Reality & digital morph on your mobile

GroupM spoke about this product out of the Netherlands at Digital Now Australia (DNA09), and is well worth having a look at.
Should this take off, both at a user and brand level, there’s real utility from a product like this. Has plenty of options across multiple products.

Layar is developed by SPRX [...]

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An iPhone app well worth having

In a classic case of (mis)directed genius a team in the US have developed an iPhone application that is perfect for the modern, fast-paced, tired executive.
The app is called iNap@work, and lets you nap at work in your cubicle without fear of being caught.

The iNap@Work app makes office-like “productivity noises” so that your co-workers will [...]

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Skype on your mobile takes off…

…but not if you’re in Germany.
German telecommunications provider Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile has not only blocked the VoIP connection that enables Skype for Apple iPhones, but has also threatened to cancel the contracts of any T-Mobile subscribers who attempt to install Skype on iPhones in Germany through workarounds.
Skype’s iPhone application, which lets users make cheap or [...]

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Mobile web usage doubles in a year

Historically, there’s been so many reports talking about the growth of mobile it’s difficult to separate the (usually mobile industry based) overly optimistic from the more realistic.
Like web predictions no-one really knows what is realistic in the mobile world.
However, one stat that caught my attention recently is from the US, which has traditionally lagged behind other markets in mobile [...]

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Will 3 billion users convince you to use SMS?

In my attempt to keep things clear, and only talk about bits & pieces that are worth talking about, I mostly ignore reports/research that boast of ownership of a market or technology, as they’re mostly vested interests or just wrong.
Social networks are a good example as they would all have you believe they “own” their region [...]

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Soap on your teenager’s mobile

Found a nice campaign out of the UK for teenagers. It’s by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), who have launched a mobile drama soap series to teach teenagers the importance of using condoms.

After signing up on the website users will start following the 22 weeks long series. Every Friday teens will receive [...]

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Is anyone using QR codes?

UK directory company Yell is to trial QR Codes on the front covers of two editions of its Yellow Pages directories, enabling consumers to obtain the latest local cinema and weather information via the mobile web.
Two interactive QR Codes published on the covers of the new Edinburgh and Cardiff editions of Yellow Pages in December [...]

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Is the iPhone the only handset that marketers should be focussing on?

It’s easy to think that’s the case as most of the chatter is about how great it is and how it’s fundamentally changing how users behave…which it is.
Whilst the iPhone will revolutionise the mobile space let’s not forget that at the moment, and well into the foreseeable future, Nokia etc. still completely dominate the mobile [...]

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Are carriers the new primary internet providers?

As the number of mobile devices approaches three times that of PCs worldwide, are carriers becoming the primary internet access providers?
In fact there are more mobiles around than PCs and TVs combined…but don’t get carried away as there’s a few fundamental shifts that need to take place before these numbers are harnessed & carriers become [...]

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80% of mobile phone features are unused

Much like the PC (I actually think the figures is more like 90/10) the mobile phone’s features are way under-utilised. In a recent study by WDSGlobal it was found that something like 80% of a mobile phone’s capabilities are unexplored.This is important research, as it’s easy to become distracted by the flashing lights on handsets and [...]

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Integrating a brand into a sponsorship

Came across a nice example of a brand integrating a TV sponsorship through the line.
Carphone Warehouse in the UK have sponsored X-Factor, and are giving anyone brave enough to sing a Madonna song (amongst others) a chance to have their bad singing played during an ad break in the show.
You can record through your PC, or [...]

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Free Mobile (as long as you don’t mind the advertising)

Australian MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) ComTel Corporation has launched Australia’s first ad-supported mobile phone service. The ‘SMSPup Mobile’ plan offers consumers “Aus$130 of monthly included call value for $10 per month.”
Core to the plan’s offering is the extra value generated through advertising offers and participation rewards. Customers who opt-in to the advertising component will [...]

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