On MocoSpace’s impressive growth rate and mobile social networking

Well; it’s raining funds here in mobile advertising and networking market. After Smaato and Blyk, it’s MocoSpace which caught everyone’s attention a couple days back with two back-to-back milestones.

Firstly, it got a $4 million funding from a pool of investors which included General Catalyst, Pilot Group, and Michael Dearing, a former eBay executive. Secondly, MocoSpace recently went past the magical figure of 2 million users for its mobile social networking service. There is still a lot of scope for improvement as far as MocoSpace is concerned, but you’ve got to give it to those guys. Their mobile based social networking service gets over 1 billion page views every month. Believe me, that is just too big a number for a firm like this.

The user base of MocoSpace mainly consists of young, urban crowd who are into social networking as if their life depended on it, and it is evident from the number of page views this service gets every month.

What intrigues me the most is this – there are not many smart phones available in the market, at least as of now, and a majority of mobile users use ordinary handsets. In other words, mobile web experience will not be as good as it will be on a smart phone. If this kind of growth is possible at this stage, I wonder what would be the growth rate when more and more people start using smart phones in future. There’s a goldmine to be explored; that’s for sure.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, Mobile Social Networking.

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Five reasons why Google Android will topple Apple iPhone

While a lot of people, including yours truly, are going gung-ho about Google Android, Steve Jobs might be pondering over its impact on the market and most importantly, the kind of competition it might give Apple iPhone. Well; Steve, don’t worry. You don’t need to have any second thought on that. It will give you a run for your money. Personally, my opinion is that Google Android is right on the money and could become the biggest accomplishment of Google, only next to the Google Search Engine. I’m not necessarily anti-Apple, but I do have my reasons for my stand. Let’s check it out.

1. Google loves to play the numbers game. With the Open Handset Alliance, it has got 34 of the biggest names in the market up its sleeve and it could be nothing short of a winning combination. The alliance comprises big names like Intel, QUALCOMM Inc., Motorola, T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, eBay Inc., and many more.
2. Google offers a toolkit for Android, which programmers around the world can make use of to improve the software in all Android based cell phones and even build a new version of it. Just imagine, millions of programmers have the license to come up with something that will reach out to every nook and cranny of the world and make them popular like never before.
3. Most importantly, developers don’t need to pay anything to get their Android based applications licensed. Google will help you sell your application via an online-market place developed by Google. Here comes the best part – you don’t need to share the revenue with Google. It’s all yours. You develop it, you don’t spend a penny to get it licensed, you sell it without any trouble, and you keep all the revenues. Now, how does that sound for a win-win proposition?
4. Google allows handset makers and carriers to use Android free of cost, without spending a dime. Google will get its revenue from advertisements that the phone will carry. Whereas in the current scenario, handset makers and carriers pay a licensing fee to use Symbian and Microsoft. What do you think would stop them from shifting to Android?
5. Last but certainly not the least – It’s Google baby. They know how to play the game.

The way I look at it, Google Android could become the undisputed leader in well under a couple of years. What? You think the other way? Why don’t you voice your opinion over there in that tiny little comment box? Let’s get different perspectives on this issue.

PS: If you are an avid iPhone user, sorry pal – I’ve burst your bubble.

Categories: Google, Apple iPhone.

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