Category Mobile

Entries 30 Total

Apple Maps + Foursquare = win

Dec 19, ’12 7:47 AM

I love Foursquare and how it helps you get more out of where you are. It has evolved nicely from a broadcasting device to one about discovery and where people are going. While it is still a relatively niche service, it has the potential to grow if it had the right partnership. Like Apple iOS Maps. The Verge proposes an interesting mashup of the two services, where the sum is potentially much greater than the individual parts. I like this thinking and have my fingers crossed for a future combination of the two.

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Mobile Payment Parade

Aug 16, ’12 8:33 PM

It’s been over a year since Google Wallet came onto the market. Since then, there has been some traction with some vendors supporting it. While device support hasn’t been as broad, Apple’s inclusion of Passbook into the forthcoming iOS 6 will undoubtedly make mobile payment more mainstream. Microsoft has also gotten into the game with its own version of a mobile wallet.

This week saw a slew of mobile payment developments, but not from the usual tech company suspects. The New York Times reported that Walmart, Target, 7-Eleven and others formed a network to standardize mobile payments called Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX). The cross-platform app is designed to work across most smartphone platforms and can handle all major credit cards. Clearly, these retailers do not want to cede payment control to other vendors and are doing whatever they can to build a version of their own.

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The Second Screen is Now the First Screen

Aug 1, ’12 1:10 AM

We’re getting deeper into the London 2012 Olympics and the interesting thing is how much social media is impacting mainstream coverage. Much of the exciting action is actually taking place away from the field, track, court, or pool. It is happening on Twitter. From athletes being banned for controversial tweets to journalists being banned for criticizing TV coverage, we are truly experiencing the “socialympics” in full force.

Even mainstream media cannot ignore it and Twitter even is the official narrator of the games. Nearly every broadcast has some mention of athletes’ tweets or references to things going on in the social sphere. Some athletes even learn about what’s going on through the network quicker than traditional means.

Clearly, social media has become an integral part of the Olympics that is shaping our expectations and experience. And for many, due to tape delays, and our ever present mobile connections, the second screen is now the first screen we turn to to.

 

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5 Years of the iPhone

Jun 28, ’12 1:05 AM

5 years ago, Apple released the iPhone. Without a doubt, it set the new bar for mobile and permanently changed consumer expectations for what mobile devices could be capable of. We now had a tool that could do much of what our desktop computers could do – and a lot more.

In the meantime, numerous incumbents and upstarts have all tried to take Apple down. Lets compare market capitalizations of some competitors: GOOG +8%, MSFT +2%, RIMM -86%, NOK -92%, AAPL +367%.

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The Power of Big Data

Jun 7, ’12 11:46 AM

“For every 2 degrees the temperature goes up, check-ins at ice cream shops go up by 2%”

One of the biggest untapped areas of big data is location. Nothing speaks more about our intentions than where we physically choose to be. So it goes without saying that companies like Foursquare are thinking hard about what large location data sets mean, particularly when it comes to business. I love this interview with Foursquare’s Head of Search, Andrew Hogue. Little nuggets like this are just the tip of the iceberg as far as uncovering the promise of location data.

 

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