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1 in 4 US Adults Owns a Tablet or E-Reader

By Andrew Redfern @ 23rd January 2012 6:33 pm Mobile Search

More than one in four adults in America now owns a tablet device or e-book reader.

A survey by think tank Pew Internet has found that around 29 per cent of US adults are now owners of devices such as the Apple iPad tablet or Amazon Kindle e-reader.

This is a dramatic jump from just 18 per cent before Christmas, with the festive season, and the release of two new colour screen e-readers from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, fuelling the increase in units sold.

The number of adults who own a tablet rose from 10 per cent to 19 per cent, as did the number of adults who own an e-reader. There is also a considerable overlap wherein some adults will no doubt own both devices.

Pew Internet surveyed over a thousand adults across America, and found that the cheaper retail prices of some of the new devices have been a major factor in improved sales. For example, the new Amazon Kindle Fire currently sells for under $200.

Speaking about the findings, Pew Internet said: “As the holiday gift-giving season approached, the marketplace for both devices dramatically shifted. In the tablet world, Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble’s Nook Tablet were introduced at considerably cheaper prices than other tablets.

“In the e-book reader world, some versions of the Kindle and Nook and other readers fell well below $100.”

Google Mobile App to find Hottest Locations

By Andrew Redfern @ 14th February 2011 11:29 am Mobile Search

Google have launched a real time social location application based on a heat map to help find the busiest places at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. The free app, (Heat MWC) which is available for iPhone and Android platforms, has been developed to help find the hottest places in Barcelona, including the busiest bars, stands and press conferences. Google has teamed up with ad agency Jung von Matt Stockholm to develop the app which finds the hottest place in Barcelona at any time.

The app can filter people down to which mobile handset they’re using or which country they are from. It also uses Bump API technology to allow users to swap contact details by bumping their handsets together.

Sony Ericsson has launched a new handset at the conference which runs from the 14th -16th February, the Xperia Play on Android 2.3 platform. Allows users to download and play PlayStation games, this groundbreaking handset features a sliding PlayStation style controller. The Xperia Play is set to launch in the UK in April 2011 and is said to be the first of a number of handsets that meet Sony’s new standard for gaming mobile phones. These are aimed at the growing trend of users moving towards mobile phones rather than dedicated portable gaming devices.

Growing Trend: Mobile Search in the Travel Industry

By Andrew Redfern @ 15th October 2010 2:49 pm Mobile Search

A shift towards increased use of mobile technology, especially the use of Smartphones for mobile search will have a huge impact on the travel industry. Google’s view is when, not if mobile devices will overtake the desktop as the web access point of choice for users. Businesses will have to consider how much time and funding to invest in focusing on mobile technology. Not enough focus may disadvantage them by loss of connection with the target market, whereas too much focus may lead to miss direction of resources.

More sophisticated devices and location based applications are being developed all the time; this will soon enable travel booking to happen anywhere, at anytime. Businesses and mobile web users will be able to make their communications more relevant to where the traveller is located at any given time.

Thetrainline.com has recently launched a series of apps for iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia and Android devices to revolutionise the purchasing of train tickets. Passengers will now able to buy their train tickets at anytime and at any place, using the app which will update the user’s account and deducts the fare from their bank account. It also has an optimised mobile website launched 3 years ago; it is planning to re-launch this to enable customers to make transactions in the next few months.

Over the next year mobile web will play a major part in the travel industry as social and web browsing trends are set to change. The mobile market is starting to gain serious momentum; its growth opportunity is far too large to be ignored.

247% Increase in UK Mobile Web Search

By Andrew Redfern @ 11th October 2010 5:36 pm Mobile Search

A white paper study by a digital agency has linked an increase of 70% in smartphones sales led by Apple’s iPhone and Android based models to an increase of 247% in mobile web searches. This is also being driven by the increase of superphones and tablets making mobile web browsing even easier.

14% of respondents in the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups said they carried out at least one mobile internet search a day. Contrary to the large increase in mobile search volume, the survey also revealed that mobile traffic accounts for just 3% of all internet use.

With a 15% year on year drop in desktop/ laptop search web designers and brand marketers will need to develop new methods and strategies to gain full potential from the mobile opportunity by optimising their web pages and mobile app SEO/design.

According to Google UK and Ireland CEO Matt Brittin, the company designs everything for mobile first, then for other platforms. The CEO of the same digital agency quotes his view is “If you think the internet revolution is big, the mobile revolution is going to be bigger and much more widespread and faster.”

The report conductied by YouGov surveyed 2100 adults in April 2010.

Location based searches example on Google

By Andrew Redfern @ 8th January 2010 10:24 am Mobile Search

John Eric Hoffman and Jussi Myllymaki of the Google Mobile Engineering today posted on the Google Mobile blog how location based searches are creeping to the mobile search listings.

The guys commented “Starting today, you can try this yourself by going to Google.com in your iPhone or Android browser and clicking on “Near me now” once your location has been provided by your phone.

“Near me now” was designed to address two user problems. First, we wanted to make it fast and easy to find out more about a place in your immediate vicinity, whether you’re standing right in front of a business or if it’s just a short walk away.

For example, you may want to know what other customers think about a restaurant before you go inside (see quick video below) or what they have been raving about on the menu before you order. By selecting the “Explore right here” option, you can find out more about a place “right here” with just a few clicks

Second, we wanted to make searching for popular categories of nearby places really simple. Imagine that you emerge from the subway station and you want to grab a coffee, but you don’t see a coffee shop around you. You can simply search for all nearby coffee shops by using “Near me now”.

To search other categories of places not shown, “Browse more categories” provides access to our local search product with more category choices.

“Near me now” is currently available in the US for iPhone (OS 3.x) or Android-powered devices with version 2.0.1 or later. You must first enable location in order for “Near me now” to appear, and “Explore right here” works only if the phone provides location accuracy within approximately a city block.

Would you like to know more about these subjects? Contact Hit Search on 0845 643 9289. Remember, its a big world, make sure you become visible.

Miami Dolphins Real-Time In-Stadium Interaction

By Andrew Redfern @ 26th October 2009 1:30 pm Mobile Search

The Miami Dolphins have selected Txtstation as the vendor of choice to provide an interactive text messaging feature for all home games of the 2009-2010 NFL season.

To participate, fans at Land Shark Stadium will use their mobile phones and send a text message to a mobile short code. The incoming results will display on the screen in real time, creating an interactive forum for all to see.

“Interactivity is paramount for our game-day entertainment. It should be a fun promotion for our fans to interact with, as well as a great way to build a database and activate our sponsors,” said Chris Overholt, Vice President, Marketing Partnerships/Broadcasting, of the Miami Dolphins.

“We are very excited to be working with the Miami Dolphins. It is a testament to the work we have been doing elsewhere and the fact that true fan engagement does matter,” said Michael Falato, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Txtstation.

Would you like to know about Internet Marketing? If so, contact Hit Search, Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click & Social Space Marketing specialists, on 0845 643 9289. Remember, its a big world out there, make sure you become visible.

Bicycle Google Street View Capture The North

By Andrew Redfern @ 14th July 2009 10:18 am Mobile Search

Despite getting-off to a somewhat shakey start, Google street view has proven to be a hit with users and businesses alike. Privacy concerns seemingly forgotten about Google have decided to take a more polarised set of image, targetting famous and somewhat inacessible land marks.

So how can they achieve it? they cant very well drive a 4X4 around sone henge! With a bicycle of course. Not so much a pro-green statement by the ever increasingly “green” Google but the only way up close images of our nations landmarkings can be photographed .

Google have trasnferred the technology to a specialy adapted trike. The the wheeled machine provides stabillity and the disbursement of the additional weight of the camera and computer equipment.

“Off-road, Google must show even greater respect for privacy that on the street,” said Tom Brake MP, the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesman. “If they don’t, they may capture more than they bargained for as they pedal silently along our remotest lanes and cycleways.”

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