Is the Verizon Prada Phone the Ultimate iPhone rival?

The latest buzz in mobile phones is all about the “iphone killers.” Most note worthy could be the LG Prada Phone. The LG Prada phone has a sleek touch screen design which includes a camera and plays music and videos. The phone is not a PDA or for email and online usage. The name “Prada” speaks for itself, this phone is all about the brand and image. Retail value should be around $600. At this time, the Verizon Wireless US release date on the LG Prada phone is unknown. A Verizon rep denies that the Prada phone is the answer to the iPhone and claims there will be several other phones for release late this summer.Other “iPhone killers” could include the Song Ericsson Walkman phones and a possible Google phone. Rumors have surfaced that Samsung and Google have paired to create the Google Switch phone. As we all patiently wait to see which phones out perform the other, the iPhone release has certainly pushed the US phone carriers to step-up and offer some better phones.The iPhone release date has been postponed from June 11th to now be around June 26th.

Social Network Evolution

The growing trend of social networks in the online space has encouraged Facebook to re-vamp their network center. The social network is expanding its reach on the Internet, becoming more of an operating system where various applications including photos and classifieds will be available to its 24 million members.

While Facebook’s competitors are focusing their energy on taking advantage of being the hub of people’s social lives, Facebook is driving its power into useful technological applications. According to Fortune, this new Facebook will channel all the useful tools of photo-sharing, networking and marketplace websites into one central location, providing a comprehensive dashboard for its users. MediaPost even reported that two prominent newspapers are teaming up with Facebook to leverage people’s political views for the upcoming election.

I think this is a step in the right direction for social networks and marketing. Social networks are poised to become a useful hub for marketers and consumers alike.

Microsoft Aquires Mobile Ad Company ScreenTonic

Today, Microsoft has announced the purchase of ScreenTonic, a Paris based mobile advertising technology company. Currently the ScreenTonic’s platform, Stamp, delivers text or banner ads to mobile devices throughout the UK. The technology uses Geotargeting ad delivery and provides campaign management, billing and reporting capabilities.

ScreenTonic will become part of Microsoft’s Digital Advertising Solutions Group.  Clearly, Microsoft is confident that the mobile marketing industry has a future.  However, it is not clear how this affects the US mobile industry.  Other rumors have surfaced about Microsoft purchasing Third Screen Media, a US based mobile advertising firm.  We’ll all have to wait to see what Microsoft does next in the mobile industry.

iPhone: Taking the Mobile Industy to the Next Level

With only 2 months to go until the much anticipated release of the Apple iPhone, I can’t help but be a little giddy.  For mobile enthusiasts, it must feel like the night before Christmas. The iPhone is sure to push the mobile industry to the next level with a combination of suave technology and sleek design.  The features that stand out: a touch sensitive screen, built in sensors, 2 mega pixel camera, and iTunes compatibility. The iPhone will be available nationwide June 11th through AT&T/Cingular Wireless (the exclusive provider in the US) and Apple Stores.  The phones are priced at $499 for the 4GB or $599 for the 8GB.  Only time will tell how the iPhone will push the Mobile Industry and Mobile Advertising.  We’ll keep you posted.

GPS Cell Phone

MySpace and Facebook have extended their services to cell phones, but now big companies like Sprint and Verizon are trying to take advantage of GPS technologies. Services like Loopt, also known as Family Locator, or VZNavigator allow users to find the locations of their friends by allowing them to send signals to their cell phones. The distance of the signal identifies where the individual is located. Think about this. You now have the ability to decide if you should wait for a friend when going out or not. For advertisers this technology obviously becomes interesting based on the ability to do location based mobile marketing. Privacy rights and ad standards must be figured out first, but soon there will be the opportunity to send offers and ads to individuals based on their current location. In the future the mall may never be the same.

Netflix Online

Today, Netflix officially announced it is almost ready to move online.

Convergence of Television and Internet is getting closer and closer. Netflix puts itself in the middle to be a participant in the market of allowing users to watch movies and TV shows through downloads on their PC. Although the amount of movies is limited at this point, it is important to note that Netflix is betting its entire operating income of $40MM to gain traction in this area. We see three potential strategies here: 1) become a first mover in this space to establish the Netflix brand as an ultimate online movie and entertainment destination 2) combat Blockbusters encroaching market share for online video rentals 3) set themselves up for acquisition by one of the leading TV networks, such as Viacom, Fox, who are unable to move as quickly as the pure online shops are. We saw this with YouTube, MySpace and others.

7 Predictions for 2007

Yeah, it’s now 2007! It’s time to make predictions about future technology and media news. Next year will evaluate how we did and do 8 predictions for 2008.
See below for our NEW 7 predictions for 2007, starting at #7:

Place Offline Traditional Ads, Online

#6
Google and Yahoo will allow for more options to place “real world ads” through their online ad management systems.