Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Excelsior! Augmented: Marvel's AR Comics Show Promise Of Enhanced Print by Steve Smith, Staff Writer

Mobile-enhanced print is at its most interesting right now in the realm of comic books. Marvel's new AR line of augmented comics is the kind of halting start that points to a richer next stage of development. ...Read the whole story

  • Multiscreen Viewing Up, Ad Reception Mixedby Wayne Friedman

    While traditional 'lean-back' TV may be strong among U.S. viewers, a growing number of consumers have interest in -- or have already adopted -- multiscreen smaller device habits, reports QuickPlay Media. 43% of current users consume mobile TV and video at least once per week; and 23% have daily usage. ...Read the whole story

  • Tablet Sales To Double In 2012, iPad Still Dominantby Mark Walsh

    With the release of the new iPad last month, Apple shows no sign of loosening its iron grip on the tablet market for years to come. A new Gartner forecast projects the iPad will continue to dominate the category, with a 61.4% share of the global tablet market this year, based on sales of nearly 73 million units. That figure will more than double to 170 million units by 2016, or 46% of the tablet market. ...Read the whole story

  • Betapond Combines Retail DOOH, Mobile Facebookby Erik Sass

    Irish firm Betapond is making digital signage in retail environments personally interactive for mobile Facebook users, with an assist from Intel's Core i7 Platform for digital signage. It uses QR codes and SMS to connect a shopper's smartphone with digital signage. ...Read the whole story

  • Amazon Adds In-App Purchasing by Steve Smith

    Amazon brings its in-app purchasing platform out of beta and available to all Android app and Kindle Fire app developers. None too soon. According to new research, the pace of new apps appearing in Amazon's store has slowed. ...Read the whole story

  • Time Out New York Adds iPhone and iPad Appsby Mark Walsh

    Time Out New York has revamped its Web site, added daily deals and e-commerce functionality and a new line of apps for iOS devices. ...Read the whole story

    Around The Net

    • Does Facebook/Instagram Spell Bubble?Wired

      It’s Day 2 of the Facebook-buying-Instagram-for-a-freaking-$1 billion news cycle, and much of the focus has shifted toward the deal’s implications for the Web, and, in particular, the existence of another tech bubble. To put the acquisition in perspective, Wired’s Andy Baio gathered data from a selection of 30 notable online acquisitions over the past 10 years to see if, in his words, Facebook buying Instagram for $1 billion is “as crazy as everyone thinks.” “If we look strictly at the acquisition cost per user, Facebook got a relative deal with the Instagram purchase, paying roughly $28 for each of Instagram’s ... ...Read the whole story

    • Glitch Hits Lumia 900Reuters

      Stalling Nokia’s (and Microsoft’s) assault on Apple’s mobile rule, the company has found a software bug in its highly touted Lumia 900 smartphone. The bug causes the phone -- which Nokia is marketing as "an amazingly fast way to connect" -- to occasionally lose its data connection, Reuters reports. Nokia said a software update to fix the problem, which was "a memory management issue" related to the phone’s software -- not to hardware, the network or the Windows operating system -- would be available by mid-month. In the interim, the phone-maker is offering any consumer who already bought the Lumia ... ...Read the whole story

    • Apple, Macmillan Challenge Justice Dept's ChargesBloomberg

      Putting Apple’s iBookstore at risk, the Department of Justice sued the company, along with its major publishing partners, over alleged price fixing. Along with Apple, publishers facing prosecution included Macmillan, Penguin, Hachette SA, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster, but as sources tell Bloomberg, the latter three publishers settled their suits on Wednesday. “Apple and Macmillan, which have refused to engage in settlement talks with the Justice Department, deny they colluded to raise prices for digital books,” Bloomberg reports, citing sources. As such, they are expected to argue that pricing agreements between Apple and publishers enhanced competition in the e-book industry, ... ...Read the whole story

    • Mobile Marketing Becomes a Hotspot for HiringPRWeb
    • What we mean by "mobile"IMedia Connection
    The Shopping Cart Conundrum by Michael Darnaud

    Mobile customers appear to be increasingly favoring browser-based shopping over apps -- yet most large Internet retailers are not refocusing their marketing strategies to reflect this change. The steps to purchasing take too long -- and ...More