Future of the Pencil » Mobile

The New Shiny Penny That Is Mobile

Michael Opperman — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:20:42 +0000

We’re beginning to get the faint whiffs of the mobile we believed could be possible. The devices are improving and the right players are developing platforms & applications. Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android, and now Firefox is promising to release their browser for mobile “in a few weeks.” It will interesting to see how Firefox handles Add-Ons in mobile.

Text Messages Surpass Mobile Phone Calls

Michael Opperman — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:30:23 +0000

The latest from Nielsen shows that U.S. mobile customers now send and receive more text messages than mobile phone calls. The Full Analysis

It’s Not Sexy, But It Works

Michael Opperman — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:16:49 +0000

Search and email continue to be dependable bread and butter approaches for marketing dollars. Though mobile and gaming garner press and buzz, adoption is still modest. Read more.

My argument would be appropriateness and context. Many companies are rushing where angels fear to tread – employing tactics in search of a strategy. Not everyone is interested in content on their mobile phone or gaming experiences. But a lot are. And knowledge of consumer behavior is critical before launching anything.

Women & The Casual Game

Michael Opperman — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:06:54 +0000

Women over 25 bought most of the games sold for mobile phones last year. From the Chicago Tribune: “Studies of gender and leisure time show that women have less leisure time, and the time they do have is available in smaller chunks, so casual games, which are playable in chunks of 10 to 15 minutes, fit women’s lifestyle.” There is a largely untapped market.

A couple noteworthy mobile stats

Michael Opperman — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:49:38 +0000

Thirty-five percent of US households that own a mobile phone currently engage in text messaging and 11 percent access the mobile Internet. (Forrester)

Which brings up the issue again of content.Â The Cluetrain Manifesto remains as relevant today as it was in 1999.Â The first of the 95 Theses states “markets are conversations.”Â The issue is only incidentally one of adoption.Â Instead, the emphasis must be on the conversation.Â If the conversation is compelling, consumers are apt to do just about anything.Â If you hook me, I’ll watch a commercial on my microwave.