Jerry Rocha from Nielsen steps up to close out the conference with a look at mobile trends for 2011. Nielsen is sticking with its forecast of smartphones surpassing 50% penetration by the third or fourth quarter, accelerated by the introduction of the Verizon iPhone this month. 45% of mobile users bought a smartphone in the last quarter. Among mobile activities, Rocha highlighted the growth of video, with 38% and 37% of iPhone and Android users, respectively, watching video now. That's good news for the likes of YouTube and Hulu. Android's explosive growth will be a continuing trend in 2011. …

Everyone knows teens are the trend-setters when it comes to mobile, so why not hear from the horse's mouth? In that vein, Michelle Prieb, project manager, of the Center for Media Design, Ball State University, rounded up a few local Miami teens to serve as an impromptu focus group on how the kids are using mobile devices. What did learn? Not surprisingly, texting and hitting Facebook are the two main activities the panelists turn to first thing in the morning. Two of the four teens, aged 14 to 17, said they check email while the other two didn't. Once …

Mobile isn't always about getting in and getting out quickly. Craig Etheridge, VP Mobile Ad Sales, Gannett Digital/USA Today, says the company looks closely at time spent and engagement with its mobile properties as a measure of success. In particular, it looks at whether people are spending at least 3 to 5 minutes reading USA Today or other publications in mobile. Because Gannett wants users to spend more time with its properties, "we have to make sure we're delivering a good experience," he said. USA Today's iPad edition was created with HTML5. When it comes to advertising, he says …

In a session focusing on all things tablet, Intel's chief mobile strategist Matthew Roth, sounds a defiant note when it comes to the company being spurned by Apple for the iPad. There's no "Intel Inside" the Apple device. He says the chip giant is agnostic when it comes to tablets and will buildchips for Android, BlackBerry and other tablets running proprietary software and keep growing market share in the category despite being banned from the iPad. But he adds that "if we focus too much on mobile, we'll miss the next big thing." That could be "smart TV' and how …

Colin Kinsella, president Digitas North America, keynote speaker for the weekend edition of the Summit, assures the mobile experts gathered that the C-suite cares about they're doing. "In the last four to six months, CMOs and CEOs have stood up and seen the tranformative power mobile can have," he said. But he said the top brass is still not satisfied with the mobile experience. Kinsella highlighted three keys for mobile: People have to be able to find mobile sites; mobile has to be in the conversation consumers have about brands; and it has to be relevant in the purchase funnel. …

Ford's social-media, grass roots, and promotional campaign to promote the newest iteration of the Ford Focus is a road rally that starts in Miami today. The Rally also will also be the subject of Ford's program around the Super Bowl. Ford, which isn't advertising during the game, has grabbed pre-show airspace on Fox to run "Focus Rally: America Pre-Kick" at 6 p.m. "Raising consumer awareness about the new 2012 Focus via Focus Rally: America is our top priority right now," said Matt VanDyke, Ford's director of U.S. Marketing Communications. "That is why we jumped at the opportunity to get the …

Six months after its controversial debut, how is Google Instant fairing? According to Ben Gomes, the lead engineer on Google Instant, about 98% of consumers are using the feature, leaving just 2% who have opted out. "We've seen good results with Instant, even after launch," Gomes tells Fast Company. "We found [we have] have a very low opt-out rate." Not bad, considering that Instant was “one of the most radical makeovers of online search in years,” in the opinion of Fast Company. The results-as-you-type search engine, which flashes answers to predicted queries with each key stroke did draw some …

During the Super Bowl, Foursquare plans to test a monetization strategy akin to Twitter's group of "Promoted" products, i.e., its Promoted Tweets, Promoted Users, and Promoted Trending Topics, all of which brands pay for to get more exposure. "Specifically, during the Super Bowl, Foursquare is going to have a 'Promoted Trending Venue' for the first time," reports TechCrunch. Rather than a real location, however, the "venue" will be 'Super Bowl Sunday,' which Foursquare hopes users will check-in to after it's placed at the very top of the 'Trending Now" area of the Places area on Foursquare's mobile apps. How …

Last week, Google received over 75,000 job applications worldwide -- setting a new record for the company, according to Bloomberg. With its bright interiors and culture of innovation, Google has always been seen as a highly desirable employer. Factor in the poor job market and Google's current hiring spree, and this was perhaps inevitable. This most recent application avalanche bested the company's previous record set in May 2007 by 15%, according to Google spokesman Aaron Zamost. Google, which had 24,400 workers at the end of last year, just announced that it would be adding another 6,000 employees this year. …

Audi says it will be the first brand in history to include a Twitter hashtag at the end of its 60-second Super Bowl spot. The hashtag "#ProgressIs" is expected to flash during the carmaker's TV ad during the first break after kick-off. Viewers who use the hashtag and the URL "audi.us/ProgressIs" in their tweets will be entered to win a trip to Sonoma, California, to test drive an Audi R8 supercar. "The theme 'ProgressIs' is based on the automaker's new brand positioning, which revolves around the theme expressed in the brand's new tagline: 'Luxury has progressed,'" reports Mashable. The …