BlackBerry to Offer Music Service Glam Media Goes Mobile Tablets Outshine Smartphone in Media Capabilities Coupons Delivered to Your Shopping Cart in Real Time

And more

BLACKBERRY TO OFFER

MUSIC SERVICE

RIM, the maker of BlackBerry devices, is moving into the music service space by reportedly developing its own service, BBM Music. BBM Music is planned to launch in the near future and will work within BlackBerry’s messenger system.

BBM Music is said to allow access to fifty songs at a time and enables users to share songs with friends over BlackBerry Messenger. The service is anticipated to be less expensive than iTunes or Spotify.

RIM aims to target millennial users who desire a customized phone experience. The service could potentially allow users the ability to set ringtones and ringback tones to their favorite tunes.

Read more about this service here.

Source: arstechnica.com

ANDROID DOMINATES SMARTPHONE MARKET Although Apple has trumped Nokia as the world’s largest maker of smartphones, Android proves to be tops in terms of smartphone operating system. Canalys, a U.K. –based research firm, recently released findings that Android increased its market share to 48% of smartphone shipments during second quarter.

Apple captured second place with 19% share (20.3 million iPhones shipped during the quarter). With the next generation iPhone anticipated to be available later this year, Apple’s market share may grow stronger as the year comes to a close.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform charts a blasé performance by capturing only 1% of market share. The next version of Windows Phone, Mango, has hopes of improved performance.

Source: MediaPost GLAM MEDIA GOES

MOBILE

Glam Media, publisher of an influential network of digital content through properties such as Glam.com, Bliss.com and DailyMakeover, has launched an expansion of its mobile presence.

For advertisers, Glam is introducing GlamMobile, a platform to make ad management easier. The company has created GlamEnable for publishers. GlamEnable serves as an automated system for creating mobile optimized-sites and applications. Initially 75 of Glam’s 2,500 affiliated publishers will have mobile-tailored sites, with plans to roll out to the remaining publishers over time.

Glam tends to attract big brand advertisers like Coach, Estee Lauder, and Mercedes-Benz and is hopeful that these improved mobile opportunities will prove financially advantageous as advertisers take advantage of high-impact, rich media ads in mobile. Learn more here.

Source: mediapost.com and wired.com (picture)

SAFETY FIRST – HOW CELL PHONES IMPACT DRIVING HABITS The Harris Poll performed a summer study on the impact that cell phones are having on driving habits. The findings reported that 60% of drivers now use cell phones while driving, with 91% of adults knowing it is unsafe to do so.

While talking on the cell phone is dangerous, texting while driving is even more so. 60% of those surveyed admitted to texting while driving. This practice is more common in younger drivers – 49% of Millennials read or send texts while driving, compared to 24% of Gen X and 11% of Boomers.

77% of the public believes that the roads would be safer with the use of hands-free cell phones. In the past two years, the percentage of drivers with cell phones who use them while driving has dropped from 72% to 60%.

Read more about this study here.

Source: MediaPost

TABLETS OUTSHINE

SMARTPHONES IN

MEDIA CAPABILITIES

Tablets, mostly made popular by Apple’s iPad, are becoming mainstream tech devices. As Amazon is positioned to enter the tablet market with a lower-cost model, the industry anticipates that tablet adoption will accelerate.

Research firm I-Stat reports that half of tablet users watch full-length movies and TV shows on their devices. In addition to offering a larger screen than a phone, tablets are able to go from the home to the office as well as on-the-go.

As the tablet market continues to grow, smartphones will be challenged to compete as mobile media devices. Advertising dollars are likely to follow the technology that proves to be most appealing to consumers.

Read more here.

Source: MediaPost and apple.com (image)

QR CODES ON

CIGARETTE PACKAGES

INDICATE NEARBY

SMOKING AREAS

Smoking bans in public places are the norm; however this smoke-free world leads smokers in search of public areas where they can partake in their habit. A Croatian cigarette brand, Ronhill, has begun including QR codes on packaging to indicate areas in close proximity where smoking is allowed.

Smartphone users scan the code on the package and are taken to a regional mobile site. The site bases suggested smoking areas based on the users current location.

Learn more here.

Source: springwise.com

GET DEALS FROM

LOCAL RETAILERS

STRAIGHT TO YOUR

PHONE

With the trend of daily deals continuing, it takes time to weed through the various daily deal sites or search the web for a relevant offer to a desired retailer. Australian-based QuickerFeet has created an app that consolidates deals from local retailers and delivers them to consumers’ phones.

To avoid being overwhelmed by a vast number of deals, users indicate specific retailers that they are interested in receiving offers from. When individual retail locations post specials or advertise a promotion, QuickerFeet sends an update to users. No coupons or “check ins” are required to receive the offer.

Read more here.

Source: springwise.com

COUPONS DELIVERED

TO YOUR GROCERY

CART IN REAL TIME

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take advantage of coupons without the hassle of clipping, organizing and keeping track of the ones needed? SK Telecom is in the process of testing a Smart Cart that synchronizes shopping carts to users’ smartphones in order to offer coupons and other real-time information.

Shoppers download an app to their smartphones which allows them to search for product information and create a shopping list before arriving at the store. Upon arrival at a participating store, shoppers can synch their smartphones to the tablet PC installed in the cart. As they move through the store, shoppers receive coupons and relevant product information. The cart reports a list of selected products, coupons and member points at checkout.

Read more here.

Source: springwise.com

DOES EVERYONE OWN A SMARTPHONE? It may seem like everyone owns a smartphone these days. A recent study by Pew Internet & American Life Project notes that 35% of American adults are smartphone owners.

Just who are the adults making up the 35% of smartphone owners? One would anticipate that the affluent as well as younger generations would be among those smartphone owners. Those assumptions would be correct. The study finds that the affluent and well-educated adults are in this group. 59% of adults with a household income of $75,000+ and 48% of those will a college degree are smartphone owners.

Urban and suburban dwellers are nearly twice as likely to own smartphones as those adults living in rural areas.

Learn more about the study here.

Source: MediaPost and verizonwireless.com (picture)