BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: Is Wearable Technology The Future Of Mobile?

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Are Wearable Computers The Future Of Mobile? (The Next Web)
Wearable Computing is a discipline devoted to exploring and creating devices that can either be worn directly on the body, or incorporated into a user’s clothing or accessories. In current wearable tech terms, real interest lies in the rapidly growing field of Head-Mounted Displays. More eyewear than traditional head-set, Google Glass exemplifies just how far wearable computing has come since its initial development. That said, wearable computers still have their fair-share of possible limitations. Uncomfortable display formats and clunky maneuverability seems to plague most wearable prototypes, making the gaps in the everyday practicalities of design seem all the more problematic. Another issue is reliable network availability. Regardless of current issues, computing seems to be inextricably linked to mobility.

Alternative TV Options Transforming Traditional TV Market (451 Research / ChangeWave)
A new survey from 451 Research’s ChangeWave service shows that while Netflix leads among paid alternative TV providers, the Amazon Instant Video service is making big gains among consumers. "While Netflix still holds the largest share by far of the paid alternative TV market, consumers continue to shift towards Amazon's Instant Video service," said Andy Golub of 451 Research's ChangeWave service. "As Amazon’s TV and movie content becomes more competitive with Netflix, its popularity is surging among consumers." The September survey of 1,115 North American consumers also looked at the leading Internet-connected devices people are now using to stream video and the study focuses on the transforming alternative TV market, including free and paid Internet video services and the latest in 'cord cutting' trends.

The Rise Of Mobile Was Predicted In 1993 (Dodgy Coder)
Nathan P. Myhrvold, the former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, in 1993 wrote an amazingly accurate memo. In his second last paragraph, Myhrvold predicts the winners will be those who "own the software standards on IHCs" which could be roughly equated with today's app stores, such as those on iOS (Apple), Android (Google, Amazon) and Windows 8 (Microsoft). The only thing you could say he possibly didn't foresee would be the importance of hardware design in the new smartphone and tablet industry. Apple achieved such a head start on their competition through a combination of both cutting edge hardware design along with their curated app store model for distributing software. Interestingly, Microsoft has only last month entered the hardware game with their new Surface brand tablets for Windows 8 and Windows RT, and also announced a shift to focus on becoming a "Devices and Services" company. Check out an excerpt from his book, Road Kill on the Information Highway.

To App Or Not To App? (Media Post)
For brands looking to enter the mobile space, the question of whether to develop a native app or create a mobile web page is a hot topic. The pros and cons of each have been debated at length. However, a critical mass of consumers now engage with brands on their mobile devices, so companies need a simple and straightforward mobile strategy. Before thinking about the technology you will use, you need to evaluate your business objectives, target audience and technical requirements. What do you want to accomplish with this app? Who is the demographic? Where will they be using the service? What additional value will the application need to offer the consumer? The bottom line is that each mobile interface nurtures a different relationship between consumers and brands.

How New Yorkers Adjusted To Life Without Cellphones (The New York Times)
While Hurricane Sandy left hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without electricity or heat, the loss of one utility left some especially bewildered: cellphone service. With only sporadic access to text messaging, Facebook or even landline phone calls, Manhattan’s no-power zone quickly cobbled together more primitive systems for passing along information and arranging when and where to meet, so they could take comfort in each other’s company in the dark. On the scale of hardships suffered in the storm and its aftermath, these were more like minor annoyances. But the experience of being suddenly smartphoneless caused some to realize just how dependent on the technology they had become. For some, regaining cell service as the power came back on was bittersweet. The brief break from hyper-connected lives turned out to be welcome.

Measuring Mobile Video Beyond The Click-Through Rate (Mobile Marketer)
Brands such as Tide, McDonald’s and Snickers are steadily incorporating mobile video into their overall initiatives to drive awareness and sales. However, marketers need to be digging deeper into the analytics around their campaigns to gauge success. Simply knowing that a consumer watched a video is not indicative of what a consumer did after the clip ended, though. Mobile video tends to be cut shorter than other video formats to best capture mobile users’ short attention spans, meaning that consumers have less time to take an action. Given the immersive qualities of video on a small screen, it is not surprising that mobile video click-through and completion rates are high for the medium. “With mobile it is key that video is not interrupting the experience, but rather complementing it,” according to Michael Burke, cofounder and president of adtivity by appssavvy. Brands need to track a user’s every move inside a mobile video ad to get a grip on how campaigns are performing.

Display Ads Don't Work On Mobile (SundaySky)
Despite mobile’s usefulness, it does not enhance or facilitate display advertising, and is thereby killing display ad revenue for media publishers. And though mobile is the primary spot of media consumption, display advertising is not effective on mobile devices and there is no solution to replace it. Video advertising is growing exponentially due to it as effective and engaging media on both mobile and Web. Which one can assume why LinkedIn recently added video ads their ad platform. What about interactive videos? Interactive video advertising is even more effective in which viewers can click directly in a video, perhaps to add a recently viewed product to a cart, or to call their nearest take-out spot for dinner. In fact, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) predicts that half of online video ads will be interactive within two years.

Shopping Behaviors On Mobile (Tapjoy)
Mobile marketplace, Tapjoy, tapped their 100 million monthly active users to learn more about how consumers are using their smartphones to be smarter shoppers. What are consumers doing on their smartphones while shopping? What will mobile traffic be like on Cyber Monday? What deals increase the likelihood of a mobile purchase? Check out the infographic below:

Mobile shopping behaviors