Smartphone Surge Means More Mobile Media by Mark Walsh

With full year sales results in, it might not be complete hype to call 2009 the Year of the Smartphone. (At least until that title is shifted to 2010). Sales of high-end mobile devices increased nearly 24% to 172.4 million units worldwide last year even as over mobile phone sales dipped 0.9%, according to Gartner Inc. In the fourth quarter alone, smartphone sales surged 41% from the year-earlier period to 53.8 million devices, getting a seasonal bounce. eyond the gaudy sales numbers, another way to look at the impact of the smartphone tsunami is through mobile media usage. ...Read the whole story

  • Millennial Buys Mobile Analytics Firm TapMetrics by Mark Walsh

    Mobile ad network Millennial Media has acquired San Francisco-based mobile analytics firm TapMetrics to bolster its application-tracking capability, the companies announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. ...Read the whole story

  • Moderati Becomes Skyrockit, Mobile Roadie Goes Android by Mark Walsh

    Reflecting its shift over the last year from mobile content aggregator to mobile entertainment agency, Moderati has rebranded as skyrockit. Best known for creating Zippo's hugely popular Virtual Lighter app for the iPhone, skyrockit will offer a range of mobile services from strategy planning to creative to marketing and research. ...Read the whole story

  • Judge Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Brought Against Boing Boing By Co. Targeting Ads Based On Phone Numbers by Wendy Davis

    In a victory for Web publisher Boing Boing, a judge in California has dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by Magic Jack, a company that offers a USB dongle for Voice over Internet Protocol service. Marin County Superior Court Judge Verna Adams ruled that Magic Jack's complaint -- about a Boing Boing item that accused Magic Jack of being a "snoop" because it planned to serve ads based on phone numbers users called -- was barred by California's broad anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) statute. That law provides for a quick dismissal of lawsuits that are aimed at squelching debate ...Read the whole story

Trying To Shop With Google by Steve Smith

I'm not sure that Google does itself any favors by releasing some of its "lab" tests into the wild before they have been shaken out. Yesterday the Google Shopper app came onto the Android platform, and I actually had a harder time with it than I did with the Google Goggles experiment that drove me a little batty months ago. ...More

  • Mobile Phones Organize Lives by Jack Loechner

    According to a new survey recently announced by Ruder Finn, Americans are spending an average of 2.7 hours on the mobile Internet, connecting socially, managing their personal finances, and even as a means for advocacy. 91% of mobile phone users go online to socialize compared to only 79% of traditional desktop users. Mobile phone users are 1.6 times more likely to manage finances compared to traditional desktop users. Mobile phone users are 1.4 times more likely than traditional desktop users to rally support for a cause. ...More

  • Marketers Sit On Facebook's Mobile Sidelines by David Berkowitz

    There have been so many big numbers tossed out about Facebook lately, you'd think the site was in the lottery business. But the number that stands out the most to me is this one: 100 million. That's how many mobile users access Facebook across a range of devices -- actually, it's more than that, and growing daily. The safe bet is in time that the mobile user base will nearly mirror the overall user base, and that most of its usage will derive from mobile users. ...More