#icatcher

D.O.P.Ewhite x iCATCHER

S/S14-15

D.O.P.Ewhite x iCATCHER

S/S14-15

Tablets to rise and rise. Up just over 150% on last year, 33.7 million Americans own a tablet. http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/33-7m-americans-are-using-tablets/016227 

Yet more reason to think that NFC will take off next year as more handsets look set to embrace it. http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/nfc-in-over-50-per-cent-of-smartphones-by-2015/016235

f-commerce. Apparently 12% of facebook users - so around 96 million people - have made a purchase via facebook. http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/content/fcommerce-march

Do facebook want to create their own phone? Various websites are reporting on the "secret" project, Buffy. Seems rather odd. http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/11/22/facebook-is-working-on-an-official-phone-codenamed-buffy/ 

This is seriously cool. Some nerds have created a spray that will make your phone / computer / anything really water replant. Yes it actually repels water. http://www.intomobile.com/2011/11/21/iphone-survives-30-minutes-underwater-neverwet-coating/   

It would appear that the UK are a social bunch, just so long as it is not face-to-face and over the phone. http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/11/23/uk-leading-the-way-as-mobile-social-networking-use-skyrockets-across-europe/

Also amazing is this story about a contact lens being clever. http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/22/2580094/single-pixel-contact-lens-display-test-rabbits 

Eventually marketing departments will cotton on to the advertising potential of mobile, so enjoy it whilst it lasts. http://adage.com/article/digital/placing-ads-underestimate-mobile/230853/ 

Finally the Amazon Fire arrive. Here is an article with a bunch of reviews: http://www.intomobile.com/2011/11/14/amazon-kindle-fire-review-roundup/ 

Whilst Apple seem reluctant to embrace NFC - waiting to join later in the curve - there are many reasons to get behind it. Mobile payment is one, sharing from phone to phone is another, and now product validation.  http://androidheadlines.com/2011/11/new-nfc-chips-can-be-embedded-into-products-to-identify-cheap-knockoffs.html AND to buy a can of Coke! http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/2011/11/11/coca-cola-tests-nfc-enabled-vending-machines-to-bolster-mcommerce-presence

The largest maker of cash registers and other payment processing devices, VeriFone have been spending the cash recently. They have just purchased a company called Point that deals with 10 million transactions a day across 11 countries and 450,000 merchants. No doubt there will be NFC upgrades on the way. http://venturebeat.com/2011/11/14/verifone-acquires-point/ 

45 huge mobile phone operators want to put NFC in the SIM card. Yet more reason to start looking at the potential uses of this technology. http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/45-operators-commit-to-nfc/016163

"The hope with HTML5 is that it will save us from a fragmented universe that is bad for innovation, developers and consumers." - The internet will win. http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/11465.html

"61% of UK consumers do not want to engage with brands in their social networks" - Yeah, get the hell out of my face already. http://wallblog.co.uk/2011/11/14/brands-wasting-time-and-money-on-misguided-digital-strategies-study/ 

Does Siri spell the end for Google? Some people seem to think so. It's almost as if Google can't build on top of the voice actions they've had for years (not to mention the apps that have been around for years) and create their own talking  personal assistant. Far too complex for them. The big shift here is Siri doesn't need Google to be clever. In this good article on TNW there is this nugget to digest:

"By some numbers, Google accounts for 97% of all mobile search queries, which is a massive, if not incredibly surprising number. But it turns out that 2/3 of that number originates on iOS devices, not Android."

So if iOS devices no long used google that 97% would would be a mere 16%.

A lot of stuff about social this week. There is a cartoon announcing the arrival of yet another social network (humor), Google+ introduced pages and facebook called google+ a "little facebook". Not that Google mind. The G+ pages are out, but not perfect, here is a good summary, oh and they have a slightly odd stance when it comes to competitions.

NFC is in the news again. PayPal have updated their Android app that takes advantage of ICS's NFC api, so now you can pay a friend just by touching their phone.

With a reported 62% of Americans shoppers thinking that their mobile will be involved in their festive shopping Christmas is set to be another big time of year for e/m-commerce. However be sure your site / app loads in around 10 seconds otherwise 38% of the inpatient public with make a dash for the exit door (back button). Square are enjoying a good time at the moment, not only getting investment from Sir Richard Branson, but also they annouced that they have are taking $10 million worth of payments. Does that count as m-commerce? 

Adobe are again signalling their intentions to shift tact by halting further development of Falsh player for mobile. They want to focus on make AIR apps native using HTML5. Surely advertisers - if agencies can convince their clients - will have to follow suit as the increased screen time mobile is getting means that the advertising bucks - $15 billion next year - will have to go where the views are. The beginning of the end for flash based adverts.

Tech

Is bending and twisting how we will be interacting with our phones? 

NFC on the rise. MasterCard have PayPass, Visa have payWave. The leaders of the pack will embrace this now, not in 2013 post Apple releasing the iphone5 that will surely (finally) have an NFC chip. http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/content/rim-scores-mastercard-nfc-certification 

Sony buy Sony Ericsson to take total control of their mobile offerings. http://phandroid.com/2011/10/27/breaking-sony-buys-sony-ericsson-for-e1-05-billion/ 

Apperently it cost $1.64 to acquire a "loyal" app user. A loyal app user is somebody that opens the app three times. http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2011/10/26/fiksu-cost-loyal-user/

Amazon to cut the publisher out? http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/rewriting-the-rules-how-amazon-could-cut-e-book-prices-by-cutting-out-publishers/

Coming soon to a GoogleTV near you - Android apps. http://mobiputing.com/2011/10/android-market-coming-soon-to-google-tv/ - 

The re-birth of Nokia and Windows mobile? Pleased to see another device and strong OS on the scene. http://www.intomobile.com/2011/10/26/nokia-lumia-800-handson-get-load-first-real-windows-phone/  [with video] 

[infographic] Android's rapid rise. http://www.intomobile.com/2011/10/24/infographic-androids-rise-top/ - 

HTML5 love. "Ebook designers will be able to make use of CSS3 support and fixed layouts, as well as embedded fonts for a wider variety of typefaces." http://www.techradar.com/news/portable-devices/portable-media/amazon-kindle-ebooks-to-get-html5-support-1036159 - 

Android now lead Apple in app downloads, not that Apple will be worried. They still have a more apps downloaded per person and they have the better apps. http://www.businessinsider.com/android-apple-mobile-downloads-2011-10

F-commerce to rule the web? http://www.insidefacebook.com/2011/10/21/facebook-credits-for-websites/

[infographic] Tablets in the workplace, it's only just begun really. http://venturebeat.com/2011/10/21/how-the-enterprise-is-adopting-tablets-infographic/

It wont be long before almost everybody in facebook is working on their mobile offerings. http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/22/bret-taylor-facebook-mobile/

1 in 15 searches were mobile in 2010, now it's 1 in 7. http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/content/1-7-search-queries-mobile

The co-founder and CEO of the brains behind the only talking point of the iphone4S, Siri, has left Apple. http://allthingsd.com/20111023/exclusive-siri-co-founder-kittlaus-departs-from-apple/

Google to swallow up Yahoo? If monopolies were encourage. (Oh wait...) http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/google-linked-to-yahoo-bid-1036007

Marketing

60 percent of consumers researching products through multiple online sources learned about a specific brand or retailer through social networking sites. http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/how-social-media-impacts-brand-marketing/

AR being used by VW, following up on the lovely "HTML5" website. http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/volkswagen-new-beetle-augmented-reality-ads/

Useful & Cool

A great collection of websites using css media queries http://mediaqueri.es/

Slide show guide for optimising for mobile. http://www.slideshare.net/andreasbovens/optimizing-your-layout-for-phones-and-tablets-using-viewport-and-media-queries

SEO explained in plain English and drawings. Nice. http://www.commoncraft.com/video/search-engine-optimization-seo

50 free PSD web UI elements to help you design the next best thing. http://designyoutrust.com/2011/10/20/50-free-and-high-quality-psd-web-ui-elements-to-speed-up-your-design-process/