On why Android makes way more sense than Google Phone

There has been a lot of talk about whether or not Google has done the right thing by developing Android. Some say developing its own phone, the so-called Google phone, would have been a better idea. Some say Android is the better idea. Now, where do I stand in this issue?

It’s very simple. Android is Google’s best chance to dominate the mobile world. The reason is very, very obvious. Just think - How did Google become the top dog in the internet? By serving ads to websites all over the world. In other words, Google made everyone use their service.

Now, think of the same scenario here in the mobile world. Instead of creating a phone which can only be used by so many users, Google has come up with a mobile platform which has the potential to reach hundreds of millions of users all over the world. Android is capable of reaching a wide range of operators and users all over the world and this is exactly the route to Google’s success in the mobile world.

With Android, operators will find it easier to make their subscribers use mobile internet as that is where the revenue is. The more the number of users that use mobile internet, the more money it will be for Google, as it will be serving ads through Android. In other words, Android will help Google replicate its online success in the mobile world.

Remember – it’s a market of over a billion users out there. There’s plenty of fish in the sea. Google, in my opinion, has both the experience and the expertise to pull it off in the mobile world, just like they did in the online world. So, wait and watch.

Categories: Google.

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Mobile web is huge - says Nielson Mobile

A latest report from Nielson Mobile says that mobile internet has reached a tipping point. According to its latest survey, there are over 40 million active mobile internet users in the U.S. alone. And the number is growing steadily by the day. So, Nielson Mobile states that mobile internet, as an advertising medium, has reached a critical mass. What this means to advertisers is that they now have a very good market with a good demographic depth.

Now, this should not be surprising for anyone who’s been following the mobile web market closely. Mobile broadband usage has skyrocketed in the recent times and we’ve had report after report predicting just how big mobile web can be in the future. So, all I can say to people who doubted the potential of mobile web is – I told you so. In fact, I think there is still scope for a huge growth. As more and more people start using Apple iPhones, Blackberries, Nokia N95s, and other such phones, the number of mobile web users will increase exponentially. Already, over 80% of iPhone users surf the internet regularly from their phone. So, with more and more sophisticated devices coming into the market, we can expect further growth.

Now that we’ve heard the good news, can you predict which the most popular website among mobile internet users is? If you said Yahoo, give yourself a self-congratulatory pat on your back.

This again should not be very surprising for people following the mobile web market closely. Yahoo has made tremendous progress in the mobile web market and it’s not surprising that it enjoys great popularity among users. However, Google and Microsoft come in the second and third spots respectively and are not far away either.

Categories: Mobile Web.

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Mobile advertising in India will be a $100 million market soon

With over 270 million mobile users, India is considered probably the hottest mobile phone market in the world. With this being the case, mobile advertisers are trying to cash in on the opportunity, as expected. As we’ve already seen, Indian operators are excited about mobile advertising and they see it as a potential long term revenue generating model. So, it’s only a matter of time before mobile advertising takes off big time in India.

Industry experts have predicted that mobile phone advertising in India would be worth more than $100 million in just a few years from now. Considering the market is currently valued at a measly $1million, it looks like quite a prediction. But experts firmly believe that the Indian market has the potential to become one of the top players in the world as far as mobile advertising is concerned. However, there are a couple of issues which need to be addressed to make this happen.

First, the cost of mobile web should be brought down. Though data plans in India are pretty much affordable, mobile web is one area where they can bring down the cost furthermore to attract more users to use the mobile internet facility regularly.

Second, the issue of revenue sharing between advertisers and mobile operators is an area of concern. Right now, the ratio is 70:30 with 70% of the revenue going to mobile operators and 30% going to advertisers. Understandably, advertisers are not exactly happy with this disproportionate sharing and they want this ratio to be revised.

Experts say that if mobile operators and advertisers could address these issues, the market may reach the $100 million mark sooner than later.

I actually think the issues mentioned here are common for markets all over the world. Even in the U.S., not everyone with a web-enabled phone is enthusiastic about surfing the web regularly, as the data plans are pretty costly. And the issue of disproportionate revenue sharing is not unheard of either, as the spat between Verizon and Google is well known. So, it’s basically an inherent flaw in the system. Unless people address this issue, there will always be hurdles in the path.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

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A look at India – the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world

India has been the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world for quite some time now. There are already 250 million mobile phone users in India and the number gets increased by 6 million every month, thanks to new users. There are a few reasons behind this impressive growth.

1. Indian economy is on a roll and has had an impressive growth over the past few years. This has increased the purchasing power of the people significantly, especially that of the middle class people. As a result, the 30 million middle class people in India are the target customer segment for mobile companies now.

2. The price range of mobile phones is quite big. You can get low-end mobile phones in the $20 - $30 price range and at the same time you can get high-end mobile phones in the $600 - $800 price range. So, whether you belong to the super rich category, middle class, or lower middle class category, you can get a mobile phone which fits into your budget.

3. There are several major mobile operators in India and there is intense competition in the market. Almost all of them have slashed their call charges, text message charges, and offer a lot of value added services. What this means to the user is, not only can he get a handset at an affordable rate, but he can also afford to keep his phone charges within his budget every month. This has led to more and more people buying mobile phones.

Recent reports predict that India will have a whopping 500 million mobile users by 2010. This is the reason why mobile advertising is considered the next big thing in the Indian market.

Though mobile advertising by third party advertisers is yet to become popular, several mobile operators are already doing it successfully. Notable players like Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance, and Vodafone regularly send text messages to their users regarding latest offers, new plans, and other issues.

That said, a few big players have already tried their hands on mobile advertising through third party advertisers and have had a good response. Recently, Hindustan Lever and Coca Cola launched mobile advertising campaigns promoting their products and have had good response rate so far. Since Indians are very active in using features like text message, MMS, and mobile internet, mobile advertisers have tons of choices to come up with personalized mobile advertising campaigns.

All in all, India will be a market to watch out for in the next few years as far as mobile advertising is concerned.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

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Yahoo’s plans to dominate mobile internet

For long I’ve been focusing on Yahoo’s growth in the mobile internet market. From innovative mobile applications to strategic partnerships with companies all over the world, Yahoo is going great guns in the mobile internet market.

Recently, I read an article on Yahoo in a PR site which explained Yahoo’s plans in the mobile world. Usually I read such press releases with a pinch of salt, as things are often hyped and there is a lot of jargon involved. But surprisingly, this was very simple and to the point. I noticed a couple of very good points which I’d like to share with you.

Yahoo’s policy as far as mobile internet is simple. It focuses on three things.

1. Offering the best possible search facility in mobile phones

2. Serving the customers with relevant, targeted, useful ads

3. Being utmost careful in handing users’ private information and take their privacy very seriously

In my opinion, this is perhaps the best possible way to reach the top spot in mobile advertising industry. In Yahoo’s case, it becomes even more important to reach the top spot in the mobile internet market, as it has a point to prove to a lot of people. Ever since the Yahoo-Microsoft deal failed, people have been skeptical about Yahoo and there is a lot of pressure from its investors too. In such a scenario, grabbing the top spot, even if it’s only in the mobile space and not in the online space, could prove a thing or two to people.

I think Yahoo has everything to become the top dog in the business. It has useful mobile applications like onePlace, oneSearch, and oneConnect, all of which have been received well by mobile users. It also has made partnerships with a lot of companies and it is now said to have the potential to reach a whopping 600 million users. The only thing that needs to be seen is how Yahoo competes with a company that is hell bent on gaining the top spot in the mobile industry – Google.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Yahoo, Mobile Web.

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