Tag: iphone

Android operating system #1 in U.S. market

Posted on by Lab Team

According to a new report from Canalysis, Google’s Android platform has rocketed to the top spot among U.S. smartphone operating systems with a 43.6% market share. Worldwide, the Android has a staggering 1,309% year over year growth, a 25% market share, and is now on 20 million devices.

Android’s success is rooted in three key advantages. First, the product itself is user-friendly and has been quickly embraced by consumers. Second, Google was able to strike deals for Android with a variety of mobile manufacturers– among them Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. And lastly, Android is available on devices at a variety of price points, making it easily accessible to any smartphone purchaser. Continue reading “Android operating system #1 in U.S. market”

Will Apple poach broadcast users?

Posted on by Lab Team

With all the fury surrounding Apple’s latest announcements, we thought it would be fitting to recap the highlights and debate some of the opinions spewing out so far.

iTunes 10 & Ping: A social network for music

Some will call this a MySpace killer (available for upload now) but in this current configuration, I don’t think that is the case. After playing with the product and reading comments online, I think Apple’s insistence on a simple user experience in comparison to MySpace’s cluster of over personalization, went a little too far and features that should have been left in were left out. For example, there’s currently no easy way to follow people I actually know.

Apple claims on their site that there is a Facebook Connect feature allowing you to search for your Facebook friends easily. Well, this turns out not to be the case as Apple did not follow processes necessary to turn this feature on with Facebook. Namely, because Ping “pings” the Facebook API to such a significant degree, the social network requires Apple to pay for the service, something which was not negotiated ahead of time but I’m sure is in development now. Until this is resolved, I can only find my friends by entering in their email address one by one until I find someone. Yesterday, my friend from Berlin tracked me down so I officially have one real Ping friend. Continue reading “Will Apple poach broadcast users?”

Mobile gaming revenues exploding

Posted on by Lab Team

Games figured heavily in the (official) introduction of the iPhone 4G and according to industry research, it’s easy to see why. A recent Nielsen study found games are the most frequently used apps, ahead of more utilitarian categories such as social networking, news and navigation. Games are also at the top of the entertainment app heap, with more usage than anything having to do with either music or movies. Current projections see global mobile gaming revenues surpassing $5.6 billion in 2010.

Here are a few of the new iPhone’s gaming-relevant updates. A new chipset and the promise of faster processing could improve the speed and graphic quality of games. Promises of better networking speeds could eventually allow better multiplayer or even eventually streaming experiences. A better camera on the back and a new camera on the front might allow iPhone developer to take creative cues from existing game platforms and eventually yield some interesting changes in the way players can control the experience. The new iPhone also has a built-in gyroscope, promising more refined game control. The near-term implications are obvious: better mobile games and competition against the mobile games platforms from Nintendo or Sony. The potential long-term ramifications are far more compelling. Continue reading “Mobile gaming revenues exploding”

iPad, IAD, and Me

Posted on by Lab Team

iPad, IAD, and Me (EA/Apple) The iPad is here — and with it, apps. And games. And ads. The iPad arrived on April 3. Rumor is, on April 7 Apple will reveal what it’s done with Quattro and showcase the future of the ad platform for its mobile operating system. This announcement could, in a very real way, mobilize (pun intended) casual gaming ad opportunities.

Did you know there are more iPhones and iPod Touches out there than Wiis? Or that Apple is eating away at the handheld gaming market revenues, despite the games on its platform being a fraction of the price that others charge?

A solid advertising platform from Apple will represent a unified offering for iPhone OS games. Based on where Apple’s interest lies for its iPhone platform, the ad platform should be very publisher-friendly, and potentially able to generate revenue for publishers better than current ad networks. If that’s the case, many publishers will flock to the common standard for their apps (or not). Continue reading “iPad, IAD, and Me”

8 mobile marketing questions answered

Posted on by Lab Team

Smartphones eliminate "mobile" vs "online" divide (iStock) From Ad Age’s Digital Marketing Guide to Mobile

I haven’t been doing any mobile marketing so far. How hard will it be to catch up?

The mobile landscape is at a tipping point right now, switching from a very old approach to an edgy new one. The difference between newer smartphones vs. feature (or non-smart) phones, or even older smartphones, is dramatic. Consumer behavior is transitioning from mostly using the phone for voice and text communication to using it as a secondary or even primary computing device. For this subset of wireless subscribers, their pocket-size computer is used for browsing the web, watching videos, reading e-mails, listening to personalized radio stations, downloading eBooks — heck, even filing taxes.

Just as the behaviors on the devices are vastly different, the marketing tactics and strategies are night and day between feature phones and newer smartphones. Where promotions and light engagement were the status quo for older phones, the cutting edge is all about features and utility. In most cases, these consumers care most about how useful it will be to engage, rather than just how entertaining. Continue reading “8 mobile marketing questions answered”