Putting the new rules to work

Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category

Amazon has announced that its Kindle software will be available on Android handsets this month — a move that will likely clear the way for the Android-based tablets that are expected to appear in the coming months.

It’s a big move, because it means that manufacturers of Android tablets will have a ready-made application that lets users buy books through the app itself (something Kindle doesn’t allow in its iPad and iPod versions for competitive reasons) and begin reading them within a minute or so. Perhaps more importantly, it will allow users to do the same with hundreds of newspapers, magazines and blogs in a touch-screen interface similar to that of the iPad.

Some industry observers predict that up to 50 tablets will be introduced in the near future, powered by a variety of operating systems including Android, Windows 7 and even Blackberry. The Wall Street Journal also reported recently that Google and Verizon are working on a Google-branded tablet. With Android handsets outselling iPhones during the first quarter, the time seems ripe for some new rollouts.

So you’re on Facebook, Twitter and the Web. Congratulations. But what about the consumer’s phone?

That’s where a growing number of consumers are getting their news and other critical information. And the numbers are reaching a point that communications professionals can no longer overlook. A recent major study by the Pew Center for Excellence in Journalism found that:

• One-third of all cell phones users use their phones/handsets for getting news.
• 18% use some type application for news content.
• 11% get news via email or text.

Still not convinced? Here are a few other “straws in the wind”:

• Google exec John Herlihy says most of Google’s online sales now target handsets, saying that “in three years time, desktops will be irrelevant.”
• Comscore reports that access to mobile Facebook access jumped 112 percent in the past year, and mobile Twitter access soared 347 percent.
• As of 2Q 2008, monthly texts outnumbered cell calls by 357 to 204 — per person.