We live in an increasingly mobile world and the decision to extend brand communication to the mobile channel seems inevitable. Â On the other hand, making this decision in a way that will pay off in the long-run is a less apparent process.
Mobile data measurement brings with it challenges that are very different from fixed web measurement. For example carrier restrictions, platform variations and mobile browser limitations are such that mobile product applications don’t easily lend themselves to uniform measurement across devices. In order to be able to use data as a strategic asset, measurement standards must be such that they can be applied to a wide range if devices.
Interactive Ontario recently hosted an AMA webinar featured Greg Dowling, Vice President of Mobile Strategy & Measurement at Semphonic and former Head of Analysis for Nokia. Dowling was leading Nokia’s recent initiative to implement first worldwide mobile analytics measurement standard, and his insights can be applied to mobile marketing.
Looking at mobile phone penetration by manufacturers, Nokia leads the way with over a third of the worldwide handset market. In the smartphone category, Nokia’s Symbian operating system makes up just over half of the smartphones used globally, followed by RIM at 20 per cent and iPhone at 15 per cent. (Gartner)  However iPhone owners use their devices much more than the owners of any of its competitors do.
Nokia’s approach to mobile product extension for its clients begins by aligning brand objectives with mobile strategy.Â
 Lack of a definitive mobile strategy is the biggest challenge to generating a positive return on investment in mobile products. Often times, the decision to create a mobile product is tactical rather than strategic. At this early stage in mobile marketing adoption, this may very well be a viable approach. However without relevant functionality and broad handset reach, a mobile product is simply a branding exercise designed to attract consumer’s attention instead of focusing on conversion.
Determining a brand’s mobile suitability means asking what it is about a brand that is compelling to a mobile audience. Moving an entire website to the mobile web or building an application is not always the best way to communicate with consumers.Â
In many cases a simple but well executed text messaging campaign is more fitting. For example, a brand that handles perishable inventory, like a restaurant, will likely have a customer base that is interested in being notified about promotions. Another company that has several locations in an urban centre, like a retailer, will likely have customers who want to be able to find a nearest location on their cell phone.
When you’re thinking about how to structure your mobile product offering you have to be mindful of the range of devices in the hands of your consumers and also have clearly articulated brand objectives.  If you want to get into mobile you should begin the strategy process now.
G8 and G20 must address online privacy
G8 and G20 must address online privacy
-It’s the least we can expect for our billion-dollar investment
It’s hard to imagine governments acting in citizens’ social media privacy best interests when they themselves often seem so inept in terms of integrating social media within their own respective environments. For every example of a government department success story using social media tools and principles, there always seems to be a counter-example that illustrates just how many elected leaders and civil servants still have their heads in the sand when it comes to Web 2.0 and beyond. All-staff Twitter bans and continued sequestering of data that could help the public in hierarchical and disconnected silos, anyone?
Despite our leaders’ difficulties in making social media the new normal for government-citizen interaction, the need for our elected officials to help facilitate the transition to a Web 2.0-based economy has never been greater.
Â
Facebook, for example, has garnered more than its fair share of headlines over the past couple of years for its propensity to play fast and loose with the rules of privacy and confidentiality. To its credit, the Privacy Commissioner’s Office has stepped in and forced Facebook to up the level of its privacy game – a process that has set a global precedent and positioned Canada as a leader in understanding and implementing real-world online privacy/confidentiality standards.
But this is only one example among a pretty desolate landscape. There are precious few other examples of governments – Canadian or foreign – taking truly bold steps to force market-dominant companies like Facebook and Google to play nice when it comes to citizens’ private data. For the billion-plus dollars we’re “investing” in the G8 and G20 summits, it would be nice if we at least got some answers on how member governments – especially our own – intend to not only meet the challenge, but get and stay ahead of the rapidly advancing curve.
If governments at all levels fail to exercise at least some influence over the evolution of privacy standards in the Web 2.0 and post-Web 2.0 era, it’ll be left to profit-seeking ventures to determine what’s fair and appropriate for the rest of us. Enterprise leaders and consumers alike are right to shudder at the prospect of Mark Zuckerberg holding the keys to the privacy kingdom. If anything comes out of these meetings, it’ll be consensus on how to keep tech giants honest – and citizens protected.Â
is an independent technology analyst and journalist based in London, Ontario. He comments extensively in a wide range of media, and works closely with clients to help them leverage technology and social media tools and processes to drive their business.
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January 22, 2013
Walmart Offering Up iPhone 4 On Launch Day
As Apple is preparing to meet a large demand for iPhone 4, Walmart can now be added to the list of distributors on the launch day of June 24, according to .
The reason for the move is an attempt to help Apple alleviate some of the stresses of good 'ol supply and demand, giving customers an opportunity to purchase the handset from multiple retail stores. Best Buy and Radio Shack are also ramping up to offer up the newest iPhone on June 24 as well.
This would be the first time that Walmart will be selling the iPhone on a launch day of the device. Before, only previous versions of the iPhone were made available by the company, much later on. We all remember the of huge lines outside of AT&T and Apple Stores.
It should be noted though that Walmart will not be participating in pre-orders of the device, which are slated to start this coming Tuesday, through Apple as well as AT&T.
Image courtesy of pmptoday.com
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In Case You Missed It: June 7 - June 13
The biggest problem with having Steve Jobs kick off the WWDC with the iPhone 4 announcement is that all the developer news that also happened gets buried in the press that follows. We would gladly trade three "Steve Jobs Couldn't Get Wi-Fi To Work" articles for just one great new app announcement or dongle sweetness article.
Well, we haven't forgotten that other news happens, so join the Mac|Life stafff, won't you, for all the other stuff that happened this week that isn't just about the iPhone.
Features:
- - There's not a thing in the world quite like good quality free software. And if you're a writer, there are literally hundreds of choices. We've narrowed that down to three gotta haves for your Apple products for when you just have to get that idea out onto the screen.
- - Of course, you're not going to get any writing done if you gets sucked into the gaming world on Facebook, but there are some pretty fun time killers nonetheless.
How-Tos:
- - This regular feature can help you learn a thing or two that you might not have stumbled on yourself. Want to check your iPhone data usage? Want to find an app quickly? Keep reading.
- - See, now, there are things that happen that don't involve Apple products, like the World Cup. But since our readers are Apple junkies, there must be some way to bring futbol and iProducts together. Well we've got the best of the best all ready for you to shout GOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!
Reviews:
- - The Six-String Thing - Maybe sports isn't really your thing. Or maybe just not soccer. No, maybe you're more a rocking out kinda guy. If that's the case, app developers are taking advantage of all that big screen goodness on the iPad to hook you up with plenty of six-string love.
- - While a lot of apps make use of the iPad's greater screen size to cram more stuff in, an often overlooked wonderful addition is how much more beauty you can see. Star Walk takes the familiar iPhone app and brings the gorgeous night sky and interstellar space to the big screen. And at $4.99? That's a steal, people.
News:
Of course, of course, we're getting to it. Yes, the iPhone 4 was announced, with pre-orders beginning next week and shipping out the week after. Meanwhile, in our photo gallery...and here's the rates on you'll be chewing through thanks to AT&T...plus, the list of where to buy your newest iPhone is growing as ...., though with Apple's tight price controls, it's not like they can offer quite the deep cuts they'd like to...or if you're across the pond (wondering why England could only TIE the US soccer team), ...and if this leak is to be believed, Apple plans on shipping a whole bunch of the new handsets; how many? How does sound?...just don't drop it when you get your hands on the new iPhone, because iFixYouri claims , and a lot.
Of course, the feature packed iOS 4 will be coming along shortly too, and for some people with beta versions of the software, ...maybe instead of worrying so much about rolling out iBooks, Cupertino can , as these gurus are betting the keynote gaffe was related to iOS 4's drivers...maybe someone can look into the and see if there isn't something glitchy going on in there; perhaps someone in the jailbreak community.... since Apple doesn't seem to be able to keep the dev community from , as one enterprising hacker's already jailbroken it.... of course, all that jailbreaking will need updates once iOS goes live with a , though we're sure they'll get around to it...and apparently from Cisco, much like how they got the iPhone name and the iPad from Fujitsu.
Meanwhile, the iPad's been making some news, first because AT&T is often a bag of fail and managed to leave a that Goatse Security drove a truck right through...upon driving said truck, Goatse loaded up on sensitive email addresses attached to the SIMs of these iPads, but really? ...of course we know who in government got their hands on the tablet, as many of the emails grabbed were attached to ...which means of course that now the in this...in more jolly iPad news, the continues to get new wrinkles...and Hulu better get on the stick, because mobilely speaking, netbooks are looking to be around much longer...and we can't tell if this is we've seen lately...or if these are. You tell us.
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January 21, 2013
TiVo Releases Desktop Software 2.8.1, Adds Support for iPad Export
TiVo has released version 2.8.1 of their Desktop Software. In addition to just a few new settings, the software adds export support for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. This update affects both Basic and Plus versions of the TiVo Desktop Software, but only the Plus version gets the added export options.
The Basic version of TiVo Desktop is free and only adds a few settings and one main feature: the ability to view folders on your computer from the DVR.
TiVo Desktop Plus, which costs $24.95, also gained the folder view ability, and has many new features including the ability to export to multiple devices like: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, DROID, Palm Pre and several Blackberry models.
You can find out more about these TiVo updates, and download the updates for yourself by visiting the .
via
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Video game-heavy Army recruiting center at Philadelphia mall closing at end of July
PHILADELPHIA — A high-tech Army recruiting center inside a Philadelphia shopping mall is closing its doors as a two-year pilot program ends.
The Army Experience Center is the only facility of its kind. It opened in August 2008 with interactive video exhibits, nearly 80 video-gaming stations, a replica command-and-control center, conference rooms, and helicopter and Humvee combat simulators.
Since then, it has hosted about 40,000 visitors and enlisted 236 recruits.
The $12 million center in the Franklin Mills mall will cease operations at the end of July.
Army officials said the program was not intended to be permanent. They say it was designed to determine the most effective tools for public outreach.
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January 20, 2013
Apple Presents iPhone 4; Will Debut iAds July 1
All-new iPhone design is the thinnest smartphone ever with FaceTime video calling, Retina Display, 5 megapixel camera & HD video recording. iAds have over $60 million in 2010 commitments from leading global brands.......
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Rosetta Stone, BP, Denny’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods among big market movers Thursday
NEW YORK — Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:
NYSE:
Rosetta Stone Inc., down $2.09 at $22.07
A Baird analyst downgraded the language software provider, disappointed the company’s CFO is leaving just before the release of a major new product.
Ambac Financial Group Inc., down 42 cents at 65 cents
The beleaguered bond insurer said it could default on its debt and possibly file for a prepackaged bankruptcy.
BP PLC, down $5.48 at $29.20
Investors fear the British oil company will bow to U.S. political pressure and cut dividends to help pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster.
Viacom Inc., up 59 cents at $36.52
The entertainment conglomerate, which owns MTV Networks, announced its first dividend payment and resumed a $4 billion stock buyback program.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., up 69 cents at $26.94
Citi Investment Research added the athletic retailer to its top stock picks after the recent drop in the company’s share price.
NASDAQ:
Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions, Inc., down $1.78 at $16.64
The health care information technology company is buying its rival for about $1.3 billion in stock.
Denny’s Corp., up 9 cents at $2.74
After a bitter proxy fight with investors, the struggling restaurant chain is looking for a new CEO while its chairwoman acts as interim chief.
Rewards Network Inc., up $3.77 at $13.67
Real estate mogul Sam Zell said his private equity firm was interested in buying out the dining rewards company.
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January 19, 2013
AP Source: Cablevision, Charter put in bids to acquire cable company Bresnan Communications
PHILADELPHIA — Some of the nation’s largest cable companies are interested in buying Bresnan Communications, a mid-sized cable company operating in the West, a person familiar with the talks said.
The bidders include Cablevision Systems Corp. and Charter Communications Inc. Time Warner Cable Inc., based in New York, also put in a bid, but its offer did not survive the first round. The three are among the five largest U.S. cable companies.
Other bidders include Ascent Media Corp., a media services holding company in which media mogul John Malone has 30 percent voting control, cable company Suddenlink Communications and private investment firm TPG Capital.
The person was not authorized to comment publicly because the bidding is private, and asked not to be identified.
The bids range from $1.3 billion to around $1.7 billion.
The person said Providence Equity Partners, Bresnan’s majority owner, is seeking to cash in on its investment after owning the cable company since 2003.
Cablevision, Charter, Time Warner Cable and TPG Capital declined to comment. Providence, Ascent and Suddenlink did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cable systems operated by Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corp., which owns 30 percent of Bresnan, abut the areas served by Bresnan. Bresnan, based in Purchase, N.Y., has more than 320,000 customers in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Utah.
Privately held Bresnan ranks 17th among the largest subscription TV providers, which spans cable, satellite TV and phone companies that offer video, according to the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.
Cable pioneer Bill Bresnan, the founder of Bresnan Communications, died last year.
Shares of Cablevision, based in Bethpage, N.Y., rose 73 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $22.88 in afternoon trading. Charter, in St. Louis, was unchanged at $34.52. Time Warner Cable rose by $1.69 to $52.29. Comcast, based in Philadelphia, added 58 cents to $18.
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January 18, 2013
Car buyers chose function over flash in auto Web sites
What makes a
great auto maker Web site?
Flashy car pictures? Videos of speeding cars or SUVs truckin’ along mud covered rought roads? Hardly. According a recent survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates Canada.
The survey company found a definite link between online experience satisfcation and people heading to the auto showrooms for a test drive. However, [...]
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Review: Microsoft’s Web Apps are free, but limited, taste of Office
Review: Web Apps are limited free taste of Office
NEW YORK — This week saw the launch of a free version of Microsoft’s flagship Office software, available online. In other news, hell just froze over.
The idea of Microsoft Corp. letting people use its software for free will take some getting used to. But rest assured, it makes sense: The new Office Web Apps are rather stripped-down versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote.
In our test, it’s evident that Microsoft is positioning these free “Web applications,” which run in a browser, as extensions of and supplements to its full Office suite, rather than as standalone replacements in the vein of Google’s Docs, which has been available since 2006.
That said, the free Microsoft programs can still prove valuable for those who don’t want to buy the software. Microsoft is releasing its latest version, Office 2010, to consumers next week. The “Home and Student” package, which consists of the same four applications that are available on the Web, will cost $149 for the full, packaged product, and $119 for a download.
In particular, the Web Apps will be helpful for those who collaborate with people who have the full Office suite. You can open documents they send and modify text, spreadsheets and so forth. But the bulk of the formatting will still need to be done with the desktop application.
The Web Apps can also be a standalone alternative to Google Docs, if your demands are low. You can create, share and print new documents in the browser. Web-created Word documents may satisfy many users, while PowerPoint decks will be very crude.
As is Microsoft’s intent, the Web Apps are most useful to those who also buy the software. You can shuttle your documents back and forth between the desktop and Web versions. For instance, if you have Office on your work computer, you can now make changes from your home computer, even if it’s a Macintosh or a puny netbook.
So how do you access the Web Apps? If you have a Windows Live or Hotmail account, you will notice a link to “Office” at the top of the screen after you log in. Otherwise, sign up for an account. The files will live in a Web-based “SkyDrive” tied to the account.
A word about browsers: If your computer is on the old side, or a low-powered one like a netbook, you’ll want to avoid using the Web Apps with Microsoft’s own Internet Explorer. In my test on a computer that’s seen four or five summers already, typing in the Word Web App using Internet Explorer 8 was painful. The text took too long to appear, and the sentence wavered up and down as if I were hammering on a mechanical typewriter. The app simply overloaded the PC’s processor, and it was unable to keep pace with the typing.
I didn’t have the same problem when using Internet Explorer on a new, faster laptop, nor was it a problem when I used the Firefox browser on the old PC. Google Inc.’s Chrome browser did an even better job of keeping the load on the processor light, though an add-on program that makes it easy to send Web documents to the desktop version of the Office program does not work in Chrome.
Here’s a rundown of the Web Apps, and the differences from the offline versions:
Word — The most fully featured of the apps. You can type, check spelling, set headlines, create tables and insert pictures. You can’t tweak the margins, create columns, or access footnotes or comments, though you can view all these features in a “Reading View” if they’ve been added in the desktop program. Note that unlike the other Web Apps and Google Docs, Word Web App does not automatically save your document as you work — you have to hit the Save button. Google Docs’ word processor is more fully featured, but fancy stuff, including footnotes, doesn’t work well when imported into Word.
Excel — You can enter data and formulas in spreadsheets and have them calculated correctly. You can’t adjust the layout of the sheet or create pie charts or other graphics. Oddly, you can’t move cells or columns around: You have to cut them out, make space for them somewhere else, and then paste them. You can’t open some spreadsheets that have “comments, shapes or other objects.”
PowerPoint — You can edit text and add slides, but you can’t adjust graphic elements. If you have an arrow pointing the wrong way, you can delete it, but you can’t make it point the right way. You can create a presentation with pre-formatted boxes and diagrams, but your options are very limited. The Web App is mostly good for minor edits or last-minute changes.
OneNote — Microsoft’s sleeper Office app, designed to help you collect information and notes in one, easily searchable place. The Web App lets you paste pictures into your notes, but the more useful features of the desktop program, like inserting PDFs and clippings from Web pages, are missing. The app is supposed to be able to send notes to the desktop program and vice versa, but this didn’t work — I got error messages instead. A Microsoft representative said this may be a symptom of the flood of users trying the Apps this week.
Online:
office.live.com
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January 17, 2013
Top 10 benefits of iPhone 4 over iPhone 3GS
By Partho, Gaea News Network
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
“iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” said Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, while unveiling the fourth-genration iPhone at WWDC. Apple’s iPhone has achieved a phenomenal success world-wide, evolving into the most advanced mobile phone in its successive generations. A year ago, Apple launched its iPhone 3GS model featuring a camera with higher resolution and video capability, voice control, and support for 7.2 Mbps HSDPA. The successor iPhone 4, turns the dream of video calling into reality. Apple’s innovative new Retina display and the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, ensures crisp text, images and video. Additionally, iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording and a 3-axis gyro and up to 40 percent longer talk time. All this comes in an scintillating all-new design of glass and stainless steel encasing the slimmest smartphone on this planet. The fourth-generation of iPhone comes with world’s most advanced mobile operating system - iOS 4, which includes over 100 new features and 1500 new APIs for developers. Before you bet your money to go for superior iPhone 4, you need to have a look at the top advantages it offers over iPhone 3GS. We draw the top 10 iPhone 4 Vs iPhone 3GS comparision of features.
1. Display
iPhone 4 retains the size of 3GS with a 3.5 inch diagonal. It’s completely different with 4 times as many pixels with the so-called retina display. Not just that iPhone 4 flaunts a 4 times the pixels of earlier iPhones, you can feel the difference between the glass you touch and the pixels that are removed.
The 3GS offers a 480×320 pixel resolution at 163ppi. While the iPhone 4 receives a significant bump up providing 960 x 640-pixel resolution at 326ppi and an 800:1 contrast ratio. The screen isn’t OLED as with some other smartphones. While the screen isn’t OLED as with some other smartphones. Apple claims its IPS display technology is better.
2. Storage
The iPhone 4 is available at capacities of 16 GB and 32 GB. The iPhone 3GS has regressed with a new 8GB of memory model apart from the 16GB and 32 GB models. This looks a bid to woo the customers on budget looking for the defunct iPhone 3G.
3. Camera
iPhone 4’s camera is a much-hyped issue, especially with the HD video recording facility. But, it won’t match the best camera phones. Still its excels the 3 megapixels iPhone 3GS with 5 megapixels camera and an added LED flash. What’s more, you have a front-facing camera for FaceTime Wi-Fi video calls and more.
4. HD Video recording
With a Flip Mino HD like video quality iPhone 4 is a giant leap in terms of video recording. The 3GS also supported video recording but it was VGA. iPhone 4 received a 720P is a real bump up to a 5 megapixel camera with a nice addition although at this size any further megapixel increases do become a bit silly due to lens size.
5. Wireless and data
iPhone 4 goes a step ahead of 3GS to adds 802.11n along with 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.1. The 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 3G and EDGE specs continue to feature in the iPhone 4.
6. Sleek design
As Steve Jobs’ claims, Apple iPhone 4 is the sleekest mobile on earth. Just 9.3mm in thickness, 24% thinner than the iPhone 3GS, the Jony Ive (iPhone 4). iPhone 4 measures 0.37 inch deep whereas iPhone 3GS’s thickness stands at 0.48 inch. Further, iPhone 4 is slightly narrower, 2.31 inches to 2.44 inches. The two models weigh the same 4.8 ounces, still the tweaks to the dimensions make the iPhone 3GS seem more sludgy in comparison to the newest iPhone.
7. 3 axis Gyro
The most advanced feature added to iPhone 4 is the 3-axis gyro that takes motion-sensing in mobiles to a new level. When paired with the accelerometer, iPhone 4 can perform advanced motion sensing such as user acceleration, angular velocity and rotation rate. With the inclusion of gyro, iPhone 4 will offer motion gestures and greater precision to elevate the gaming experience.
8. External buttons and inputs
Overall iPhone 4 inherits the same form factor and buttons, but it adds an extra mic button to offer better call quality through noise cancellation. Evidently there has been no alterations in the button sizes or location, but the volume of button has been separated into up and down.
9. Power and battery
According to Apple CEO iPhone 4 offers a 40% improvements in its battery performance over the 3GS model. With a 7 hours talk time on 3G, iPhone 4 exceeds 5 hours on the 3GS. The standby time nears 300 hours, which is same for the 3GS.
Users can expect an hour more on browsing and 10 hours more audio playback with the video unchanged at 10 hours.
10. iOS 4 and multitasking
One of the greatest advantages with iPhone 4 is the iOS 4 operating system that supports multitasking, details of which you can read in our. The iOS 4 includes over 100 new features and 1500 new APIs for developers. What’s more, iPhone 4 with iOS 4 will ensure that multitasking doesn’t hamper the performance or battery life. Steve Jobs demonstrated that the services such as Pandora and navigation running in background while other apps were running in the foreground.
Those using Apple iPhone 3GS can go for an upgraded to iOS 4 as soon to be available on in iTunes 9.2 for Mac OS X and Windows in a while or June 21st. Alternately users can go for a iPhone 3GS 4.0 jailbreak.
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