Captivating Connections.

texting while driving to be (potentially) illegal?

I've seen some PSAs regarding texting and driving, but it looks like people are taking it to the next step: Bringing the law in...

"Nearly all Americans say sending a text message while driving should be illegal, and about half say texting while behind the wheel should be punished at least as harshly as drunken driving, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll.

'If you’re going to drive, drive; if you want to talk or text, pull over to the side of the road,' Constance Drake, 71, of Toms River, N.J., said in a follow-up interview.

Ninety-seven percent support the prohibition of texting while driving, an unusual level of agreement for any topic. Eighty percent also support a ban on talking on a hand-held cellphone while driving.

Fifty percent said the punishment for texting while driving should be just as severe as for drunken driving."

conde nast goes app.

"Conde Nast is introducing a slick platform for selling, displaying and enhancing its titles' regular print issues on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Issues rendered for the iPhone screen will sell as apps, starting with this December's issue of GQ, priced at $2.99 in the app store.

Users will be able to see every page as it appears in print as well as renderings of all the content tailored for display on the small screen. They will also be able to watch related videos, hear audio and visit advertisers' sites without leaving the app.

It's a potentially significant step in print publishers' efforts to make something positive out of digital media. For one thing, the iPhone app puts Conde in position to play on new e-readers and tablets, the company said today. 'If you can get here, you're ready to go there,' President-CEO Charles H. Townsend said in a presentation to reporters. 'That's what this is about.'"

is the mobile web becoming the social web?

Here's more mobile web research, this time looking at social networks:

"It doesn't take a visionary to see the convergence of social networking and mobile devices as a natural progression. Cell phones are inherently social tools -- enabling voice, email, and SMS communications, along with activities like photo-sharing -- so extending social media to the mix is a logical step.

But a new report from Forrester Research goes further, suggesting that mobile phones have the potential to become the hub for all social computing activities rather than just a complement to the PC-based experience.

'Mobile phones will increasingly become the glue that holds the social graph together, offering creative tools and immediacy, presence, location, and context when interacting with the real world,' states the Forrester report ('Why Mobile Could Reinvent Social Computing'), authored by analyst Thomas Husson.

While conceding that mobile social networking is still a niche market, Husson points to Facebook Mobile recently hitting 65 million users -- tripling its audience in eight months -- as a prime example of where things are headed. A flurry of initiatives, including alliances between handset makers and social Web properties -- like the deal between INQ and Facebook -- and Nokia's 'Lifecasting with Ovi,' offering, also signal growing interest in the space.

Mobile operators, likewise, are striking partnerships with popular social brands and touting easy access to these properties as a way to attract young customers and sell more data packages. AT&T, for example, this summer introduced Social Net, a free mobile social networking app offering access to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter and allowing users to customize news feeds."

is the mobile web stressing you out?

According to new research, "Web surfing via cell phone continues to be a frustrating experience for most users.

Two out of three mobile Web users reported having problems when accessing Web sites on their mobile phones in the last year, according to a new study by Web application testing firm Gomez Inc. Slow load times were cited as the biggest issue, followed by mobile sites crashing, and the formatting of a page making it difficult to read or use.

Because most people are used to broadband connections at home and work, their expectations for the mobile Web are high. Most of the 1001 Gomez survey participants expect Web sites to load almost as quickly, as quickly, or even faster on their mobile phone than their home or work computer.

One out of five mobile users say sites should load in five seconds or less -- comparable to expectations for the regular Web circa 2007 or 2008. A recent study by the Nielsen Norman Group, which reached similar conclusions about the mobile Web, likened it to the traditional Web circa 1994. Gomez found that more than half of cell phone users are willing to wait only six to 10 seconds before giving up."

wal-mart helps you save on the cell.

"Wal-Mart Stores wants to change the way America uses its cell phones.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer says it is partnering with TracFone Wireless to launch Straight Talk, a no-contract cell phone plan. For $45 a month, users get unlimited minutes, texts and mobile Web use, and for $30, they get 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30MB of Web usage. Both plans also offer unlimited use of 411 calls.

Theoretically, the potential for Wal-Mart's offer is considerable: Some 75 to 80% of Americans already use cell phones, and churn is constant, with about 30% of users ditching their carriers in any given year, says Allen Nogee, principal analyst for wireless technology for In-Stat, based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

'Everyone is looking to save money,' he says, 'and while many people might be resistant to buying a TracFone -- they may worry that the coverage won't be as good as, let's say, a Verizon or a U.S. Cellular, for example -- the fact that Wal-Mart is putting its brand name behind the product may make a difference.'"

what's up with those college kids online?

"College students are the most connected demographic group in the US. They own multiple electronic devices and are a prime audience for online video.

eMarketer estimates 18.2 million college students, 95.7% of the total, will go online at least once a month in 2009. As Internet usage becomes ubiquitous, the percentage of students online is growing more slowly, rising to an estimated 96.8% in 2013.

'Not only is Internet access widely prevalent, but so is technology ownership in general,' said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, 'College Students: Connecting with the Connected Crowd.' 'Since students own multiple devices, they want to use those devices to interact with friends and information in multiple ways. They care less about what method they use for their interactions and more about how easy and seamless those interactions are.'

Students are heavy consumers of online video—but also regular TV. They use social networking Websites to stay in touch with their friends—but rely on text messaging as well. And smartphones, which are becoming more and more common on campus, give students the ability to do many activities without touching a computer at all.

Despite the fears of some industry-watchers, college students are not abandoning social networks now that the sites have caught on among their elders."

mobile entertainment sales on the rise.

"The worldwide economic downturn isn't slowing down mobile media growth, according to a new forecast. The Mobile Entertainment Forum's latest Business Confidence Index, compiled by KPMG, projects average mobile media revenue will grow 33% in 2009 -- a 6% increase over the rate predicted at the beginning of the year.

'A 6% increase in the predicted growth of the market since the beginning of the year shows that, despite a general downturn and a degree of belt-tightening in some areas, any remaining uncertainty is offset by a sense of optimism within the industry looking forward,' said Andrew Bud, global chair of the mobile industry trade group.

Paid content will continue to play a big part in driving sales, with MEF members predicting 63% of their revenue over the next quarter will come from both subscription and one-time purchases. Games, video, music, social networking and infotainment remain the most popular categories.

The explosion of mobile applications is also starting to pay off as apps alone are expected to account for 14% of all mobile media sales. It's likely Apple's App Store, with more than 2 billion downloads to date, will generate the vast majority of app sales this year. Even so, most iPhone apps are still offered free."

Verizon/Google vs. Apple/iPhone.

And, in this corner.....

"Ending months of speculation, Google and Verizon Wireless Tuesday announced plans to jointly create a series of Android-powered phones and other devices.

The pairing of the Internet giant and the nation's largest wireless carrier potentially gives Verizon a hot smartphone to compete with the iPhone, while providing Google with expanded distribution for its Android mobile operating system. Specifically, the companies will introduce two new phones in the coming weeks, with additional devices including smartphones, feature phones and netbooks envisioned down the road.

Boy Genius Report suggested Tuesday that Verizon's version of the HTC Hero would be the first phone released, in November. Sprint plans to debut its own Android-powered HTC Hero later on Oct. 11. The new alliances with both Verizon and Sprint show the Google operating system is gaining ground a year after it launched on T-Mobile's G1 handset."

amazon mobile goes for 1 click.

"Amazon.com has launched a new service allowing people to make purchases on third-party mobile Web sites using the information from their Amazon accounts.

The Amazon Mobile Payments Service provides merchants and mobile developers a set of APIs (application programming interfaces) to process payments on mobile devices. It also includes the convenience of the giant retailer's 1-Click checkout system.

'We're pleased to make it easier for our Amazon Payments developers and merchants to extend mobile payment options and the ease of 1-Click checkout to their customers,' said Howard Gefen, director of Amazon Mobile Payments, in a statement. The move could benefit mobile e-commerce sites by removing a potential barrier to purchases by millions of Amazon customers by letting them use payment information from their existing accounts."

catch them if you can.

Looking to snag Mom's attention? Go for her while she's on the go.

It may sound counterintuitive (why would she be receptive to you if you're interrupting her while she's trying to be productive), but "according to Scarborough Research, women who are employed full-time and have one or more children spend 21% more on their cellular bills than the average user ($94 for working moms, $78 for all cell phone users). What's more, they are 43% more likely to download content to their phones.

'It's no surprise that anybody who's working these days is technology-enabled,' Howard Goldberg, senior vice president of advertising agency services for Scarborough, tells Marketing Daily. 'It's more important to the working mom because she has to stay connected not only to her work environment, but for her family, too.'

Working moms are also more likely to use their phones for things other than talking. Working moms are 43% more likely to download content to their phones than the average consumer, and their most common Internet practices are downloading coupons, finding local events and paying bills, Goldberg says.

'The cell phone device is used for more than just talking -- she uses it extensively, whether it's downloading coupons, looking up movies online or taking pictures,' he says. 'It's so integrated into her life, she's a prime target for reaching via mobile marketing because she's using it for more than just having a conversation.'

Also, because of an increased amount of time spent in the car going to and from work and to and from children's events, working moms are much more likely to be heavy users of out-of-home media."