Posted: July 10, 2008

Almost three quarters of mobile phone users cite text messaging capabilities as the most important feature when purchasing a new handset, according to a consumer survey conducted by mobile solutions provider Access Systems Americas and independent research firm Amplitude Research. Given a list of 19 different mobile features and services, 73 percent of consumers cited texting as the most critical data component–cameras were second with 67 percent, followed by mobile email (63 percent) and web access (61 percent). Music (34 percent) and video (33 percent) also featured prominently in the poll. Conversely, only 0.5 percent of consumers said battery life plays a role in their phone purchase, with voice activation earning just 0.33 percent.

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Posted: June 26, 2008

In another move targeted at human beings’ increasing aversion to any sort of physical activity, Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo has begun testing a line of “wearable” gadgets which could respond to movements as delicate as eye movement.

Rolling your eyes to turn up the volume of a portable music player and tapping your fingers to turn on a DVD player are among the technologies Japan’s top mobile carrier is testing. In one version, sensors and chips inside headphones detect electrical current produced by movements of the wearer’s eyeballs.

NTT DoCoMo believes wearable control technology will be adapted for mobile devices that download music, play video games and allow users to shop online and keep up with their e-mail.

In a demonstration, researcher Hiroyuki Manabe wore a giant headset covered with wires to show how computer graphic lines in a monitor connected to the headset darted wildly whenever his eyes moved. He turned up the volume on a digital music player by rolling his eyes, and he jerked his eyes twice to the right to fast forward.

The new technology may also enable cell phone cameras to read bar codes used in Japan to get product information, download music and coupons when the user simply looks at the codes, researchers said.

Another iteration of the technology appears in a wristwatch that can detect the wearer’s thumb and forefinger tapping together to work as a remote controller for such gadgets as a DVD player.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure how tapping your fingers is any better or easier than pushing a button on a remote; and controlling all of my music with eye movements just seems like it would give me a giant headache, especially the “jerking” motion mentioned here.

Technology has always straddled the line between style and substance. There are countless gadgets whose main purpose is to entertain or impress, rather than fulfill an actual need, but this technology actually doesn’t seem to do either. It doesn’t streamline or improve a process, and I can’t imagine wearing a giant headset or flitting your eyes around wildly is going to score you many “cool” points. The only truly useful application I can think of is technological access for the disabled, but of course there was no mention of that at the demonstration.

I just hope that if this does come out, I will still have the choice of text-messaging with my fingers instead of my nose.

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Posted: June 25, 2008

Opera’s latest “State of the Mobile Web” report has revealed that almost nine times as many men use the mobile web as women. An astounding 88.1% of those surfing the mobile web are male. Conversely, SMS and even MMS do not display any significant gender differences when it comes to adoption and usage. Furthermore, the report went on to say that 64.5% of mobile web users are between the ages of 18 and 27. Text messaging may have begun as a tool for the young, but it has emerged as an essential mobile feature for those of every age group. While the mobile web remains an extremely focused medium when it comes to demographics, text-messaging has become one of the most all-encompassing communication tools, revealing no significant biases based on age, gender, race or socio-economic status. Thus, there is no better marketing tool for reaching any sort of audience, especially a more general one. If you are marketing to a 21 year old male, then you might want to consider mobile banner ads; otherwise, text-messaging remains the far superior mobile marketing tool.

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Posted: May 28, 2008

Verisign has announced record-breaking mobile messaging totals for the first quarter, and all signs point to 2008 being an unprecedented year as well. Verisign’s networks enabled more than 43 billion messages in the first three months of 2008, representing a 34% increase over Q4 2007 and a 150% increase over Q1 2007. That works out to approximately 476 million messages per day on average. 538 million messages were sent through Verisign’s networks on Valentine’s Day alone, and Verisign estimates that over 2 billion were sent on all networks worldwide for the day.

Verizon Wireless also announced a record for messaging, delivering close to 58 billion text messages in the first quarter of 2008. Its subscribers sent and received close to 20 billion text messages in the month of February alone, just eight months after the company’s first-ever 10 billion-message month.

Not to be outdone, AT&T announced that American Idol generated more than 78 million text votes this season, shattering last year’s total of 64.5 million.

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Posted: May 19, 2008

Remember when cellphones were huge, brick-like objects, with no video, mobile web, or even text-messaging? Mobile phones have certainly come a long way in the last 23 years, and this VIDEO shows just how rapid the progress of cellular technology has been.

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Posted: May 14, 2008

May 12, 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of Nathan Stubblefield, an American inventor,  receiving a U.S. patent for his “Wireless Telephone” device. His device did not work by radio waves, as modern phones do, but through induction.  There were no ringtones, or text-messaging,  rather he created the phone for “securing telephonic communications between moving vehicles and way stations”. The “moving vehicles” included trains, boats, wagons, and even cars, thus also making him the inventor of the car phone.

While his invention did not directly lead to the creation of the modern cell phone, it is still impressive that anything even remotely resembling cellular technology was conceived of, and even put into practice, so long ago.

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Posted: May 13, 2008

Two major carrier announced recently that their first quarter revenues where quite strong, thanks in large part to growth in messaging services.

T- Mobile announced that data services revenues were $760 million in the first quarter of 2008, accounting for 16.6 percent of ARPU or $8.50 per customer, up from 15.8 percent/ $8.20 in the fourth quarter of 2007 and 14.3 percent/$7.50 in Q1 2007. According to T-Mobile USA, messaging revenues remain the primary driver behind data growth: The operator reports SMS and MMS swelled to 33 billion in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 24 billion in the previous quarter and 16 billion a year earlier.

U.S. Cellular also reported strong data revenue growth for the 1st quarter, which they have attributed to “customers’ increased use of messaging services.”

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Posted: May 7, 2008

A text-messaging prank has led thousands of people to call the Dublin Zoo every day since it was launched this weekend. The callers asked to speak with “Mr. G. Raff” and other fake animal names after being prompted to do so by a text message.

Oddly enough, the Houston Zoo is currently dealing with a similar issue. A different text message urging people to call the zoo has resulted in 10 times the normal amount of calls, including around 3,500 on Sunday alone.

While Cellit obviously does not condone the use of text-messaging for malicious means, it is interesting to note that even random, unexpected calls-to-action delivered via text can garner such an immediate and widespread reaction. If a prank can deliver these sorts of results, just imagine what a legitimate and robust mobile marketing campaign could do.

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Posted: May 6, 2008

The Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group have announced their intention to file a joint complaint to the FTC about mobile marketing. Their main concerns include behavioral targeting and profiling techniques which internet marketers have used for years to gather information on potential customers without their consent.

Interestingly enough, the FCC already prohibits marketers from sending text message ads to consumers without their opt-in consent, which is one of the main reasons that Cellit has chosen text-messaging as their main delivery technique. It is other techniques, such as wireless application protocol banners or search ads, which are not regulated, that give the advocacy groups the most reason for concern. They want to make sure that regulations are put into place that prevent the sorts of abuses that internet marketers have committed from re-occurring in the mobile space.

Ironically, mobile marketing has the most potential for both extremes. Unwarranted data collection and location-based targeting can of course lead to highly invasive marketing.  Yet, when used in a responsible, opt-in-based manner, it becomes the least intrusive type of advertising, as consumers are only subjected to marketing they have specifically asked for. This is what most mobile marketers, including Cellit, have chosen to pursue.

The CTIA has already released guidelines which prohibit location-based services that do not include obvious consumer consent. The mobile marketing community has shown time and time again a willingness to police itself and protect the privacy rights of consumers before they are ever asked to do so. We are determined not to repeat the mistakes made by internet advertisers and will continue to foster an environment of trust and transparency as mobile marketing becomes a larger part of the advertising world.

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Posted: May 5, 2008

A new study from Jupiter Research has shown that mobile marketing adoption rates are far below what they should be. Although text-messaging is far and away the most popular feature for cellular users, it is being severely under-utilized by the majority of companies.  Jupiter has recommended that a text messaging campaign should be the first avenue any company explores when starting a mobile marketing initiative.

The decision by legitimate mobile marketing firms, such as Cellit, to operate on an opt-in only basis for their subscribers further enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of the technology. “If a marketing message reaches a cell phone, the recipient is more than likely the owner,” states the report. “Gaining access to this phone through an opt-in process holds great value for marketers.”

Not only does the customer only receive advertising that they have specifically asked for, but the ads themselves have the ability to be much narrower in focus, both of which lead to much higher read rates than traditional media. Thus, Jupiter believes that these factors will lead to an eventual embrace of mobile marketing by most companies and they strongly suggest that those wishing to get ahead of the game should start as soon as possible.

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