Smartphones: How Low Can They Go? by Mark Walsh

Is $99 the new $200 when it comes to hot smartphones? With Verizon Wireless slashing the price on the BlackBerry Storm from $200 to $99 to better compete with the iPhone 3G, it begs the question. But where will it end? Will $50 be the new $99? Does the iPhone want to be free? ...Read the whole story

  • Ad Optimism Soars For Online, Marketers Have Higher Hopes Than Agencies For Mobile by Joe Mandese

    Ad spending plans for online and mobile media have rebounded more than any other major media, according to the most recent in an every-other-monthly series of surveys tracking to optimism of advertisers and agency media buying executives (Online Media Daily July 17), but marketers are slightly more bullish than their agency counterparts, especially for mobile. ...Read the whole story

  • Keeping Mobile: Meredith Corp. Buys Stake In Hyperfactory by Erik Sass

    Determined to continue transitioning to a multiplatform media company, Meredith Corp. has purchased a one-fifth stake in The Hyperfactory, a mobile marketing company. The move follows a series of strategic acquisitions by Meredith to expand its digital marketing capabilities for advertisers. ...Read the whole story

  • mobile Video Pushing Mobile Broadband Use by Mark Walsh

    Mobile data bandwidth use is up 30% worldwide during the second quarter, with increased video streaming on cell phones helping to drive growth, according to a new report. People tuning into shows and clips on sites such as Hulu, YouTube and MySpace via mobile devices pushed up video streaming nearly 60% during the quarter, mainly as a result of expanded smartphone use and a growing selection of mobile programming. "It's outgrowing any other application," said Jonathon Gordon, director of marketing for Boston-based Allot Communications. ...Read the whole story

  • AOL's Kelly Now 'Weather' Man by Gavin O'Malley

    If nothing else, AOL's never-ending restructuring makes for a wellspring of fresh executive talent. Michael Kelly, former president of AOL's Media Networks, on Monday was named President and CEO of The Weather Channel Companies. ...Read the whole story

The 'Misery' Of The Mobile Web by Steve Smith

When longtime Web design guru Jakob Nielsen released a report yesterday pronouncing the mobile Web experience "miserable," even a persistent critic like me got a little defensive when the phrase started making the rounds. Is the mobile Web really that bad? I thought most of us were embracing the platform at long last in the past year? The metrics I have seen lately peg monthly mobile Web use in the U.S. at 50 million to 60 million people. How bad could an experience be if so many of us repeat it on an ongoing basis? ...More