Facebook Gains 100 Million Users In Emerging Markets By Focusing On Lowly Feature Phones

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Facebook For Every Phone Hits 100 Million Users (TechCrunch)
Facebook's feature phone-optimized native app, "Facebook For Every Phone," has accumulated 100 million downloads. This is an important development, as Facebook continues to capture more users in developing markets like India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Feature phones outnumber smartphones in these markets, and also act as the primary vehicle for Internet access. In these mobile-first markets, Facebook hopes to become as ubiquitous as the Internet itself. Read >

Why Apple Hasn't Made A Big Screen Phone (Business Insider)
A report came out Monday saying Apple is testing larger screens for iPhone and iPad. Business Insider's Steve Kovach considers a couple of good explanations for why Apple hasn't succumbed to Samsung's penchant for large-screen devices, and how bigger screens could compromise the iPhone user experience. For further insight, please review our chart on screen sizes among Android devices. Read >

Google Buys 6.3% Share In Google Glass Supplier (GigaOm)
Google may be working toward ramping up Google Glass production after acquiring a significant stake in Himax, the company that supplies the tiny display screens on the device. Google commented on the purchase, saying it was done primarily to “fund production upgrades, expand capacity and further enhance production capabilities.” Google aims to bring Glass to the general public by year-end. Read >

How Mobile Has Changed The Path To Purchase Cycle (Harvard Business Review)
Smartphones and tablets have completely altered the marketing industry, and are forcing agencies to retool how they funnel consumers toward a final purchase. The Harvard Business Review details the new "path to purchase" from a mobile commerce perspective:

The Pre-Buy: Consumer conducts research on mobile devices.
In Transit: Marketers leverage location-based data to send targeted messages to potential buyers.
On Location: This stage occurs in-store, and allows marketers to identify and interact with mobile shoppers while they are in the store.
Selection Process: Marketers can leverage proximity marketing to connect with buyers in real-time, perhaps with a price discount or offer.
Point Of Purchase: Offers and counteroffers may be presented to buyers at the point-of-sale.
Post-Purchase: Marketers can become part of the consumer's post-purchase mobile conversation about their new product. Read >

Retooling Microsoft's Mobile Approach (Monday Note)
Microsoft had a poor showing in its earnings report last week, largely because of its relatively unsuccessful record in the mobile market. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer admits tablets were the biggest failure for the company. He also discusses Windows Mobile 9 and how the company can turn its mobile failures around. Read >

Comic Book Industry Is Leaning On Tablets For A Revival (New York Times)
Comic books have suffered in recent years as a lack of consumer interest has led to dwindling sales. The tablet is creating a new avenue for comic book distributors to reach fans and bolster sales. The New York Times profiles digital comic book distributor ComiXology, which recently reached 180 million unique comic book digital downloads since 2009. Read >

AT&T To Launch Lower-Cost Tiers Of Mobile Service (CNET)
AT&T will target users who are not as mobile-centric as others. It will offer two new plans, a $20 a month 300MB data plan and a $50 a month 2GB plan. Previously, AT&T's cheapest data option was the $40 a month 1GB plan. The carrier is also going to offer the low-cost Nokia Lumia Windows 8 smartphone on its prepaid GoPhone service. Read >

HopStop No Longer Available On Windows Phones After Apple Purchase (Mashable)
HopStop, the transit navigation app, is no longer available on the Windows Phone Store. This comes shortly after Apple purchased the app. Windows Phones that had already downloaded the app were also alerted that HopStop was no longer supported by the Windows Phone platform. Read >

Gillette Accelerates Brand Awareness With Rich Media Mobile Campaign (Millennial Media)
Gillette recently worked with mobile advertising platform Millennial Media. The results included an overall click-through rate that was twice the industry average, according to Millennial. Read >

Baidu's New App Store Cost It $1.9 Billion, More Than Double The Market Value Of Barnes % Noble (Bloomberg)
Baidu paid $1.9 billion for 91 Wireless, one of China's premier app stores. Read >

Vine Video Ad Makers Are Earning Lucrative Wages (ValleyWag)
Vine video ad makers can earn up to $2,500 per 6-second Vine video. That equates to roughly $400 per second. It's a testament to how brands view Vine, Instagram's video feature, and other mobile content sharing platforms as important marketing vehicles. For further insight, please refer to our BI Intelligence report, "Brand Presence: How To Choose The Right Social Media Platform For Your Brand."