Mobile Choice Blog

Yahoo predicts mobile internet set to overtake normal internet by 2017

Ever wonder why big web firms like Yahoo and Google are so keen to get into mobile? Yahoo's Geraldine Wilson has shed some light on the trend, with her prediction that "within 10 years, more people will be accessing the Internet from their mobile... than in the home from a PC".

Sounds unrealistic? Not when you think about 'emerging' markets - countries where PC use is nowhere near as high as in the UK and other Western developed countries. Wilson says that in many of those countries, many people's first experience of the internet will be through a phone.

This doesn't mean PC-based internet use is going to decline, of course - even with handsets like the iPhone, it's still not as rich an experience as using a PC and large screen to surf. But it does show you why Yahoo is attaching such importance to its Go for Mobile application, which brings many of its big web services to mobile.

(via MocoNews)

HTC Touch reaches the magic million sales mark

It's not all iPhone round these parts. We'd like to clap HTC (virtually) on its back for selling a million of its HTC Touch handsets in just five months, showing that Apple's phone isn't the only tempting touchscreen in town.

HTC says it hopes to reach 1.5 or even 1.8 million sales by the end of the year, as punters flock into mobile retailers in the run-up to Christmas. We only hope that the milestone isn't seen as an excuse to pump out several similar models in the coming months to capitalise on the original phone's success. We're looking at you, RAZR...

Japanese people love the mobile internet

Everyone assumes that Japan is lightyears ahead of the West when it comes to mobile phones, even if the gap's narrower than it used to be. But new statistics released by analysis firm ComScore appear to bear out the theory that Japanese mobile users are more advanced than us Europeans.

The research claims that in June this year, almost as many people accessed the internet via a mobile device there as through a work or home PC (the exact figures are 53.6 million and 53.7 million respectively). The same report reveals that Japanese mobile users spend on average 8.1 hours a month surfing on their phones. 8.1 hours!

Meanwhile, 80% of Japanese people have taken a photo using their mobile, while 40% have used their hanset's barcode reader (ah, yes, that's something they are ahead in), while the most popular types of mobile internet usage are (in order): email (75% of users), news/information (52%), and search/navigation (51%).

(via MocoNews)

Mobile advertising reaches a lucrative audience

There are lots of companies looking to make their fortunes from mobile advertising, but it's still quite early to decide whether they're on the right track. However, a new survey conducted by M:Metrics and AdMob indicates they might be.

According to the survey, 65% of people who respond to ads on AdMob's publisher network are in the 18-34 age bracket that's much coveted by advertisers. The survey also suggested that advertisers can easily target specific types of people, for example by gender or ethnicity, by advertising on certain sites.

In theory, this means more targeted advertising, which won't be seen as intrusive by mobile users, because it'll be more relevant to their interests. However, it's fair to say that the biggest advertisers will need more data than this before they plough serious money into mobile advertising. As we said, it's early days...

(via MobileCrunch)

Analyst claims mobile phones will slow the growth of MP3 players

Forrester Research has released its latest consumer technology report, and it claims that the growth of music-capable mobiles will restrict the growth in sales of MP3 players, which are set to go from 40 million households at the end of this year to 48.4 million in 2012 (these figures are for US households).

It's a plausible theory, with phones getting ever more storage capacity and slicker interfaces for playing music. It's arguably also shown in Apple's decision to launch the iPhone, to try and cannibalise its own sales, rather than have Nokia, Sony Ericsson etc nab its customers.

What about in the home though? We can't help feeling there'll still be growth in the number of people buying iPods and similar devices to store their music on and pipe it through their hi-fi. Although maybe more hi-fis will come with built-in hard drives and MP3-playing capabilities, come to think of it.

(via Cellular News)

Phones sucking usage time from other gadgets, says Ofcom

Proof, if you needed it, that the humble mobile phone is becoming a jack-of-all-gadgets. UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom has released its annual Communications Market Report, in which it examines what impact owning a mobile phone has on your use of other gadgets.

Apparently, 55% of mobile users now use an alarm clock less, 51% use a portable radio/tape/disc player less, 38% use a camera less, 34% use an MP3 player less, 22% use radio less, and 15% play fewer console games.

That last stat seems a bit strange, as nobody would suggest mobile games are a substitute for the latest PS3, Wii or Xbox 360 games. However, Ofcom's research found that 51% of mobile gamers play at home, so it could show a trend that people have less time to play on their consoles, but are partially filling that gap with mobile games that don't tie up the TV.

Mobile users "not interested" in advanced phone features

Bad news if you're a mobile phone manufacturer trying to flog expensive new handsets. According to analyst Continental Research, users aren't interested in advanced features. In fact, when asked in a survey, 68% of respondents said they'd prefer a more basic phone that's easier to use and more affordable.

Continental has also been tracking what people say they do with their phones, covering 11 activities from downloading ringtones and games through to watching mobile TV. In eight of the 11 activities, a LOWER percentage of mobile users is doing it now than were 12 months ago.

"For some time now mobile networks have aggressively promoted various advanced mobile services, but this approach seems to be falling on deaf ears," says Continental's James Myring.