Mobile Marketing Magazine

FLO TV Goes Social

Qualcomm subsidiary FLO TV says it is working to enhance its Mobile TV service with new applications that integrate video with web-based content and social media tools. The company says the expanded capabilities are being developed in response to the ways in which consumers are simultaneously viewing and interacting with content.
“With consumers’ mobile entertainment habits evolving rapidly, FLO TV will be integrating its current live linear video with relevant, on-demand content and interactive features that complement the programming viewers are watching in real-time,” says FLO TV President, Bill Stone. “Our innovative, nationwide multicast network is at the heart of this solution and will allow us to distribute live mobile TV and rich mobile media services to a range of new devices – from Smartbooks to e-readers and tablets.”
In addition to integrated experiences, FLO TV has also announced an expanded suite of Mobile TV services, including interactive capabilities, pay-per-day and event passes, and time-shifted viewing options. The new features will be available on the FLO TV service across a range of mobile devices in the second half of 2010.  New service applications will include interactive features that will enable users to interact with programming and advertising, allowing consumers to click for more information about a show or click to buy an advertised product. 
Pay-per-day passes will offer pay-as-you-go flexibility, providing consumers the ability to watch the FLO TV service without committing to a recurring monthly subscription. Event passes will provide an way for existing FLO TV subscribers to add premium content, such as special events, to their programming lineup. 
Time-shifted viewing, or ‘catch-up TV,’ will allow popular shows to be stored on FLO-enabled mobile devices, enabling viewers to watch their favourite shows on-demand, even outside of a coverage area. 
FLO TV offers full–length simulcast and time–shifted programming in the US, with content from entertainment brands including ABC Mobile, CBS, Disney Channel, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, and MTV. The FLO TV service is currently available on multiple platforms, including mobile handsets and the recently launched FLO TV Personal Television, the first-ever portable digital television with a dedicated network. In collaboration with Audiovox, FLO TV also offers FLO TV Auto Entertainment, an in-vehicle Mobile TV system.

GetJar Celebrates 50m Facebook App Downloads

Independent app store GetJar has revealed that  more than 50 million people have downloaded Facebook’s mobile app from GetJar in the past six months. With GetJar’s App Download Page (ADP) and Mobile Site Shortcut (MSS), people are able to download the app, which gives them a fast and easy shortcut to access Facebook’s mobile website with a single click from their phone.
“With more than 400 million users around the world, people are increasingly looking to stay connected through Facebook from their mobile device,” says Alison Rosenthal, Head of Mobile Business Development for Facebook. “GetJar has helped us bring the Facebook mobile experience to millions of people, regardless of their mobile platform, phone model or carrier.”
GetJar provides a free Mobile Site Shortcut (MSS), which is a small application that launches any phone’s native web browser and redirects it to the appropriate mobile site. The MSS is global, easy and cost effective and appears in GetJar’s store as if it was an actual application people can download. Companies get global distribution and reach without having to develop unique applications for different operating systems. When downloaded, the MSS appears as an icon on the user’s phone, providing them with one-click access to the brand’s mobile website. Companies with an MSS on GetJar include Facebook, Yahoo!, Microsoft and Google.
App Download Page (ADP) works by providing mobile developers and content owners with a simple mobile webpage that can be linked to their mobile website. GetJar hosts a mobile web page so the company doesn’t have to worry about supporting multiple mobile device platforms, models or carriers. When a person clicks a link provided on the company’s own mobile site, they are redirected to that company’s ADP on GetJar. The person’s mobile device is automatically detected and they can download the appropriate version of the company’s mobile application for their phone from GetJar. If no application exists, GetJar can provide the free Mobile Site Shortcut (MSS), which will work across a wide range of devices regardless of the platform they are running on. Companies using ADP include Flirtomatic, Facebook, Photobucket and Fandango.
“In the recent Chetan Sharma Consulting Report commissioned by GetJar, we saw that apps downloads will increase from 7 billion in 2009 to 50 billion downloads globally by 2012,” says GetJar CEO and Founder, Ilja Laurs. “Global brands will realize that although applications provide users with a rich and engaging experience, to maximize their reach, they need to complement their offering with a mobile web experience that cuts across handset and operating system fragmentation. As the Wal-Mart of mobile apps, GetJar is committed to providing these content owners with a one-stop shop to distribute both their apps and mobile sites across any platform, handset, carrier or country to help them reach this goal.”

Frost Predicts Mobile Broadband Boom in Central & Eastern Europe

Economic recession and restrictive market regulators’ policies, especially in terms of mobile termination rate (MTR) cuts, have been the most negative factors affecting the mobile telecommunications market in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. Mobile telecom operators facing revenue decline from traditional mobile services have started to focus more on mobile broadband development. Although CEE markets differ considerably in terms of mobile broadband penetration, technologies, and network coverage, the common point would be significant market growth expected within the next five years.
That’s the conclusion of new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, ‘Mobile Broadband in Central and Eastern Europe’, which notes that the market earned revenues of €1.1 billion (£716 million) in 2009, and forecasts this to reach €5.2 billion in 2014. The service penetration is expected to grow from 2% to 10% within the forecast period. 
“Due to relatively low overall broadband penetration, mobile broadband will be a complementary rather than supplementary service to fixed broadband in CEE countries,” says Frost & Sullivan ICT Research Analyst, Edyta Kosowska. “Therefore, mobile broadband operators should initially focus on improving the service quality through sufficient network upgrades, as customers expect the same download speed and data download limits as from fixed broadband Internet. Only when (that has been) achieved, (should) the operators should follow Western European players’ strategies and concentrate on developing (a) wider range of value-added services (VAS).”
The Frost & Sullivan study assesses the status of mobile broadband in five CEE key markets: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Slovakia. The analysis is based on key performance indicators, and looks at the way that different mobile broadband technologies are evolving in those markets. The technologies considered are: code division multiple access (CDMA) revision A and revision B; flash orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (Flash OFDM); high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA); high speed packet access plus (HSPA+); mobile worldwide interoperability for microwave access (Mobile WiMAX); and long-term evolution (LTE).
“Most of the market participants start mobile broadband service development from large cities’ centres, where they can count on relatively quick return on investment,” says Kosowska. This move is still economically justified, as the highest demand comes from people with increased mobility needs, such as company workers and students. However, in the near future, growth potential will be mainly visible within rural areas, where overall broadband penetration remains relatively low. Therefore, focusing on this target group can be a worthwhile consideration.”
To find out more about the study, send an e-mail to [email protected] with your full name, company name, title and contact details.

Alcatel-Lucent Launches Operator Ad Solution

Alcatel-Lucent has unveiled its Optism Mobile Advertising Solution, a while-label offering that enables mobile operators to offer preference-based mobile advertising services to their subscribers on an opt-in basis.
Optimism includes a media arm, which brokers relationships between mobile operators and advertisers, simplifying the media selling process for aggregated operator inventory. Since the service is aggregated across multiple operators, media buyers can make a cross-network mobile media buy via the Optism web-based interface.
The solution is based around a scalable, hosted advertising platform that reduces barriers to entry for mobile operators and easily and directly connects them with advertisers. Alcatel-Lucent takes a share of the revenue from advertising spend.
The platform uses permission and stated preferences to deliver advertising to subscribers’ mobile phones. Interactions are tailored to their specific interests and lifestyles, such as discount offers on products and services related to subjects they have expressed an interest in.
The first two operators to sign up for the service are E+ in Germany and Orange Austria, whose Senior Business Developer (Advertising Solutions), Juergen Pillinger, says: “By working with Alcatel-Lucent, we can provide value to our subscribers by ensuring that ads are interest-based, while growing our revenue without adding complexity to our operations. The Mobile Advertising Solution allows us to deliver targeted ads that subscribers actually want to receive, while providing a highly responsive channel for brands and media agencies.”
Eden Zoller, Principal Analyst, Ovum Consumer Practice, notes that fragmentation and lack of scale have acted as a brake on mobile advertising, deterring the advertising community and slowing overall growth,” describes Alcatel-Lucent’s move as “a positive step in the right direction.”
And David Kyffin, Global Chief ROI and Direct Marketing Officer at media agency Mediacom has also welcomed Optim, saying: “The most desirable inventory involves user permissions supplemented by explicit preferences and must offer broad scale to truly harness mobile as a marketing channel. Clients are increasingly asking if they can run campaigns over multiple regions and at scale. Alcatel-Lucent's operating model and access to multiple mobile operators is a big step towards meeting these requirements.”

Report Looks at the Mobile Retail Opportunity

Juniper Research has released its report, ‘The Mobile Marketing & Retail Opportunity’. The report finds that the value of the mobile retail market is anticipated to exceed $12 billion (£9 billion) by 2014, driven by one-to-one marketing and the rapid proliferation of Smartphones.

The mobile retail sector is defined as comprising mobile coupon redemption values, smart poster fees and advertising expenditure. The report finds that the sector will initially be dominated by coupons, but notes that mobile advertising expenditure will exceed coupon redemption values by 2013, as digital adspend is increasingly transferred into the mobile space.
The study offers analysis of key players and their recent product launches, along with discussions on the evolution of the mobile retail market over the next five years. It notes that for brands and retailers, mobile offers the ability to change campaigns quickly (for example by time of day), and crucially, the ability to track the success of a campaign, together with customer acquisition rates. Other drivers are that usage of the mobile in a live shopping situation can be particularly effective, for activities such as product price comparisons.
The report is aimed at all those seeking to optimise their spend on the mobile channel, including retailers seeking to enter the mobile space, digital marketing agencies, advertising networks, vendors and operators. It includes analysis of case studies in each of the major mobile advertising distribution channels, including SMS, MMS, in-content downloads, idle screen, Mobile TV, mobile Internet, on-portal advertising and Augmented Reality. Forecasts include mobile adspend per subscriber, smart poster download and product fee values, together with the total size of the mobile retail opportunity, all split by eight regions up until 2014.
The report examines how much the mobile retail market is worth, and what it will be worth by 2014. It also considers which mobile coupon campaigns have been most successful, and explores the key strengths of mobile as a retail channel. Finally, it considers the extent to which mobile retail has been impacted by the economic downturn, and asks in which regions mobile retail is likely to be most successful.
There’s more information about the report here.

The Text Works Unveils Shortcode Search Tool

Mobile messaging firm The Text Works has launched a free Shortcode search tool that enables anyone to check the availability of a specific Shortcode for use with specific mobile technologies, such as SMS, MMS, voice and video. The tool also offers information on which networks support the Shortcode, and enables users to reserve available shortcodes for future use.
You can access the tool here.

Indonesia Dominates BuzzCity Ad Index, but UK Rising Fast

Mobile media network BuzzCity has released the results of its Global Mobile Advertising Index for Q1 2010. The Index tracks activity across BuzzCity’s network of over 2,000 publishers worldwide. The data, gathered over the three month period from January to March, reveals a 38% increase in the number of ads served in the BuzzCity network over the previous quarter.
Indonesia, India, the US and S. Africa continued their dominance among the top five and were joined by Canada for the first time. The UK also demonstrated strong growth, with approximately 230 million ads served over the three month period - an increase of 114% on the previous quarter.
The top 10 most active countries in were:

1. Indonesia: 2.9bn ads served (+38% on Q4 2009)
2. India: 1.1bn (+71%)
3. US: 465.2m (+54%)
4. S. Africa: 357.9m (+15%)
5. Canada: 238.9m (+68%)
6. UK: 229.4m (+114%)
7. Saudi Arabia: 162.3m (-15%)
8. Norway: 131.1m (+92%)
9. Nigeria: 125.7m (+47%)
10. Malaysia: 116.2m (+14%)

“During Q1, a total of 32 markets each delivered monthly traffic in excess of 10 million impressions per month,” says BuzzCity CEO, KF Lai. “This demonstrates the continued advertiser interest in mobile Internet advertising, and with many of the campaigns now being run through experienced agencies, we are starting to see a more constant and structured investment in the medium. We are also starting to observe a greater investment in mobile from brands outside the mobile content sector, most notably among operators.
“With the increase in affordable high-end phones and greater public awareness of the mobile web, 2010 has also driven a rise in the volume of global mobile traffic. This increase in volume and continued advertiser interest has meant publishers can expect better returns as a greater variety of advertisers get better acquainted with the media. This is a trend which we predict will continue to fuel the rise of the mobile advertising industry during 2010.”

Location, Location, Location

Kevan Christmas, Digital and Mobile Consultant at The Collinson Group, argues that real-time, location-based marketing via the mobile offers a new opportunity to enhance the power of loyalty programmes  

There has been an increasing level of interest and debate in the topic of real-time, location-based marketing, and this will only increase as Google and Facebook enter the space in a serious way.
That said, I have been surprised at how little of the conversation has focused on the opportunities this new technology creates for brands with established customer loyalty and reward programmes. 
For example, the mobile social network/game Foursquare has been in the news after signing up its first national UK brands - Debenhams and Domino’s Pizza. The app detects Foursquare users’ whereabouts, and when they visit the store or restaurant they gain points for ‘checking-in’.
Brands get involved by offering deals to users based on, for example, the number of times someone checks in to their local branch. Businesses get increased footfall, and ideally, a network of brand ambassadors who will pass on recommendations. The consumer gets great deals that are relevant not only to who they are, but where they are, such as Debenhams giving Foursquare members a free cup of coffee in the restaurant when they check in

Engaging consumers
So it’s no secret that Smartphones and branded applications are an incredibly cost effective way of targeting and engaging consumers. By creating tools which engage and add value that your customer base can download and use on a regular basis, you can integrate with their lives in a way that advertising never has.
The iPhone is clearly the leader with respect to the app marketplace. While some point to the iPhone’s still relatively low penetration of the overall mobile market (at around 2%) and even of the Smartphone market (14%), it is quickly starting to grow in a market that will also continue to grow exponentially. It is also worth recognising that the iPhone already accounts for 50% of all mobile web traffic. 
At Collinson Latitude we have a lot of experience working in the travel sector, and some of the software we are developing illustrates the potential of the next generation of apps that can use a Smartphone’s GPS capabilities in a way that enables brands to hit a moving target.
We are about to release a product that offers travellers a web-based suite of services that help them plan, prepare and manage their whole journey. The capabilities include itinerary planning, destination content, check-in services, and miles management, as well as airline timetables and flight status texts – it’s a travel toolkit. It’s also enabled with an iPhone application, so travellers will be able to carry on planning and managing their trips on the move, even when offline, avoiding expensive data roaming charges.

Customer journey
The key insight here is that loyalty programmes should connect with all the different stages of the customer journey (in every sense of the word), from planning to booking, and from departure to arrival. Mobile technology can actually be viewed as a very direct way to plug in to that journey, wherever the customer may be.
What this means is that we already have a good idea of where the customer is going to be and when, as well as knowing how much loyalty or reward currency they have. This can be matched against the various outlets that reward programmes have affiliate marketing relationships with. Also, as the customer loyalty programme provider, you already have a huge amount of customer data, including payment information. As a result, the mobile device could actually be used, even offline, to facilitate some of the purchasing processes.
Say, for example, the customer uses a mobile app to find the nearest hotel where they can spend their loyalty points; they could actually book a room and check in via their Smartphone. A key principle of properly developed reward programmes is that they use as much customer insight as possible to make sure that the services and products offered are exactly what the individual wants and needs. This data should be used not just to meet customer expectations, but to exceed them.
It’s also worth noting that there is a lot of trust inherent in the relationship you have with your customer base, which retail partners can benefit from. Furthermore, because the customer’s payment details are not held on the mobile device, but rather, by you as the programme provider, no sensitive financial data needs to be transmitted. This resolves a major consumer fear and barrier to location-based marketing.
Another capability that mobile offers is to push messages onto the customer’s device. Relevance here is absolutely crucial; it’s a disruptive technique that can increase engagement with the right insight, but can easily irritate if the correct principles are ignored. There is a clear benefit, however, to being able to message a customer to let them know that now they’ve touched down, there is a restaurant nearby where their reward points are worth double.

Intelligent monitoring
This ‘intelligent monitoring’ is a key part of our development strategy. Previously, we’ve been able to narrow down the offers made to customers according to their pre-arranged travel plans, but now we will be able to target people, based specifically on where they are, with this next level of customer insight. So whilst you have a captive consumer waiting in duty-free, this can be directly integrated with your loyalty programme, offering them ways to redeem their points just as they are walking past a retail outlet you are partnered with. Moreover, based on their itinerary, specific products could be offered that are relevant to where they are going.
Utilising these highly accurate GPS capabilities will also create new data, with new patterns emerging of how your loyalty customers behave when on the move. It’s effectively an entirely new way to observe consumer behaviour, and should potentially lead to us being able to pre-empt customer needs specific to where they are.
Just as your communications with the customer must be relevant to what the customer actually wants, however, so must your offerings match your brand values and the specific objectives of your loyalty programme. That could be seeking to reward and encourage high spenders; prompting low users to spend more; motivating your customer base to use more of your wider service and product offerings, and so on.
Finally, I think there is a real opportunity for reward programmes to use peer-based social media capabilities. So instead of the app just saying: ‘Here are the five nearest car hire outlets where you can earn or spend loyalty points’, it could say: ‘Here are the top three in your vicinity according to ratings provided by your fellow Gold Card-holding members’. Providing scores, notes, suggestions, related recommendations and so on from a group of people who have similar tastes, aspirations and levels of affluence creates a great deal of trust and authority. Obviously, companies like Amazon have been doing this for years, but connecting it with your reward programme via mobile technology takes the concept to an entirely new level of relevance, utility and engagement.

Opera Passes 100m Users, Launches on iPhone

Opera Software has revealed that Opera browsers are now used by more than 100 million people worldwide, with 50 million users on Windows, Mac and Linux computers, and another 50 million using Opera Mini on mobile phones, plus a smaller number using Opera browsers on game consoles, TVs and set-top boxes.
“Opera’s record growth shows that we are on the right track, and that as user needs grow, we are growing right along with them,” says Opera CEO, Lars Boilesen. “Opera for Desktop delivers the fastest browsing experience on the planet, with a visionary approach to features and a user-friendly design.”
Separately, Opera has announced that Opera Mini has been approved for iPhone and iPod touch on the Apple App Store. Opera says that Opera Mini will be available as a free download within 24 hours, depending on market.
Opera Mini enables fast mobile Web browsing by compressing data by up to 90% before sending content to the device, resulting in significantly improved page loading. The company says that Opera Mini users will notice an uptake in speed, especially on slower networks, and that surfing the web with Opera Mini on iPhone and iPod touch will help users save money because of its data compression capabilities, particularly when used while roaming. 

Apple to Ban Third-party iPhone Analytics?

Application developers are trying to get to the bottom of a change in Apple’s iPhone Developer Program License Agreement that seems to prohibit the use of third-party analytics tools such as Flurry and Distimo that monitor app usage.
The relevant part of Section 3.3.9 of the Developer Agreement reads:
“You may only provide or disclose User Data to third parties as necessary for providing services or functionality for the Application that collected the User Data, and then only if You receive express user consent. For example, if Your Application would like to post a message from a user to a third party social networking site, then You may only share the message if the user has explicitly indicated an intention to share it by clicking or selecting a button or checking a box that clearly explains how the message will be shared.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement, Device Data may not be provided or disclosed to a third party without Apple’s prior written consent. Accordingly, the use of third party software in Your Application to collect and send Device Data to a third party for processing or analysis is expressly prohibited.”

That would seem to be a pretty clear line from Apple ruling out the use of third-party analytic software to monitor and report on app usage. It could also apply to analytics from ad networks such as AdMob.
The move has been covered on a couple of websites, including SiliconAngle and a blogger by the name of Eric Kerr.
We’ve asked a few analytics companies and developers for their reaction to it. We’ll update this story once we get it.
Update:
We’ve had word back from Distimo, who, first up, pointed out that VentureBeat  was the first site to cover the story. The company went on to tell us:
“Distimo is not affected by the recent change in the Apple Developer agreement because Distimo offers analytics to developers without the need to insert any code into their application(s). The Distimo Monitor service does not rely on a third party API as outlined in the new iPhone developer agreement, so Distimo is not impacted by the change.
“We do not expect Apple to ban analytics parties that in fact work with an API however, as long as Apple does not provide in-app analytics themselves. There is a strong market demand among developers for high quality analytics on their application's performance. We believe analytics services help developers improve the quality of their apps ,and are therefore valuable to parties like Apple as well.”

McDonalds Scores with Cheesy Location-based Campaign

NAVTEQ has released the results of its first location-targeted campaign in Europe by a global brand advertiser, McDonald’s.
The campaign, powered by NAVTEQ LocationPoint Advertising, enabled McDonald’s to deliver location-relevant mobile ads to users of Nokia Ovi Maps when they were within a certain distance of McDonald’s 82 restaurants in Finland. The ad campaign promoted a McDonald’s cheeseburger for €1. Consumers who clicked on the ads saw the details of the promotion, and could receive driving or walking directions to the nearest store location.
The campaign delivered a 7% clickthrough rate, and of those who clicked through, 39% selected the click-to-navigate option, which offered ‘drive to’ or ’walk to’ navigation to the nearest McDonald’s location, using Nokia’s Ovi Maps navigation.
“Targeting consumers when they are near our locations and then navigating them right into our stores is powerful marketing for McDonald’s,” saysTomi Wirtanen, Head of Marketing for McDonald’s Finland. “We are thrilled with the results from this campaign. NAVTEQ LocationPoint proved that location targeted mobile advertising does indeed drive foot traffic into our restaurants.”
Tuula Rytilä-Uotila, Vice President Location at Nokia, believes that NAVTEQ is uniquely positioned to bridge the digital and physical worlds by combining its location assets with Nokia’s consumer reach. “As consumers turn to their mobile devices for more services, such as music, maps, and entertainment, contextually relevant advertising can enhance the consumer experience while minimizing costs of the services to users,” he says.
And Christopher Rothey, Vice President Market Development and Advertising for NAVTEQ, flags up the unique characteristics of mobile as a marketing channel. He says: 
“If you look at what the mobile environment brings to advertising, it’s two things, personalisation and location, and if you involve those in an ad campaign, you get high relevance, which is extremely valuable to both the advertiser and the consumer.
“McDonald’s is among the first advertisers in Europe to provide insight into the growing location-based advertising market. The outstanding performance of the McDonald’s campaign validates the promise that location-based ads are more relevant to the consumer and greater relevance means higher impact.”

All Aboard for the MLOVE-in

The organisers of the MLOVE ‘ConFestival’ have announced details of the event, which considers the future of mobile, and takes place from 23 – 25 June. Set in an ancient castle south of Berlin, about 200 decision makers and futurists with a mobile background will come together to create their vision of the future of mobile.The event is the culmination of the launch of the MLOVE movement in 2008.
Speakers include Beverly W. Jackson, Senior Marketing Manager of the GRAMMY Awards, Nick E. Heller, in charge of Business Development for Google’s European Future Incubation Labs, Richard D. Titus, CEO of Associated Northcliffe Digital, and Media Strategist Jonathan MacDonald.
“The MLOVE ConFestival is designed to encourage networking and provides the participants with the opportunity to really get to know each other in an informal atmosphere,” says ConFestival Director Peter Giblin. Our goal is to strengthen relationships between the mobile elite and thought leaders from other industries and disciplines.”
The MLOVE ConFestival is open for registration via the official event website.

Dating Meets Mapping with FlirtMaps

Content producer Zodiak Entertainment has announced the beta version launch of FlirtMaps, a mobile location-based dating iPhone application, which will be downloadable free of charge via the Apple App Store in the UK, US, and Italy in the coming week.
Based on a user’s current location and dating preferences, FlirtMaps will put forward a selection of “interesting” people to chat to in the area. Its functionality will also increase in the coming months to recommend local places for users to meet new friends. The application has been developed by Neo Network, the digital subsidiary of the Zodiak Entertainment Group.
“FlirtMaps is a new, smart way to meet new people on the go, making digital dating more enjoyable than ever before,” says Marco Ferrari, Zodiak Entertainment Chief Digital Officer. “It’s about real people, looking for real love!”
FlirtMaps will soon be available in Spanish and Portuguese, in addition to English and Italian, and a roll-out to 20 major countries, including Brazil, Mexico, India, Sweden and Denmark, is planned for the summer. Neo Network says that FlirtMaps seeks to connect anyone, anywhere in the world with the kind of people they are searching for, as quickly as possible.
Marco Franciosa, Chief Technology Officer at Neo Network, who designed the product, says: “We have more than 10 years of successful experience in online dating, and more than 2 million registered users worldwide. We now think that the market is ready for a new kind of product and are really excited about FlirtMaps. Not only is totally free for the user, its really easy to use, as well as being private and discrete.”
FlirtMaps’ initial monetisation model will be based on advertising revenue. It will offer a platform for geo-located advertising and encourage users to collect ‘virtual coins’, which offer them extra features, including discounts and free-access to local partner venues such as discos or pubs. When a critical mass of users is met, Neo Network says it will unleash the full potential of the product, increasing the functionality to fully interact with Zodiak Entertainment’s TV dating formats.
Blackberry, Android and Symbian versions of FlirtMaps are currently in development and Neo Network says it is already working on next steps for extending FlirtMaps applications.

Topaz Takes Centre Stage at WIMA

Innovision Research & Technology’s Topaz NFC (Near Field Communications) tags will play a central role at WIMA 2010 – the 4th Global NFC Business & Technical Developers Summit – which brings together industry leaders, NFC developers, standards bodies and research and academic institutions. Innovision is also an official sponsor of the event, which takes place on 20-22 April at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco.
This year, Topaz tags will be integral to the overall WIMA experience, which includes a range of interactive smart posters around the WIMA venue. In addition, Topaz tag sample kits will be provided to NFC Forum Global Competition entrants. The competition runs in conjunction with WIMA, and is designed to encourage creative and innovative developments in NFC technology. 
“It’s interesting to see how far NFC has come since we provided our tags to the very first NFC Competition winners back in 2007,” says Innovision VP Marketing, Stephen Graham. “Understanding of NFC technology has evolved and the competition has quickly evolved with it, to the extent that the entries are becoming increasingly advanced, wide-ranging and relevant in all aspects of life.”
In previous years, the NFC Forum Global Competition has generated a raft of innovative entries incorporating Topaz tags, like the Seeingeyephone, developed by VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, and aimed at the visually impaired. This year’s submissions include mobile couponing, healthcare, building access and security, retail merchandising, online user authentication, nutrition management, gaming, online banking and support for the disabled.

Deutsche Telekom Launches UK Mobile App Store with 15,000 Apps

Softwareload.co.uk, Deutsche Telekom’s software download portal, has launched its UK mobile application store, containing more than 15,000 mobile applications for download. Visitors will be able to shop for apps ranging from business software, games, navigation, communication and organisational tools, and securely install them directly onto their mobile device or via their PC.
The analyst Gartner estimates that by 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide. Softwareload.co.uk’s UK mobile store will offer apps compatible with BlackBerry, PalmOS, Symbian and Windows Mobile, including free titles. Customers can download and install software onto their mobile phone either via their PC or directly onto their handheld device. Users can also see which titles are compatible with their mobile prior to purchase.
To download software directly onto handheld devices, users should log on to http://m.softwareload.com, select their software and download directly. Payment methods include Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
To install via a PC, users should visit http://mobile.softwareload.co.uk, make their purchase and transfer the downloaded software straight to the mobile device via USB cable. Customers shopping on their PC can purchase via PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, American Express or pre-payment
Customers can also take the option of Softwareload.co.uk’s 12-month download guarantee, which enables them to store their purchase securely online should they need to install it on a new mobile device during that period.
In Germany, where Softwareload.co.uk’s sister site Softwareload.de accounts for more than 1.5 million registered users, the most popular mobile applications include communication tools, travel and holiday apps. Current best sellers include mobile email service ProfiMail and Simworks Anti-Virus.
“Consumers and business people alike are using mobile devices far more often for work or entertainment on the move. As a result they’re demanding wider access to exciting new apps to make the most of their mobiles,” says Dirk Lebzien, Head of Softwareload. “With the launch of our UK mobile store on Softwareload.co.uk, shoppers can choose from more than 15,000 software titles that they can quickly and securely install onto their mobile device.”
There’s more information via your PC here, http://mobile.softwareload.co.uk  or via your mobile at: http://m.softwareload.com 

MEF Announces LATAM Board

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), has announced the results of the election for its inaugural LATAM Board.
MEF’s LATAM Chapter was launched in November 2009 to accelerate the growth of mobile media and  entertainment across the region, by creating dialogue between the industry and regulators, as well as driving initiatives that promote best practice and sustainable business solutions. The newly-elected board was elected to a two year term, and consists of industry leaders across Latin America with expertise spanning the mobile, media, entertainment and services industries.
Ron Czerny, CEO of Playphone, has been elected Chairman of MEF LATAM. He says: “I am delighted to be voted Chairman of MEF LATAM and welcome our very experienced board of directors, a group which represent the interests of the entire mobile entertainment value chain. We will be building upon MEF’s expertise in fostering collaboration between the industry and regulators to promote sustainable business models and ensure that regulation is proportional to protect and grow members’ revenues and safeguard consumers.”
The full MEF LATAM Board 2010 is as follows:
Chairman: Ron Czerny, Founder & CEO, Playphone
Vice-Chair: Jorge Partidas, Co-Founder & CEO, WAU Móvil
Directors:
Rafaela Furtado, Mobile Business Manager, Abril Digital
Ana Paula Lima, Sales Director VAS, Spring Wireless
Jose Mannis, Founder & General Manager, MOBINT
Eric Nice, CEO, Arvato
Paulo Pessoa, General Manager, TIM w.e
Luca Ruju, General Manager, Zero9 Brazil
Filippo Satolli, Regional Mobile Director LATAM BU Dada.net, Dada SpA
Seth Schachner,Vice President, Digital Business, Latin Region, Sony Music Entertainment
Pieter van Dijk, Partner, Advisory, Performance & Technology, KPMG
Roberto Vila Nova, Strategy & Business Development, Director, Nokia

Twitter App Launches on BlackBerry

BlackBerry maker RIM has announced the launch of the Twitter for BlackBerry application in BlackBerry App World. The free app enables users to access direct messages as soon as they arrive, using BlackBerry push); reply to tweets, re-tweet and send direct messages; post a link from their BlackBerry browser; take pictures and upload them to Twitter direct from the camera application; and find and follow friends, or search for popular topics. 
The app launched in a closed beta in February, and RIM says it has taken onboard user feedback to enhance the functionality of the app, ahead of the launch. Additional features that have been developed during beta testing include support for lists; profile editing; enlarged profile avatar viewing; and notifications of new tweets and @replies/mentions.

Greystripe Finds Advertiser Interest in iFlash for iPad

Mobile advertising network Greystriipe has released the results of a survey among its advertisers that show more than 50% expressing interest in the company’s iFlash advertising units on the iPad.
 With over 300,000 iPads sold and over 1 million apps downloaded on the iPad on the first day, many predict the iPad as the catalyst for growth among application developers and advertisers. Apple reports that iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of opening their new iPad.  Before the iPad’s official launch, there were already more than 1,000 applications written specifically for the iPad.
Greystripe recently extended its iFlash ad units to the iPad platform. iFlash takes ads created using Flash and transcodes them to run on the iPhone and iPad. Greystripe says that advertisers see higher performance with iFlash ads on mobile, compared to the same online campaigns, with average clickthrough rates well above 1%.
“Greystripe’s iFlash technology allows advertisers to easily integrate the online world and the iPad,” says Josh Mallalieu, Director, Mobile Media & Integration at mobile marketing firm, Ansible. “Brands understand the potential that the iPad has to change the way data is consumed, like the iPhone did. They know they need to participate, but many do not have a clear vision of how to take advantage. Greystripe enables brands to expand their existing campaigns by delivering their standard online creatives built in Flash on the iPad and iPhone.”
There’s more information about iFlash here.

The Bigger Picture

Jeff Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company, explains why Kodak became more social and mobile, and how (and why) it’s helping other companies to do the same

Kodak knows how to evolve, and we know how to move quickly. It’s why we’ve been successful in transforming to meet the needs of today’s consumers. We’ve turned heads with our All-in-One Inkjet printers and consumer-friendly ink replacement prices, as well as with our line of pocket video cameras. But this approach goes beyond products and into how we engage our consumers as a leader in interacting with them via social media channels and mobile devices.
We knew early on that both platforms represented incredible opportunities to directly reach our consumers on a personal level, and that it also afforded us a better opportunity to not only meet but also understand their needs. And short-term history has already proven that we’re not just experimenting in these spaces - we’re producing tangible ROI and results.

Two-way conversations
As Chief Marketing Officer at Kodak, I’m always looking to engage in meaningful two-way conversations with people invested in our brand and products. I do so every day via Twitter for instance. I’m also consistently challenging my colleagues and partners to look for fresh, innovative ways to reach our customers and give them access to our brand anytime, wherever they are, and via whatever device they’re holding in their hands.
Right now, we’re very focused on the mobile space, because we want to offer customers a variety of ways to use and enjoy their Kodak products through their mobile devices. For instance, we’ve been developing iPhone apps for more than two years. We recognized right away that our customers wanted us to utilize new technologies to allow them to more easily share and manipulate their images - that’s what’s at the core of our three apps.
With the Kodak Pic Flick app, we’ve found our consumers agree that it’s easier to ‘flick’ a newly taken picture from their iPhone to a nearby Kodak frame or printer over a wi-fi signal than to hook it up to their computer first. Our Kodak Gallery iPhone app allows consumers to upload and share photo albums online, and our Kodak Smile Maker app, which has been downloaded more than 200,000 times, allows consumers to add one of more than 20 fun cartoon smiles to a photo. These are tools that not only solve a customer need or create a bit of fun, but also reinforce our value proposition that Kodak makes it easier to share.
All are apps are free because we believe the investment is worth it to offer more choices to our customers. And, to ensure we remain where our customers are, we’re constantly assessing the possibilities with every mobile platform our consumers are using or will use in the future.

Mobile contests
We’ve also used mobile to engage consumers on-site at our trade shows. For instance, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January, we used a mobile contest as a great way to drive traffic to our booth. Attendees could text  31400 (Kodak’s booth number) to a Shortcode for a chance to win a Kodak product. Winners were notified via text message and could pick up their prize at the Kodak booth.
We even created a location for the Kodak booth on Foursquare, the location-based mobile app that allows consumers to check-in  to locations to earn virtual badges and potentially, real-world rewards. Our Chief Blogger Jenny Cisney challenged all CES attendees to overtake the ‘mayorship’ of the Kodak booth (by checking into the booth more than she had) away from her in exchange for a prize. Again, it was all about using an app and a device that our consumers were already using and loving, and finding a new, relevant and authentic way for them to interact with Kodak products and initiatives.
We also have used mobile to reengage fans of our Kodak Times Square Gallery billboard. Since December 2009, consumers have been able to use their mobile devices to get their own photos up there. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience. All they need to do is email a photo to [email protected] from their mobile device, and, once the photo is approved, they will receive a second email containing a special code. When they’re ready to see their picture, they simply text the code to the number provided, and the photo will appear at the next opportunity.

Online dialogue
The most important investment we have made in the past year is the addition of the Kodak Chief Listening Officer, Beth LaPierre. In 2008, we named  Jenny Cisney the Kodak Chief Blogger, and she has amassed tremendous support (and a fan following) as the voice of Kodak online. With the addition of our new Chief Listening Officer, we’re taking that next step in our online dialogue with customers – getting to know their preferences, needs and ideas in real time and ensuring our business is adapting accordingly.
We’re constantly trying things. And we’re definitely learning a lot as we go. That’s why we published the Kodak Mobile Marketing Tips booklet at CES this year. We wanted to share what we are doing and why and encourage other companies to do the same. We didn’t set out to make a ‘how to’ guide, because mobile marketing is so new and evolving so quickly that the only thing we can be sure of right now is that mobile marketing is rapidly becoming a major channel for reaching our core customers and that we’re encouraged by our current results. We did, however, want to open up a channel to exchange our learnings. Both the Mobile Marketing Tips booklet and our Social Media Tips booklet are available free to download here.
I encourage you to read them and provide us with feedback. We’re committed to using these opportunities to reach our customers, but also to helping our partners and other companies learn how to use them as well.
We are looking forward to aggressively growing our efforts in mobile this year, and we’re also always excited to see what’s going to be the next Facebook or Twitter or Foursquare, and how smart companies are finding new ways to use those channels.

QR Codes Come to Ireland with DRG/Scanbuy Deal

Mobile services company Digital Reach Group (DRG) has signed a deal with mobile barcode firm Scanbuy to include Quick Response (QR) codes alongside print ads, editorial content and on packaging and merchandise displays in Ireland.
“With mobile Internet and Smartphones becoming the norm, there is an increasing expectation from the public to be able to get the information they have on the Internet at home straight to their handset quickly and with no fuss,” says DRG CEO, Colm Grealy. “he service we are bringing to Ireland will truly integrate mobile Internet browsing into consumer’s daily lives.” 
The service is aimed at advertisers, ad agencies, retailers and traditional media publishers. QR Codes can be bought as an add-on to traditional ad campaigns, packaging and merchandise displays. DRG will offer a full service for advertisers wishing to integrate the technology into a campaign, including strategy input,  providing unique codes for campaigns and the option of designing the landing page or website behind the code.
DRG will be offering the platform exclusively in Ireland as part of a growing portfolio of mobile services, including mobile phone applications, advertising sales, and ad-serving technology. The company says it is already in discussions with a major publisher to start using the system to offer additional value to print  ads and editorial content.
“The proliferation of Internet-equipped phones gives advertisers a tremendous opportunity to reach a sizable and engaged audience,” says Scanbuy CEO, Jonathan Bulkeley. “With mobile codes, the offline and online worlds can now be easily bridged. A scan of a print ad will instantly take people directly to a supporting website and the opportunities are endless from there,”
The Scanlife app is available for download on most popular phones including the iPhone and Andrid handsets, pkus phones from Nokia and Samsung.
DRG offers advertisers and businesses a full mobile web strategy service, including app development and site optimisation for viewing on a mobile. The company was behind RTE’s ‘News Now’ iPhone app and sells advertising on many popular mobile sites including Vodafone and Meteor.

Distimo/MEF Report Looks at Apps in Emerging Markets

Distimo, the mobile app store analytics company, and the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), have announced a strategic partnership that includes the publication of a new report on the emerging markets in the Apple App Store. The emerging markets covered in the report are Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with data from the US included for comparison purposes.
The major findings of the report are:

• The most popular applications are priced higher in the Emerging Markets than in the United States. Average prices have decreased in both regions however, since December 1, 2009.
• Applications in the Navigation and Medical categories are most expensive in the emerging markets, as in the US. The average price of the most popular applications in the Finance, Medical, Navigation and Reference categories is higher however, in the emerging markets than in the US due to a multitude of expensive applications that are only popular in the emerging markets.
• Games are more popular in the US than in the emerging markets. 56% of the most popular applications in the US are games, compared to only 29% in the emerging markets. The difference is even larger when it comes to revenue generation: 54% of the highest grossing applications in the US are games, compared to only 17% in the emerging markets.
• Instant messaging (IM) applications are among the most popular applications in the emerging markets of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Examples include WhatsApp Messenger, Live Messenger and Easy IM Free.

“We’re delighted to welcome Distimo as a member and strategic partner,” says MEF Executive Director, Rimma Perelmuter. “The partnership represents a ‘win-win’ for both parties since it gives Distimo a great platform to share their unique analytics with MEF’s member companies, while enhancing membership value through exclusive market insight. Distimo’s first MEF report offers our members a fascinating snapshot of App Stores across the Middle East, comparing and contrasting the results with data from the United States.”
The full report is available exclusively to Mobile Entertainment Forum members.

Lebara Launches Multi-language Mobile Portal

Mobile Virtual Network Operator Lebara Mobile has launched a mobile portal with nationally-focused sites in multiple languages. To celebrate the launch, the company is offering customers free mobile Internet browsing for the first three months.
The portal provides the latest news, sport and entertainment information, and helps customers access the wider mobile web via Google search and quick links to sites including Facebook, MySpace and Hotmail. At launch, there are six sites, focusing on the Indian, Pakistani, Arabic, Nigerian, Polish and Filipino communities, available in English and Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, English, Polish and Filipino respectively.
The portal is also host to thousands of downloads sourced from customers’ home countries, including  games in different languages, and ringtones and wallpapers from local artists. The price quoted for each download includes data transfer charges.
The new services are now available to all Lebara UK customers with mobile Internet-capable handsets. Lebara is offering free browsing as part of the launch promotion until 30 June, up to 10MB per day. The normal daily rate is 50p per day, but the uk.lebara.mobi portal will continue to be free to use after the promotion.
“To millions of customers around the world, Lebara is seen as leading the way in providing services which bring them closer to their friends, family and community. The launch of our mobile portal and downloads further emphasises our commitment to this goal,” says Lebara CEO, Yoganathan Ratheesan. “Lebara is building on its position as the global leader in international mobile services, and we will continue to innovate to provide the best possible experience to our customers throughout the group and within the UK.”
Dario Talmesio, Senior Analyst, Mobile Operators, and Head of Europe for Informa Telecoms & Media, believes the launch of the portal is a positive development for the Lebara Group. He says: “Our recent analysis of virtual operators identifies light-VAS (Value Added Services) strategies as key areas of differentiation and future growth in crowded ethnic MVNO markets such as Europe. Of course, Lebara will need to also remain committed to its core business of value for money communication."

WiMP Goes Danish

Aspiro is launching its ‘WiMP’ music streaming service in Denmark with Telenor. When the service launches in mid-April, it will become Denmark’s first music streaming service for PC, Mac and mobile. The service will be localised for Danish users
Telenor's Danish customers will have access to the entire WiMP library via PC, Mac, Linux and Android phones. Aspiro has also recently submitted its iPhone client for WiMP for approval for distribution via Apple's App Store.
Telenor customers will be able to access the service for 99 kroner (£12) per month. WiMP will be beta launched in Denmark on 15 April, with the full launch slated for May.

Voda Opens Up 360 Shop Access Via JIL

Vodafone is enabling developers to publish applications to the Vodafone 360 Shop through the JIL.org website. The announcement marks the next milestone in the progression of the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) partnership, enabling developers to use open web technologies to create, monetise and distribute apps to customers with JIL-enabled handsets.
Developers can choose to select from one, some or all of the selected markets for each app they publish. Developers can select from 20 price points ranging from €0.49 to €9.99 (£0.49 to £9.99 in the UK) and set separate prices for each Vodafone market. A standard 70/30 revenue share is offered, with developers paid monthly, approximately 60 days after the end of the month in which revenue was earned. Vodafone can pay developers in Euros, British pounds or US dollars.
Developers’ apps will be reviewed within 10 business days. Accepted apps become available in the Vodafone 360 Shop for the local markets the developer has selected immediately. Reports available on JIL.org enable developers to see how many downloads or sales each app has had at each price point in each market. Both daily and monthly reports are available. For paid apps, there are additional monthly reports, showing the revenue share split and any applicable tax calculations, as well as invoices and remittance reports, detailing and confirming payment.
Apps published to the Vodafone 360 shop are supported by 50 different handsets, including the Vodafone 360 H1 and M1 phones from Samsung, and many Symbian/ S60 phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung.  Developers can choose to select from one, some or all device classes for each app they publish. Because apps published through JIL.org are based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript, developers will be able to design apps that scale across a range of phone models. 
Vodafone has also launched http://developer.vodafone.com - a dedicated site providing developers with information on the Vodafone 360 platform, including technical guidelines to consider when building a mobile app.
“Through the JIL.org site, we are providing developers with simple upload methods, a transparent review process and greater insight, thanks to enabled country-specific market and pricing information,” says Lee Epting, Director of Content Services at Vodafone Group. “Combined with our new dedicated developer.vodafone.com site, we can help developers quickly tailor their apps to local markets, making them more relevant and generating more downloads.”

Smaato Unveils iPad SDK

Mobile ad optimization firm Smaato has released a new version of its iSOMA SDK (Software Development Kit) for iPad applications and mobile websites.
The iSOMA for iPad SDK will support multiple new ad formats, including the Internet Advertising Bureau’s Universal Ad Package (UAP). The SDK also supports the Mobile Marketing Association’s mobile ad formats, including new, rich media banner formats that are emerging from Smaato’s 36 ad network partners.
“There is a lot of excitement in the mobile publishing market about the iPad and new features in the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 release,” says Smaato CEO & Co-Founder. Ragnar Kruse. “We are happy to continue our support for the iPhone platform and the iPad as the new addition to mobile device choices.”
Apple’s iPad is a hybrid mobile device that is expected to be heavily used to surf the web, access media application, and play with mobile entertainment offerings. First applications and media offerings from publishers of TIME, Wall Street Journal and the New York Times are using a blend of new innovative advertising formats that add multimedia functions, like video and sound.
Smaato Advanced Mobile Analytics will be included in the iPad SDK 1.0. This provides a comprehensive set of tools that enable mobile publishers to optimize their inventory for the iPad to maximize user experience and insights. Smaato will make the new iSOMA for iPad version available for free download with registration on the sign-up portal.
Smaato notes that better options for iSOMA mobile advertising functions are now available with the multitasking and background functions in the new “tentpoles” of the iPhone 4.0 OS. This will make easier interaction available for cross-platform, mobile-branded landing pages, because the user flow while in an app is not disconnected – the app can stay open in the background. This will allow similar mobile advertising features to those offered by Apple’s iAd mobile advertising platform unveiled yesterday.

Boon Heong Takes Inside Job

INSIDE Contactless, which provides open-standard contactless chip technologies, has appointed Lim Boon Heong as General Manager for the Asia Pacific region. In his new position, Boon Heong will be responsible for establishing and managing the company's sales strategy.
Prior to joining INSIDE Contactless, Boon Heong spent more than nine years at Gemplus Technologies Asia, based in Singapore, first as Asia Pacific Technical Manager, then as Regional Marketing Director and then Head of the Telecom Business unit.
"Boon Heong has shown outstanding initiative and drive as Director of Marketing and Business Development for INSIDE's NFC business line in the Asia Pacific region, and so he was the natural choice to fill the general manager position," says INSIDE Contactless CEO, Remy de Tonnac. "I congratulate him on this promotion and look forward to his continuing contributions to the success of our company in this region.

Apple Unveils iAd Mobile Ad Network

Apple has announced the launch of its iAd in-application mobile advertising network, as part of a preview of its iPhone OS 4 software. The iPhone OS 4 beta release also includes an updated Software Development Kit (SDK), with over 1,500 new APIs (Application Programming Interface) and over 100 new features.
Apple says that iAd “combines the emotion of TV ads with the interactivity of web ads”. Apple will sell and host the ads, and give 60% of the revenue to app developers.
iPhone OS 4.0 also introduces the concept of multitasking to the to the iPhone, iPad Touch and iPad, enabling users to run multiple applications at the same time. Users can switch between applications by double-tapping the ‘Home’ button, which brings up the icons of all the apps currently in use.
“iPhone OS 4 is the fourth major release of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs. “We’re delivering over 100 new features, including multitasking, folders, a unified inbox, deeper Enterprise support, and an iPhone version of our iBooks reader and online iBookstore.”
The iPhone OS 4 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iPhone Developer Program members here.
iPhone OS 4 will be available as a software update to iPhone and iPod touch users in the summer. iPad owners will have to wait until the autumn.

ZTE Reports 2009 Growth

ZTE Corporation says that it experienced impressive growth in 2009 in its wireless terminals space. According to iSuppli, ZTE shipped 60 million wireless terminals, including more than 40 million handsets and 20 million data cards in 2009. More than 70% of all ZTE shipments in 2009 were to international markets, in line with the company’s aggressive global growth strategy.
In wireless terminals, ZTE’s shipment of 60.17 million units represented a 33% growth over 2008. In 2009, ZTE began to break into the three major high-end markets including Europe, N. America and Japan, partnering with the top global operators in the wireless terminal area, including VDF, T-Mobile, Verizon, Telefonica, Orange, H3G, Telenor, TIM and Sprint.
For its handset business, ZTE says it has made great strides in Europe and N. America, shipping more than 40 million units globally in 2009. ZTE has invested heavily in the research and development of Smartphones over the last six years and says it is focused on providing customisable 3G/4G handset solutions that meet the needs of individual carriers. The company is one of the few manufacturers whose Smartphone portfolio encompasses a wide range of operating systems, including Android, Windows Mobile, Linux, OMS and BMP.
ZTE’s data card business experienced 200% growth in 2009, with 20 million units shipped. The company has deployed data cards with 240 carrier customers in 106 countries. According to iSuppli, Chinese companies have over 80% share of the global data cards market. ZTE has a 35% share of the global market and a 40% share of the China market.

GSMA Approves Starhome's GLR Roaming Solution

Starhome has revealed that the BARG (Billing and Accounting Roaming Group) of the GSM Association (GSMA) has determined that the company’s Gateway Location Register (GLR) solution is not an Anti-SoR (Anti Steering of Roaming) solution and cannot be considered as a hostile means to maintain roamers in an operator’s network.
The GSMA is clamping down on Anti-SoR solutions, which attempt to sidestep operators’ steering solutions, first deployed in the mid-1990s, which ensure that users roam on the operator’s preferred network when they are away from their home network. Anti-SoR solutions do not conform to GSMA standards in terms of the international signalling between the home operator and the visited network. They can result in the user finding themselves without network coverage.
The GSMA has been investigating Starhome’s GLR solution for round 18 months. “The problem was that GLR limits the international signalling costs between the visited network and the home operator, so it saves a lot of cost for the visited network, which led the GSMA to worry that it might be an anti-SOR solution, but this has now been proved not to be the case,” Starhome VP Marketing and Business Development, Amit Daniel, tells Mobile Marketing. 
The GLR works by providing a mechanism for aggregating individual MSCs (mobile switch control) to reduce the MAP (Mobile Application Part) signalling between the HPMN (Home Public Mobile Network) and the VPMN (Visited Public Mobile Network). As a result, the Gateway Location Register provides the VPMN with the ability to significantly reduce the amount of signaling messages sent to its signaling provider and toward other Home Public Mobile Networks (HPMNs). Starhome has delivered more than 65 successful live installations of the GLR solution.
“Operators can now feel confident of using Starhome’s Gateway Location Register as a means to increase their inbound market share,” says Starhome COO, Shlomo Wolfman. “Starhome has always maintained that its Gateway Location Register is a legitimate solution to manage and optimize operator’s inbound roaming traffic; we are happy that BARG has confirmed this.”

Comes With Music Launches in China

Nokia has launched its free, PC-based DRM-free music download service ‘Comes With Music’, in China, through a partnership with Huadong Feitian. The service offers users content from major record labels, plus local artists, together with unique features developed for the Chinese market. It will be known locally as ‘Yue Sui Xiang’. Comes With Music is already available in many emerging markets, including Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, and is due to launch in India soon.
The service will be available to consumers across China via a broad range of devices and through an extensive nationwide retail network. At launch, consumers can get unlimited music downloads with the purchase of any one of eight devices, including the Nokia X6 32GB, X6 16GB, 5230, 5330, 5800w, 6700s, E52 and E72i. Entry level prices will start from €140 (£122),excluding local taxes and subsidies.
“Globally, we have expanded the reach of our music service to 30 markets in just 18 months. We are excited to see consumers building collections of the music they love through our service, and we are firmly on the path to delivering legal digital music to all parts of the world,” says Liz Schimel, Global Head of Music at Nokia. “It’s fantastic to have so many local and global labels partner with us to deliver this service in China. The industry came together to support us in innovating the mobile music business model in this unique market.”
The service will include catalogues from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI Music, and a host of local independent labels, including Huayi Brothers Media Group and Taihe Rye.
“China is a massive opportunity and a challenging market to address. Nokia is the undisputed dominant mobile player within China – there is no better partner with whom to develop the market in new, imaginative ways and make the most of its potential,” says Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music Group International. 

Golden Gekko Takes Yellow Pages Mobile

Mobile marketing firm Golden Gekko has revealed its part in developing a free, cross-platform mobile service to enable consumers in eight countries across Europe to access local commercial search information from over 3.6 million businesses listed with Yellow Pages owner European Directories.
The service has been rolled out across all eight countries - Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Finland and Denmark - and is initially available via the mobile web, and a mobile application for iPhone and Java-enabled handsets. Additional operating systems and platforms will be added over time to ensure universal accessibility. Golden Gecko and European Directories are also offering the service on a white-label basis. 
Distributed across app-stores, SMS and mobile operator partnerships, the European Directories app has been downloaded over 100,000 times since it launched in 2009, quadrupling in usage within the first three months.
“The work we’ve done with Golden Gekko has delivered truly best-of-breed mobile Yellow Pages search applications and services that provide an excellent user experience, and have demonstrated an enormous uplift in usage and leads generation,” says Carey Bunks, Group Vice President of Mobile at European Directories.

Men Dominate Orange Mobile Data Usage

Orange has published its sixth Digital Media Index (ODMI), a detailed report offering insight into how digital media is consumed across its mobile network. The latest findings reveal that whilst the consumption of mobile data continues to increase, there are interesting differences between men and women on what they use their handsets for.

Mobile Social Networking
The popularity of social networking sites continues to soar, with men more likely to spend time, and view more pages, to keep up-to-date with friends’ news, status updates and pictures. As well as accounting for 64% of unique users, men also view 33% more pages than women on social networking sites overall. Almost 2 million Orange customers now use their handsets for social networking, generating over 1 billion page impressions on social networking sites each month

Mobile Internet
Men use their mobile phones more regularly than women to keep up-to-date with the latest sporting news. This explains why Saturday is the most popular day for customers to use the mobile Internet, as men check out the latest football scores on their mobile whilst on-the-move. Sport updates are also driving mobile Internet traffic, with men accounting for 57% of customers accessing Orange World, Orange’s mobile Internet portal, Orange World, which attracts over 3.4 million unique users per month.

Mobile TV and Video
Sport is the main driver for Mobile TV viewing, and is more popular with men than women. In total, sport accounts for 50% of Mobile TV content consumed, with Sky Sports 1 being the most popular Mobile TV channel, attracting 24% of users.
With increasing Smartphone adoption, more people than ever before are experimenting with new services. It seems that men are leading the way – accounting for 75% of mobile videos and 71% of Mobile TV clips purchased.

Mobile Gaming
Whilst mobile gaming is enjoyed by both genders, the report reveals that men like time-related challenges such as Tetris, whereas women prefer strategic games with less time pressure, such as SIMS and Monopoly. Orange customers downloaded nearly 650,000 games in the three months covered by the report, with Sunday the most popular day for downloading games

SMS/MMS and Mobile Data
With an average of 63 million SMS messages sent every day by Orange customers, texting remains as popular as ever. The report reveals that women send more text and picture messages than men to keep in touch with friends and family. Also, the difference between the numbers of picture messages sent between men and women increases with age – with women over 60 years old sending 48% more than men in the same age group.
The consumption of mobile data also continues to grow, with over 5.34 million customers now using Orange 3G mobile handsets and/or dongles, and over 435,000 gigabytes of data being used each month.
“As this is the sixth issue of our Digital Media Index report, we were keen to delve deeper and offer an insight into how customers use their mobile handsets,” says Deborah Tonroe, Head of Entertainment and Information at Orange UK. The report shows that users really are using their mobile handsets for more than just voice and text.”

AdMob Campaign Boosts Game's App Store Ranking

Zattikka’s ‘Finger Frenzy’ game has raced up the UK App Store ranking with the help of an ad campaign on mobile ad network AdMob. The iPhone-focused advertising campaign pushed Finger Frenzy’s position from within the 100’s to number 24 in just a few days.
Following the successful launch of the game with an Apple ‘What’s Hot’ co-promotion at Christmas, the number of downloads and popularity level declined sharply. With 140,000 apps currently available in the App Store, Zattikka found it difficult to get its paid-for app noticed. To achieve its objective of breaking into the UK’s top 25 paid games, Zattikka turned to AdMob to help propel Finger Frenzy back into the App Store rankings and increase public interest.
Zattikka used AdMob’s cost-per-click text and tile ads, which send users directly from the ad to the app’s download page. With just one click, consumers were able to buy the game, which challenges them to type the alphabet as quickly as possible.
The campaign concentrated on the 3G and 3Gs iPhone and iPod touch handsets, reaching consumers in the UK across more than 3,000 iPhone apps in AdMob’s network. To provide transparency to the consumer and ensure qualified clicks, the £0.59 game price was highlighted.
 “We turned to AdMob to re-ignite download activity, and our campaign resulted in an immediate increase in downloads, and an even higher ranking impact than the ‘What’s Hot’ placement we previously held in the UK App Store” says Matt Spall, Head of Product Development at Zattikka.
Thomas Schulz, Managing Director at AdMob, EMEA, notes that with nearly 38,000 apps added to Apple’s App Store so far in 2010, and millions downloaded every week, it is becoming increasingly difficult for developers to grasp the attention of consumers.
"The Finger Frenzy campaign is a fantastic example of how developers can employ mobile advertising to improve sales of their applications,” he says. “Mobile advertising benefits both consumers and developers, as the ads help consumers find new apps, and developers can devote more time to creating and updating their apps." 

Text Donations Raise £3.4m for Sport Relief

Mobile donations of £1, £5 and £10, powered by Mobile Interactive Technology (MIT), contributed £3.4 million of the £31.6 million raised so far by Sport Relief 2010.
This year’s Sport Relief campaign is the first time Comic Relief has used a £10 text donation mechanic. All text donations made by the public have benefitted from 100% out-payments thanks to mobile network operators waiving their usual fees. All the money donated will be spent by Comic Relief to transform lives – both here in the UK and across some of the world’s poorest countries.
The BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride, which saw various celebrities including David Walliams, Miranda Hart and Davina McCall cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats in just under 82 hours, generated £700,000 via £1 and £5 mobile donations
The Thomson Sport Relief Water Ski Challenge, which saw Christine Bleakley water ski across the English Channel, raised over £900,000 in £5 text donations from viewers of The One Show
And Eddie Izzard: Marathon Man, which documented Eddie Izzard’s staggering run of 43 marathons in 51 days around the UK, raised £1.1 million in £5 text donations from viewers of the documentary on BBC 3 and a repeat on BBC 1.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to the mobile industry and HM Treasury for their continued support,” says Sport Relief Operations Director, Caroline Lien. “Mobile has proven to be an extremely popular channel for us, as it appeals to a wide audience demographic, and enables an instant donation at various price points. I’d also like to thank MIT’s Client Services and Operations team for their help and dedication throughout the campaign.”
The first of the text donation services opened on 29 January, and the £1, £5 and £10 services have been utilised for various fundraising activities for Sport Relief. All services closed at midnight on Wednesday 31 March.

Vodafone Tops Kaizo Advocacy Index

The results of the latest Kaizo Advocacy Index show Vodafone leading the way among UK mobile operators, with the network increasing its score considerably, thanks to a raft of positive coverage around the launch of the iPhone on Vodafone. A poor perception of network coverage and quality of customer service affected the majority of mobile brands’ scores, however.
The biannual Kaizo Advocacy Index measures the online reputation of 20 major brands across four sectors: Mobile, Airlines, Food and Software. In the Mobile sector, Vodafone scored 38%, followed by Orange (1%), O2 (-5%), 3 Mobile (-19%) and T-Mobile (-26%).
Vodafone topped the sector and, indeed, the entire Kaizo Advocacy Index, alongside food brand Del Monte, on the back of the availability of the iPhone on its network. The operator went some way to eradicating the problems that led to a 0% score in the last report, whilst improving customer satisfaction and introducing well-received new products and services. The release of the iPhone on the Vodafone network has put O2’s domination of the product to an end, prompting comments on Twitter such as “Can't wait to switch my iPhone back onto Vodafone”.
“Association with a strong brand clearly helps a brand’s online reputation, and Vodafone has seen this with the iPhone,” says Kaizo Managing Director, Rhodri Harries. “Overall, though, the sector suffers, as we all rely so much on our mobile, that when there is an issue, it is a high priority for us, and one which we will be vocal about. With many brands still feeling the effects of the downturn, social media is playing an ever-increasing role”.
T-Mobile was the biggest loser in the mobile sector, moving from first to last place with a decrease in score of 35%. This was due to customer service issues and poor reception, particularly with mobile broadband. With comments such as “finally getting rid of T-Mobile, of course they are messing up this as well” a regular occurrence, Kaizo says that mobile brands must do more to deal with customers efficiently, in order to avoid the levels of frustration currently being vented online. 3 Mobile also fared badly, with similar issues to T-Mobile. leading to a decrease of 24 points.
Orange received a similar number of positive and negative comments, which neutralised its overall online reputation. Positive coverage was generated through the pending release of high definition voice calls, while negative content surrounded poor customer service, and fears that a merger between Orange and T-Mobile will evoke a leviathan of both their problems.
Poor signal was an issue for O2, as well as negative comments following several instances of its network crashing. 3 Mobile received more negative coverage in this report than in the last. Overall, however, this was recouped by the quantity of positive comments it received. These consisted of information about new offers and services, such as the implementation of Twitter.
While Vodafone and Del Monte performed the best across all sectors researched, brands with the worst scores included Ryanair, Easyjet and T-Mobile.

blinkx and Mobica in Mobile Video Tie-up

Video search engine blinkx has announced a strategic partnership with Mobica, which provides mobile solutions and services for handset vendors, platform providers and mobile carriers.
Under the terms of the agreement, blinkx and Mobica will collaborate to build a platform-independent service that delivers professionally-produced news and entertainment highlights to mobile devices, so consumers can enjoy a variety of themed channels, featuring relevant and up-to-date video clips in a ‘snack-size’format. The companies say the joint offering will deliver unique benefits to operators, enabling them to act as mobile broadcasters  and thereby gain advertising revenue, as well as increasing  user satisfaction and retention.  
Leveraging blinkx’s AdHoc platform, the first contextual advertising platform for online video, the offering also offers advertisers the opportunity to combine professionally-produced video content with contextually targeted advertising. 
“Consumer demand for mobile video continues to grow exponentially, and blinkx can deliver top quality content in an ideal format – a playlist of relevant, snackable content,” says blinkx CEO, Suranga Chandratillake. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Mobica, one of the most dynamic companies in the mobile development space, to deliver this unique video solution to wireless operators.”
As part of its web-based offering, blinkx has formed more than 650 partnerships and indexed over 35 million hours of video and audio content to date.

Your Plyce or Mine?

Start-up Plyce has taken the wraps off its Europe-focused mobile social networking app of the same name for the iPhone.
Plyce is described by its founders as: “a social network that connects people and places”. To use it, download the app to your iPhone, then launch it when you’re out and about. It will show you what places from the Plyce database are nearby. The database includes over a million places across Europe,  and you can add new places if they're not already on the database.
Plyce has strong privacy controls. Users can decide when to check in, and with whom to share that information; either just with friends, or publicly. Home addresses and the location of other personal places are always hidden to people who are not the user’s friends. Once checked in, users can add comments or pictures to places, and share information either with their friends or with all Plyce users. If they share check-in information, either with friends or publicly, their friends, or all Plyce users, can see where they are.
"Plyce is first and foremost a service that lets you know where your friends are, and discover new places," says Plyce Founder and CEO, Martin Destagnol. "With Plyce, when you go out on a Saturday night, you can tell which friends are out nearby, and parties can get started on a whim."

Nine Multimedia Unveils Mobile CRM Tool

Nine Multimedia has launched a mobile marketing CRM Solution called Nine Mobile. It’s an online tool that enables marketers to send special offers, coupons, video, audio, text, alerts and notifications to consumers’ mobile phones. It also enables users to quickly and easily create and change a company’s mobile website apps and landing pages using the online Smartphone Web App builder.  The web apps are compatible with any mobile phone with a web browser. Nine Mobile can also manage a customer database, collect leads to a database, track conversion rates, measure ROI, and integrate seamlessly with a company’s existing enterprise systems.
There’s more information about the solution here.

SIMagine Contestants Aim for Finals

SIMagine, the worldwide developers contest for SIM-based mobile applications, has entered into its final phase, at the end of which the finalists will be awarded €150,000 (£132,000) worth of prizes. The organizer SIMalliance, partners Team Côte d'Azur, Samsung and Oracle/Sun and the sponsors Orange, Telefonica and Telecom Italia, will announce the winners at the SIMposium event in Rome on 20 April.
Out of the 10 Nominees announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and currently in competition, six teams will be awarded prizes worth €150,000 in two categories: ‘Mobile Telecom Applications’, for applications developed to run on the (U)SIM card and ‘Start-up Projects’ for a business project or established start-up company leveraging the potential of the SIM cad.
The prizes include 24 months in the Eurécom ParisTech international incubator, which specializes in the mobile industry, plus coaching services provided by a team of experts from SKEMA Business School, VENTECH and the law firm Kahn & Associates
The 10 nominees are (Mobile Telecom Applications): Islamic SIMCard by SES Ltd (Greece); mKratos by Telkom Centre of Excellence (S. Africa); PARKEUR by Polytech'Marseille (France); PARME by Polytech'Nice-Sophia (France); PhoobyBook by PhoobyBook (Italy); and SpaceAds by Micro Circle (M) Sdn Bhd (Malaysia). And in the Start-up Projects category: Bipper by Bipper Communication AS (Norway); eVOTZ by eVOTZ (US); Linkedia by Linkedia (China); and Radio touch by Alberto Gasparini (Italy).

2ergo Appoints Joint MDs

Mobile marketing and technology 2ergo has appointed Jill Collighan and John Stevens as Joint Group Managing Directors. Collighan will be responsible for group finance, operations, technical development and HR, while Stevens will hold responsibility for sales, marketing, product development and new business ventures.
The creation of the new roles follows a successful year for 2ergo, with geographical expansion, many client wins including Transport for London, and ground-breaking work such as the iPhone applications for The Guardian, Rightmove and Arsenal F.C.
Collighan has been with the 2ergo group since 2002, having been appointed Group Finance Director in 2004. She has more than 20 years finance experience. Stevens joins 2ergo from DSGi Business, where he was Sales and Marketing Director. He has more than 25 years commercial experience in retail and B2B sectors, including  three years as Marketing Director at PC World Business, and various board positions, including eCommerce Director and Multi-Channel Marketing Director.
“We are delighted to make these appointments, and are excited at the dynamism this partnership brings to the business,” says 2ergo Joint CEO, Barry Sharples. “We operate in an exciting, fast-growing market and we look forward to seeing the business continue to grow under Jill and John’s leadership, as we seek to exploit new product innovation and capitalise on market opportunities.”

75% of Mobile Apps Have Avoidable Bugs, says Mobile Distillery

75% of mobile applications launch with bugs that could be avoided. So says Mobile Distillery, which says the statistic is based on five years of running a centre for mobile web and mobile app testing.
The company notes that as mobile phones are increasingly in touch with the real world through technologies like Bluetooth, GPS, accelerometers and NFC, emulators and remote testing devices are less efficient in covering all real use cases. Many developers do not realise how far emulators can be from the real phone performance, it says, pointing out that emulators do not emulate bugs.
“Based on our experience with many companies and developers creating and offering mobile apps across a wide range of handsets, unfortunately all too often these apps aren’t tested in advance,” says Mobile Distillery CEO, Jean-Philippe Bechade. “At best, end users report bugs they have experienced; at worst,  they just live with the bad brand experience. This can not only damage the company’s revenues, but also ruin the customer relationship.”
The company set up a test centre five years ago to help spot bugs and errors in mobile apps and the mobile web to avoid wasting money and time on correcting them.  Mobile Distillery’s testing service offers access to more than 1,300 handsets, and experienced testers to design a test plan. Future handsets are added the moment they hit the market.
To celebrate the test centre’s 5th anniversary, Mobile Distillery is offering a free test of an app on five phones, subject to a minimum order of 15 phones. There’s more information on the offer here.

Voda and Opera Bring Mobile Web and Apps to Emerging Markets

Vodafone is seeking to bring the benefits of the Internet to more people in developing markets through the launch of a customised version of the Opera Mini browser, designed to run on low-cost handsets on 2G networks. The move aims to enable as many people as possible to experience the Internet for the first time, and to enjoy the social advantages it can bring through the spread of email and commerce-based applications. 
Vodafone has worked alongside Opera Software to develop an enhanced version of Opera Mini 5 which is able to give a good Internet experience on lower- to mid-tier handsets, connected to second generation networks. The Opera Mini 5 browser has been embedded in a range of 20 devices, and can also be downloaded to over 250 GPRS-supported handsets in Vodafone’s customer base. The move is backed by a string of affordable data tariffs, designed to make a day’s data usage as affordable as possible.
Since the Opera Mini 5 browser can compress data by up to 90%, it requires less processing power on the handset, and uses less network capacity, resulting in a richer Internet experience in more challenging conditions.
Vodafone is also creating an on-screen browsing experience that is designed to help someone who may have little experience of the Internet. The on-screen experience will feature step-by-step, simple instructions in local languages, with a strong emphasis on the use of intuitive icons to help those with lower levels of literacy.
A range of Vodafone applications is also in development, most of them designed to deliver social benefits to users, such as access to email; finding a job; buying and selling products and services; and  learning foreign languages. The initiative is initially being rolled out in India, S. Africa, Turkey, Tanzania and Egypt, with other markets expected to follow in the near future.
“With this product, we can transform even basic handsets into very capable Internet-browsing devices, enabling millions of people to enjoy the social and economic aspects of the internet that many already take for granted,” says Jonathan Bill, Head of Emerging Markets at Vodafone Internet Services. “By significantly enhancing the customer’s Internet experience, this initiative will help to boost local economies, by encouraging entrepreneurs to create a range of locally-inspired business models and services.”
Vodafone notes that mobile technology is ideally suited to bringing Internet connectivity to developing markets, as it is easier to roll out than fixed technology in areas that are hard to reach. The move is the latest in a string of initiatives launched by Vodafone in order to encourage the wider use of digital communications in developing markets, to boost productivity and encourage economic growth. On 15 February, Vodafone announced the launch of the world’s cheapest voice and text handset: the Vodafone 150, which retails at under $15.  The handset, along with the $20 Vodafone 250 handset, will be available in the first instance in India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkey, Mozambique, Qatar, S. Africa and Tanzania.
Vodafone also recently announced proposals to launch the M-Pesa money transfer service in S. Africa. With approximately 26 million people in South Africa without an official bank account, M-Pesa will enable millions of mobile phone subscribers to send and receive money via their mobile phones.
At the same time Vodafone has developed a range of solar powered and wind technology driven base stations, designed to bring networks into rural areas which may not have their own power supplies.

Oxygen8 Lowers SMS Bulk Rates

Global micro-billing, communications and mobile enablement firm Oxygen8 Communications has unveiled new  SMS bulk rates for UK media companies and corporates who are looking to maximise revenues from mobile marketing activities internationally.
The bulk rates apply to the Oxygen8 Mobile platform, which can handle hundreds of connections and hundreds of messages per second. The platform offers easy integration via simple APIs; the ability to create interactive services; scheduled sends, including managing the rate and capacity of sends; and dashboard reporting.
“We want our customers to be able to grow their business quickly and easily either within their domestic markets or across the globe,” says Oxygen8 Commercial Director, Gary Corbett. “In today’s world, that means having a resilient platform, but with the flexibility that is required to adapt services to the increasingly sophisticated and complex way that consumers interact with new media. With the Oxygen8 platform, accompanied by our new SMS bulk rates, this becomes possible.”

Conference Focuses on Mobile Payments

Conference organizer IPQC is staging its ‘Prepaid and Mobile Payments 2010’ event in Denver from 28 – 30 June.
The conference will examine new opportunities and challenges in the payment industry from a strategic level and forecast the next profitable business models. It will include updates on recent regulatory developments, and offer insights into new market opportunities in the mobile payment space
Mobile Marketing Magazine readers can get a 20% discount off the all-access price using the code: ‘MMM2’.
There’s more information about the event here.

Smaato and Alcatel-Lucent Partner to Cut App Development Costs

Mobile ad optimizer and advertising company Smaato is teaming up with Alcatel-Lucent to deliver what it says is the industry's first packaged API (Application Programming Interfaces) bundles, to simplify and reduce the cost of application development.
Providing an advertising API within Alcatel-Lucent’s larger bundled set of APIs for app developers,  Smaato is participating in a new industry revenue-sharing model that it says radically transforms application innovation, by eliminating upfront costs for developers, extending application reach, and opening new revenue opportunities for developers and service providers alike.
"We welcome the pioneering social API initiative of Alcatel-Lucent to provide more upside for developers to reach better monetization through mobile advertising and added targeting value, such as location," says Smaato CEO, Ragnar Kruse. “We are proud our SOMA mobile advertising platform supporting Android and iPhone is already implemented to help mobile publishers maximize their impact on mobile audiences through value added services.”
Smaato is joining other enterprises participating in Alcatel-Lucent’s delivery of API bundles that collectively includes SMS, advertising, location, virtual goods, credit card and billing. The bundling targets the 14 million-plus developers worldwide, and the two fastest growing and increasingly profitable application markets today: mobile advertising and virtual goods. Recent industry research suggests mobile advertising will exceed $3 billion by 2013 and that today's virtual goods market is worth between $4-6 billion globally.
The bundled API offering is part of a larger push by Alcatel-Lucent to give developers the ability to use the service provider network as a development platform in the same way they currently build applications for mobile devices and the web.
“The bundles provide developers with immediate, pre-integrated access to broad application capabilities, without having to understand the underlying application or network APIs, says Redg Snodgrass, Senior Director, Strategic Developer Alliances at Alcatel-Lucent. “In addition, developers are able to make API calls without upfront cost, and instead share revenue on the back-end when applications using the APIs actually make money. Service providers and third party API providers also get a cut of revenue when their APIs are accessed.”
Developers can access the bundles through Alcatel-Lucent’s developer community.

SPB Unveils SPB TV for iPhone

SPB Software has released released SPB TV for iPhone, a freeware mobile IPTV viewer with TV-like usability, created for tuning in to publicly-available digital TV channels from all over the world, via the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. SPB TV for iPhone is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices with firmware version 3.0 and above.
SPB TV for iPhone presents exclusive and patent-pending usability innovations and gives the mobile subscribers easy access to over 120 TV channels in more than 20 languages. It includes a TV browser with quick channel previews, an instantly-accessible TV guide for all offered channels, and quick channel switching.
With the arrival of SPB TV for iPhone, SPB Software has expanded the list of supported platforms - which already includes Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian - while at the same time launching a new line of TV 2.0 apps, which are free-of-charge, no-subscription programmes, supported by advertising revenues. The company says that ads in SPB TV 2.0 are unobtrusive, lasting only the amount of time necessary to buffer the stream when starting a channel.

Case Study: DIY Mobile Social Networking

We Harlem is a social network for residents in the Harlem region of New York City. It was set up just a  few months ago, and has been enthusiastically received by Harlem residents.
We Harlem gives users a very personal and localised experience, with the means to interact and make connections with other people in the neighbourhood, find out about forthcoming events, or up and coming bars, clubs and restaurants.
The site is the brainchild of Sergio Lilavois, who set up We Harlem because he recognised that local residents in the Harlem region of New York needed a more effective way to find out what was happening in the community. At the moment, the site is free, but eventually, Sergio hopes to support the network with advertising revenue from those local firms.
Key to the network’s success is that is so tailored to its niche audience. Lilavois belives that Twitter is “too big”, so wanted to create something far more focused.  However, he also wanted to focus on the content, not the technology, so rather than building the service from scratch, he investigated the market to see if anyone provided white-label microblogging and settle on the DIY social network creation too from Shoutem. “Shoutem stood out from the crowd,” says Lilavois.  
Shoutem enables users to easily and quickly create their own mobile-optimised social networks that are private, location-based and targeted to niche groups. Networks can be created in just minutes. Currently free to download, Shoutem includes mobile apps for the iPhone and Blackberry handsets. 
“Shoutem is the best fit for what we are looking for: good features, reliable technology and the Shoutem team has been very responsive and efficient,” says Lilavois. “I like the flow of Shoutem: it is not complicated and people can easily see what to do. It’s a very user-friendly interface.”
Lilavois is an enthusiastic supporter of the mobile, location-based features included within Shoutem.  “People spend a lot of their time communicating on their mobiles.  50% of the time I’m logged into Shoutem myself it’s from my mobile device. It’s great that there’s a mobile application for Shoutem, not just an API. It’s meant we haven’t needed to develop it ourselves,” he says.
Shoutem says that Lilavois’ experience with We Harlem shows that the marketing potential of mobile social networks is now within reach of anyone with a great idea, regardless of their technology experience or budget.
 

Ogilvy Powers WIRED UK Safe Text Campaign

The May issue of WIRED UK, marking its first birthday, heralds the roll-out of a multichannel marketing campaign for the magazine, which includes a mobile text programme. Condé Nast has worked with WIRED’s agency Hurrell Moseley Dawson & Grimmer (HMDG) for the creative, with M2M handling the media channels, FMG Media for the online sampler using Ceros, and Ogilvy Advertising looking after the text campaign.  
The digital outdoor campaign breaks today and incorporates giant Transvision screens and digital LCD 6 sheets at 15 national mainline train stations, including nine in London (including Victoria, Waterloo, Euston, Liverpool Street, Kings Cross) and six major cities across the UK (Edinburgh, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central, Birmingham New St, Leeds and Liverpool). The creative will last for 20 seconds and reveals the line ‘The future is under construction’. The combined audience of this element of the campaign numbers 3.5 million people. In addition to the May issue, this outdoor activity will be replicated to support the June, September and December issues of WIRED.
WIRED will also have a presence from 1 April on the Premier Ocean sites at Holland Park Roundabout, the Two Towers site on the A4, and Eat Street, the new digital site that can carry animation at Westfield. Combined audience figures for these sites total over 3 million a week.   
Also breaking today is the ‘Safe Text’ campaign created by Ogilvy Advertising. This is a WIRED ‘self-destructing’ text, promoted using the creative ‘The Future can be erased’. Users register to send Safe Texts from a dedicated mobile site by texting ‘WIRED’ to 83118. Once registered, they can send 10 Safe Texts per day, though the recipient will also need to connect to the mobile web to read the text. Once read, the text disappears to reveal the anniversary issue cover of WIRED. The WIRED-branded Safe Texts will work on any mobile which can connect to the Internet. Recipients of Safe Texts are encouraged to use the service themselves and forward it on to friends and family.
The opportunity to spread the WIRED word will be communicated through advertising on 12 giant Transvision digital screens, across the country. The Safe Text campaign is powered by Velti, while media is provided by Blis Mobile.  

AT4 Test Wins Bluetooth SIG Approval

AT4 wireless has obtained official Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) validation for its BITE T1111 Bluetooth low energy RF testing option.
Derived from the Bluetooth Basic Rate and EDR RF test cases, the low energy RF test cases have been optimized in terms of test duration and test cases implementation, by reducing the number of RF test cases, or introducing the direct test mode.
Commercially available since late 2008, BITE low energy option supports the RF Transmission and Reception test cases, for both nominal and extreme operating conditions, as defined in the recently-adopted low energy RF PHY Test Specification for Bluetooth 4.0.
With this achievement, AT4 wireless says it has ensured that all technologies and test cases supported by the BITE T1111 RF Tester are validated according to the Bluetooth SIG Test Systems Validation Guidelines, making this platform the worldwide reference for Bluetooth qualification testing.
“We consider this success a very important milestone for the Bluetooth Community, due to the fact that the majority of the Bluetooth SIG-recognized Laboratories are using our BITE test system,” says AT4 wireless Product Manager, Angel Romero.

ESPN Secures Mobile Rights to UK Premier League Highlights

Broadcaster ESPN has been awarded the exclusive mobile highlight rights to all 380 Barclays Premier League matches per season over the next three seasons. The rights will allow ESPN, also a Barclays Premier League TV partner, to deliver in-match, post-match and customized highlights, including goals, to football fans in the UK.
ESPN says it will announce specific plans and products that utilize these rights and connect fans to the Barclays Premier League in the weeks ahead. The new products and services will join ESPN’s growing mobile platform that includes mobile web sites for ESPN.co.uk, ESPNSoccernet, ESPNCricinfo, ESPNScrum and ESPNF1, as well as mobile applications.
“Mobile devices are an indispensible lifeline for football fans, who expect easy, quick access to the latest goals and action wherever they are,” says ESPN Senior Vice President, Lynne Frank. “Adding these rights will allow us to advance our commitment to delivering great sport across the many screens UK fans use each day. Since we launched ESPN in the UK less than 250 days ago, we have been dedicated to building the foundation of a long-term relationship with UK sports fans. This is another big step in that process.”
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore says that ESPN’s purchase of Barclays Premier League mobile clip rights demonstrates the company’s commitment to the competition and the fans. “Mobile is an increasingly important technology as hand-held devices become ever more sophisticated, therefore a good offering with a strong partner is important to us both in terms of accessibility and complementing live coverage,” says Sucadmore.