Mobilious

“Sport & Style, the monthly magazine inserted in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, is now a stunning iPad app. There are video interviews, photo galleries, sports footage and interactive content as well as the full print magazine. It’s the start of a digital revolution for magazines.” And here is the demo:

A great example of how mobile can help brands getting their messages across!

A very simple idea and a great execution: an iPhone application by Durex!

“After a couple of leaks at the weekend, Nokia and Yahoo have confirmed they are to work closer together in mobile web services. As part of the alliance Nokia will be the exclusive provider of Yahoo’s maps and navigation services, integrating Ovi Maps across Yahoo properties, branded as “powered by Ovi.” In addition, Yahoo will become the exclusive provider of Nokia’s Ovi Mail and Ovi Chat services branded as “Ovi Mail / Ovi Chat powered by Yahoo!”

Nokia and Yahoo also plan to make it easy for people to use their Ovi user IDs across select Yahoo services in the near future.

“Delivering great user experiences — both online and on your mobile – is what this alliance is all about,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, Nokia. “We’re enabling millions of Yahoo! customers in key markets including North America to discover the unique capabilities that Ovi Maps brings. Similarly, Yahoo!’s online expertise will bring exciting mail and messaging enhancements to millions of Ovi Mail customers across almost every country around the world, many of whom will have their first Internet experience on their mobile.”

“What a combination,” said Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo!. “We’re excited to expand the reach of our best-in-class Mail and Messenger services, bringing personalized experiences to more people across the mobile web, particularly in emerging markets where we are seeding the next generation of Yahoo! users. At the same time, we believe Nokia’s strength and continued investment in maps and navigation will greatly enhance our existing products, enabling us to focus on areas that are core to our business.”

Select, co-branded service offerings are expected to become available from the second half of 2010, with global availability expected in 2011.”

Source: http://www.cellular-news.com

“(Reuters) – In the second stage of a two-part rollout, Apple Inc on Friday began selling the pricier, high-speed wireless version of the iPad in the United States, following the successful launch of the short-range Wi-Fi tablet earlier this month.

Although the event certainly lacked the buildup and excitement of the April 3 debut — with the heartiest waiting in line overnight — some Apple retail stores in big cities still saw decent-sized crowds ahead of the 5 p.m. launch.

At a store in downtown San Francisco, roughly 75 people stood in line 90 minutes before the 3G iPad went on sale.

Several people said they had waited for the more expensive version of Apple’s tablet because they saw it as a potential replacement for their laptops, at least in certain situations.

“I’m going to take it everywhere with me, I already take my laptop everywhere, and it’ll definitely replace my laptop in a lot of cases,” said Long Nguyen, 22, who works in IT repair and was first in line.

The 3G model — which is also Wi-Fi compatible — starts at $629 and tops out at $829. The Wi-Fi-only iPad starts at $499.

The 9.7-inch touchscreen iPad is essentially a cross between a laptop and a smartphone. It is intended as a media consumption device, good for video, games, electronic books and magazines and Web browsing.

But some said they were hoping to also use it for work, mainly because of the device’s thin-and-light profile.

“I travel a lot for work, and I have a lot of projects that are out in the field, so I think it will be useful for some of that,” said Gary Riley, 36, an environmental engineer.

“I’m on the road all the time, and I think it will give me a nice choice, especially when I travel,” said Bob Geib, a consultant. “It will complement my laptop.”

AT&T is providing the wireless data plans for the iPad, charging $29.99 a month for unlimited access.

AT&T is also the exclusive U.S. carrier for Apple’s iPhone, and has been subject to plenty of criticism over the quality of its network. It remains to be seen whether iPad users will encounter any problems with their service.

Apple sold 300,000 iPads on launch day April 3 and a half-million units the first week. Although the device won’t reach international markets until late May, some analysts expect Apple to sell roughly 5 million or so this year.

The iPad rollout has been accompanied by a crush of media hype, but it has not been without its hiccups. The company delayed the international launch for a month for what it said was stronger-than-expected demand.

Analyst say the company has also had difficulty ramping production of a new product.

Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple closed down 2.8 percent at $261.09 on the Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Gabriel Madway; Editing by Bernard Orr)”

Source: Reuters

Steve Jobs has used an open letter to defend Apple’s decision not to allow Flash on many of the firm’s products.

Neither the iPod, iPhone nor iPad can run the software despite the widespread use of Flash technology on websites for video and animations.

He said Flash was made for an era of “PCs and mice” and performed poorly when translated to run on touchscreen smartphones and handheld devices.

The head of Adobe called the highlighted problems “a smokescreen”.

‘Restrictive practices’

The letter comes soon after Flash creator Adobe announced it would stop making tools that allow developers to quickly translate Flash code to run on Apple gadgets.

These allowed developers to make applications once and then distribute them for use on various phones and operating systems, including Apple’s iPhone.

Adobe’s announcement followed a change to the terms and conditions of the licence that software developers must sign when writing code to run on Apple products.

That change banned developers from using automatic translation tools, effectively forcing them to develop two applications – one for Apple products and one for everything else.

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that “when you resort to licensing language” to restrict development, it has “nothing to do with technology.”

He said it was now “cumbersome” for developers who were forced to have “two workflows”.

Crashing Macs

In his lengthy open letter titled Thoughts on Flash, Mr Jobs said the reason Apple did not want people to use Adobe’s automatic translation tools was because experience had shown it results in “sub-standard apps”.

He described Flash as a closed system and said that it was bad for the smartphone era because it did not support multi-touch systems and helped drain battery power unnecessarily.

He also pointed out that there were now alternatives to flash technology, particularly for web video.

The Apple boss added that Flash fell short on security and was “the number one reason Macs crash”.

But Mr Narayen said that if Flash crashed Apple products it was something “to do with the Apple operating system.”

He said he found it “amusing” that Mr Jobs thought that Flash was a closed platform.

“We have different views of the world,” Mr. Narayan told the Wall Street Journal. “Our view of the world is multi-platform.

The letter provoked an avalanche of comments online, with many saying Apple’s restrictions on what can be done with its software go far beyond those on Flash.

Source: BBC News

Apple has already sold 450,000 iPads. So what are people downloading as apps? An interesting article by Jenna Wortham from The New York Times:

“Although it remains to be seen whether or not mainstream consumers will latch onto the iPad with the same ferocity as they did the iPhone, it’s clear that there’s no lack of appetite for apps. On Monday, Apple revealed that iPad owners were voraciously consuming applications. More than one million were downloaded before the weekend was over.

So what’s capturing the eyes and fingertips of those owners?

A quick spin through the charts of the best-selling applications available in iTunes illuminates the most popular selections.

Currently, the top three paid iPad applications belong to a suite of applications intended to give the iPad more heft as a machine for productivity. They are adaptations of Apple’s iWork tools and include Pages, a word processing application, Keynote, which allows users to create visually rich presentations, and Numbers, a spreadsheet application. Each sells for $9.99.

But perhaps the most interesting application on the top 10 list is one called Star Walk, a $2.99 astronomy application that morphs the iPad into a star chart. Pointing the tablet at the sky activates an internal digital compass, instantly locating stars, planets and other celestial bodies. Tapping on an object reveals more information about it.

GoodReader, which costs 99 cents and is hovering in the fourth most downloaded slot, is a documents reader for the iPad that can handle a range of formats, including PDF files and high-resolution images. SketchBookPro, $8.99, a sophisticated drawing application that lets users craft paintings with their hands, is also on the list.

Games, of course, have been a big draw. Real Racing HD ($9.99), a driving game that transforms the iPad into a steering wheel, and Flight Control ($4.99), an air traffic simulator that includes a level in 3-D, are both on the top 10 list. Scrabble ($9.99) turns the iPad’s glossy screen into a vivid playing board where multiple players can use their iPhones as their letter trays and “flick” tiles down to the main board for game play.

Like the iPhone, the iPad is a chameleon, ready to be transformed by the software running on it. Readers, what iPad applications have you downloaded? Feel free to share the hits, the misses and ones you can’t live without in the comments below.”

Source

“TOP 10 IPAD DISAPPOINTMENTS:

1. The keyboard
The iPad’s lack of a tactile keyboard was always going to be an issue, but typing on the iPad is not as easy as you might hope. To be used for email and short messages only.

2. No camera
An odd oversight, this is one that has many fans stumped. The iPad could have been great for video calling.

3. No Flash support
So many good websites use Adobe Flash that Apple’s ongoing stoush with the technology is becoming a big issue. This gadget screens websites in full size, but some still won’t show due to this omission.

4. Weighty
Heavier than the biggest Kindle, the iPad could be hard to hold with one hand for an extended period.

5. No memory card slot
The iPad is so good with photos, but they must be side-loaded from a computer as this tablet computer has no space for memory cards adding an adapter.

6. No GPS chip in Wi-Fi model
It can still guess your location from your WiFi connection, but the lack of a GPS chip is disappointing.

7. No HD video output
You can connect the iPad to a television but videos won’t play in high-definition. The best it can muster is a resolution of 576p.

8. No multi-tasking
You can only do one thing at a time on the iPad, just as with the iPhone. Sadly, this is one thing that netbooks have over the device.

9. No iBooks in Australia
They’re coming, according to a job ad, but the iPad won’t live up until its full potential until they arrive.

10. Delayed accessories
The keyboard and memory card adapter will make up for some important omissions, but are not yet available.

TOP 10 IPAD MAGIC MOMENTS:

1. Great screen
It’s large, it’s bright and it’s colourful. There’s lots to like about the iPad’s screen that has LED-backlighting for brightness, and IPS (in-plane switching) for good viewing on an angle. It’s not E Ink, like the Kindle, but it looks flashy.

2. Speedy
Apple’s 1GHz processor keeps the iPad screening at a great pace. Though this processor is slower than those in most netbooks, it’s clearly competent.

3. iPad apps
Plenty of developers joined the “second gold rush” by creating iPad apps, and users should be grateful. Games, in particular, benefit a lot from the bigger screen.

4. Photo shows
The iPad does look like a digital photo frame but, arguably, it does a better job with slideshows. The iPhoto-like app included on the iPad lets you group photos and makes them easy to show off.

5. iWork
Apple’s document, spreadsheet and presentation apps have been reworked for the iPad launch and they’re available as $US10 downloads. Not bad.

6. Long battery life
Admittedly, the Amazon Kindle’s battery lasts longer, but how many portable DVD players offer 10 hours of video playback? The iPad has real staying power.

7. Screen lock
Ever tried to use an app while laying down? Automatic screen orientation can be a real pain. To address this, Apple has replaced the mute switch with a screen lock switch.

8. Accessories
The iPad has even more accessories than the iPod, it seems. You will be able to add a physical keyboard, USB or memory card port, or a case that acts as a stand… just as soon as they’re available.

9. Rugged body
The iPad is sturdy and was designed to withstand everyday knocks. That’s not to say you should drop it or use it as a coaster, but it shouldn’t fall apart by itself.

10. The price
While the Aussie price is still unknown, $US499 is a great ballpark for such an entertaining gadget.”

Source: News.com.au

Something I have been wondering for a long time… If you are the same, here is a great article from Julian Lee on the matter:

“The iPad is coming, and hardly anyone knows what to do with it…

From media companies to telcos, the device remains a mystery, writes Julian Lee.

Many in media circles are hailing it as a potential saviour of the industry, a way to let them charge for content until now given away free.

Yet five weeks before its launch in Australia few have even laid eyes on the Apple iPad.

The California company is drip-feeding information about a device that, among other things, will let users view films, surf the web and read ebooks and digitised versions of newspapers and magazines.

Not a single iPad is believed to be on these shores, and few senior executives in the media companies banking on its success admit to having seen it.

Telecommunications companies – which will provide iPad users with the means with which to surf the web or send emails – have yet to finalise their packages. Again few have seen it.

The subject of what ads will look like in the digitised versions of newspapers and magazines and how much they will charge for them has yet to be raised with advertising and media agencies.

Some in the industry are questioning whether the iPad will live up to the hype, given that in the next year seven devices from HP, Dell and a host of cheaper Asian brands will be on the market.

One leading developer said none of the main Australian media companies was likely to meet the late April deadline.

Keith Ahern of Mogeneration said: ”Most of the media companies are already working on iPad apps for some or all of their titles, which surprised me given that we were coming out of a recession.”

But he added: ”I don’t believe any large Australian publishers of print or news media will make the deadline. I think smaller publishers like Medwords and games companies like Firemint will. I have worked with [large media companies] and it’s hard to make things happen quickly.”

Like other developers Ahern’s company has been relying on an iPad simulator to build applications for clients.

Carter’s Encyclopaedia of Health and Medicine published by Medwords will be available. The iBookstore will not be available in Australia at launch because of rights issues.

Larger media companies like Fairfax Media, publisher of the Herald, are keeping the market guessing.

Lloyd Whish-Wilson, chief executive and publisher of Fairfax Media’s Sydney publishing division, said: ”We are very enthusiastic about tablet devices for newspaper and magazines. There’s a lot of planning going into it, and we’ll be ready by the time the market takes off.

”There is potential to extend our journalism in ways that I think readers, and I have no doubt advertisers, will find very exciting.”

Ed Smith, the chief executive content and commercial of News Digital Media, said that, much as he was excited about the possibilities, the iPad was only one of a number of devices to be launched this year. He said the category was likely to grow only once the publishers, telcos and manufacturers ”package them up”.

“Having said that, we do have to be realistic about how quickly the iPad will become mainstream, not least because demand is likely to outstrip supply for some time.

“There’s also little doubt these tablets will be in great demand by advertisers – partly because they will want to reach the engaged, quality, audiences they will attract, but also because they have so much creative potential.”

In the meantime, many publishers are expected to fall back on existing iPhone apps, which will work on the iPad.

As the deadline looms the debate in media companies continues to rage around whether to charge a monthly fee or a one-off fee. The Herald has sold ”many thousands” of its Good Food Guide app for a one-off fee of $11.99. Many more of its Domain app have been downloaded free.

The Wall Street Journal, which with The New York Times has been granted continuous access to the iPad to develop specific apps, is reportedly set to charge $US17.99 ($20) a month to subscribe to the iPad version of its paper.

Mr Smith of News Digital Media said ”when the time is right we will benefit enormously from what our colleagues at The WSJ have learnt”.

Carl Hammerschmidt, director at ACP Magazines’ digital division, said the iPad was one of a number of platforms the company was exploring.

“Our challenge is to ensure we are on the right platforms with the right products and, when it comes to digital magazines, that what we are offering is the leading product in the market … we also have to ensure the business models stack up.”

He would not discuss how close he was to launch, though some media buyers are saying that ACP will offer near-replicas of the printed editions on the iPad. ACP’s chief rival, the Seven Network-owned Pacific Magazines, declined to comment.

Overseas magazines such as Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Glamour are all reported to be ready to go in mid-June. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times are expected to be the only newspapers ready at launch.

Advertisers such as Coca-Cola, FedEx, Gillette, Volkswagen and Ford are understood to have bought ads on iPad editions or embedded in applications.

Media buying agencies say the topic of advertising rates and types of units has not been discussed in Australia. Toby Jenner, chief executive of the media agency MediaCom, said: ”It’s just not on our radar; in fact I don’t think it’s on the industry’s radar.”

The managing director digital of Mitchell Communications Group, John Murray, said he would get his first presentation of the iPad ”within the week”, but would not say from whom. He was not rushing to push clients into a device that has yet to carve out an audience.

Iain McDonald, founder of the digital advertising agency Amnesia Razorfish, was sceptical of the iPad’s impact, saying that because it was “sandwiched” between an e-reader like Amazon’s Kindle and cheaper laptops, he doubted it would be the game-changing device that the iPhone has become.

But it is the fact that the iPad will not play videos formatted in the industry-standard Flash format – used by most advertisers – that worries him most.

“Absolutely it does,” he said. “We are in the business of creating experiences [online] and if Apple is removing one of them and that affects how video is played then that is not going to help my clients.”

He also doubts whether it will go mass, despite predictions that between 100,000 and 200,000 units, retailing at an entry level price of $650, will be sold by Christmas. “We need to develop eyeballs, not niche audiences,” he said.

While the media and advertising industries have an excuse to hang back, the same cannot be said for the telcos that will be providing one of a number of options that iPad users will turn to for connectivity to the web. On their state of readiness the top three mobile phone operators had little to say.

Optus declined to comment and a Telstra spokesman confirmed the company had yet to see a device.

”We are still talking with Apple and are waiting to hear back from them, as is everyone else.”

A spokesman for Vodafone said: “Unfortunately we can’t make any statements on the iPad and in fact we cannot even confirm whether or not we will be able to sell the iPad in Australia.” He confirmed the company had not seen a device.”

“Large flat-screen TVs were all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show, but companies like Microvision Inc are putting their bets on image viewing of a much smaller scale: projections from devices as tiny as cellphones.

Microvision showed off a stand-alone projector that looked like a big bar of soap and projected crisp video images using laser technology. Its big hope is to embed the technology in a range of consumer electronics including cameras and phones.

“My feeling is that ultimately the phone is the largest opportunity,” Microvision’s director of communications Matt Nichols said, adding that his company was talking to dozens of potential customers including phone makers.

Nichols sees the first prototypes of gadgets with embedded Microvision pico projectors later this year, and expects the first commercial products some time next year.

After that, he expects the market to explode — in the same way that cameras have quickly become a must-have component in cellphones…”

Source

Website

“The strategic acquisition officially made Apple a mobile advertising player, putting the Californian gadget maker on a collision course with Google.

Apple has acquired the Waltham, Massachusetts-based mobile advertising firm Quattro Wireless for a cool $275 million. The official news came via a note on Quattro’s website early Tuesday, following an exclusive Monday report by the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital. As a result of this acquisition, Quattro’s CEO Andy Miller has been named the vice president of Mobile Advertising at Apple.

Venture-backed Quattro Wireless runs the mobile advertising network that includes mobile applications coming from a wide variety of mobile platforms, including iPhone OS and Android programs. Miller wrote the following in a note on Quattro’s website:

Happy New Year from Quattro Wireless!

Apple“

Source

Click to visit Quattro’s Website

Click to read the Opinion Column of Gary Schwartz: Google buys AdMob and Apple takes Quattro bite. Now what?

Hi Mobilious Executives,

Today, whole Mobile World is talking about one thing and one thing only; GOOGLE’s SmartPhone!

Today GOOGLE officially entered the smartphone market wars with the launch of its new smartphone, the NEXUS ONE! With this new gadget; they are aiming to challenge the supremacy of Apple’s iPhone. And going one step further; they will be offering consumers a new way to purchase their mobiles with a webstore to sell it directly to consumers.

Before going to tech specs; here are the Official Link for you to demo it yourself:

NEXUS One; Web Meets Phone!

Size and weight
Height
119mm
Width
59.8mm
Depth
11.5mm
Weight
130 grams w/battery
100g w/o battery

Display
3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen
800 x 480 pixels
100,000:1 typical contrast ratio
1ms typical response rate

Camera & Flash
5 megapixels
Autofocus from 6cm to infinity
2X digital zoom
LED flash
User can include location of photos from phone’s AGPS receiver
Video captured at 720×480 pixels at 20 frames per second or higher, depending on lighting conditions

Cellular & Wireless
UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth

Power and battery
Removable 1400 mAH battery
Charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger
Talk time
Up to 10 hours on 2G
Up to 7 hours on 3G
Standby time
Up to 290 hours on 2G Up to 250 hours on 3G
Internet use
Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback
Up to 7 hours
Audio playback
Up to 20 hours

Processor
Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz

Operating system
Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1 (Eclair)

Capacity
512MB Flash
512MB RAM
4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB)

Location
Assisted global positioning system (AGPS) receiver
Cell tower and Wi-Fi positioning
Digital compass
Accelerometer

“The Apple tablet is threatening to approach Yeti status, but here’s an indication that it will turn out to be real: The company has told some of its key developers to prepare versions of their iPhone apps that will work on a device with a larger screen, in time for an event next month.

Add this to the news that Apple has reportedly booked the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco “for several days in late January,” according to the Financial Times, and it’s pretty easy to connect the dots: It’s a very good bet we’re getting a look at this thing within the next 30 days or so.

A mobile industry source tells me developers have been told that while the mystery device will be shown off at the event, it won’t be ready to ship (Dan Frommer at Alley Insider relays the same news).

Announcing a product before launch used to be unusual for Apple (AAPL), but it’s a pattern the company has practiced more recently, notably with the first iPhone. And if Apple is indeed coming out with a new product that will require developers to rethink their approach, it makes a lot of sense.

I’ve asked Apple for comment, but I’m not holding my breath.

My source says Apple’s instructions to developers indicate that the tablet–or at least the thing the company is showing off next month–will be based on the iPhone OS and rely on the same iTunes Store that has moved two billion apps in a couple of years.

If so, it will mean that some people who have been guessing at what Apple is planning may need to go back to the drawing board.

Magazine publisher Condé Nast, for instance, has been working on a digitized version of Wired magazine that would run on Adobe (ADBE) software. But the iPhone’s OS doesn’t work with Adobe’s Flash platform, and if that holds true here, Condé Nast (and Adobe) is going to have to think of something else. Same goes for many Web video distributors who rely on Flash.

But first things first. Let’s take a look at this thing, whatever it is, and see what it actually can and cannot do before we get too far ahead of ourselves….”

This news was picked from AllThingsD.com

“Twitter creator Jack Dorsey Wednesday gave the first public demonstration of his hotly-anticipated latest venture — a device to allow credit card payments by cell phone — and revealed it would be given away for free.

Details of “Square” — a card reader which plugs into the headphone socket of most mobile devices — have been circulating on the Internet since it was announced earlier this month, but little has been known about how it works or who it was aimed at.

However, Dorsey — whose microblogging Web site has proved hugely popular but not hugely profitable since launching in March 2006 — gave no explanation on how he would make money from his new creation, beyond revealing there would be a per-transaction charity donation.

Square, a tiny cube about an inch in length, contains a magnetic strip reader that allows users to swipe and read credit cards, then deduct payment on or offline through a downloaded application that communicates with card issuers in the same way as retailer devices.

Customers then use their finger on the phone’s touch-recognition screen to sign their name to the transaction.

Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and chairman, says the device, scheduled for launch on iPhones and iPods in March 2010, was inspired partly by the “immediacy, approachability and transparency” of Twitter and by the global economic crisis which has exposed a need for a radical rethink of the financial sector.”

Source

“GOOGLE search is getting eyes and ears, moving beyond typed key words to let people scour the internet with mobile telephone cameras or spoken words in multiple languages.

Google has unveiled “Goggles” software that lets people search online using pictures taken with cameras in mobile phones based on its Android operating system.

“When you take a mobile phone camera and connect it to the internet, it becomes an eye,” said Vic Gundotra, Google mobile search vice president of engineering, during a demonstration in Mountain View, California.

“Google Goggles lets you take a picture of an item and use the picture as the query.”

An experimental version of Goggles will be available for people at the Google Labs website. Goggles already recognises books, wine labels, CD covers, landmarks and more, according to Mr Gundotra.

He demonstrated by taking a picture of a wine bottle label with a smartphone and almost instantly getting reviews, pictures and other internet data about the vintage in a Google search results web page…”

Click to read more

“An adult app marketplace for smartphone users has opened up shop online, exploiting the open architecture of a new generation of mobile phone handsets.

MiKandi, which claims to be the world’s first adult app store, is only currently servicing devices using Google’s Android operating system, but says the wares in its marketplace will be available on other devices soon.

Unlikely to figure among these, though, is Apple’s popular iPhone platform. The company keeps a tight rein on all applications, and does not distribute adult content through its iTunes store, meaning many users resort to “jailbreaking” their iPhones so they can download non-Apple-approved content.

In spite of its strict approval process, one app that did slip by the iTunes censors was the “passion” app that uses the phone’s built-in accelerometer, microphone and timer to rate a user’s sexual performance. High scores can even be uploaded and compared with those of other iPhone users around the world.

The MiKandi market will work in a similar way to the Android app store in that developers will submit their own free and paid apps for others to download without the approval process required from proprietary systems, but it will not be hosted within Google’s own Android market.

Instead it is offered as a free download to an Android web browser for users aged 18 years or older.”

Source

Today this news came out:
Condé Nast’s Offering for Apple’s Mystery Tablet: Wired Magazine

It’s important news because when Tablet PCs hit the market (sooner than anybody thinks);

Publishers with Print Media will carry their offering to these tablets and will have an additional channel for ad revenue; A channel more interactive & more engaging…

So when you are reading Vogue on your tablet; you will be able to view that dress you like in different colours; check how it looks with different shoes; fill in a form to enter the competition to win the dress etc. etc…

Here is an example of a new tablet PC that has yet to be released to market.

Today, you can already buy GQ (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) Magazine as an app…

Jem R.

[Not so new news for some of us; futuristic for others. As this is an online execution; I will ask you to use your imagination and think about a bunch of kids playing this game with their mobile phones in a couple of years...
Jem R.]

“The Topps card company is now adding augmented reality features to baseball cards in order to bring the staid (OK, dying) business into the 21st century.

Ar_baseball_cardCombining a camera tracking system, any webcam, and image processing software from Total Immersion, tiny cartoonish 3D versions of players are super-imposed onto the real-world, and seen on your PC. Once they’re ‘alive’ (residing on top of their own card), you can play simple games with them using your keyboard, including one where you can whack at slow-moving baseballs.

The AR technology found in the Topps cards is similar to the one we featured last year from Germany’s Metaio. That one superimposed 3D UFOs onto the real world on top of books, and just like the Topps system, the camera’s frame is used to create a perfectly synchronized image overlay. This allows a kid to move the baseball card around without the virtual player falling off the frame.

As you can see in the video below, the games offer nothing more complex than anything in a basic flash-based web app, but it’s interesting to see little avatars appear on the screen next to people, even if they’re not really there.

To play the games, you have to visit Topps’ ToppsTown website and choose the player in your ‘enhanced card.’ “…

Read more at the: Source

Google now has three out of four bases covered

Google Inc. has signed a game-changing agreement to acquire mobile ad network AdMob for $750 million in stock in a move that validates mobile advertising as an effective marketing medium.

Google is hoping that this acquisition will enhance its existing expertise and technology in mobile advertising, while also giving advertisers and publishers more choice in this fast-growing area. The deal will help Google in its efforts to develop more effective tools for creating, serving and analyzing emerging mobile ads formats and expand beyond its traditional focus on search advertising.

…

…Google’s acquisition of AdMob ups the ante on mobile advertising

Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google is a top Web property in all major global markets, albeit largely monetarily successful in its search advertising business. It has recently made mobile an increasing focus of its business.

AdMob, San Mateo, CA, is one of the leading mobile ad networks specializing in banner ads for brands such as adidas, MTV, Land Rover and Toshiba that run on publisher sites such as CBS, AccuWeather, Cellufun, MovieTickets.com, Lonely Planet and Stitcher. These ads run across iPhone sites and applications, as well as those based on Google’s Android platform. Founded in 2006, the 140-employee AdMob won $47 million in funding from investors such as venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners.

AdMob and Google share a common investor in Sequoia Capital, a well-known Silicon Valley eminence.

“We’ve been talking about the awesome opportunity that mobile marketing brings to the world,” said Mike Wehrs, president/CEO of the Mobile Marketing Association, New York. “Some people understand that, and this deal shows that the largest and best-known advertising company—Google—understands the awesomeness of the opportunity, and they understand where this is going.

Google’s rationale
Mobile advertising is a rapidly growing and competitive space, and Google and AdMob are currently specializing in different areas.

Though Google offers many forms of mobile advertising, its focus to date has been on mobile search ads, while AdMob’s focus has been mobile display ads and in-application ads.
Google dubbed AdMob the quintessential Silicon Valley startup and claims that it is generating impressive year-on-year revenue growth.

Both companies have approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions.
As this ecosystem continues to grow, the company expects these new marketing media to offer significant benefits.

Google believes that advertisers will be better able to engage mobile users with AdMob’s ad formats. The deal will bring new innovation and competition to mobile advertising and will lead to more effective tools for creating, serving and analyzing emerging mobile ad formats, per Google….

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“Reebok issued a call-to-action via social media sites asking consumers to view a mobile video and enter a sweepstakes by opting-in to the brand’s mobile database, achieving close to a 50 percent click-through rate.

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Reebok tapped Mogreet’s mobile video marketing platform for the campaign. In addition to Reebok, Mogreet clients include Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, Starwood Hotels and Def Jam Recordings.

“Brands have been yearning to reach out to new and existing customers with a high-quality and engaging rich-media experience on mobile phones,” said James Citron, CEO of Mogreet, Venice, CA. “While many marketers are excited by the ubiquity of text messaging, it doesn’t offer much in the way of engagement, interactivity or emotion, compared to a television ad, for example….

…Consumers were urged to text one of two keywords—REEBOK or RBK—to the short code 21534. Those who text in receive the following message in return:
“This message is checking your handset’s video capabilities. Another message will arrive soon. Reply HELP REEBOK for info, STOP REEBOK to end. Msg & data rates may apply.”
If their phone supports video, Mogreet sends them a Reebok mobile video via MMS. If their phone does not support video, they receive a text message similar to the following:
“Ur phone doesn’t support video. Go 2 http://www.mogreet.com/vw/dlde1x7a from ur computer.”

This news was picked from and details continue @ http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/4588.html