Monthly Archives: August 2011
Google to acquire Motorola’s handset div
Rating: Larry Page says it will supercharge Android 3 times
The balance of power in the cellular handset market is shifting again. First we’ve seen manufacturers break free of the shackles of the mobile network operators with the likes of Apple’s iPhone. Now we are seeing the software vendors dominating the hardware suppliers. Nokia’s dalliance with Microsoft kicked off the trend. Now Google has decided to acquire Motorola’s handset division (Motorola Mobility) for around $12.5 billion. This has caused Google’s CEO, Larry Page, to declare that nothing has changed and that the company will continue to work with its existing hardware partners. Actually, there’s about 38 of them but you coluld always check this with the Open Handset Alliance here. It also spurred Mr Page into using the word supercharge three times. [Four if you count the headline.] This move will profoundly change the dynamics of the mobile phone industry, whatever you view on the wisdom of the acquisition is. Continue reading
How to tell mobile barcodes apart
Rating: Just take a look at these pictures of codes and tags
The easiest way to tell barcodes apart is to look at them. Strangely enough, it is difficult to find all the major types illustrated in the same place. So GoMo News decided to fill the gap with this posting. If we’ve left out a major mobile barcode or tag you’ve heard of, then let us know via Comments (below). Continue reading
Fortumo selects Payfone for In-App Payments SDK Direct Carrier Billing
Fortumo has selected Payfone to power the direct billing option for its in-app purchasing SDK.
What?
This means that there will be direct mobile payment billing. Consumers make secure mobile payments in real-time on any mobile device. The other plus is that instant direct billing means better payouts for developers.
From the press release
“We are excited to work [...]
Hacking expert says 12+ popular Android apps are vulnerable
Rating: Google says the bugs aren’t in the Android OS
There’s a bit of a dispute going on between a self-styled mobile security expert – Riley Hassell and Google over potential vulnerabilities in the Android mobile OS. According to Reuters here. Hassel claimed to have identified more than a dozen widely used Android applications that make the phones vulnerable to attack in association with his colleague Shane Macaulay. However, the same report quotes Google spokesman, Jay Nancarrow, as saying that Android’s own security experts had discussed the research with Hassell and did not believe he had uncovered problems with Android. “The identified bugs are not present in Android,” Nancarrow said. Some observers are questioning whether the pair have really unearthed anything to worry about. GoMo News agrees with the sentiment that disclosing the holes in Android apps before there are fixes is a dangerous course of action. Continue reading
Report highlights importance of Hispanics mobile users
Rating: Lessons for US movie industry could be applied elsewhere
A report jointly compiled by multicultural mobile marketing agency, Briabe Mobile and popular mobile social network, MocoSpace, has highlighted the growing importance of Hispanics to the US movie industry. Entitled ‘The Mobile Consumer: Hispanics, Movies & Mobile’, the report is designed to help those in the US entertainment industry, but it actually provides some useful insights into mobile phone users behaviour anyway. For example, 72 per cent of Hispanic Americans use their mobile phones for virtually every part of the film-discovery process, including movie planning. The report focused on Hispanics in particular because 75 per cent of Hispanics go to the cinema once a month, while 25 per cent see movies three times a month. This is more often than all other polled ethnic demographics. Plus, a recent Nielsen study found that although Hispanics make up are 15 per cent of the total US population, they represent some 28 per cent of frequent moviegoers. Continue reading
SnapTags apps for iOS and Android are US only
Rating: Why?
You’d have thought that if you genuinely believe you have a technology that could knock QR codes into a cocked hat, then you might not be just US-centric. Sadly this is the case with SpyderLynk and its SnapTag technology. Its latest announcement concerning Momentum deploying SnapTags for a back-to-school mobile campaign with Office Depot contained this phrase: – “For iPhone and Android users who like scanning, SpyderLynk offers a free app to scan SnapTags.” Unlike other so-called news sites, GoMo News doesn’t just reprint the Press release. No, we took the company at its word and decided to take a look at its Apple and Android apps. After a great deal of searching, we discovered the simple reason why it was near-impossible to download both these apps. They are not available for those outside of the USA. Why? Continue reading
Bullguard gives Chinese app site app all clear
Rating: illustrates need for good security software
Having written several reports that Chinese app stores held particular dangers for Android users – see ‘Security warning as Android virus hits China‘ and ‘Piracy & Malware go hand-in-hand‘ , GoMo News was very suspicious when we started to download an app for a Chinese Android app store. The store in question is 1mobile.com. What caused us concern is that the description for the app was still in Chinese and if you do a lookup onWhois.com for 1mobile.com, there’s not much information. So we did the sensible thing and contacted a reputable supplier of mobile anti-malware Bullguard. Luckily, the company has given this particular app the all clear but it can’t vouch for the hundreds of other apps on this store. The moral here is get yourself some decent security software installed before you start downloading other apps. Continue reading
QR code scanners are sub-30, male and quite rich
Rating: The results comScore mining its US data
Understanding which consumer segments scan QR codes; the source and location of these scans; and the resulting information delivered, is crucial for marketers to develop and deploy campaigns that successfully utilise QR codes for brand engagement. Hence, mobile data usage specialist, comScore, has just released the results of a study on mobile QR and bar code scanning based on data mined from its comScore MobiLens service. In essence the study found that the typical QR/1D bar code scanner was male (60.5 per cent of the code scanning audience), young to middle-age that is 18-34 years old (53.4 per cent) and upper income – $100k per annum (36.1 per cent). The survey uses data from the USA and discovered that some 14 million mobile users scanned a QR or bar code on their mobile device in June 2011. This figure represents some 6.2 per cent of the total US mobile audience. Continue reading
Traces of Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) detected
Rating: Smudged pics of Nexus S appear on Net
Just to make sure that Apple doesn’t steal all the thunder when its much rumoured iPhone 5 comes out, it seems Google has decided to leak a few details about the very next version of the Android smartphone OS – known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). A series of photos have appeared on the blog, Rootzwiki here. They claim to show a very early version of Ice Cream Sandwich running on a Google Nexus S. Strangely, the site seems to think that ICS will actually first bee seen on the Nexus Prime rather than the S. The Prime is the codename for Google’s next smartphone device and has sometimes been referred to as the Nexus 4G. It is thought that Samsing is built the device for Google. More stuff about the Prim is on the Redmond Pie here. Continue reading
Beware of dodgy smartphones & iPads from the lootings
Rating: Retailers will get networks to block the stolen IMEIs
It seems that two of the products most popular with looters in the recent British riots were smartphones and wireless tablets like the iPad 2. Well, every GSM device needs an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) to function properly and in the UK, the network operators can block the IMEIs of stolen devices. It’s been generally assumed that this only applies to smartphones but there are a number of tablets which boast a 3G capability – such as the Apple iPad 2. The latter have been on sale in retail outlets badly affected by the looting. Those iPads with a 3G capability can be blocked although this wouldn’t prevent the device from functioning over Wi-fi. However, GoMo News would warn any readers who are offered mobile devices – including iPhones – at a suspiciously low price that they might end up with a dud. IMEI numbers can be unblocked but this shouldn’t be confused with a device being ‘unlocked’. Continue reading
SnapTags from Spyderlynk vs QR Codes plus Microsoft Tag
It is highly unlikely that SnapTags from Spyderlynk will completely replace QR Codes. QR Codes are like legacy systems – they just keep on going! But seriously, QR code providers should start thinking of a contingency plan as the competition is just getting better.
Continue reading
YOC doubles mobile advertising segment
Some interesting takes from the YOC H1 Financials.
- Increase in overall turnover to EUR 16.5 million
- Mobile Advertising segment doubles – due to acquisition of MobileADdict in France. In France alone sales have vastly increased.
Westfield mobile shopping mobile search
Westfield Shopping App……. Yikes. A simple mobile search app that I like. Its from Westfield and Google, the video explains it all and its every woman’s dream.
Continue reading
Will Microsoft unleash WP7.5 Mango early?
Rating: Conspiracy theories have it showing @ IFA Berlin
It seems that the Net is buzzing with rumours that Microsoft may well unleash the next release (7.5) of Windows Phone – which is codenamed Mango. The date for this which seems to be traceable back to Pocket-lint here is September 1st [2011]. Or roughly three weeks from now. GoMo News is particularly taken with the theory that Microsoft has chosen this date because it is only one day before the IFA Berlin show which showcases a whole bunch of electronics stuff and mobile phones is very definitely up there high on the list. IFA actually takes place between September 2nd – 7th [2011]. These dates tie in nicely with GoMo News‘ own theories that Nokia is readying itself for the launch of its first WP7 devices in mid-September. So it might actually preview them at IFA Berlin. Continue reading
Apps World North America
[ November 1, 2011 8:00 pm to November 2, 2011 8:00 pm. ] Apps World North America is being held on 1-2 November 2011 at the Javits Convention Centre, New York. North America has truly embraced the applications market, with even the US government under the Obama administration launching an app store and 16 apps earlier this year. American consumerism has created an ideal environment for all things [...]
