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RIM has unveiled the brand new BlackBerry Advertising Service, which will supposedly help developers integrate advertising in their BlackBerry smartphone applications quickly and easily, while also allowing advertisers, agencies and brands to work with a broad selection of advertising networks.

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Preloaded apps generate more money for operators

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Preloaded applications and features are an important consideration in consumers’ choice of an operator and their cell phone, according to a new study by iGR Research. In addition, apps that are popular with consumers could potentially generate 9.4 times the revenue for the operator if they come preloaded vs. being offered in the app store.

In the iGR study, which queried 2,000 users, two-thirds of respondents said that pre-installed apps factored into their device purchase decision. And of those respondents that were smartphone users, about 80 percent said that the types and quality of the applications in the app store were important. The majority of smartphone users also said that they considered pre-installed apps when they bought their smartphone even though they had access to apps in an app store.

Interestingly, the study also found that preloaded applications play an important role in application discovery–48 percent said that they tried preloaded applications on their phone, while 33 percent said they heard about apps from friends and family and 26 percent said they browse the app stores.

The most popular apps that consumers want preloaded are maps/navigation/GPS (64 percent), call control applications such as caller ID and call blocking (49 percent) and music applications (46 percent).

The iGR study also found that just 5 percent of respondents have unlocked their cellular phone so they could get access to apps that aren’t available to them.

The iGR study follows a similar conclusion by ABI Research. In April, ABI predicted that popular applications will increasingly be preloaded on mobile devices and that social networking apps in particular will be preloaded.

Source : iGR Research

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Mobile Augmented Reality – An Introduction

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Wikipedia definition :

Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality.

In the case of Augmented Reality, the augmentation is conventionally in real-time and in semantic context with environmental elements, such as sports scores on TV during a match. With the help of advanced AR technology (e.g. adding computer vision and object recognition) the information about the surrounding real world of the user becomes interactive and digitally usable. Artificial information about the environment and the objects in it can be stored and retrieved as an information layer on top of the real world view. The term augmented reality is believed to have been coined in 1990 by Thomas Caudell, an employee of Boeing at the time[1].

Augmented reality research explores the application of computer-generated imagery in live-video streams as a way to expand the real-world. Advanced research includes use of head-mounted displays and virtual retinal displays for visualization purposes, and construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators.

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The Future of Mobile Augmented

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The concept of augmented reality (AR) is still very much in its infancy, but the opportunities it presents in the areas of mobile marketing, commerce and gaming is more than plentiful. How far have we come in bringing AR to fruition and what does the future hold for the concept?

A new report from Juniper Research projects the technology combining the physical world with virtual imagery and information will generate only $2 million in revenue this year, but the projection is set to increase dramatically to nearly $714 million by 2014. By then, most of that revenue will be derived from things like paid application downloads, subscription-based services and advertising, according to Juniper.

Most analysts predict that mobile gaming will be the primary driver behind increased interest in mobile AR, with location-based search coming in at a close second. That location-based relevance will make AR-based ad-networks more attractive to brands and advertisers as well, as the networks can charge higher CPC and CPM rates because of it.

To get to the point of widespread mobile AR functionality, mobile devices have to become able to facilitate the advanced functions that bring AR to life. Growth will be driven by wider adoption of Android phones and the iPhone as well as the spread of technologies like digital compasses and accelerometers that help to power mobile AR. As smartphones become smarter, AR inches closer to becoming a reality.

Another so-called “digital strategist,” Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter Partners, predicts mobile is where AR is mostly likely to go mainstream. ”Expect Google to develop a product that maps physical products with their online information, making them yet the middleman for Internet advertising — again,” he wrote in a recent post. ”Furthermore, it gets really interesting when a brand can ‘hijack’ another company’s brand by creating augmented reality experiences on the boxes of their competitors.”

For now, we can only speculate as to what AR will do for mobile marketing and the mobile industry as a whole, but it will undoubtedly be a game-changer.

Source : Mediapost

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