It's Retail 101 again in mobile. We thought we saw (and learned) it all in the heyday of the mobile operator portals, but it's all coming back if we examine the recent wave of app stores. From handset makers turned content/services providers (Nokia and Apple) to platform providers (Android), and from mobile operators (Vodafone and Telefónica) to independent app emporiums (GetJar) – the excitement is all about software applications stores, but the usability is hardly a crowd-pleaser.
What needs to be done to make content findable and buyable? How (and why) should our experience on mobile complement our experience online? And where does the user fit in? It's just common sense, really. Smart retailers make shopping a no-brainer by placing hot-selling items where consumers can see them. Mobile operators and content providers, on the other hand, forced users to navigate through multiple menus and sift through catalogues to find content they like....
A look at Fox Mobile's deal with Mobile Content Networks (MCN)to deploy vertical paid search programs across multiple markets worldwide PLUS MSG catches up with Fox Mobile CEO Mauro Montanaro to connect the dots in the company's ambitious mobile search, content discovery and recommendation strategies.
A major advantage to writing the Netsize Guide 2009 was the opportunity it provided me to connect with 34 C...
February 26, 2009
An exclusive interview with Noam Raffaelli, managing director of Plaza for Qualcomm Internet Services, and a look at Qualcomm's upcoming and exclusive event during Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. I am honored to participate in the Plaza Mobile Internet Forum in Barcelona (my presentation explores mobile Internet strategies and what media companies can do to take advantage of the widget opportunity). But the...
February 4, 2009
The arrival of Android and the remarkable success of the iPhone have whet our appetite for mobile data services, but they don't solve the usability issues that prevent mobile data services from becoming a routine part of daily life for many mobile users.
Granted, the iPhone and G1 tackle a laundry list of usability issues. They have been instrumental in raising consumer awareness of the mobile Internet. But what a...
November 14, 2008
Regular readers may recall that I collaborated with Netsize last year to write the Netsize Guide, a 250+ page book that documents industry developments, identifies key trends and profiles C-Level execs from 25+ companies including EA, Google, Jamba and Nokia. (You can download the Netsize Guide by clicking the button on the left-hand side of [...]...
September 24, 2008
The requests are pouring in – and that’s just word of mouth! Regular readers will know that MSG is proud to partner with bnetTV, a leader in online broadcasting in the emerging technology and growing lifestyle sectors. We’ve formally teamed up to cover news and developments at CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2008 in San [...]...
September 2, 2008
