Personal Media Insights Digest: Africa fastest growing mobile market

Article name: Sports Insights launches free sports betting app for iPhone Click here

Wagering/Betting and Sports Industry Insights

The application empowers sports bettors with all the data they need to stay informed, right from their phone
Innovations such as 1st and 2nd half lines and public betting trends sets the app apart as a game-changing solution in mobile betting market
The app will arm thousands of sports bettors around the world with the information they need to make smarter bets

Article name: NYC marathon introduces App for iOS devices Click here

Sports Industry Insights

Ability to geolocate and track any of the thousands of runners, from the recreational runner to celebs like Kristy Turlington and Jennie Finch
Ability to engage with over two million fans along our 26.2 stadium
App will be the first to integrate RFID chip timing and GPS to allow real-time tracking of race participants. Users can track up to 10 runners simultaneously. Something new this year, is the ability to track runners in real-time who choose to run with their smart phones

Article name: Republic Wireless: 419 per month for voice, text and data Click here

Carrier and Telecommunications Industry Insights

A new carrier called Republic Wireless is enlisting the help of Wi-Fi networks to sell cheap smartphone services
They offer voice, text and data for $19 per month, with no annual contract – roughly a quarter of the price of coverage plans on AT&T and Verizon Wireless
The catch is that there will be bandwidth limits to ensure people do not over use it — expected to be 550 minutes, 150 texts or 330 megabytes of cellular data

Article name: Ericsson envisions the future of connectivity Click here

Future Mobile Insights

Ericsson released a report on Monday saying that information flow through wireless networks will jump tenfold over the next 5 years
21 minute documentary is on the past, present and future of mobile technology and its impact on society
A company spokesperson said the video envisions a world that is “different from Microsoft’s vision of the future” video

Article name: Industry says Africa fastest growing mobile market Click here

Africa Region Insights

Africa soon poised to have 735 million people using their phones
Mobile penetration second only to Asia
Mobile banking is huge in Africa
Changing human behavior — one high schooler noticed that boys used to write letters to ask a girl out on a date, now they use SMS

Article name: New app starts tab in your pocket Click here

Emerging Mobile Technology and Commerce Insights

The Square launched a newer version of its app that allows people to start a tab in their pocket
App recognizes when a user is within 100 metres of a business – using new iPhone location abilities
This means users can purchase something without pulling out a wallet or phone
Keep your money and that flashy phone in pocket folks

Personal Media Insights Digest: A new remix app for the music industry

Article: Small victories in the war against luggage here

Airline Industry Insights

An average of 42 million bags are misplaced by airlines each year
Delta Airlines will update its FlyDelta smartphone app so members of the loyalty program can trace their luggage
The ability to track your luggage would prove a huge incentive to download an airline’s mobile application and increase the profitability and success of loyalty programs

Article name: A remix app for Lana Del Ray’s ‘Video Games’ here

Music Industry Insights

An application for Mac users has sprung up with Lana Del Ray’s emergence online
Can make changes to the song and video, rearrange lyrics, change beats among other things
The app is free to download here

Article name: Coldplay live streams free concert on YouTube here

Music Industry Insights

The typical cult-like behavior of music fans will always see them migrate to wherever their band is being shown/screened/played
Also, as the online and mobile music experience becomes more immersive and socially connected, fans may be drawn to stay at home
The online and mobile experience offers different camera angles, integration with social media, more metadata about the music, chat streaming
Mobile and social media will lead to breeding of cross-border niche communities through common music tastes.

Article: Fox Sports lands UFC rights: multimillion dollar pact brings fight phenomemon to FX, Fox here

Sports and Media Industry Insights

The Fox deal for UFC is another milestone in its rise as the fastest ever growing sport
It will also be interesting to see how UFC viewing shares stacks up against other major American sports on Fox mobile properties
It is essential that the testosterone-fueled event experience renders accordingly on personal media devices

Article name: Retailers issue mandate to ecommerce companies requesting easier mobile integration here

Retail and Fashion Industry Insights

As consumers are becoming more familiar with shopping on mobile and have expectations form mobile sites and application, brands need to focus on creating the right user experience
Retailers also want to be able to empower store associates with as much knowledge as the consumer has using mobile
Retailers are focusing on inventory, loyalty and product details for mobile initiatives
Using mobile in all phases of purchasing – researching, browsing, and purchasing

Article name: Say command: how speech recognition will change the world here

Automotive Industry Insights

The automotive industry is innovating through some sort of linguistic fashion
The idea of intelligent cars is about to hit the road fast, with voice recognition and mobile applications being central to the in-vehicle experience
Future linguistic functionality will become the norm in applications, which will suit in-vehicle and consumer applications for the industry

Article name: A new wave in mobile commerce and content here

Carrier & Telecommunications Industry Insights

There is a new force changing the mobile industry: evolving mobile data-charging models
Carriers are looking at ways to create plans based on speed, content, time, location and quality of service
The challenge is to make these plans easy to understand and measure

Here it is:

Here are my main takeaways from the video:

Ericsson released a report on Monday saying that information flow through wireless networks will jump tenfold over the next 5 years
21 minute documentary is on the past, present and future of mobile technology and its impact on society
A company spokesperson said the video envisions a world that is “different from Microsoft’s vision of the future” video
About 900 million people will have a high-speed Internet connection to their smartphone or tablet by the end of this year