MaxxoMedia Digital Media and Entertainment Trends

Via: Cell Phones

Written by Sarah Perez

At the recent Mobile World Congress 2010, Dutch app store analytics firm Distimo presented their findings on the six largest mobile application stores in existence today: the iTunes App Store, BlackBerry App World, Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store, Palm App Catalog and Windows Marketplace for Mobile. In their presentation, they analyzed everything including store size, store growth, the most popular applications and where you can find the best deal. They recently shared some of the highlights from that presentation by way of a slideshow embedded on their blog.

For mobile industry insiders, some of the findings won’t be all that shocking, just common knowledge paired with statistics. However, there were a few surprises that caught us off guard, maybe they will you too.

Distimo collects public application data from app stores and also offers developers an analytics tool which is used to monitor their apps and those belonging to their competitors. After examining and analyzing the data, the company releases market reports detailing their findings.

Free Vs. Paid Apps

One of their most recent reports looked at which application stores have the highest percentage of free apps. Not surprisingly, the Android Market was the winner here. In an interview with Venture Beat, Distimo co-founder and CEO Vincent Hoogsteder said this was due to multiple factors: the nature of the open-source operating system from Google attracts the sort of developers that enjoy giving away their works and the open nature of the application- approval process (that is, no review board middleman exists between app creation and public release) makes it easier for casual developers to launch. Also, anecdotal evidence points to developer’s dissatisfaction with Google Checkout – paid Android apps are required to implement this payment method for purchase, a much slower process than Apple’s 1-click buying process.

The different ratios of free apps versus paid was one of the findings presented during MWC 2010. In the chart below, you can see the varying percentages by store. (Note that Distimo’s findings were focused on the U.S. market only). Android has the most free applications (57% free) and Nokia has the most paid (85% paid). The next closest store to Android in terms of free is Palm, followed by Apple, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and finally Nokia.

Another interesting finding had to do with the prices for the paid applications. Apple, Android and Palm were all in the same range when it came to the average price for paid apps ($3.27 to $3.62). However, RIM and Microsoft were more than twice as high ($8.26 and $6.99, respectively). This didn’t necessarily have to do with the different types of applications available in each store – sometimes, the exact same app was just priced higher on other platforms. For example, Tetris was $4.99 on Apple and $6.99 on Windows. IM+ was $4.99 on Apple and $29.99 on Blackberry.

Store Size and Growth: Look Out for Android!

Android is now the second-largest application store, reports Distimo, with 19, 297 apps. It’s still a far cry from Apple’s 150,998 apps, though. And other competitors are farther still. Ovi, we were surprised to discover, is the third largest with 6,118 apps available while Blackberry has a respectable 4,756. Palm has only 1,492 and Windows has 693. Apple is also the fastest growing store with a shocking 13,865 new applications added per month. Android’s growth is picking up too – they now have 3,005 new apps per month (15%). Relative to the number of apps housed, Android is actually the fastest growing store.

Games, Games, Games

Also discussed were the popularity of applications by category. On Apple’s store, games and entertainment were the most popular categories (58% and 18%, respectively). Somewhat more surprising was the popularity of games on Blackberry, the platform often used more by enterprise and SMBs than by consumers. Here, games were also in the lead with 29% popularity to only 18% for utilities. One would have thought that would be the other way around – that corporate users would be more likely download apps that helped them work, not play. Apparently, that’s not the case.

For more details on this presentation, you can view the entire slideshow on Slideshare or contact the company itself for a more in-depth marketing report.

via The Truth about Mobile Application Stores.

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• App Store Now Has 150,000 Apps. Great News For The iPad: Paid Books Rule. (techcrunch.com)
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San Francisco – A federal court has ruled that a cell phone ringtone sounded in public does not constitute a “public performance” under copyright law, and therefore performing rights organizations like ASCAP are not entitled to additional royalty payments from ringtones. “When a ringtone plays on a cellular telephone, even when that occurs in public, the user is exempt from copyright liability, and [the cellular carrier] is not liable either secondarily or directly,” the court said in its ruling.

Groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Public Knowledge and the Center for Democracy & Technology had urged the court to reject ASCAP’s argument in a friend of the court brief submitted in the case.

“The ruling is an important victory for consumers, making it clear that playing music in public, when done without any commercial purpose, does not infringe copyright,” the EFF said in a statement.

The EFF noted that the court also rejected ASCAP’s argument that a royalty payment-triggering public performance occurs when wireless network operators download ringtones to their customers’ phones.

via Court: Ringtones Not a ‘Public Performance’; No Extra Royalty | Digital Media Wire.

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• When your phone rings, the copyright police may come calling (macworld.com)
• Ridiculous: Verizon Pays ASCAP $5M Interim License Fee For … Ringtones (techcrunch.com)

Layar iPhone Example

Layar is a free application on your mobile phone which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your mobile phone.

Layar is a global application, available for the T-Mobile G1, HTC Magic and other Android phones in all Android Markets and now available for the iPhone. It also comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy in the Netherlands

How do you use Layar?

By holding the phone in front of you like a camera, information is displayed on top of the camera display view.  For all points of interest which are displayed on the screen, information is shown at the bottom of the screen.  There are over 160 layers now available.

What do you see in the screen?
On top of the camera image (displaying reality) Layar adds content layers. Layers are the equivalent of webpages in normal browsers. Just like there are thousands of websites there will be thousands of layers. One can easily switch between layers by selecting another via the menu button, pressing the logobar or by swiping your finger across the screen.

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Mobile social gaming community Cellufun is letting its eight million monthly visitors create discussion groups and advertisers can use this content to psychographically target their ads to members.

Each group has real-time chat and its own private forums as well as officers who get to decide membership criteria and review applications. Group affiliations also appear on users’ home pages, enhancing social ties throughout the community.

“Cellufun has become a social hub for millions of users all over the world, and they’re increasingly opting to spend time on our site rather than PC focused social networks like MySpace, Facebook, and hi5,” said Keith Katz, VP of Marketing at Cellufun. “We’ve always had informal groups popping up and posting in various forums, but one of our most frequent user requests has been to have a more formalized system for creating affinity groups, much like what’s available on various Web-based sites.

via Cellufun discussion groups let advertisers target psychographically.

In a strange twist of events, Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE) has enabled developers to build Flash applications for the iPhone, even though it hasn’t yet persuaded Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to integrate Flash into the popular phone’s browser. Adobe says its move is completely within Apple’s legal perimeters.

The announcement came this morning at the company’s developer’s conference in Los Angeles, where Adobe also announced that full Flash capabilities were rolling out to the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm (NSDQ: PALM), Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Android and Symbian platforms over the next year or so. But this announcement is different because a Flash player is not being installed on the iPhone, meaning iPhone owners won’t be able to view Flash ads or videos in the browser. However, it does mean that developers will be able to convert content they already built for the web, like a game, and distribute it to iPhone owners via Apple’s App Store. More here.

Currently, the project, which is part of Adobe Flash Professional CS5, is in private beta, but they said they will open up the beta to the public before the end of the year. Already, some Flash applications are available in the store, including MTV’s “South Park Avatar Creator,” which allows you to dress the South Park characters from head to toe and even create hair styles.

via Adobe Has Figured Out How To Bring Flash Apps To The iPhone | mocoNews.

Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE) has secured relationships will Research In Motion, Windows Mobile, Palm (NSDQ: PALM) and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) to roll out full Flash capabilities to the various smartphone platforms. With such a complete line-up, the only obvious phone remaining is Apple’s iPhone.

At the company’s worldwide developer conference in Los Angeles on Monday, Adobe plans to announce that its Flash technology, which is commonly used on the PC to view videos or ads, will be rolled out to browsers on Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Windows Mobile, Palm webOS phones later this year. In addition, public betas for Google Android and Symbian OS are expected to be available early next year. Finally, Adobe will also bring the Flash Player to Blackberry smartphones at an undisclosed date.

via Adobe Extends Full Flash To Just About Every Phone But The iPhone | mocoNews.

In only nine months, Apple’s App Store has proven itself a hot commodity. It features more than 35,000 applications available to consumers in 77 countries, enabling developers, including retailers, to reach tens of millions of iPhone and iPod Touch users. 24% of Smartphone users have spent anywhere from $10-$50 for a single application, while 28% have spent between $5-10 on a single app. iPhone owners are not spending more on individual apps, but 83% of these iPhone owners have downloaded at least six, according to TNS Media .

From KenRadio.com
The role of mobile internet access in evolving digital lifestyles is the cornerstone of the second typology of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) users. The typology places ICT users into 10 groups and, notwithstanding variation across the groups, the groups fit into two baskets, with the groups’ collective judgments on mobility being the pivot point.

1. Motivated by Mobility: Five groups in this typology – making up 39% of the adult population – have seen the frequency of their online use grow as their reliance on mobile devices has increased. For these groups, growth in frequency of online use is linked not only to increasing broadband adoption, but to positive and improving attitudes about how mobile access makes them more available to others. Across the groups, a lot of variation exists regarding what these changes mean to users. Some find this extra connectivity a platform for self expression. Others are not entirely positive about ICTs’ impacts on their lives.

As Mobile Marketer’s Outlook 2009 proves, marketers understand the need to integrate mobile into their multichannel branding, customer acquisition and customer retention plans.

Several trends are emerging as mobile matures into a medium that, while not without flaws, is a more palatable option than other marketing channels in use. The emphasis, however, should be on mobile’s complementary nature – it gives legs to other channels, including retail, online, television, print, coupons, radio, outdoor, direct mail and insert media.

Top of the trends list is the consumer’s growing comfort with consuming news and content on mobile phones, along with exchanging SMS text messages, shopping for products and services, checking email, playing games, conducting mobile banking transactions and searching for retail locations or driving directions.

Indeed, the mobile channel’s use as a location-enabling tool is quickly becoming evident to brands, ad agencies, retailers and, most importantly, consumers.

The definition of the Mobile Internet Device (MID) may be somewhat nebulous, given the category overlaps multiple products, ranging from some Ultra-Mobile PCs to certain Portable Media Players. However, there’s nothing nebulous about the MID growth opportunity, with global unit shipments expected to expand by nearly a factor of eight from 2007 to 2012. MID is projected to grow eightfold to spur to 416 million units by 2012, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50.6% from 53.8 million in 2007, according to iSuppli. While the exact definition of Mobile Internet Device is difficult to nail down, it’s characterizes as devices that have integrated connectivity for Wireless Local Area Network (WLANs), Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs) or 3G-or-higher Worldwide Wide Area Networks (WWANs) and has a maximum size display of 8-inches in diagonal dimension, an instant-on function, an always-connectable capability and a full day’s worth of battery life. MID includes devices like UMPCs, netbooks, smart phones, portable navigation devices, e-book readers, portable media/MP3 players and handheld gaming devices, says the research.

From Kenradio.com
Over 54% of US mobile phone users said their mobile phone usage had increased by more than 25% over the last two years, and one in five respondents said it had increased by more than 50%. A significant catalyst behind this growth is smart phone adoption, with 62% of respondents indicating they either own or will own such a device in the next 12 months, according to a new survey conducted by Azuki Systems. Despite increased adoption, almost 80% of those surveyed said they wished it were easier to access information from the Internet on their mobile phones, and an equal percentage stated they wished it were easier to access rich media on their mobile phones. The majority of those surveyed pointed to a number of current obstacles to enjoying rich media on mobile. For example, 69% felt that the long time to download and/or play media ranked among their top three barriers, and 66% felt that difficulties finding and navigating to relevant content was a top three inhibitor. A number of shortcomings were also identified for iPhone and BlackBerry users. Almost 80% of those surveyed said they wished it were easier to access information from the Internet on their mobile phones, and an equal percentage stated they wished it were easier to access rich media on their mobile phones.

Mobile Users ? Where Does the Time Go?
Regardless of which mobile device they are using, U.S. mobile phone users are spending a significant amount of time on their phones. This highlights the fact that core consumer services have expanded beyond voice to include messaging and data services, which also serve as a launch pad for broader Web and more advanced content services. Survey findings showed:

The US mobile internet now has a large and diverse enough user base to support wide-scale mobile-marketing efforts, and mobile web users are 60% more likely than data users to be open to mobile advertising, according to a report from Nielsen Mobile.

Among the report?s other key findings:

* The US, UK and Italy are leaders in mobile internet penetration, with 15.6% of mobile subscribers in the US, 12.9% of subscribers in the UK and 11.9% in Italy actively using the mobile internet; New Zealand (1.6%) and Indonesia (1%) have the lowest mobile internet penetration rates:

* The number of US subscribers who paid for mobile internet increased 28% between Q1 and Q1 2008 (from 74 million to 95 million). The number of monthly unique visitors increased 73% from May 2006.

* 26% of mobile internet users recall seeing some form of advertising while using the mobile internet.

* Unlimited data packages are growing more popular in the US: 14% of US wireless subscribers have unlimited data packages, and 50% of data users say they would prefer to have them.

* The Motorola RAZR series phones are the most owned devices among mobile internet users in the US, followed by first-generation Apple iPhones, Research In Motion?s BlackBerry Pearl series, the BlackBerry 8700 series and Motorola?s Q series. Nokia phones are the most widely used by mobile internet users internationally.

* US carriers now market bundled data and voice services more often. In Q1 2008, the top carriers shifted a portion of their voice-only and data-only marketing dollars to advertisements that promoted both voice and data services. Advertising promoting both services accounted for 59 % of carrier advertising expenditures in 1Q08 (up from 52% in 1Q07).

* 23% of US mobile data users expect to see more mobile advertising, and 32% are open to it if it helps to lower their wireless bills. Mobile internet users are also 60% more likely than the average data user to find mobile advertising acceptable.

* 3G networks are improving the quality of the mobile web and will help drive up customer satisfaction. 3G networks perform up to six times faster on data throughputs used for mobile internet than 2G and 2.5G networks.

* Yahoo Mail is the most popular mobile website in the US, with 14 million unique visitors per month, as of May 2008.

* Longer battery life (38%), larger screen size (22%) and more memory capacity (21%) and better data inputs (20%) are among the most important features mobile internet users want on their devices.

* Most mobile internet users seek out websites to visit. Some 40% say they find the sites through search engines; 22% say they type in the URL directly; 18% say they find sites through their favorite links; and 17% find the sites they visit through their carrier’s portals.

As of May 2008, the US mobile internet audience (age 13+) is about evenly split between those over the age of 35 (48%) and those under the age of 35 (52%) and is slightly more male than female. There are about as many teens using the mobile internet as there are people over age 55 (5.1 million age 13-17 and 4.4 million 55 and older). In order to fully realize the mobile internet marketing opportunity, agencies and brands need tools to plan targeted ad campaigns and track performance relative to other media channels.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., September 16, 2008–Market research and consultancy, MultiMedia Intelligence, announces the release of its free whitepaper on the US wireless teen market, characterizing the market for mobile phone services by US 12-17 year old teens. The whitepaper is free to download at http://www.MultiMediaIntelligence.com

The teen market is an especially appealing market for two reasons. First, it is a primary source of new subscribers for carriers. Less than 40% of pre-teens have mobile service. By age 17, 84% of teens have wireless services, with the penetration skewing higher for females. Second, teens teach older demographic how to use their handsets.

The US 12-17 teen cellular subscribers surpassed 16 million in 2007. This is up 12% from 2006. By 2012, the number of teen subscribers will reach 17 million, a delta of only 1 million subscribers from 2007. Wireless penetration rates for teens are reaching saturation, resulting in stagnating growth. Since the teen market is not a multiple handset demographic, subscriber growth is forced to slow.

This whitepaper quantifies and describes the U.S. teen market for wireless services, which we define as the age group of 12 to 17 year old individuals. The whitepaper is free for download and available at http://www.MultiMediaIntelligence.com

For more information, visit http://www.MultiMediaIntelligence.com or contact

Frank Dickson

(480) 308-0902

Frank@MultiMediaIntelligence.com.

About Multimedia Intelligence

MultiMedia Intelligence, a market research and consultancy firm, specializes on the markets and technologies for delivering and monetizing digital content and services across multiple platforms. We look beyond the classic ‘three screens,’ which include TVs, mobile handsets, and computers. We put markets into the broader context of the industry ecosystems that are converging and changing traditional business models.

MultiMedia Intelligence | PO Box 12727 | Scottsdale | AZ | 85267

by Steve Smith , Thursday, July 31, 2008

MOBILE MYTHOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT ALL Europe and Asia are far, far ahead of the U.S. in their mobile technology and media evolution. International case studies hold up examples of sophisticated marketing programs that seem years ahead of familiar mobile campaigns here. Like most mythologies, this one has a grain of truth that we tend to extrapolate into broad maxims and conventional wisdom.

But as increasingly border-less brands start deploying programs internationally, mobile mythology could lead to costly misfires. Even a cursory look at M:Metrics monthly benchmarks of international mobile data uptake shows some vast difference among geographic neighbors. In April, 10.2% of UK mobile customers played a downloaded game, compared to 4.4% in France. Likewise, the level of tolerance and/or exposure to the dominant form of mobile marketing, SMS messaging, is wildly varied. In Spain, 72.5% of users received an SMS ad of some kind in April, while only 28.5% of Germans did.