While the iPhone OS was the leading smartphone platform on Millenial’s network, with 33 percent of smartphone share (ahead of BlackBerry’s 31 percent), Samsung was the top device maker, thanks to the predominance of featurephones. The company also said the US mobile web audience grew to 64.8 million users, and that its ad network reached nearly 80 percent of them.

The report also features a section on mobile app analytics, provided by Mobclix, which says that the iPhone App Store is the biggest on the block, with 115,000 apps, and also leads in downloads, with 100 million per month. Android Market is a distant second, with 20 million per month, and BlackBerry App World even further back in third, delivering 300,000 downloads per month.

Millienial adds that traffic to advertisers’ sites represented almost half of the mobile campaign destinations on its network in October, while app downloads accounted for about 30 percent. Source

The bottom line: Mobile web use – and the market for mobile ads – continues to grow. But don’t overlook smartphones, which still account for a huge chunk of the mobile web market.

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THE MOTOROLA DROID SOLD 250,000 UNITS IN ITS FIRST WEEK, according to GigaOM and based on a report from mobile analytics company Flurry. The new Android device, available only on Verizon Wireless in the US, has been well received by commentators, and now, apparently, by the market as well. Flurry says that the sales are more than four times those of T-Mobile’s MyTouch 3G in its first week of sales in August, but of course pale in comparison to the 1.6 million iPhone 3GS devices sold in its first week. Source

The bottom line: Is Motorola clawing its way back from the precipice? Could be – since software has long been its Achilles heel, turning to Android could turn out to be a smart choice, and one that saves the company.

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MORE THAN 3 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UK HAVE REDEEMED A MOBILE COUPON, says Juniper Research in a new report. The analyst firm says that mobile coupons enjoy a redemption rate six times higher than traditional paper coupons, again highlighting the viability of mobile marketing to deliver results for advertisers and brands. Source

The bottom line: Mobile coupons seem like a no-brainer, if only because people are less likely to forget to bring their phone to a shop than a paper coupon! But combined with opt-in campaigns and any number of targeting techniques, they represent a valuable resource for retailers.

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THE NUMBER OF MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING USERS IN LATIN AMERICA AND AFRICA WILL INCREASE TENFOLD BY 2015, says a new report from analyst firm Frost & Sullivan and mobile social networking provider Colibria. F&S says the market will amount to 527 million users and be worth $2.4 billion in six years, reflecting the increased popularity of the services, but also the prevalence of mobile as an Internet channel in emerging markets. Source

The bottom line: It’s easy to predict the growth of mobile social networks, but anybody eyeing the space has to keep in mind how people in emerging markets use their mobiles and access the internet primarily through them.

However, smart companies know that a sluggish economy spell opportunity for businesses that know how to move forward when the economy is standing still. Indeed, the doom-and-gloom mood hasn’t stopped 50+ industry heavyweights from around the world from meeting in London in June for an executive brainstorm about the future profit opportunities in an open mobile world.

I am reminded of the recent MSG podcast with Tom Huseby, Managing Partner, SeaPoint Ventures, and his observation that there is plenty of money and opportunity in mobile, but it’s up to entrepreneurs to structure their good ideas so VCs get it. Mobile has enjoyed an exceptionally high growth trajectory and even the credit crunch can’t discourage VCs from investing. “On the whole, venture capitalists have not run out of money. The bars are high and it’s difficult, but my gosh, my advice to entrepreneurs is keep working on your idea until it does appeal to the money, or don’t use the money to do it.” What has VCs excited? Open systems, open storefronts and open operators – and lots of apps.

Against this backdrop, the timing couldn’t be better for an industry event sharply focused on what open is (and isn’t). Yes, it’s about new and increasingly open business ecosystems (where mobile operators can still play a central role provided they play according to the new rules). But open means much more. It’s about the convergence of platforms and devices to blur the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds, and transform communication, content, advertising, search and retail.

More importantly, open is about the shift from command-control to coordinate-cultivate, a seismic shift in how we do business and make money.

How do we get there from here? What models are sustainable and which are hype? There are no easy answers. However, the Open Mobile Summit (June 10-11 in London), produced by Robin Batt, an independent consultant with 13 years experience in the space, certainly covers all the bases to offer attendees insights that will allow them to take charge of the wave of change rather than be crashed by it. (In fact, even Google is attending!)

I was so impressed by the line-up of topics and top-notch speakers that I immediately signed on to be a premiere media sponsor and moderate the session on mobile advertising. I am pleased to report I now have 5 heavily discount passes to share with readers at just £995, valid until 26 May. VIP code: MSG. Register here http://www.openmobilesummit.com

The Open Mobile Summit, like the emerging value chain it represents, brings together world-class speakers from mobile operators, handset OEMs, wireless software houses, and Internet and applications companies, to explore how to profit in an open mobile economy. I hope you will join me and senior executives from T-Mobile, Vodafone, TeliaSonera, O2, Google, Nokia, Yahoo, RIM, Acer, LG, Motorola, and Symbian – plus a mix of VCs and industry analysts at this powerful cross-industry networking event.

The Open Mobile Summit provides an executive summary on all the key strategic developments – and growth areas – in mobile today. Including:

• App Stores: Fad or Future?
• Who will own the mobile desktop?
• Beyond the phone
• Internet vs made-for mobile
• Future of the Operator Deck
• Inter-connected Entertainment
• Mobile Advertising
• Where’s the value in open mobile
• How to monetize mobile Internet
• Open APIs and Smart Pipes

Full agenda here http://www.openmobilesummit.com/agenda.aspx

Speakers include:

Operators:

• Christopher Schläffer, Group Product & Innovation Officer, Deutsche Telekom * Keynote Speaker
• Kenneth Karlberg, President Business Area Mobility Services, TeliaSonera * Keynote Speaker
• Yves Maitre, SVP Devices, Orange
• Dr Mike Short, Vice President R&D, Telefonica O2 Europe
• Hossein Moiin, Fellow Mobility, British Telecom
• Tanya Field, Director, Mobile Data Group, Telefonica O2
• Pieter Knook, Director Internet Services, Vodafone
• Ed Candy, Former CTO, 3
• Nabeel Mardi, VP Device Development, T-Mobile International
• Christiane Vejlø, Head of Innovation, 3 Denmark
• Chris Bruce, GM, BT Openzone
• Geraldine Wilson, CEO, Truphone
• Martin Wrigley, Director Technology, Orange

Devices:

• Alan Brenner, SVP, RIM * Keynote Speaker
• Christy Wyatt, Vice President, Software Platforms and Ecosystem, Motorola * Keynote Speaker
• Aymer de Lencquesaing, Senior Corporate VP, Acer
• Marco Argenti, VP Media, Nokia
• Jin-Sung Choi, VP Mobile Communications, LG Electronics
• Jon ‘maddog’ Hall, Chief Advocate, openmoko

Internet / Applications:

• Hugo Barra, Global Director Mobile Applications, Google
• Mitch Lazar, MD, Yahoo! Mobile, Europe
• Frank Keeling, MD Europe, Glu Mobile
• Steve Ives, CEO, Taptu
• Ray Anderson, CEO, Bango
• Paran Johar, CMO, JumpTap
• Ted Wugofski, CTO, Handmark
• Russell Buckley, VP Alliances Admob / Chair MMA
• Ilja Laurs, CEO, GetJar
• Jakob Berg, CEO, Popcatcher
• Rob Lewis, CEO, Omnifone
• Sean Kane, Head of Mobile, Bebo Inc

Software and Silicon:

• Lee Williams, Executive Director, Symbian Foundation * Keynote Speaker
• Morgan Gillis, Executive Director, LiMo Foundation
• Kiyo Oishi, CEO, Access Systems * Keynote Speaker
• Rich Green, former EVP, Sun Microsystems
• Jon S von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera
• Jay Sullivan, VP, Mozilla Foundation
• Enrico Salvatori, SVP & GM, Qualcomm Europe
• Gil Rosen, Vice President – Strategic Initiatives & Customer Experience, Amdocs Interactive

Analysts and Organizations:

• Henry Stevens, Entertainment and Media Director, GSMA
• Philipp Diebert, Executive Program Manager, NGMN
• Tim Raby, MD, OMTP
• Mike Grant, Partner, Analysys Mason
• Matt Hatton, Principal Analyst, Analysys Mason
• Caroline Gabriel, Rethink Research
• Simon Torrance, CEO, STL Partners / Telco 2.0
• Philipp Hoschka, Deputy Director, w3c
• Peggy Salz, Editor, MSearchGroove
• Ajit Jaokar, Founder, Futuretext
• Stewart Anderton, Principal Consultant, Ovum
• Robert Andrews, Editor, paidContent:UK

Content / Media / Agency:

• Christian Lindholm, Partner, Fjord
• Scott Seaborn, Head of Mobile, Ogilvy Group UK
• Sunil Gundeira, VP Mobile, Disney EMEA
• Barney Wragg, Independent Media Consultant
• Rob Unsworth, VP, Digital Chocolate

Investment community:

• Rajeev Chand, Managing Director Wireless, Rutberg & Co
• Rod Hall, Executive Director European Comms, JP Morgan
• Kaj-Erik Relander, Partner, Accel Partners
• James Enck, Senior Partner, mCapital

I hope to see you there, and if you want to catch-up or meet-up, then please reach out to me at peggy@msearchgroove.com – or schedule a slot with my PA Andrea Henninge (andrea@msearchgroove.com).