile-optimized websites are a natural first choice. If it’s about building “experiences”, then mobile apps — front and center on our smartphones— may have some advantages. It’s often a confusing decision for marketers to make, and the right choice depends on what brands want. However, new numbers from Nielsen boost the argument that apps are gaining some serious traction (despite a…

ALMOST 30 PERCENT OF US MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS USE THE MOBILE WEB AT LEAST ONCE PER MONTH, eMarketer reports, based on data from BIA/Kelsey and Constat. That’s up from 22.3 percent last year, but the boom doesn’t stop there: the figures say that 21 percent of US mobile users get online on their mobile device at least 10 times per week, up from 15 percent in 2008.

The survey found that nearly half of US subs use text messaging at least 10 times per week, and a fifth use mobile email that much. Popular mobile web tasks include local searches, looking for movie or entertainment info and information about restaurants and bars. Source