Mobile phone consumer research is both an art and science, especially among smartphone users who are totally immersed and engaged with the growing number of sophisticated handsets on the market. Phones are an intimate part of their lives. In September, 2009, Joy Liuzzo with InsightExpress, a digital marketing research firm, appeared on MobileBeyond…

As I spoke with Michael Becker, co-founder of mCordis and The Connected Marketer Institute, it reminded me of our first podcast interview over five years ago. Then we talked about mobile marketing and powerful new wireless devices that would forever change human communications. He said “‘…mobile is the foundation of all communications going forward…

Your new mobile app was just released to the app stores. You chew your fingernails. Lots of pressure from the boss. The company wants a big hit. You ask yourself: “Will the app be fast enough in the U.S., India?…Is mobile app acceleration across the network going to work? Sweat beads up on your forehead… […] The post Neumob’s Mobile App Acceleratio…

The Ebola Care App, available free from Journey, a mobile applications developer, enables health workers to monitor and collect patient data in West South Africa. AppsAgainstEbola, Journey’s website, describes its genesis, capabilities and benefits. Running on inexpensive Android phones, the Ebola Care App will improve the timeliness, accuracy and …

(Updated 5/9/2023) Like other podcast interviews and articles in this series, GCash Mobile money services, similar to others in African countries, the Mideast, Bangladesh, and India, are popular and growing quickly in developing countries. MobileBeyond’s financial technology posts and podcasts have documented that mobile money empowers the unbanked…

Obopay India sits at a crossroads. Someone wrote that if mobile money players didn’t face the shackles of government banking regulations, the mobile money industry in India could generate $250 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS monthly. With a population of 1.3 billion people, 64% of whom are unbanked, and over 904 million mobile phones, the mobile financial ser…

As I spoke with Sanjiv Purushotham of MasterCard, I sensed his personal satisfaction working on MasterCard financial inclusion projects in Africa and the Mideast. He grew up in India, married, then took another MasterCard position in Singapore. A few years later, he jumped at another MasterCard opportunity in Dubai, one of the hot spots for entrepr…

bKash mobile money is also the story of Bangladesh, a war-torn country formed in 1971 after the Bangladesh Liberation War. But neither the horrors of that war–nor the poverty that enveloped the country since–has stopped the growth of mobile currency exchange. In fact, bKash is now the second largest mobile money company in the world by number […] T…

In a northern village of India, rural solar energy panels quietly produce clean energy, eliminating kerosene lamps that once polluted air and harmed health. Light bulbs shed their glow in the darkness of the night. Fans cool the hot, humid air. A light outside keeps children safe while chickens and cows produce income for families. […] The post Rur…

Are you an hourly worker paid 2-4 times a month? Then your employer is holding on to your wages waiting to give you your paycheck. Until payday, however, your company creates a “cash float” to pay its bills and maintain reserves. Every company needs reserves–retailers, manufacturers and banks–especially small companies that don’t have high cash bal…

People in Cambodia hear Wing mobile money vibrating on phones and cell towers everywhere. Anthony Perkins, Wing’s CEO and a ex-British guy, ponders and dreams about domestic and international money services. No, this is a fellow who’s not satisfied with mPESA-like mobile exchange. As developing nations move from financial exclusion to inclusion, Pe…

In 2010, a few entrepreneurs in the United States contemplated a mobile financial inclusion solution for Kenya. A land of 10 million people, the majority of the Kenya’s adult population carried ATM-like M-PESA cards. But less than half the population had bank accounts. And until recently merchants lacked terminals to process payments. This made M-P…

What if you could purchase life or health insurance free from your wireless carrier or bank as easy as buying a ring tone? This may be the ultimate insurance financial inclusion tool in Africa and elsewhere. Buy X mobile minutes or deposit Y money in your bank to obtain cost-free insurance. Customers can opt-in by […] The post Insurance Financial I…

Mobile device security and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) are hot growth sectors in the mobile industry. Dozens of vendors now offer numerous solutions to enterprise companies and SMB’s that prevent sensitive data from dripping into mobile devices. It’s challenging as podcast guest Ken Khouri of IBM Global Technology will tell you. When Apple announc…

Most people don’t want to throw away their credit, debit, discount, and other cards flooding their wallets and purses. People cling to these plastic icons like a crocodile holding its prey. What if you could use mobile merchant services instead? You can by using a smartphone. In our podcast interview, Shelley Plomske, VP of Product […] The post Mob…

When Don Campbell talks about WordPress website themes, you feel there’s hope for small businesses on the Web. Don left Microsoft four years ago to start a slightly smaller company called Expand2Web. His popular SmallBiz Theme, running on WordPress, puts to shame those $10,000 flashy “WOW!”websites that no one follows. WordPress Website Themes: Fin…

Speech voice recognition has progressed beyond talking elevators and primitive computer text-to-speech and recognition. Early personal computer dictation software started melting like Verizon flip phones. That gave Paul Macarelli, the “can you hear me now” Verizon guy, new television scripts. Many years later, Apple introduced its Mountain Lion Mac…

Like Farmville customer service? Having avoided Farmville for two months, I must tell you how delighted I feel this week. Zynga and its caring public service team reached out to me. Here’s the first email from the company’s VP of Player Advocacy and Service: “Hello Brian, We noticed that your Farmville game has been quiet for some […] The post Farm…

Some people think mobile ads are intrusive, apps for laggards, tablets are toys and Android Ice Cream Sandwich a silly name tied to Android OS. (That’s assuming they know Android refers to a smartphone operating system and not Data on Star Trek.) These folks are technophobes. But they’ve probably never met Joy Liuzzo, mobile researcher […] The post…

Speaking with Mark Strecker and Gabi Schindler about Amobee mobile advertising is both exciting and worrisome. On one hand, new forms of media fill our digital and mobile devices as demand rises in developed and emerging markets. The quality of content varies, but consumers indeed have substantial news, sports and entertainment programs available. …

Welcome to Mobile World Congress Virtual Reality coverage on MobileBeyond. Rather than flying to Barcelona, Spain from California, I’ve set up interviews with mobile execs at MWC. So we’re nine hours apart but the distance closes to 15-30 minutes delayed coverage. Unlike a newspaper, magazine, digital media can change “static” reality into “dynamic…

Tablet computer screen sizes offer more consumer choices When Steve Jobs said the best size for a tablet computer screen (i.e. iPad) was 9.7″, all the bright manufacturers, especially Samsung, turned their noses up. Secretly, Amazon did the same with the Kindle Fire. Gotcha, Apple, we’ll make smaller screens for consumers who want them. Heard throu…

As an over-stressed business person–perhaps a 16 hour a day entrepreneur–mobile website design and hosting are probably low on your totem pole. But your business depends greatly on adopting mobile best practices, including launching a mobile site. Everyone’s talking about the mobile Web. Everywhere you go, people pop out smartphones and tablets. Mo…

125,000 Vegas CES attendees invading desert town for a sizzling electronics show. Each person, emitting 100 watts, like light globes, crushing Vegas’s AC system, 1.3 BILLION watts raising the heat. TVs, computers, smartphones, and other gadgets draining juice. AC maxing out at Las Vegas Convention Center. CES heat won’t melt cell towers and mobile …

How would you like a free Facebook phone? Did you know Truphone built an app for one in 2007? How about a mobile phone signed by Mark Zuckerberg? Would you pay $1 a year for a Facebook phone? Perhaps free Groupon coupons would get your credit card out of your wallet? Free Facebook Phone Idea […] The post Free Facebook Phone from the Media? appeared…

Paper books or e-Books? Which are better? Several months ago, I visited Santa Cruz, a small coastal community south of the San Francisco Bay Area. As I sauntered past a Catholic Church having a rummage sale, I stopped to take a look at the hard cover paper books. I found a copy of Dale Carnegie‘s […] The post Paper Books vs. e-Books In Our Universe…

The year is 2036 and media content has exploded in a 5G wireless world. I insert a memory chip into your right index finger that connects along the median nerve to my brain’s neocortex. I peruse the ancient writings of a blogger, writing about media content in 2010. I become fascinated with the story as […] The post Media Content Explodes says 5G W…

Feeling right with my smartphone. O.K., honey, I bought you. Even paid $300 because I wanted you to have more memory. You glow, move quickly and smoothly, side-by-side with me 24/7. Yeah…I got rid of the other one in my life. You’re mine baby. No, this isn’t a quote from an erotic novel for reading […] The post Feeling Right with My Smartphone Afte…

What’s the future of mobile media publishing? As digital newspapers and magazines switch to the Web–especially using mobile apps–publishers must change mobile media copywriting strategies. This includes New York Times digital and mobile publications. I was an early adopter of the New York Times iPad version. But I found its iOS app inferior to the …

Have lots of social media mobile devices? You’re ready to take a vacation. (Don’t miss the dramatized podcast.) Picture this. You’re relaxing under a beach umbrella with a gorgeous view of the ocean, your kids happily playing in the water, your spouse enjoying beach volleyball. And you? Well, you’re happy as a clam reading your iPad, […] The post T…

What would Walter Cronkite say about mobile world news if he were still alive? In his parting television interview on CBS, Walter Cronkite bemoaned the 30 minute newscast and how only another ten minutes would provide greater context to television news and information. (Actually, his 30 minute evening program, watched by millions, was only 23 […] T…

Well, who said mobile app store growth would become a fight between iOS and Android? As it turns out Samsung, a sleepy Asian giant, now Apple’s threatened lawsuit against GetJar, calling itself a mobile “app store,” demonstrates Apple’s delusional grandeur to dominate mobile, media, entertainment and other industries it fancies. That Apple’s lawyer…

Now that you’ve protected your personal computer with antivirus software, it’s time to zap those mobile electronic bugs before they invade your smartphone. Here’s a list of the top ten 2012 mobile antivirus software products. Tony Anscombe, who has the auspicious title of “Ambassador of Free Products” at AVG, says Android phones, in particular, nee…

The perfect mobile device. Ah, where is it? How do I find it? Walked around the mall today, stopped by the Sprint store to check out the crowd, expertly playing with smartphones. Sauntered over to the Verizon booth, two guys, talking, laughing, no customers in sight. The T-Mobile store was quiet like a funeral home. No Most mobolites–that’s […] The…

Tom Conrad Discusses Pandora Internet Radio In May, 2009, Tom Conrad, CTO of Pandora Internet Radio appeared on MobileBeyond in a “behind the scenes” audio interview. Recently, Pandora went public on the New York Stock Exchange and now has an valuation of $4 billion dollars. Over the years–first with personal computers, later mobile phones, Pandora…

Nicolie Pangis, a Senior Vice President at 24/7 Real Media, wrote a provocative article in Click Z called “What Multitasking Consumers Mean for Marketers.” She argues, unlike popular belief, that new media don’t necessarily destroy the old. People simply adapt to media multitasking. A good example is a teenager listening to music on an iPod, while …

We take a lot of things for granted? Like mobile website designs. If you awakened one morning, turned on your smartphone and none of your apps worked, what would you do? Would you stare at a blank dark screen and only make phone calls? Or would you hit the browser button taking you to a […] The post Mobile Website Designs at Trilibis with Ted Veran…

The Sprint Samsung Nexus S Story Like many of you, I upgraded to a Samsung Nexus S a few days ago. Then I spent time today with the Sprint Community and Google Samsung Nexus S forum folks online. Lots of chat about weak RF signals. So I Googled around the Web and found mostly praise for […] The post Samsung Nexus S Signal Issues Irk Customers appea…

What do you do when you’re part of a social network company with 100 million members in 200 countries who love to get tagged? Steve Sarner, VP of Marketing at Tagged.com, is working on that challenge right now. Oh, by the way, he’d loved the firm to generate $100 million in revenue. Not bad for […] The post Get Tagged with Steve Sarner at Tagged.Co…

Have you ever been to a party or other social event where you’re talking excitedly with someone who has no interest in mobile technology? You’re bubbling over like warm champagne shooting out of a bottle on New Year’s Eve, while you start feeling “hey, this nerd couldn’t care less about technology. “I’m a mobile geek; […] The post Are Mobile Geeks …

New media marketing is making newspaper marketers scratch their head. But why is it so difficult to understand how Internet surfers use the Web for news and information? While searching through my Google News page this morning, I clicked on “mobile Internet devices” and an interesting article on Cloud Computing getting clobbered by regulators poppe…

Do you think people suffer from technology dependence? Has Silicon Valley planted viruses in electronic devices making us dependent on what it produces? Like a perpetual illness, are we so dependent on technology that living without continuous digital change our brains would wither? Technology is miraculous and wonderful when it performs well. If y…

Mobile Cloud Computing is taking the world by storm as desktop computers fade into oblivion. Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, speaking at the Gartner Symposium last October 2010, “hinted,” as EWeek wrote, those Windows smartphones were just like desktops and laptops. In other words, these powerful new mobile devices are only miniatures of bigger gadgets…

Things are heating up in Washington. No, it’s not reconciling a one trillion plus budget before the government shuts down. It’s consumer mobile privacy and Pandora Media, the Internet radio company that’s going public with an IPO. According to the LA Times, a federal grand jury would like to talk with Pandora about personal data sharing, […] The po…

(Updated 4/20/2023) TED –founded in 1984–has become the most coveted video stage in the digital content revolution. Thousands of speakers, coached by the TED staff, share their ideas in front of large audiences, while the videos frequently go viral and are viewed by millions of people. If you’re unfamiliar with this extraordinary worldwide organiza…

Jay Hinman talks about Video Streaming Services When I interviewed Tricia Higgins at MobiTV about its live video streaming services last year, the company had 10 million customers. That’s grown to over 15 million with no end in sight. Through its carrier partners–AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile–other broadband services like AT&T U-Verse and content produ…

Everyone’s talking about tablets. Will the iPad 2 gobble up 80% market share? Apple freaks tweet, post and talk like Steve Jobs: “The iPad is ‘magical, incredible.'” Android-based tablets, like the Samsung Tab, are growing as fast as rabbits in heat. But I think mobile phones are much cooler than tablet computers. Believe me I’m […] The post Mobile…

When you listen to the podcast interview intro and end about mobile speech, don’t think I’ve changed genders. It’s iSpeech’s voice technology (speech recognition and text-to-speech) introducing my interview with Yaron Oren, the company’s CMO. DriveSafe.ly is available for iPhone, Android, Windows, and BlackBerry smartphones. Download the app online…

The Times of India today published a summary of an eye-opening study by Nokia about India mobile apps. In November, 2010, Nokia segmented the country geographically and asked 501 mobile consumers about India mobile apps preferences on their smartphones. Results show significant differences in various regions of the country. Here’s a summary of the …

T-Mobile is hurting financially. Consumers increasingly face wireless carrier domination. Is there enough wireless competition in the U.S.? Would having greater competition reduce mobile charges and increase services? Some thoughts… Betanews has an interesting article about T-Mobile USA, its wireless competitors and Deutsche Telekom, TM’s parent co…