Author Archives: Hans Cett
M2M provides still face major challenges Sierra Wireless warns
Use the cloud, Luke
According to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan, the M2M market is expected to grow by 33 per cent by 2016. The research also projects that the number of M2M SIM connections is expected to reach a total of 75 million in 2016, with the UK market taking the lead, followed by Germany. However, Olivier Beaujard, a vp for market development with Sierra Wireless, a leading provider of M2M and connected device solutions, believes that this report highlights service providers and organisations still need to address serious challenges in the M2M space via emerging technologies. Continue reading
Porsche outdoes Vertu with gold P’9981 smartphone
It’s a BlackBerry but not even BB10
Over the years GoMo News has encountered many attempts to market the ultimate in luxury smartphones. The classic example of this is Vertu which is a spin off from Nokia. Which is lucky because it means that Vertu can sell an Android powered version of its luxury handsets in the shape of the Vertu Ti. Curiously, this isn’t the first luxury Blackberry either. A designer called Bill Amberg created a version of the BlackBerry Bold 9780 which was sold by Selfridges (see here). Anyway, the latest version of the Porsche Design BlackBerry based P‘9981 smartphone is not only made from a gold but is in a limited edition of just 25. It’s so elite that we couldn’t even find a price. Continue reading
GoMo unearths more evidence against infographics
CompareMyMobile jumps to untenable conclusions
Here at GoMo News Towers we are great believers in the old adage that there are lies, damned lies and then there are infographics. This time it is the turn of a mobile phone recycling price comparison site CompareMyMobile.com to try to convince us that infographics aren’t completely pointless. They failed completely. The conclusions they have jumped to dpn’t strike us as merely tenuous but verge more on the seriously flawed. The objective is to try to convince us from the numbers of handsets being traded in can indicate that Samsung is doing well against Apple. Well, it just hasn’t worked. Continue reading
In-car app market will be worth $1.2 billion + within 5 years says Juniper
Revenues from smart vehicle apps to rise ten-fold by 2017
Apparently, the new frontier for app developers over the next five years will be the’smart vehicle’ also known as the ‘connected car’. That’s the latest finding from a new Juniper Research report which predicts that the market for in-vehicle apps will be worth over $1.2 billion by 2017. It also found that there will be a downward pressure on the price of vehicle manufacturers’ own embedded telematics infotainment services – as the in-vehicle app ecosystem matures. Continue reading
Toptable releases WP8 version of its top table booking app
Fourth screen accounts for 1 in 4 table bookings
A new app for Windows Phone 8 from toptable is designed to help diners discover the perfect restaurant table and make an instantly confirmed booking. Apparently, mobile bookings now account for 25 per cent of seated diners in the UK. Not a lot of people know that. Continue reading
Ovum warns of emerging maturity for MNOs
Revenues from emerging markets to slow by 2017
Industry watcher, Ovum, has warned MNOs [Mobile Network operators] that emerging markets are good but its forecast for 2017 warns of ‘emerging maturity’. The company predicts that a concentration on BRIC [Brazil. Russia, India & China] whilst previously trendy might not be such a brilliant idea as emerging market growth slows. After all, low ARPU across emerging markets means that these markets generate less revenue and profit relative to their subscriber base. Steven Hartley, a telco strategy analyst, with Ovum warns Vodafone that it should worry about speeding up its palliative care for its European operations while it still has the Verizon Wireless cash cow. Continue reading
Weekend QR code roundup – Coors Light
Basically the URL didn’t work
This is probably going to be one of the shortest QR barcode roundups that GoMo News has ever done. We have always maintained that here in the UK at least, the drinks industry is one of the most prolific users of QR code technology in their promotional campaigns. So when we spotted another beer mat with an enticing QR code on it, we enthusiastically scanned it in. That’s as far as we got. Continue reading
Confusion surrounds Google Hangouts & SMS support
Perhaps our Indian & Israeli readers can help us out
Well Google certainly knows how to confuse the Hell out of this particular GoMo News hack. And in the case of its recent release of Google Hangouts, the company has really got us scratching our heads. Initially we were just trying to ascertain whether Hangouts already supported SMS as an alternative communications’ medium. No we’re trying to ascertain where Hangouts fits into the scheme of things. We can definitely say we’ve got Hangouts working but we also need the help of our Indian and Israeli readers to investigate if SMS/text is genuinely supported. Continue reading
UK’s Asda planning to introduce barcode shopping scanning app
Will create Big Customer Data in place of loyalty card
A recent report in The Times [UK] has revealed that UK shopping giant, Asda,is planning to roll out an app to its shoppers that will enable them to scan their groceries . The app that will help customers to cut their costs and whilst providing the retailer with valuable customer data. And we all know that ‘Big Data’ is the buzzword of the day. The app has been developed in the USA by Asda’s parent company – Wal-Mart. It will help Britain’s second-largest supermarket group get around the fact that it doesn’t offer a customer loyalty card. Continue reading
Shazam behind 1 in 14 of all music downloads
Meanwhile iTunes reaches 50 billion app downloads
Figures just released by Apple show that its App Store has now reached its 50 billionth app download. That figure represents unique downloads excluding re-downloads and updates. The winner of a $10,000 App Store gift card Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio, USA. He downloaded Say the Same Thing by Space Inch from here. But ITunes is about more than apps – it’s music too. As Shazam points out, it was behind the 25 billionth Apple music download back in February 2013. Continue reading
BlackBerry Q5 could take BB10 into emerging markets like India
Ovum predicts Q5 is suitable successor to Curve
According to Adam Leach, principal device and platforms analyst at Ovum,”BlackBerry is clearly aiming to replicate the success of the Blackberry Curve in emerging markets, doing so will help the company establish the Blackberry 10 platform in the market.” Despite low average incomes,emerging markets accounted for roughly 17 per cent of the nearly 450 million smartphone shipments globally in 2011. In markets such as India. Smartphones are establishing themselves as the prime means of Internet access. Continue reading
Tektronix & TM Forum ally over Big Data
Intention is to provide guide to Big Data analytics best practices
In order to deliver a comprehensive set of new best practices for the telecoms industry covering big data analytics implementation Tektronix Communications has announced its collaboration with the TM Forum. The objective is to achieve the best-in-breed big data implementation and value extraction. The pair who have been co-leading the TM Forum project group since January 2013 intend to publish a report containing new best practices and guidelines to help carriers worldwide define and refine their ‘big data’ analytics offering. Continue reading
UK adspend report fails to highlight importance of mobile
Methodology changes welcomed but more granularity needed
The recently released AA/Warc Expenditure report is good news in general for the UK advertising industry. The headline was that expenditure in the UK reached £17,172 billion in 2012. The last time advertising spend exceeded £17 billion was prior to the recession in 2007 (£17,364bn). The big news, however, was that there was a change in methodology that allows subscribers to view the impact of online adspend for newsbrands, magazine brands and TV. This acknowledges the growing importance of digital but it didn’t do much to highlight the importance of mobile in such campaigns. Continue reading
Adform reckons AdTruth’s device recognition can aid its mobile ad performance
AdTruth ID should make for more a accurate RTB service
In order to improve its pan-European ad tech platform, Adform will be utilising the AdTruth ID system to support its platform’s desktop and mobile real-time bidding (RTB) capabilities. The company claims this should lead to increased campaign reach and audience engagement. Adform argues that device recognition is at the core of delivering relevant consumer experiences for advertisers. It maintains that existing approaches have become ineffective in the current mobile and privacy-aware environment. Continue reading
By 2016 mobile content revenues will rise to $65bn from over $40bn says Juniper
Direct Carrier Billing implementation to fuel growth
Growth in mobile content revenues will primarily be fuelled by an increased opportunity for content monetisation via DCB (Direct Carrier Billing) on smartphones, along with an upsurge in game, video and e-book purchases via tablet devices. This is one of the main conclusions from the latest report from Juniper Research entitled, ‘Mobile Content Business Models: OTT & Operator Strategy & Forecasts 2013-2017 ‘. It predicts that over the next three years, annual revenue generated from content delivered to mobile handsets will reach $65 billion by 2016. That’s an increase of nearly $25 billion. Continue reading
