Google to become the default search provider for Sprint

Google, in an attempt to further strengthen its position in the mobile market, has taken its relationship with Sprint to the next level. From now on, Sprint users will be able to access Google applications more easily than ever.

1. Google will become the default search provider in Sprint’s portal. Also, Sprint plans to add a Google search box to the screen of a chosen few devices so that users will be able to access Google with a single click.

2. Google will also be the default provider of GPS enabled local search for Sprint users.

3. Google Maps for mobile will be available on Sprint handsets. Using this, users will be able to access live traffic information, get direction assistance for driving, view roadmaps, find local businesses, and also view satellite imagery, which is a specialty of Google.

4. Google’s YouTube will be available on new Sprint handsets. Needless to say, this will probably be the most accessed application of Google in Sprint handsets.

Sprint has been one company which has always stood by Google and it’s not surprising at all that they’ve got into such a deal. If you remember, Sprint was one of the first companies to make Gmail available in its portal about a couple of years back. Also, Sprint is a part of Google’s Open Handset Alliance.

In my opinion, this is a perfect example of a symbiotic relationship. Google will gain a stronghold in the mobile market by reaching out to a lot of customers and Sprint will be able to offer a lot of choices and a richer mobile experience for its users.

Categories: Google, All things mobile phones.

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No Country for Old Men

A report released by Deloitte Touché, a leading consulting company, had some interesting points about mobile advertising and mobile marketing.

As a rule of thumb, mobile advertisers always connect to the younger ones – teenagers and people in their early 20s. It is widely believed that the young ones make use of mobile phones to the maximum possible extent and hence mobile marketing is generally meant for the young. But aren’t we missing something so obvious here?

Young ones, though largely mobile-savvy, don’t have a regular, disposable income. In other words, they cannot afford to spend as they wish. Most of them are dependent on part-time jobs or their parents for money – which means, no matter how good your mobile advertising campaign is, they can afford only so much.

But the case of boomers is not like this. They have a high disposable income and they are in fact the target customer base for many industries around the world. Also, people in the 30-50 age group are more loyal to carriers and phone makers. In other words, they stick to a particular carrier and a particular mobile maker as they can identify themselves with them. But youngsters, especially teenagers, don’t do that. They change their handsets often and jump from one carrier to another in search of new, cool features. What this means to carriers and advertisers is – you can’t expect something called customer retention.

Duncan Stewart, one of the authors of this report, said that targeting only the youth market may not prove to be a successful strategy in the long run.

I think the important reason behind targeting the youth market is the fact that they are the early adopters of new technologies. So, it becomes easier to appeal to them. But then, the report says it clearly – there is significant potential in the boomer market. Mobile marketers, are you listening?

PS: To those who know me, the title of this post shouldn’t come as a surprise at all.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

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Yahoo launches its mobile developer platform and the latest version of Yahoo Go

Gang; it’s war time again. As we all know, Google has simply taken the mobile industry by storm with Google Android. Yahoo, in an attempt to counter attack, has come up with its own platform for mobile internet applications. It’s the Yahoo! Mobile Developer Platform. Also, it has released the latest version of Yahoo Go, which is Yahoo Go 3.0. The mobile developer platform will focus on providing developers all over the world an opportunity to develop mobile applications that can run on hundreds of different mobile sets, something that is not possible as of now.

As of now, if a developer comes up with a useful mobile application, he can make it run only on a specific handset with a specific technology. If he wants to run the same application on some other mobile, he will have to modify the application every time. With hundreds of different handsets with different technologies, it is really time consuming for developers to rewrite their applications every now and then. So, Yahoo! Mobile Developer Platform will provide a platform wherein developers can develop mobile applications that will run on a wide variety of handsets, thereby eliminating the need to rewrite them.

This is considered a great move in the industry, particularly because the applications created through the platform can run on about 250 mobile devices, which is great news for developers around the world. It is supposed to be distributed free of charge, as Yahoo plans to make money by advertising on the applications in the platform.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, Yahoo, Mobile Web.

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