Website owners with a Google+ page will soon be able to add content recommendations to the user experience on their mobile websites. Google just announced the new feature today, which blends both Google+ activity (such as +1s and shares) and search authorship to determine the best related content to show to users as they browse mobile website content. Readers will see recommendations whether they're signed in to a Google account or not. If they are signed in, though, they'll see more personalized recommendations that involve content that was +1's or shared by their people in their Google [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google | Google: Google+ | Google: Mobile | Social Media Marketing | Top News

If you're a retailer or an agency serving retailers, mobile is arguably now your most critical channel. Yet, despite the mounting evidence of consumer reliance on mobile devices in shopping, a majority of retailers still have "experimental" or very tepid mobile strategies. Considerable research has already established that smartphone owners use their devices heavily during offline shopping and "pre-shopping" activities. Now, Google is out with new sponsored research that reinforces the message and adds a few new insights. The study's insights come through both surveys and observation. Th [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Mobile | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Online Behavior | Statistics: Popularity & Usage | Top News

Is Google simply trying to create a better user experience on the iPhone and iPad or is it trying to "colonize" iOS with its apps? It all depends on your point of view -- though, it's probably a bit of both. When the new Gmail app for iOS was released May 6, immediately, inflammatory headlines appeared, suggesting that Google was "taking over the iPhone." However, that's not exactly the case. Users of the new Gmail app have the (default) option to go directly to the native versions of YouTube and Google Maps, as well as open Chrome via links in email. Previously, such links would have op [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: iOS | Apple: iPhone | Apple: Safari | Channel: Industry | Google: Android | Google: Chrome | Google: Gmail | Google: Maps | Google: Mobile | Google: YouTube | Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Top News

The European Commission has made a preliminary determination that Google's Motorola Mobility unit "abused its dominant position" under EU antitrust rules in seeking to obtain and enforce an injunction against Apple in Germany. At the center of the dispute is Motorola's claimed misuse of  "standards essential patents" in mobile patent litigation against Apple. Google's antitrust settlement with the FTC in the US requires the company not to use standards-essential patents to block rival mobile products. The European Commission says that's what Motorola was trying to do in this case. Howe [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Critics | Google: International | Google: Legal | Google: Mobile | Legal | Legal: Antitrust | Legal: Patents | Top News

Google and Facebook combine to take up seven spots on Apple's newly-released list of the Top 25 all-time free iPhone apps. Apple published that list -- and three others -- as part of its countdown to 50 billion App Store downloads, which the company expects to happen soon. (Apple is giving away a $10,000 App Store credit to whomever completes the 50 billionth download and $500 credits to 50 others.) Those lists look at the most popular iPhone apps (free and paid) and iPad apps (free and paid). On the paid side, the majority of apps on both lists are games. But, there's more variety in th [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: iOS | Apple: iPad | Apple: iPhone | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Facebook: Instagram | Facebook: Mobile | Google: Mobile | Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Top News

The consensus view is that Google bought Motorola Mobility in late 2011 for its patent portfolio. The company spent $12.5 billion, Google's largest acquisition by far and a major bet by Larry Page. During the acquisition approval process Google said that it would treat Motorola the same way it treated any other Android OEM and keep the division at arms length, giving it no special access or Android favors. Yet, Motorola has continued to lose market share and revenues. Last week, Google said that its Motorola division lost $271 million and revenues declined from $1.51 billion in Q4 to $1.02 [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Acquisitions | Google: Android | Google: Business Issues | Google: Mobile | Mobile Marketing | Top News

After publishing a study last year that measured the speed of websites around the world, Google compared recent Site Speed data to the 2012 data to determine if the Web is getting any faster. While numerous improvements have been made to the core infrastructure of the Internet, there has not been a significant change in speed for desktops because of the increasing size of webpages. Since 2012, Google reports webpage sizes have increased by over 56 percent. In contrast to desktops, mobile access speeds have increased approximately 30 percent compared to 2012 with the addition of several L [...]

Related Topics: Analytics | Channel: Analytics | Google: Analytics | Google: Mobile | Statistics | Statistics: General | Statistics: Web Browsers

'Tis the season of mobile advertising forecasts. Within the last week three have been released from eMarketer, BIA/Kelsey and now IDC. Emarketer said that US mobile advertising was worth $4.1 billion in 2012, BIA estimated $3.2 billion and IDC now asserts that US mobile ad revenues came in at $4.5 billion for the year. IDC expects mobile advertising to reach $7 billion by year end, compared with eMarketer's $7.29 billion and BIA's $5.39 billion. The IDC forecast also says the following about 2012 mobile ad revenues: Search: 61 percent of mobile ad spending  ($2.8 billion) Display: [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Facebook | Facebook: Advertising | Facebook: Business Issues | Facebook: Mobile | Google: Business Issues | Google: Mobile | Mobile Marketing | Statistics | Statistics: Market Share | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Statistics: Spend Projections | Top News | Twitter: Advertising | Twitter: Business Issues | Twitter: Mobile

Yesterday, the Fairsearch.org coalition, now featuring Oracle and Nokia, filed a fresh antitrust complaint in Europe against Google. The complaint focuses on Android and calls the operating system a "'Trojan Horse' to deceive partners, monopolize the mobile marketplace and control consumer data." Fairsearch cites data showing that Android dominates the smartphone market in Europe to the tune of a roughly 70 percent market share. It also cites Google's dominance of the mobile search market (96 percent share). However, StatCounter shows a smaller OS share for Android in Europe (46 percent vs [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Google: Business Issues | Google: Legal | Google: Mobile | Legal | Legal: Antitrust | Top News

According to eMarketer, mobile advertising will reach $7.29 billion by the end of this year with Google projected to take home more than half, earning $3.9 billion in US mobile ad revenue for 2013. According to the report, US mobile advertising grew 178 percent last year and is expected to grow 77.3 percent this year, a five fold increase since 2011. Mobile ad dollars represent display, search and messaging-based formats served on mobile devices. Mobile advertising will continue to climb dramatically, with an expected $27.13 billion in total mobile ad revenue by 2017, just under 45 percent [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Display Advertising | Display Advertising | Facebook: Advertising | Facebook: Mobile | Google: Display Advertising | Google: Mobile | Mobile Marketing | Statistics: General | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Top News | Twitter: Advertising

A new report from Reuters, citing anonymous sources, says that Google's new Nexus 7 tablet will be released in July and could be priced at the low-low price of $149. This would be $50 better than the current version, which was the best small tablet until the arrival of the iPad Mini. It's still the best for its price point and better generally than Amazon's Kindle line of tablets. Reducing the price by $50 for the entry level Nexus 7 would not only drive more sales but put enormous pressure on Google rival Amazon, which has generally been selling Kindle Fires at break even. The repor [...]

Related Topics: Apple: iPad | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Google: Mobile | Google: Nexus

There's always been a kind of paradox at the heart of the Android ecosystem: it's the dominant smartphone OS, but its users don't dominate the mobile Internet. Mobile browser and Internet usage numbers don't line up with handset market share. Google has always promoted its raw Android activation numbers as a way to show momentum (and boast vs. Apple). However, now that it has essentially won the market share contest, it's starting to focus on different metrics that are more meaningful -- a substantial percentage of Android users are relatively "passive" when it comes to apps and the mobile [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Android | Google: Mobile | Statistics: Popularity & Usage

It's a multiscreen world now. And, Google has been doing everything it can to help marketers catch up to consumers, who live in a world of several devices: PCs, tablets and smartphones. Yet, marketers still mostly live in the world of PCs. To educate and bring them along, Google has produced compelling research, launched Enhanced Campaigns, broadened conversion tracking in AdWords, and now is introducing a mobile ROI calculator. As part of its "How to Go Mo" site, Google is launching "The Full Value of Mobile." It offers videos, case studies and ROI calculators for different mobile and mult [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google | Google: Mobile | Mobile Marketing | Top News

New versions of the Google+ app for Android and iPhone are now available, with updates to photo, post, profile and community features. Users will have access to a selection of Snapseed's photo-enhancement options within the Google+ app, including basic editing functions and the ability to choose filters like Drama and Retrolux. Saturation, contrast, brightness and other photo effects can be adjusted as well, along with a single tap feature that lets users compare an edited image with the original. The new version of the Google+ app for Android will include more text up front on posts and [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Mobile Marketing | Google: Google+ | Google: Mobile

Google's early fantasy about mobile was that apps would eventually lose favor in favor of HTML5 and the browser. This is consistent with Google's outlook and competitive history vs. Microsoft and Apple: the Internet and the cloud vs. proprietary operating systems and software. Yet, to date, apps have largely won out over the mobile Web. According to Nielsen, US mobile users spend just under 80 percent of their time with mobile apps vs. the mobile Web. And, comScore has said that "four out of five" mobile minutes (roughly the same amount) are spent in mobile apps. Last week, we discovered [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content Marketing | Google: Android | Google: Business Issues | Google: Chrome | Google: Mobile

[caption id="attachment_36725" align="alignright" width="324"] The Pebble[/caption] Consumers have only recently gotten used to smartphones and barely integrated tablets into their routines. Soon they'll be presented with yet another mobile device: wearable computers (watches) from both Apple and Samsung. There are other companies offering or developing versions of a "smartwatch" as well. One such device is the Pebble smartwatch (pictured at right), which raised a record $10 million through kickstarter. It integrates with the iPhone and Android smartphones. The anticipated Apple iWatc [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: iOS | Apple: iPhone | Apple: Siri | Channel: Mobile Marketing | Features & Analysis | Google: Android | Google: Glass | Google: Mobile | Mobile Marketing

At a Broadway-style premiere this evening at New York's Radio City Musical Hall, Samsung unveiled its heavily anticipated Galaxy S4 handset. The event had the hype and production values of an Apple product launch. But, what barely seemed in attendance was any idea that the S4 is an Android phone or contains Google services. Samsung obviously spent a great deal of money on the show. Parts of it were awkward and many of the scripted jokes fell flat. But, the phone is sure to be a hit. The new S4 looks very much like the Galaxy S III (I watched the live stream and haven't held it in my hand [...]

Related Topics: Apple | Apple: iPhone | Channel: Local | Gadgets | Google: Android | Google: Business Issues | Google: Maps | Google: Mobile | Google: Nexus | Samsung | Top News

The Verge is now reporting that Google's virtual assistant Google Now is coming to the Chrome browser and Chromebooks. Google Now will apparently be part of a new notification center in the Chrome OS. There's no question that Google Now is a compelling product. Whether we call it a "virtual assistant" or "predictive search" or "ambient search," it is to Android what Siri is to the iPhone -- a differentiator. Last year, it won the "innovation of the year" award from Popular Science. It's not entirely clear how Google Now on PCs would manifest, perhaps a notification box or pop-up i [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Content Marketing | Google: Android | Google: Chrome | Google: Mobile | Google: Nexus

Nearly two years ago, my co-author Mike Schneider and I published a book called Location-Based Marketing for Dummies. At the time, location-based marketing was just getting off the ground in large part thanks to the launch of two services: foursquare and Gowalla. Over the last couple of years, many of the original location-based services have been acquired or have gone out of business. But foursquare still stands in spite of the fact that it still hasn't caught fire like many of us hoped it would. While foursquare has stalled out around 25 million users, it is still a force to be reckone [...]

Related Topics: Analytics | Channel: Local | Check-In Services | Facebook: Mobile | Foursquare | Google: Mobile | How To | Mobile Marketing Column | Statistics: Mobile Marketing | Twitter: Mobile | Yelp

According to TechCrunch, Google is creating an Amazon Prime competitor. The two twists are: it will apparently be cheaper and also offer same-day delivery from selected brick-and-mortar retailers. TechCrunch says the new service will be called "Google Shopping Express." Apparently stores like Wal-Mart and Target are some of the potential offline retail partners. If any part of this is true (and it's likely that there's at least some truth to what TechCrunch is reporting) it's very interesting. Google is stepping up its campaign against Amazon, the undisputed king of online e-commerce. If [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Retail | E-Commerce | Google: Analytics | Google: Business Issues | Google: Mobile | Google: Shopping | Google: Wallet | Top News