MediaPost | MoBlog

Now Your Car Will Tell You How Much Money You Still Owe On It

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:34:56 -0400

Mercedes-Benz is announcing the first car financial services app for in-car networks. It always seemed to me that driving was one time and place where you really wanted to forget the fact that you didn't actually own this car yet.

Samsung Says Oh, Let's Fragment The Market A Little More

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:10:00 -0400

Samsung is offering a purse of $800,000 to developers who best use the unique features of its Galaxy S4 in apps. Curiously, Samsung's obsession with wanting to successfully rival the iPhone is a distraction from the company's real strengths.

Seamless and GrubHub Merge To Form A Takeout Powerhouse

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:16:40 -0400

The merging of these two companies creates a mobile takeout and delivery ordering system that covers over 20,000 restaurants in 500 cities. You want to see where mobile payments start? Look here first.

Yahoo To Announce $1.1 Billion Acquisition Of Tumblr

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:48:00 -0400

According to reports, Yahoo is poised to offer Tumblr $1.1 billion for the visual social network. Tumblr represents a number of things that Yahoo could use right now.

Oscar Mayer Offers Build-A-Grump App

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:55:00 -0400

Oscar Mayer is capitalizing on the popularity of its blunt Grandpa Frank character in an app that lets users suffer the crusty cynic's snide asides and build their own TV spot.

Glass Half Full: 10% Of Americans Say They Would Tolerate Google's Geeky Gadget

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:41:00 -0400

Ninety percent of Americans surveyed said they would not wear Google Glass. That still leaves 10% performing searches while we think they are talking to us and filming without our permission.

'Home Roaming': 20% Of Home Broadband Traffic Going To Devices

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:15:00 -0400

Consumers with home networks are now offloading about a fifth of their media to devices, new metrics show. The untethering has begun.

Google Quietly Departs Feature Phone Era: Shutters SMS Search

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:49:29 -0400

Google discontinued its long-standing SMS search service over the weekend. In many ways that feature was one of the pioneers in understanding how Web services needed to transform themselves on mobile devices.

ESPN Mulling Data Subsidies: The Return Of The Carriage Fee?

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:09:00 -0400

Should media companies or their advertisers help underwrite the cost of the data channel now being pressed by thicker streams of video content? Well, we know what the carriers think.

Report: ABC Prepping Live TV App To Show At Upfronts

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:43:00 -0400

According to Bloomberg, at next week's upfronts ABC will show a new service that streams live and archived network shows to devices. By the fall, devices could represent a new front in the ongoing wars over the future of TV.

Tumbling Into Native

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:40:00 -0400

Tumblr has proven to be one of the most entertaining mobile media platforms I have on my phone. And the native ads here suggest how powerful the format can be when it is done well.

Hello, Stranger: Only 13% Of Companies Personalize Mobile Experiences

Wed, 08 May 2013 07:34:00 -0400

This shouldn't be too hard to figure out. The most successful cross-screen experiences thus far have been personalized. But precious few companies are learning from what is obvious. Personal means personal.

State Farm Wants A Few Good Neighbors To Stay In The Right Lane And Test Its Driving App

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:51:00 -0400

Rather than pop another gadget in people's cars to gather driving data, State Farm is asking Android owners to use their phones. Interesting branding move, too.

Facebook, Pandora, Instagram, YouTube And Skype Top App Store All-Timers

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:16:00 -0400

Anticipating its 50 billionth app download, Apple updates its all-time most popular apps. Even in the app era, the person-to-person connection remains the dominant theme on devices.

Mobile Lag: 45% Of Marketers Still Don't Have A Mobile Presence

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:28:00 -0400

A remarkable number of marketers continue to sit behind the mobile curve. And even those who have checked off the mobile box often seem more impressed by the bright shiny objects than the analytics that should be driving their strategy.

Hey, Yahoo! What The Hell?

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:12:00 -0400

The brand formerly known as a portal is strangely fragmented and inelegant in its flagship mobile app. I can't even figure out what I am supposed to like about it.

Siri, Stop The Car! No, I Didn't Say 'Hop' The Car!: Apple Wants To Eat Your Dashboard

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:02:00 -0400

According to reports, Apple wants to integrate Siri and its maps into car dashboards. There is another front in the mobile media wars opening up. Who should -- or will -- control the car cabin?

Value Connected: The Promise Of An Internet of Things

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:32:00 -0400

The promise of the Internet of things for marketers is the power to connect us more effectively with the people and things that are integral to our everyday lives. It is not "value add," but finding and connecting what is valuable to people.

ABC News Social Soundtracker Dubiously App-ifies The Laugh Track

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:52:00 -0400

ABC News strips down the second-screen experience to a series of emoticons and canned audio feedback. They call it an "emotional intelligence layer" -- but there is something regressive about seeing the mechanical audience response track restored.

The Crowd's All Here: Tapping Into The Event Stream

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:51:00 -0400

The wesawit app lets you drop into the party, just about anywhere, by aggregating the visual streams of content that people are producing at live events nationwide. The experience it creates is unique, and speaks to the way that mobility plays with our traditional sense of place.

M-Commerce Is Enlarging E-Commerce Pie

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:28:00 -0400

Online buying may not just be migrating to devices. M-commerce may actually be helping e-commerce to expand more rapidly because people now have more reason and opportunity to shop outside of stores and even off of the desktop.

Yes, Even Grocery Shoppers Say They Want Mobile Services... And The Power To Tell Off Their Store

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:39:49 -0400

Even grocery shoppers are starting to consider how mobile apps can fit into their in-store shopping routine. Surprisingly, one of the things they want most is a voice.

Tumblr Brings Its Native Ad Format To Mobile

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:50:00 -0400

The creative sponsored posts Tumblr introduced to its Web property a year ago finally migrate to mobile this week. And they remind us that good native advertising forces marketers to think differently.

Twitter Makes Its Second-Screen Moves With BBC America Partnership

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:43:00 -0400

BBC America has partnered with Twitter to Tweet video clips that are synchronized to on-air programming. It is quite possible that Twitter's narrow stream of content is really all most TV viewers want in a second-screen experience.

Twitter's Very Media Savvy Music App Has A Good Beat And You Can Dance To It

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:57:00 -0400

Twitter's new music app may be what it looks like when a social network seriously strives to be a media company. It has crafted a very compelling music discovery tool that also renders kludgy content into something elegant.

Devices Getting 20% Of Search Budgets As Spending Soars

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 07:36:00 -0400

The share of mobile clicks and spend in search advertising is moving -- just as quickly as everything else -- from desktop to devices.

Viewers May Like The Idea Of TV Network Apps More Than They Actually Use Them

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:43:00 -0400

When it comes to second-screen synchronized viewing, viewers seem to be as much in test mode as the networks and advertisers are. GfK research found that about half of those who have a TV network on their devices have tried it with synchronized content.

Heineken Turns Beer Bottles Into Mobile Media

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:09:00 -0400

Brands now use super events like Sundance, SXSW and Comic-Con to showcase technologies they may not even deploy in any wide release, but still draw attention to their supposed sense of cool. Heineken this year is hosting a Dome complete with DJs and wirelessly connected beer bottles that will become part of the light show.

Twitter Pre-Releases Music Recommendation App For Celebrities Only

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:36:00 -0400

Twitter continues to flex its muscles in the entertainment media arena as it prepares to launch an app aimed at personalized music recommendations.

Google Play Gets Refreshed

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:42:00 -0400

After cleaning out some of the questionable apps in recent weeks, Google launches its new app and media storefront for smartphones and tablets.