Archive for October, 2007
“We are making exponential progress in every type of information technology. Moreover, virtually all technologies are becoming information technologies. We can reliably predict that in the not too distant future we will reach what is known as “The Singularity”.
This is a time when the pace of technological change will be so rapid and its impact so deep that human life will be irreversibly transformed. We will be able to reprogram our biology, and ultimately transcend it. The result will be an intimate merger between ourselves and the technology we create.” Continue reading
Reflecting to Google’s activities over the past few months, it seems like they are putting infrastructure in place and gearing up resources to enter the mobile phone business (Google has long been rumored to be working on a mobile phone, or “gPhone”).
Earlier this week, Google announced that it had acquired Jaiku, a Finnish startup that lets people broadcast short updates about their locations and activities over the Web or to their friends’ cell phones (similar to Twitter), a concept called microblogging.
Furthermore, earlier this year, Google has announced its intention to bid on a large swath of spectrum in early 2008; it has acquired a mobile-phone software startup, Android, based in Palo Alto, CA; and in a handful of public statements, representatives of the company have alluded to trying to make the mobile experience better.
Basically its not the question anymore if Google will enter the mobile phone business but when and how? When will be probably somewhere beginning next year but HOW remains the biggest question mark! Many speculations are circling around but it is likely that Google is about to rewrite the rules of the (mobile) telecom industry.
In my previous post (Mobile advertising) I already wrote about the lucrative mobile advertising market which will open new opportunities. In light of this, and with respect to the ongoing rumours, Google is planning to offer a free mobile phone (gPhone) on which smart advertisement functionalities will turn your phone in a personal advisor (Will a Google phone change the game, BusinessWeek). Exciting times ahead of us!
At the moment, most mobile advertising takes the form of text messages. But Telecoms firms are beginning to deliver ads to handsets alongside video clips, web pages, and music and game downloads, through mobiles that are nifty enough to permit such things.
Industry experts are expecting mobile advertising to be the next big thing. Basically based on the premises that there are currently 2.5 billion mobile phones around the world already. Potentially it can reach a much bigger audience than the planet’s billion or so personal computers. The number of mobile phones in use is also growing much faster than the number of computers, especially in poorer countries. Better yet, most people carry their mobile with them everywhere-something that cannot be said of television or computers.
One thing is sure, before it will hit the jackpot, current marketing strategies and business models need to be re-evaluated. Mobile operators, either established players and greenfield start-ups started to experiment already:
Blyk, offers subscribers 217 free text messages and 43 free minutes of voice calls per month as long as they agree to receive six advertisements by text message every day.
America’s Virgin Mobile, offers subscribers the choice between receiving an ad via text message or viewing a 45-second advertisement when browsing the internet in exchange for one free minute of talk time.
Vodafone UK offers subscribers the option of downloading footage from “Big Brother”, a reality-TV show, in exchange for viewing a promotional video clip.
Mobile phones (equipped with satellite-positioning technology) could be used to alert people to the charms of stores or restaurants they are walking or driving past
A subscriber typing in “pizza” for instance, could receive ads for nearby pizza parlours along with his generic search results. Such a customer, mobile operators hope, is likely to be more grateful than annoyed by the intrusion.
Growing opportunities in mobile technology and advertising is neither neglected by Google. Inner business circles expect Google to enter the mobile phone business soon. When it does, they will likely try to rewrite the rules of the game.
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