To support the continued relevance of direct mail, the USPS is extending its earlier mobile code initiatives to the holiday mailing season. Maybe it is time to revive the Mr. Zip brand character to drum up some enthusiasm for QR codes on our mail.

Speed, not size or weight, is the real lead feature of the iPhone 5. It demonstrates how seamless, instant response from a device erases the longstanding inhibition most users have around 'wireless' platforms. In many respects, this thing is faster than my desktop.

The tablet market has become even more cluttered as B&N matches Amazon's refreshed Fire line with its own 'HD' Nooks and a much-needed streaming video store. But does a fragmented tablet space in the end just benefit Apple this season?

Are mobile platforms really too small to carry effective ads? Just as many in the trade press seem to be raising that question, Google launches a gallery that should disabuse the doubters that seem to be emerging as fast as, well, a backlash.

LocalResponse issued its first study of check-ins related to top retailers, and it turns out that Saturday is far and away the top time for mobile social shopping activity. And among store brands, Walmart's chatty Twitter strategy appears to be paying off.

Uh, oh. AR may be the new QR. And that is not necessarily a good thing. The new Rolling Stones AR campaign gets so much right about the enticing placements and creative, and then it just goes all QR on me.

The mobile marketing platform gets an enormous commitment from a major but unnamed client. Perhaps more important than the number involved is the direction of the investment toward CRM, not advertising.

Just as OMMA Mobile shifted its own context in hosting our first London show yesterday, the theme of "context" was dominant among speakers. We are targeting moods and moments now, not just "demos" and "segments."

Samsung's aggressive responses to Apple's charmed life among the media often seem to expose a bit too much frustration. But they have a point -- not just about their advanced phones, but about the cross-platform ecosystem they are building.

We now have a few more hints about the limited nature of Apple's "Limited Ad Tracking" option in iOS 6. Even so, we have to wonder if users will bother with the long menu journey to find the option.