Monthly Archives: July 2012
Orange brand scores well @ European footie
Rating: Precise finds its app proved popular
The efficacy of jumping onto the social media bandwagon can be measured as Precise‘s Brand Insights team is doing by listening to the voice of consumers as expressed on social media. The objective is to help businesses/brands make better, more informed decisions. Precise’s recent research has been around how brands can tap into the power of sport sponsorship. It has discovered that network operator, Orange experienced the third highest number of mentions in relation to UEFA Euro 2012 during the group stage. Use of its UEFA Euro 2012 app generated many of these mentions, indicating the app was popular. However, the app did not drive as much in the way of user-generated opinions, Precise says. Continue reading
GoMo accidentally downloads ‘exclusive’ music app to HP TouchPad
Rating: Samsung had supposedly struck exclusive content deal
An exclusive deal has supposedly been struck between leading Android handset manufacturer, Samsung and mobile music specialist MusicQubed. The first handset to come with the Official Top 40 singles chart app preloaded will be Galaxy Ace II. However, this app is also available from Google Play here. When we tried to download it to a non-Galaxy phone the server said it was incompatible with all of our devices except the Cm_tenderloin. We clicked on that and suddenly realised the app had been sent to our HP TouchPad tablet running the Cyanogenmod version of Android. And, yup, it works, folks. Continue reading
Springboard launches mobile accelerator bootcamp 2012
Rating: Europe’s first mobile-only accelerator programme , so it says
London and Cambridge based accelerator programme, Springboard, has launched of Springboard Mobile. It claims this is Europe’s first accelerator bootcamp for mobile-only start-ups. Springboard Mobile is a 13 week programme in the UK and Silicon Valley that will support the ten best founders in any area of mobile technology. The winners will get over $150,000 of free services; seed capital and counselling over 100 leading mobile mentors. You can still participate in Springboard Mobile if your company is already funded or generating revenue. Which is handy. The list of angel investors even includes an Admob founder. Continue reading
Why web OS offerings are the way forward for operators
Rating: Mozilla’s Firefox mobile OS might not be the only contender
History is littered with mobile OS offerings which never quite made it. Even though, as is the case with the most recently contender – Mozilla’s Firefox OS, they initially had plenty of support from Tier One operators. GoMobile News has just been chatting with Malik Saadi, a principal analyst for mobile innovation with Informa Media and Telecoms. He described previous efforts such as the Java based OS Savaje as “born to die”, whilst the LiMo Foundation was “doomed to die.” There is one very clear difference between these earlier offerings and Firefox. Namely that Firefox is about providing high performance at low cost whereas earlier attempts were hardware intensive and therefore costly. The biggest loser here will undoubtedly be Apple. Continue reading
Guest post: A guide to buying mobile phones online
Matt Rawlings looks at buying handsets online from the consumer’s perspective
Mobile phones are so in demand at the moment that everywhere seems to be selling them. You have the obvious places – the high street retailers and the online stores. Then you have market traders trying to get into the game with second-hand or ‘nearly new’ models, as well as online markets such as eBay. Plus, of course, that friend of a friend who wants a quick sale. Continue reading
In-app mobile advertising spend to top $7bn says Juniper
Increased usage of immersive ads to drive growth
Press release
July 3rd 2012. A new report from Juniper Research finds that in-app advertising spend across all mobile devices will reach $7.1 billion by 2015 – up from $2.4 billion in 2012. The increasing spend on in-app ads will be driven by greater use of rich media in ads allied to greater app usage. This growth, from one of the key mobile advertising segments, will help to triple spend on mobile advertising by 2017. Continue reading
Google slowly rolling out mobile app analytics
Rating: Also releases Android version of Google Analytics
Looking through the Google Analyticsmonthly product update for June [2012], GoMobile News spotted a number of facilities which we’ve somehow missed previously. In particular, Google now offers mobile app analytics which provides end-to-end measurement of the entire customer journey within a mobile application. Plus the company finally released its Android version of its Google Analytics app. Funnily enough there’s no mention of an iOs version [tee-hee). The Android app enables access the same accounts and profiles users will see when they open Analytics from a desktop browser. However, the reports are optimized for a mobile phone. More info here. Mobile app developers could well be interested in the latest browser size analysis which enables users to find out what visitors actually see. Continue reading
More about the Firefox mobile OS
Rating: Background information on former Boot to Gecko project
The Firefox OS is based on the Boot to Gecko (B2G) project which is an open source operating system in development by Mozilla Corporation that aims to support HTML5 apps written using ‘open Web’ technologies rather than platform-specific native APIs. The idea is essentially to have all user-accessible software running on the phone be a Web app that uses advanced HTML5 techniques and device APIs to access the phone’s hardware directly via JavaScript. It initially targeted Android-compatible smartphones. Continue reading
Mozilla introduces a brand new mobile OS – Firefox
Rating: Yet another mobile OS enters the market
Just when you thought the mobile OS sector was fragmented enough – with the likes of BlackBerry, bada and Windows Phone 7 (W7 Mango) already struggling, here comes another completely new mobile OS. Enter Firefox mobile OS brought to you by popular browser supplier, Mozilla. Unfortunately for native mobile app developers, this one stands a very good chance of succeeding. The reasons? Well, firstly this OS is based around HTML5 technology and unless GoMobile News is hallucinating, that means all existing mobile apps written using HTML5 will run on it. Secondly, Firefox OS has a whole bunch of Tier One mobile network operators behind it. Thirdly, two prominent Chinese handset manufacturers – ZTE and TCL, have already committed to it. Finally, this OS is attacking a very clearly defined niche – namely entry-level (read low cost) handsets built for emerging markets. Continue reading
Mozilla gains global support for a Firefox mobile OS
First devices featuring Firefox OS to be manufactured by TCL Communication Technology (Alcatel) and ZTE
Leading global network operators back initiative, including Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, and Telenor
Press release
July 2nd 2012. Industry support is growing behind Mozilla‘s plans to launch a new fully open mobile ecosystem based on HTML5. The operating system, which Mozilla has confirmed will use its Firefox brand, will power the launch of smartphones built entirely to open Web standards, where all of the device’s capabilities can be developed as HTML5 applications. Mapping to key Firefox footprints around the globe, leading operators Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica and Telenor are backing the open Firefox OS as an exciting new entrant to the smartphone marketplace. They have also identified the potential of the technology to deliver compelling smartphone experiences at attainable prices. Continue reading
Weekend QR code round-up winner
Rating: We give full marks to First Great Western
Here at GoMobile News we are regularly in the habit of checking out QR codes we spot in everyday life and this weekend was no exception. So we’re delighted to give full marks to the First Great Western (British) railway company for the use of QR codes to publicise its timetables. The first thing which struck us was the actual size of the QR code. We’d guess at least two inches square. That made it a doddle [easy] to scan in using the much underrated Motorola RAZR Android handset – along with NeoMedia’s NeoReader scanning app. We reckon any handset – even a featurephone, could scan that code it. FGW gets full marks for what happens after consumers scan the code in. It takes them straight to a fully mobile-friendly web site. Continue reading
Asda Mobile finds Brit men phone from the loo
Rating: Coins the terms throne call
Asda Mobile seems to think that the discovery that one in five men admit to regularly using their phones whilst in the smallest room [bathroom] is hot news. Well, the term ‘throne calls’ might be new but long standing mobile/cellular observers like GoMobile News have know of this habit for a very long time. Indeed, we remember such research coming out in WAP’s heyday [2000]. Better still, when BT more recently trialled mobile TV near to its research centre at Martlesham, it did its best to surpress the discovery that traillists regular watch TV on their smartphones whilst in the bathroom. There’s no electricity in the loo so it is an ideal solution. Asda’s research comes with some other equally long suspected conclusions, but at least the MVNOs has quantified it for us all with its poll. Continue reading
Bet2Go revises its mobile offering to support WP7
Rating:
Just in time for the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 8th 2012, Bet2Go has launched an all-new version of its app for smartphones. Not only has the UI been improved but the company claims it is quicker to bet with this new release. The most impressive part about this announcement is that Bet2Go has trawled its support database and discovered that this latest release covers a previous problem GoMobile News encountered with this app. Namely that it wouldn’t work on a Windows Phone 7.5 (W7 Mango) handset (the Nokia Lumia 800). We can confirm that the ‘other smartphones’ version of the app is compatible with W7 Mango. Continue reading
Talking on smartphones comes fifth says O2
Rating: Operators will have to maximise data revenuea s as result
Reseach specially commissioned by the UK Mobile operator, O2, has confirmed what most observers in the mobile/cellular industry have long suspected. Namely, that making voice calls is no longer the primary use consumers make of their smartphones. In fact, talking on the mobile phone came in as the fifth most popular activity on a smartphone. More worrying is that texting came seventh behind checking emails at sixth. This research – entitled ‘All About You’, was actually designed to promote Samsung’s extremely popular Samsung Galaxy SIII Android. However, it indicates how heavily mobile network operators will become on maximising the revenues they derive from data services. Continue reading
