Mobile search grew 68% last year - says research firm

The latest report from comScore says that mobile search is growing by leaps and bounds in the U.S. and Western Europe – a terrific 68% growth in the U.S. and 38% growth in Western Europe. The research firm says that mobile search has a huge future and these numbers could go up considerably in the coming years.

With the influx of high end phones like Apple iPhone and smart phones, mobile users find it easier to access the internet from their mobile phone. So, they use the search facility extensively. Experts say that the introduction of 3G has played a big role in the growth of mobile search. In fact, since the introduction of 3G, the number of mobile users in the U.S. that use the mobile search facility has doubled.

Now, let’s take a look at some numbers.

1. Between June 2007 and June 2008, around 21 million U.S. subscribers and 4.5 million European subscribers used the mobile search facility.

2. Google is the most important search provider for mobile phones. It has a 60% market share in mobile search around the world. It is followed by its fiercest competitor in the mobile space, Yahoo, which has a market share of around 35%. As you know, Google is the default search provider for Sprint and the iPhone and Yahoo is the default search provider for AT&T.

3. 9.5% of mobile users in the U.K. used the mobile search facility last year, which is unprecedented. In the U.S., around 9.2% of mobile users used the search facility.

If the mobile industry continues to grow at this rate, which it will, we can expect a lot more high end phones at affordable rates, cheaper and better data plans, and as a result, a huge increase in the number of people who use the mobile search facility.

Categories: All things mobile phones.

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Microsoft and Sprint bring location based Live Search technology to mobile phones

Microsoft has joined hands with Sprint to bring location based search function in high-end phones. This function, location based Live Search, will take your location into account while giving search results, thereby helping you choose the most relevant ones.

Location based Live Search uses a technology called cellular tower triangulation, which pings cellular towers and finds your location easily. This can be of great help to people. Especially, if you are out of town and don’t have a clue about the place you are in, this technology can come into play big time. Just imagine. You are out of town, in a place about which you have no clue. You want to have lunch in a decent restaurant but not sure where to find one. You can take your mobile phone and search for a restaurant nearby. The search results will show you the restaurants available nearby and your problem is solved.

The most impressive thing about this technology is that it doesn’t require a GPS enabled phone to find your location. Since it pings cellular towers and finds your location, you are free to use any phone on Sprint’s network.

Categories: All things mobile phones, Microsoft.

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Mobile broadband - the next big thing

Some of you might be wondering why I come up with terms like mobile broadband and mobile internet as often as I can. Well; let me put it in a way that everyone can understand.

Let’s say. You go out of town. A town where broadband internet centers don’t exist. And you’re not exactly the Blackberry-carrying, laptop-flaunting executive type. You need to check your email or need to check out something darn important in some obscure website. What do you do?

The solution could be – a good mobile phone with mobile internet / mobile broadband facility. And don’t think I’m the only one who’s rooting for this. A recent survey by ComScore states that mobile broadband usage went up by a freaking 154% in the fourth quarter of 2007. Not surprisingly, Verizon and Sprint account for most of the mobile broadband market.

Now, the next time you see someone questioning you on mobile broadband/mobile internet/mobile email/mobile games/mobile entertainment/mobile advertising, or hell, anything mobile, teach him all this. Or better yet, direct him to this blog.

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

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AdMob + Unicast = Effective Mobile Advertising Campaigns

AdMob, a well known name in mobile advertising, has joined hands with Unicast in an effort to make its mobile advertising campaigns better and more effective. Through this partnership, AdMob will use Unicast’s Rich Media Mobile Platform to make its advertising campaigns richer, better, and more effective.

Rich Media Mobile is a technology which can be used to create rich, effective mobile advertisements and track their performance. Mobile advertisers are thrilled at the prospect of having a technology which will not only make their advertising campaigns better, but also track their performance and hence help them calculate the ROI (Return on Investment) perfectly.

Rich Media Mobile uses a unique technology which can automatically find out the type of mobile phone a user has and the kind of media it can play and offer the mobile content in the right format. In other words, this technology will customize mobile content and deliver it appropriately. This will help mobile marketers deliver their content effectively and enhance the experience of mobile advertising for end users. You can track your advertising campaigns through real-time reporting and assess their effectiveness. The service is compatible with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and other prominent US carriers.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

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Iamota Impact - Mobile marketing service for retailers

Iamota, a mobile application service provider, recently launched a service called ‘Iamota Impact’. This service is targeted toward retailers and small business owners and it will help them come up with effective mobile marketing campaigns. Iamota is confident that their service will find lots of takers as mobile advertising is considered hot in the retail sector.

With this service, retailers will be able to create an account in Iamota’s website. Through this, they will have access to a number of mobile users with whom they can interact and try to sell their products or services. They can send text messages with product information, discount coupons, contests, polls, and so on. All this is done on an opt-in basis, which means mobile users will have the choice to opt in or opt out of any of these marketing campaigns. This means a win-win situation for both the retailer and the end user. While the retailer is able to target his consumers more effectively, the consumers have the right to either accept or deny his offers, thus making it extremely easy for both the parties involved.

As of now, this service works with Alltel, AT&T, Boost, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Virgin Mobile. The makers of Iamota Impact are confident that their service will reduce the complexity in the mobile channel and help business owners reach their target consumers more effectively without spending big bucks.

In my opinion, services like this, which are targeted toward retailers and small business owners, are extremely important for the growth of mobile marketing and advertising industry, as retail industry is one industry which can use mobile advertising and marketing very effectively to its advantage.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

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