Preloaded apps generate more money for operators

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

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

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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Video : Nokia E7- The Ultimate Business Smartphone

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Google TV to offer “tens of thousands of apps”

Google TV is to support the company’s Android Market application store early next year, the company announced this week. Google TV will be switched on in the US in the next few weeks, followed by a worldwide rollout from 2011, and the company wants to integrate its application store into the offering.

“Soon we will be bringing tens of thousands of the same applications you can get on your mobile phone to your TV,” revealed Google TV product marketing manager Brittany Bohnet. “We are going to be launching support for Android Market in early 2011. TV, the full Web, tens of thousands of applications. Google TV gives you access to more entertainment than any other living room device you have ever experienced.”

Bohnet didn’t go into details about how the apps will be delivered. It could mean a set of pre-approved apps or an entire app store in the mode of the forthcoming Chrome web apps store.

By merging its TV and app offerings, Google will be one step ahead of rival Apple, which last week announced plans to launch its own TV service but shied away from uniting it with its app store just yet. Meanwhile Samsung is on course to compete with Google, having already promoted its fledgling apps proposition for Internet-connected TVs to prospective developers.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt was also quizzed this week on what he thought the future held for his company’s apps business. “iPad apps have really shown a very good model, it’s a closed model very tied to the Apple platform, and I say that as a proud former Apple board member,” he reflected. “We have taken an approach that apps will be Web resident, so the apps will be running inside of browsers and will be just as powerful. We also have a marketplace in Android that has many tens of thousands of apps and growing very quickly, so I think the good news is there will be many, many apps, there will be more than one style of apps and the platforms [we will offer] will all have very powerful applications over the next few years.”

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$1.8 Billion To Be Spent On Location-Based Advertising 2015

As LBS continues to flourish, location-based advertising has picked up major steam as well.  New data out from ABI Research suggests marketers will spend $1.8B on the medium in 2015, up substantially from the $42.8M expected for 2010.

While the concept has been around a while, marketers were unclear how to best leverage the technology.  As LBS apps continue to define advertising models and rewards programs based on location, options for marketers are becoming better defined as well.  “For a number of companies, especially ones with physical stores, the value in knowing a prospect’s location is the opportunity to drive that person to a store, and thus increase foot traffic,” said Neil Strother, research analyst at ABI Research, adding that the industry is now “seeing the first shoots” of location-based advertising being commercialized. “Once in store, the retailer has a high probability of converting that visit into a sale, which is the ultimate objective.”

The report noted that analyzing customers’ mobile and location habits is a good strategy for marketers to begin taking on location-based advertising, as well as determining which platforms are best for a particular brand.  Location-based advertising (LBA) is unique compared to other methods in that each campaign is highly targeted and relevant to a particular audience, meaning marketers need to take the time to plan and optimize for the best results.

“There is a value exchange between marketers and consumers that goes along with location-based advertising,” said Strother.  The consumer is asked to share his location via phone in exchange for something of value from the marketer, which could be information about a nearby store, a coupon or a special offer, he explained.

Source : Mobile Marketing Watch

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Google Android to be world #2 in 2010

Google Inc’s Android software will become the world’s second most popular operating system for cell phones this year, leapfrogging rival offerings from Microsoft Corp, Research in Motion and Apple Inc, according to a new report.

By 2014 Android will account for nearly 30 percent of all cell phone operating system sales, according to research firm Gartner, putting it in position to challenge Nokia Corp’s Symbian software, which has reigned as the top mobile operating system for years.

Symbian will have a 30.2 percent share of the global market in 2014, according to Gartner, compared to Android’s 29.6 percent.

Gartner said it expects a variety of less-expensive Android devices shipping in the second half of 2010 to boost Android’s growth, allowing Android to grab the No. 2 worldwide rank nearly two years sooner than the firm had initially expected.

The market for mobile phone software has become a prime battleground for technology companies, as consumers increasingly use their phones to access the Internet, listen to digital music and play video games.

Apple jump-started the market for high-end smartphones with the launch of its iPhone in 2007.

For Google, the world’s No. 1 Internet search engine, making the transition to mobile phones is key as it seeks to maintain and expand its nearly $24 billion online advertising business.

Google’s Android software, which it offers free to cell phone vendors, has experienced dramatic growth since coming to market two years ago. More than 200,000 Android phones, from companies including Motorola Inc, HTC Corp and Samsung Electronics, are sold every day, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said recently.

Android became the No.1 operating system for U.S. smartphones in the second quarter, according to a report last month by industry tracker NPD.

Nokia’s Symbian operating system has maintained the No. 1 spot worldwide, thanks to the company’s broad distribution of its handsets. But Nokia has struggled to deliver a high-end smartphone to compete with the likes of the Apple iPhone or devices based on Google’s Android.

Gartner projected that Apple’s iOS software, which is only available on Apple’s iPhone, will add nearly 3 percentage points of market share to achieve a 17.1 percent slice of the global market by 2011, but will slip back to a 14.9 percent share in 2014.

Source : Yahoo

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Total number of mobile users in India reaches 652.42 million,17 mn mobile users added in July month: TRAI

Telecom operators in the country added 17 million subscribers in July this year, taking the total number of mobile users in the country to 652.42 million, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said today.

According to data released by the telecom regulator, the wireless subscriber base increased from 635.51 million in June to 652.42 million by the end of July, 2010, registering a growth of 2.66 per cent.

However, the total number of telephone subscribers (both mobile and landline) in India increased to 688.38 million by the end of July from 671.69 million in June.

With this, the overall teledensity (telephones per 100 people) in India touched 58.17 per cent.

The growth in the wireless category was led by Bharti Airtel, which added 2.6 million users to take its subscriber base to 139.2 million users. Airtel was followed by Reliance Communications, which added 2.5 million new subscribers in July, taking its subscriber base to 113.3 million.

Vodafone added 2.4 million subscribers in July, 2010, taking its user base to 111.4 million. Idea Cellular and Aircel added 1.8 million and 1.6 million new users, respectively. Tata Teleservices added 2.3 million users in July, 2010.

State-run telcos BSNL and MTNL added 1.08 million and 44,909 new users, respectively, during the month.

The wireline subscriber base declined from 36.18 million in June to 35.96 million by July-end, it said. State-run firms BSNL and MTNL enjoy an 84 per cent share of the wireline market.

The total broadband subscriber base in India increased by 3.39 per cent from 9.45 million in June to 9.77 million in July, 2010, the data showed.

Source: TRAI

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Mobile Gaming Market Tops $800 Million in 2010

Ad support will drive 12.3% of mobile gaming revenues by 2014. Casual gaming on the mobile platform has driven adoption of mobile games to more than a quarter of mobile subscribers and more than one in five members of the US population, eMarketer estimates.

This year, 64 million people will play mobile games at least monthly, a number that will rise to 94.9 million by 2014. eMarketer’s estimates exclude mobile users who play preinstalled games, which offer publishers decent brand exposure but little in the way of monetization opportunities.

While games are currently popular on both smartphones and feature phones, the composition of the mobile gaming audience will shift further toward smartphones as they increase in penetration across the population. According to comScore, smartphone gamers now account for 42% of the total. Still, both groups of gamers tend to prefer traditional casual games like Scrabble and Sudoku, though heavier gamers enjoy advanced offerings that are beginning to converge with console games.

eMarketer expects revenues from mobile gaming to reach nearly $850 million this year, with the vast majority coming from paid downloads. By 2014, mobile gaming revenues will top $1.5 billion.

Over the same period, ad support will nearly double in importance, accounting for 6.5% of revenues in 2010 and 12.3% of the total in 2014.

That makes for a sizeable mobile gaming market, but mobile still makes up only a small amount of all gaming revenues. According to TNS and Newzoo, just 4% of US video game revenues came from mobile.

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Apple has published its App Store Review Guidelines

Apple has relaxed its infamous restrictions  on what development tools can be used to create iOS apps: it has also published its App Store Review Guidelines for the first time.

In a statement, the company said that “we are publishing the App Store Review Guidelines to help developers understand how we review submitted apps. We hope it will make us more transparent and help our developers create even more successful apps for the App Store.”

The document has been made available on Apple’s online developer website, but quickly made its way onto the wider web.

The document gives guidelines on content, user interface and other matters that may get apps rejected from the App Store. It also has some zingy one-liners.

App Store Guidelines

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