BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: Should It Really Be Mobile First, Web Second?

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In The Rush To Mobile, Don't Ignore The Power Of The Web (Fast Company)
Fred Wilson wrote two posts in 2010 that were very influential with the startup community:

While he's right, do not give up on the power of the tethered web. The power of large-screen real estate. The power of a keyboard. The world is adopting smartphones and for many young people and many people in the developing world, this will be one of their first computing devices. BUT, there is something to be said about integrated products. How will normal people use the product, the ones that don't have iOS or Android?

What Will Help Nokia + Windows In The Battle Against Apple and Android (Forbes)
The next couple of weeks brings us the start of the next great battle in the smartphone space. The new Windows Phone arrives, on both Samsung and Nokia hardware, Apple introduces the new iPhone and of course every Android handset maker is desperately making revisions to dodge Apple’s patents. There’s been an interesting point made about what might aid Nokia and Windows: "support from big U.S. mobile service providers who want see Windows become a third strong smartphone platform to counterbalance the market heft of Android and Apple, which charges a heavy price premium." If successful, they will reduce the market power of any one or any one group of handset makers.

Mobile Cloud Strategy Revealed (Cloud Times)
As it is very sensible to use a private cloud environment for management, security and other aspects of mobile applications, it can be expected that mobile devices will soon be the driving force in cloud computing, and vice versa. A number of companies have already started moving in this direction. Mobile cloud computing runs applications on servers that reside in the cloud and has the advantage of allowing users to run more robust applications. The biggest hurdles is that the apps can be subject to latency and network bandwidth issues during the transfer of data between the cloud and the mobile device. Here are the three biggest considerations:

Security
Mobile Application Development
Mobile Device Management

Unfortunately, for the majority of organizations these days, mobile devices access their cloud via the Internet. Not a good idea.

Here Are The Two Keys To Making Mobile Payments Work (BI Intelligence)
For many years, technologists, venture capitalists, journalists, and large companies have pined for the era when the mobile phone would become our wallet. And yet, already five years into the smartphone era, mobile payments are not mainstream. Here are the two overriding strategic issues that need to be addressed:

Convenience
Distribution

Access the full report here.

Android May Dominate Shipments, But Web Traffic Is All Apple (Fortune)
Although shipments of Android phones left Apple's iPhone in the dust this summer, that dominance is not reflected on the Web according to two mobile analytics services, Net Applications and StatCounter. Net Applications, shows Apple's iOS dominating the mobile Web with a record 65.94% share with Android trailing far behind at 20.93%. StatCounter showed Android's Web share surging to 28% in August while iOS (without the iPad) drifted down to 24.5%.

HTML5 Vs. Apps: Which Will Win (BI Intelligence)
HTML5 is a technology that allows developers to build rich web-based apps that run on any device via a standard web browser. Many think it will save the web, rendering native platform-dependent apps obsolete. So, which will win? Native apps or HTML5? We believe that HTML5 will replace apps, but we also think this process will take longer than HTML5 advocates think. Access the full report here.

Website Developer's Search Engine Optimization Insider Secrets Revealed (PDX Peace)
The internet is the best way to promote a company today no matter how small it is. Search engine optimization and marketing is a tool employed by a lot of online sites given that this will improve the status of any websites managing on the Internet. And because of that, web owners must include search engines in their calculation. In SEO, the most important factor which is considered by most search engines today is the page content. Subsequently, a good content is all about utilizing the correct keywords. And websites must be accommodating to search engines.

Facebook Shows Off Its Mobile Muscle (socialbakers)
In May, the Facebook application for mobile devices had 488 million users. Four months later, Facebook demonstrates the power of mobile by hitting 543 million monthly active users out of their 955 million strong community, resulting in a 57% penetration. North America continues to be the strongest Facebook Mobile continent with over 161 million monthly active users and South Africa, Nigeria and Japan still rule the ranking of the countries with the highest Facebook Mobile penetration. Click here for more of the infographic.

How Mobile Is Changing The Travel Industry (Mashable)
Mobile devices are increasingly what make travel possible in the first place. People rely more than ever on mobile technology to find and book travel reservations. A slew of stats from Expedia show just how much people plan their trips while already on the go.

More than 65% of people who book a hotel room within 24 hours of checking in do so from a mobile device
More than 15% of travelers who book a flight 24 hours or less in advance do so via mobile
Hotels with ratings between two and three stars are most commonly reserved via mobile devices
Nine of the top 10 cities for reserving rooms while on the go are in he United States
In Las Vegas, a whopping 32% of all bookings are made on mobile devices
Friday and Saturday are the most popular booking days

Check out the infographic for the fuller picture.

Mobile Trends to Watch (PRSAY)
There are a number of reports that shine a light on positive statistics displaying the outstanding job mobile is doing contributing to various industries and offering new opportunities for consumers.