BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: If You're Not Mobile, You're Not Going Anywhere

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The U.S. Smartphone Revolution Is Already Entering The Late Innings (BI Intelligence)
To listen to some mobile industry executives and investors tell it, you would think the smartphone revolution was just beginning. In the United States, however (one of the more mature smartphone markets) we're actually already entering the later innings. Specifically, smartphone penetration in the U.S. has reached the point where market growth will begin to slow rapidly. And in a few more years, the U.S. market will be almost fully penetrated. The maturing of the U.S. smartphone market, combined with the less-attractive financial demographics of future new users (most affluent Americans already have a smartphone), mean that the growth rate of the U.S. smartphone ecosystem--gadgets, apps, ads, mobile commerce, and mobile web usage--will also likely slow over the next few years. Executives and investors who still regard the U.S. smartphone revolution as being in its early stages, therefore, should take heed. To access the full report, click here.

Will Prosumer Tablets Beat The iPad In The Enterprise? (SAP)
Consumer appeal has been the most important factor in the business tablet war to date. That’s because the vast majority of tablets used for work (~83%) have been brought in by workers via their employers’ Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs. It’s why the iPad has dominated. It vexes the IT snobs and command-and-control traditionalists. Intellectually, they might understand that we’re in an era of increasing consumerization of IT, and that they need to stop thinking that they get to call all the technology shots. But old habits die hard. Bottom line: enterprises should not expect Windows 8 to herald a return to one platform. Enterprises should expect to support iOS, Android and Windows 8 if they want to optimize worker performance and morale.

How To Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly (Entrepreneur)
Most business websites are still designed with only a desktop or laptop computer in mind and interacting with the site via a mobile device can be clumsy at best. One solution is something called "responsive web design," which can make your website easier and cheaper to manage, while giving mobile users a better experience. This allows you to create one design that will fit almost any screen and device type, and can also enhance your search visibility. Five tips to making the switch:

Decide when to make the change
Track your mobile traffic patterns
Check out competitors' sites on various mobile devices
Hire web designers with responsive design experience
Use effective, affordable tools if you do it yourself

There are also many pre-made responsive themes.

Don't Be Afraid Of Mobile Banking Apps (TechWeb)
Only one in five mobile phone users banks via a mobile app. A recent studies find that many customers are worried about mobile banking security. This is mostly due to a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of mobile banking security. In one word: fear. In reality, banking via a mobile app is as safe as walking into a bank and interacting directly with a teller, and it is actually much more secure than banking through a browser on a personal computer. Why? Because banks can control the security on an app much easier than through a browser. Mobile apps provide a direct link from the device to the bank, without having to go through any additional browser or third-party application.

Consumers Put Off By Apps That Grab Too Much Data (Pew Research)
More than half of mobile application users have uninstalled or avoided certain apps due to concerns about the way personal information is shared or collected by the app, according to a study by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. Among app users, the survey found:

54% of app users have decided to not install an app when they discovered how much personal information they would need to share in order to use it
30% of app users have uninstalled an app that was already on their cell phone because they learned it was collecting personal information that they didn’t wish to share
All together, 57% of all app users have either uninstalled an app over concerns about having to share their personal information, or declined to install an app in the first place for similar reasons

Let this be a lesson: collect user information sparingly for longevity and retention.

If You’re Not Mobile, You’re Not Going Anywhere (Smallbiztechnology)
The mobile web is upon us whether we like it or not. And it is important to understand that people use the Internet differently on mobile devices. Mobile consumers know what they want from a website, and typically take action once they get there. Mobile conversion rates can be impressive, but only if a website caters to the expectations of this mobile audience. The mobile web is more than just websites and apps. From QR codes to augmented reality, there are a host of tactics and tools you can implement to promote your business on the mobile web. When marketing to a mobile audience, it is imperative that you send them to landing pages and other sources compatible with their mobile device.

There Are Now 1.3 Million Android Activations Daily (TechCrunch)
Eric Schmidt just dropped bombshell number during the opening of Motorola’s “On Display” event. Giving context to the sheer size of Android’s growing ecosystem stated that there are now 1.3 million Android devices activated each and every day. He did say tablet activations were only 70,000, or 5.8% of total activations. Let's hope the Nexus 7 kicks that higher. In total, last December there were 700,000 devices activated each day. Then, earlier this summer, that number was at 900,000. One month later in late July it hit 1 million. Now, in early September, there are 1.3 million devices activated every single day. Check out the chart at Business Insider.

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