DROID sales in the USA and the robo-promotional ads from Verizon has boosted Android sales, so much so that hits on my blog have started to double since the new phone went on sale.
Stats are good – Top searchs on Best Apps are going to my posts for Top Android Apps and 2 top Android apps from Google.
Should you be worried that you don’t have an iPhone app? Do you know if you’re website works on a mobile? what about mobile SEO? It is very important for CEO’s and CMO’s to add mobile to their communications and marketing strategy.
The fact that most companies have yet to build a mobile website shows you are not alone and many companies want to know what they should do first. Build an app. Build a mobile strategy or do something. Considering each three …
Build an app
Answer Yes to these questions and you’ll know that building an app is right for you:
Choosing iPhone is the natural option for good PR or awards material. We build apps and games for iPhone and any other smartphones
Build a strategy
Want to understand mobile better, then consider how ‘mobile’ fits in your marketing mix. Could you get better PR? Leverage a viral campaign? Link mobile to your social media approach? Or want smartphone users to find your brand. We then suggest you build a mobile website and maybe build an app too.
Do something
Yes actually, doing something is a strategy – build a mobile friendly site, build an app and start to learn from them. Stay motivated and maybe expect the same results as the early web pioneers. Once you’ve done something you’ll still need to promote it.
Sony Ericsson delivered a blow to Microsoft on Tuesday when it unveiled its latest Xperia handset, which unlike its Windows-powered predecessors is based on Google’s Android operating system.
Called X10, the flagship smartphone comes with a new Sony Ericsson-designed user interface that aggregates the user’s contacts and communications from the likes of Facebook and Twitter into a single address book.
The system is akin to HTC’s Sense interface, and Motorola’s Motoblur interface, both of which feature on the respective companies’ new Android phones.
“It’s time for Sony Ericsson to put more focus on the smartphone market and Android is a good platform for them to do this,” said Roberta Cozza, principal analyst at Gartner.
source: http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=450402&mail=128&C=0
With the boom in the number of apps in the App Store (over 100,000) and total downloads in excess of 2bn … someone has got to be making money … right?
In part, the iPhone does offer a better platform for apps – it’s about to overtake RIM as the leading consumer smartphone, sold more than 34 million units and got some of the highest mobile internet usage rates we’ve seen so far.
It’s not fair to say that Developers, Ad agencies or Brands are making money out of the app store.
The problem is discovery – you have to do a lot to get your app to the Featured or Popular lists and that has got to start with spending money on good PR and a Viral / Word of Mouth campaign. For small time developers and startups, who might not account for these costs – they do expect GOOD PR and WoM to equal GREAT results.
Whatever you spend on building the app and promoting the app is not going to be made back in app revenue, consider that the majority of apps are given away for ‘free’. How does anyone make money?
I attended the NMAlive workshop in London last week which looked at Why You Need an App … I agree with all the presenters, which is you have to do something mobile … but expecting it to be a new revenue stream from Day 0 is misleading.
Recently the blogosphere has gone a bit crazy, excuse my lack of hyperbole about the Android platform. Was this ‘Android’ supposed to do battle with the iPhone?
Just because no operators or manufacturers have openly commented about their smart phone sales figures doesn’t mean its bad news. Looking at the number of Android powered phones out now or due in the next 2 months shows a lot of promise
As well we know that Sony Ericsson have robot phones coming and the other manufacturers have been toying with this platform.
As far as smartphones go though – Nokia admitted recently they have lost some of their steam to Apple and have not being able to come up with a device that is just as iconic. Some sales figures for Q2 2009 still show Blackberry as the most popular Manufacturer.
So for Xmas will you want an Android?
Balsamiq – I love it – the fonts and stuff can seem a bit cheesy … but I’ve take to this like a duck to water. Its much more useful than powerpoint, visio or other tools as its designed for wireframing.
Being built on Adobe Air means anyone can use it.
my phoney cellfone
It’s very quick to create a UE design and while I couldn’t find a template or mockup for cell phone / mobile phone. I now made my own.
You can get my balsamiq mock fone here
Following on yesterday’s news that Orange Uk will start selling iPhone … ending O2 / Telefonica’s virtual monopoly in the UK. Today, Vodafone in UK and Ireland announced their plans to sell Apple iPhones.
Good news for the operators? well ending the monopoly of iPhone was a good move. An operator with a data usage strategy will want to be selling iPhones along side other data hungry phones like RIM, Android, Symbian devices.
Many first mover customers coming out of their 24 month agreements on the iPhone 2G will be happy to wait a few months, but 3G and 3GS users probably will be waiting another 12 – 24 months.
For Christmas does this mean an Apple under the tree??? I don’t think so.
Apple’s iPhone will be available to Orange customers in the UK later this year, ending rival O2’s exclusive deal over the must-have handset, the mobile operator said.
The announcement by Orange ends months of speculation that it was trying to muscle in on O2’s deal with Apple, which gave it exclusive UK rights to the iPhone in 2007. The 3G and 3GS versions will be available to Orange UK customers “later this year”, but no further details of dates, handset costs or tariffs are available yet, the firm said.
Operator exclusivity over Apple’s iPhone for the past 2 years has probably been good for boosting retention and aquisition in customers who love Apple or were already using smartphones.
This makes sense for the possible soon to be bigger operator. Customers on Orange are already offered a choice of Android, Symbian and Blackberry smartphones. Adding Apple to the range improves the chances of them staying with Orange and increasing ARPU and data usage.
What do you think? A smart move ??
*** 4 November – updated *** Orange is sending out emails to everyone who signed up to their Apple database. Orange claimed over 200,000 people signed up
From today 3 UK will reward customers with cashback for referrals.
Join 3’s Free Agent team and get paid for promoting our free SIMs online. You get £5 cash when each friend first tops up their SIM by a minimum of £10, and they get an extra £2 credit. There’s no limit to the amount of money you can make.
see also: http://freeagent.three.co.uk/
Name: Giffgaff
MNO: O2
A SIM-only MVNO offering cheaper calls to its most active subscribers is to launch in the UK before Christmas.
Giffgaff will reward subscribers with cash rebates when they distribute its SIMs, help other members via its forums and suggest ideas which are then implemented by the company.
source: http://www.nma.co.uk/
