February 12, 2009
The Week in Mobile: Marvel gets with iPhone, Japan gets specific and Mobile Mexicans get fingerprinted
- Ka-Boom! Marvel Plans to Release Motion Comics via iTunes [ReadWriteWeb] - You've maybe seen comics adapted for the iPhone - The Watchmen is a good example. (Download the Watchman app for some examples.) However, the planned Marvel "motion comics" will really be more of a midpoint between the very comic book-esque feel of The Watchmen download and a full-on cartoon. The really exciting part? Original art! No reinterpretations, though surely there will be additional input to make the idea work and move. My spidey senses are tingling!
- New AU mobile line-up goes high-tech niche [Trends in Japan] - Japan is ahead on the mobile curve. Whoa, stop the press - yes, earth-shattering news to anyone who vaguely follows mobile technology. So is South Korea, Singapore ... anyway, back to Japan. While most of us are still impressed daily by the wonderphones that do everything - iPhone, G1, assorted Samnsung and LG - Japanese company KDDI is both moving forward and getting back to basics by planning phones that do one thing really well. For example, a phone could have an awesome camera, a great sense of style, etc. For the rest of us, bring on the application avalanche. I want my BBC World News and a programmable fart machine.
- Social Media Stats: Your Significant Other is Shady [Mashable] - Mobile social network MocoSpace recently polled members and, at least among this crowd, cell phones are being used for everything from flirting to breaking up. Apparently 34 percent of those polled admitted to chatting up a different person while on a date with someone else. Though, if the cell phone is out during a date, honestly, how well could things be going?
- Mexico Gathers Mobile User Data To Fight Crime [mocoNews] - In an effort to fight kidnapping and other crimes, the Mexican government has passed a law which will require mobile phone companies to track their users, fingerprints and all. It seems that many ransom requests are made over prepaid cell phones and authorities are hoping this will lead to more success in fighting kidnapping and extortion.
- Cell Phone Reunion [College Humor] - What happens when cell phones stop being nice and start getting real?
- Cylon Detector iPhone app shows who you can trust [DVICE] - Hopefully you never have cause to scan your neighbor to find out if he's a cyborg. However, if you start to worry that your neighborhood is beginning to look like a Stepford Wives sequel, this handy application may be just what you need when you present evidence to the city police. Shout out to Rowdy Roddy Piper.
- Target Aims for Mobile [Media Bistro] - Target is jumping back into mobile - specifically, the iPhone - after their foray this past Christmas. With a selection interface reminiscent of Urban Spoon and the ability to choose the price range, gender and lifestyle of your recipient, this might be the easiest way to shop for that hard-to-please family member or loved one.
- Twitter to begin charging brands for commercial use [Marketing Magazine] - @eeki Twitter is continuing to move forward with plans to make that money. However, fear not tweeting denizens, it's going to be more in the vein of increased opportunity and tools. You won't have to pay money to tell the world how much you enjoyed your lunch.
- Rural India Snaps Up Mobile Phones [WSJ.com] - Cellphone sales may be down all over the world, but in India they're still conducting a brisk trade. In fact, India's rural communities are leading the trend that sees millions of new subscribers a month, according to the Wall Street Journal. What are they using them for? Farmer K.T. Srinivasa "uses it to decide when to plant and harvest by calling other farmers, to get the best prices for his rice, coconuts and jasmine by calling wholesalers, and to save hours of time waiting on the road for deliveries and pickups that rarely come on time." Case in point that the future of mobile communication extends far beyond the iPod App Store.
- Fast-food chain Subway launches mobile ordering system [Mobile Marketer] - Subway is now making it possible for you to get your five dollar foot long via shortcode. Text "Menu" to the designated code and then simply reply with the number of the desired sandwich. You can save your credit card information securely within the account, so there won't be anything between you and those delicious inches when you get there to pick up your order.
- Nearly Half of Mobile Phone Users Eschew Multimedia Features and Use Handsets Solely to Make Calls [The NPD Group] - According to a new report by The NPD Group, a leading market research company, 45 percent of U.S. mobile phone users prefer to use their mobile phones to make calls, and not for other available multimedia features. Only 20 percent of mobile phone users prefer to use their phones as an all-in-one multimedia device for music, videos, Web surfing, and other activities beyond making phone calls. NPD’s “Mobile Phone Usage Report” also reveals that among top wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless customers are least likely to embrace their phone as an all-in-one multimedia device.The adoption of advanced handset features shows a gap between the usage of these features and the increasing sell through of devices supporting these features.
- It's cooler than ever to be a tween, but is childhood lost? [USA Today] - The prepubescent children of days gone by have given way to a cooler kid — the tween — who aspires to teenhood but is not quite there yet. Tweens are in-between — generally the 8-to-12 set. The U.S. Census estimates that in 2009, tweens are about 20 million strong and projected to hit almost 23 million by 2020.
Among them now are Malia Obama, at 10 already a tween, and sister Sasha, who turns 8 this year. With the Obama daughters in the White House, the nation's attention will focus even more on this emerging group — and the new "first tweens" will likely be high-profile representatives of their generation."
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