Posts Tagged ‘iphone apps’
Written on September 1st, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
On September 7th, ESPN will celebrate thirty years of existence. But instead of perpetuating yesterday’s gameplan, the folks at ESPN are preparing for the future.And for ESPN, mobile marketing will factor heavily into the years ahead. Helping viewers embrace a more interactive, multi-platform fan experience is the big-picture goal. So what does that mean for sports fans? For starters, ESPN plans to aggressively target the iPhone market – a process already begun with its ScoreCenter app, which has now topped 2 million downloads.
The business model and marketing strategy employed by ESPN certainly bodes well for future advertising in the mobile sphere as well, given that ESPN’s mobile Web traffic now exceeds its PC traffic
Also on tap for mobile content from ESPN are:
- Hundreds of live events per year
- Seventy-five mobile video clips per day
- Complete episodes of many network broadcasts
“We’ve adopted a ‘best-screen-available’ approach–we’re trying to put our best product everywhere, wherever the sports fan is best served,” said ESPN president George Bodenheimer. Source: Mobile Marketing Watch
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Written on August 31st, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
QR barcode scavenger hunts garner great publicity for the company running them if excuted successfully. This week, in NYC, online rare toy and art retailer Kidrobot is running one of the most clever mobile scavenger hunts I’ve seen. Using mobile barcodes, players have to scour the streets of NYC this week (Aug 31 – Sept 4) to find secret Dunny Hunt codes and win prizes.
Players must download a free QR Code Reader program to their iPhone, Blackberry or other smart phone. There are codes that can be found online, as well as in Manhattan. The more virtual “Dunnys” collected, the better chance of winning prizes. The website offers a map which gives clues to the locations of the hidden Dunnys.
Many Kidrobot toys are extremely rare and collectible and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Toy artists often choose to create a series of only a few hundred or a few thousand pieces, so once a toy is sold out, it’s sold out forever. Kidrobot toys retail from $6 to $20,000, and may appreciate in value over time. The Dunnys don’t come cheap, so the prizes, though they may look like toys, are also pricey collectors items worth scouring the city over.
According to Media Post, the company, whose products sell in over a thousand stores around the world, is using the New York program as a test, and plans to roll it out in the four other cities in which it has stores — and perhaps elsewhere.
Ad firm We Are Plus’s principal Jeremy Hollister and co-creative director Judy Wellfare at got the idea after spending time in Japan. “This technology has been used in Japan for some time, but it’s still relatively new here in America,” Hollister told Media Post. Source: Mobile Marketing Watch
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Written on August 31st, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
One of the major benefits of mobile advertising is being able to target your audience by location. A slew of iPhone apps are popping up trying to capture eyeballs based on GPS location, giving advertisers new opportunities to reach customers who are, literally, within reach.
Take Metromix.com, for example. Today, the online entertainment site launched an updated version of their iPhone app called “What’s Nearby.” Owned jointly by Gannett and the Tribune Company, Metromix is the traditional print company’s major digital player targeting 21 to 34 year olds in major cities. The online network attracts over 4.0 million monthly unique visitors and generates over 60 million monthly page views.
The free application lets users find nearby entertainment options based on their GPS location. It also lets you find restaurants, bars and clubs, events, music, movie theatres with showtimes, and other things to do within walking distance or a short drive.
Already downloaded over 100,000 times, “What’s Nearby” also provides Metromix’s four million monthly users – located across 37 U.S. markets – the ability to post reviews and photos to Metromix.com using their iPhone, as well as to share those submissions on Facebook using Facebook Connect.
Last week, Metromix competitor Yelp released an updated version of their iPhone app with a similiar nearby search functionality. The Yelp app features movable maps which let you search for special offers near your location. Registered Yelpers (members of Yelp) can even find special deals available just for them within walking or driving distance. Source: Mobile Marketng Watch
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Written on August 31st, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
AdMob has been growing steadily since its inception, dominating iPhone app advertising and getting closer to dominating mobile ads in general.
In a step to further its dominance, the ad network acquired AdWhirl- a competing mobile ad network – after controversy surrounding a move by AdMob to stop allowing other ad networks to deliver its ads as part of a multi-network service.
AdMob claims the reason for this move stemmed from user-complaints over broken ads and technical issues, but its obvious that the company was tired of splitting revenue when it could presumably be keeping 50% of the profits. AdWhirl, along with others, where profiting greatly by serving AdMob-based ads- With the shut-off, third-party ad networks where effectively left in the dark.
Looking at the larger picture- any ad network that can gain access to iPhone app developers can corner the market in a big way. AdMob, for a long time, was doing just that. Recently, however, other networks such as AdWhirl were coming on strong with those same app developers by offering them an ad exchange.
This method allows mobile app developers to switch from AdMob to other competing mobile ad networks such as Quattro, VideoEgg, or Mobclix on the fly. Although it launched only last April, AdWhirl was quickly becoming the preferred advertising interface for many developers because they could still serve AdMob ads through it, but not be tied to AdMob if a better deal came along.
This scared AdMob greatly, which had been enjoying Google-like dominance for a long time. It’s first move was to stop allowing ad exchange interfaces, like AdWhirl, from serving ads from its inventory. App developers quickly called them out on it and AdMob retreated. AdMob definitely doesn’t want to upset app developers in any way, simply because of the fact that they’re the reason they’ve seen so much success.
The next logical move by AdMob was to simply acquire AdWhirl, which they did shortly thereafter.
After the dust settles though, what will AdMob/AdWhirl do to calm those who believe AdMob will simply funnel more of its own ads through AdWhirl now that it controls it. It could also track all of the ad impression data of its competitors to improve its own ad products, making it even more unfair to competitors.
To be fair, AdMob has reiterated several times that it will open-source the underlying code of AdWhirl for more transparency, but it still leaves a lot of questions un-answered. AdMob is undoubtedly trying to keep its corner of the market to itself, but it will be increasingly harder to do so in the near future. Source: Mobile Marketing Watch
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Written on August 29th, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
Social review service Yelp has snuck the first Augmented Reality (AR) iPhone app specifically for the US into the iTunes App Store, reports ReadWriteWeb. It uses the phone’s GPS and compass to display markers for restaurants, bars and other nearby businesses on top of the camera’s view.
One hour later, ReadWriteWeb reports: The Wall Has Fallen: 3 Augmented Reality Apps Now Live in iPhone App Store.
Presselite, the same company made Paris Metro Subway, now has a London Bus app, updated to include AR overlays and is also live in the App Store.
The Subway application can find nearby points of interest, wi-fi zones and cafes on a Google Map. Each subway station is represented by a red pin, a popup shows you the distance of localisation for each station, and it is updated live via GPS as you walk.
ReadWriteWeb says it has been widely reported that the API required to display Augmented Reality (AR) layers would not be publicly exposed until the launch of the next version of the iPhone Operating System, expected this Fall. Some, apparently, have found a way around the restriction.
Wikitude, Layar and an unlaunched iPhone browser from AcrossAir are also launching AR. Wikitude’s Wikitude.me markup language runs on Android handsets. It provides an open, free mobile information platform to provide location based information or services via mobile phones.
WeoGeo uses maps to help you find spatial data. The WeoGeo Library Appliance, which manages survey, engineering, architectural and other mapping files for large companies, acts like an iTunes Store for digital maps.
Source: Dailywireless
Written on August 29th, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
It’s that time of year when SXSW Interactive puts all the approved talk submissions up for public vote. We hope you’ll take a moment and vote for these mobile and device user experience sessions. Voting ends September 4th.
1 // “Convergence: Already Here, and Gosh It’s a Mess!“
Speaker: Gabriel White, Punchcut
Convergence is here and it’s a big mess. People are using services and media within hacked-together ecosystems; systems without neat connections or beautiful symmetries. Punchcut will share the user insights and design principles needed to create applications and services that integrate into emerging digital lifestyles and convergent ecosystems.
2 // “It’s Slow, Ugly and Not What I Designed: How to Ship Good Design”
Speakers: Patricia Slechta & Christian Robertson, Punchcut
Has your user experience ever been lost in translation? You see the mobile device in the marketplace and you hardly recognize it? Punchcut will share insights and explore organizational principles that bridge design and the go-to-market reality. We will discuss ways to prevent user experiences from being lost in translation.
3 // Crowd Sourcing The Planet: How Mobile Devices Become Sensor Arrays That Can Aggregate A World Of Content
Moderator: Henry Tirri, Nokia
Mobile phones are becoming mobile computers with multiple sensory inputs such as cameras, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, light sensors, NFC and etc. Users of these devices have an enthusiasm for sharing data and content, and as more contribute the possibility of aggregating content together into new forms has wild potential.
4 // “Innovation for Hire: Innovating in the Client Relationship“
Speaker: Jodi Burke, Punchcut
Being a consultancy (or a freelancer) means working with clients to develop innovative concepts, but how do you prevent them from being pared-down, watered-down or shelved? This process-oriented session will present battle-tested techniques on how to partner with clients in order to get innovation to market.
5 // Time + Social + Location. What’s Next In Mobile Experiences?
Moderator: Josh Babetski, MapQuest
As more devices become location aware, social uses will continue to evolve beyond just who and what, to WHEN. Adding the temporal dimension creates new opportunities for social interaction. Learn about ways to leverage and use technology to add features at the intersection of temporal, social, and location.
6 // Death of the Browser
Speaker: Daniel Jacobson, National Public Radio
With the tremendous growth of the iPhone and other mobile devices, are we about to witness the death of the traditional desktop web browser? If so, how fast will it happen? Or can the browser and mobile phone live in harmony in the years to come? This panel will explore the future of the mobile space and how it will impact the way we interact with the Internet.
7 // Mobile Technology: What’s New, What’s Out, What’s Next?
Speaker: Anup Murarka, Adobe
There’s lots of talk about creating engaging experiences for consumers on their mobile phones… but what’s the reality? Hear some of the industry’s top players as they hash out what’s hot with mobile technology, what needs to be changed, and what the future holds.
SXSW Interactive 2010 is held in Austin, Texas in March 2010. Source: Idlemode
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Written on August 29th, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
After a wait that seemed to span an eternity, we finally saw the green light yesterday for Facebook 3.0.
Having nearly jumped out of my seat last night after learning the news, I quickly found my excitement tempered by an app that didn’t seem to work at first attempt. And then I learned I wasn’t alone.
One friend tells me he can’t load his friends list. Another says the app closes every time she loads her Facebook wall.
My problems, meanwhile, are a hybrid of the two – a situation that even a trusty reboot and restore would not resolve.And after seeing several message boards I frequent light up with similar complaints, I phoned Apple to see if I could get any info. After two attempts, the advice I was given finally worked:
- Delete Facebook app from your iPhone
- Download app from iTunes
- Select app and sync to iPhone
- Reboot iPhone without opening app first
The update for Facebook is no small production, as the app is now closer to the desktop experience than ever before. And any upgrade of this magnitude almost can’t be expected to launch without a few hitches or bugs along the way. At this time at least I am unaware of any rash of phone crashes and data loss that would resemble an utter Facebook 3.0 catastrophe.
If anything, perhaps the excitement surrounding the upgrade is such that users like myself are finding their frustration compounded only by their own impatience to dive right into an app that has teased our appetite for far too long.
Source: Mobile Marketing Watch
Written on August 29th, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
Levi’s and JCPenney are adding mobile components to their “Tuition” campaign.
Levi’s and JCPenney are teaming with the Today Show iPhone application, which was built by Zumobi, for a click-to-enter promotion that features an opportunity to win one of two $50,000 college scholarships.
Apart from clicking on the ad within the iPhone app, interested entrants can enter the sweepstakes by sending the keyword TUITION to short code 36638.
Although both Levi’s and JCPenney are veterans of mobile marketing this marks a rare multiparty effort to reach new demographics.
Apart from the mobile campaign, Levi’s and JCPenney are also offering an additional $20,000 in tuition at www.levistuition.com/todayshow.
“Levi’s and JCPenney’s national promotion is giving away $50,000 in college tuition, and if you look at the cost of education today, this is offer has tremendous appeal,” said Cindy Spodek Dickey, vice president of marketing at Zumobi.
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Written on August 29th, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
Information on the go has a new friend in Wikipedia.
The non-profit Wikimedia Foundation has rolled out the long awaited iPhone and iPod Touch application for Wikipedia.
As expected, the free app culls information from the massive (and still growing) user-generated online encyclopedia known as Wikipedia, which is already composed of approximately three million English-language entries.
The Wikipedia app was created using Rhomobile’s Rhodes mobile application development framework.
For now, users can read and review content on mobile phone formatted pages of Wikipedia but editing and adding content via the app is not yet possible at this time.
So there’s room for growth. And it seems growth is on the horizon for this particular app.
“It is a platform we are going to build on. The sky is the limit–we can do whatever we want,” says Wikimedia spokesperson Jay Walsh. Source: Mobile Marketing Watch
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Written on August 19th, 2009 by ADMINno shouts
TomTom announced Monday that its new $99.99 turn-by-turn iPhone app is now up for sale at the iTunes store, notes C/Net.
TomTom for the iPhone comes with features typically found in standard GPS units, including voice directions and full maps of the U.S. and Canada. Maps for Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are available at varying prices.
Instead of suggesting the quickest route based on travel time, Tom Tom’s IQ Routes taps into the actual experiences of other TomTom drivers to determine the fastest route to take. TomTom said this technology lets people reach their destinations quicker up to 35 percent of the time.
In addition, the software can suggest alternative routes if a turn is missed or a road is blocked, the company said.
The company will also offer a car kit, so that drivers can attach their iPhones to the front window or dash.
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