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Thumbplay secures $18 million new funding

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thumbplay.pngThumbplay has raised $18 million in new capital through a Series E round that was led by Brookside Capital Partners, the public equity affiliate of Bain Capital, and Cross Creek Capital, a private equity affiliate of Wasatch Advisors.

Thumbplay plans to use the new capital to expand its direct-to-consumer product offerings, in addition to further developing the tools it provides content owners, creators, publishers and brand marketers. The company also plans to accelerate its strategic growth plans and to expand internationally in 2008 to meet the growing demand for mobile entertainment content around the world, including the possibility of identifying potential acquisitions that will help advance its leadership position in the worldwide mobile content industry.

Originally posted on March 17, 2008 @ 8:17 am

iPhone threat to Nokia in browser wars– StatCounter

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Phone is the number two Internet mobile browser in the UK and number one in the US, according to StatCounter, which provides organisations and individuals with a free website visitor statistics tool.

On the mobile browsing front, iPhone took 0.06% of the total Internet browser market in the UK in March, behind Nokia which had 0.15%, according to StatCounter which tracks in excess of nine billion pageloads per month over its network of two million websites.

iPhone already has three times the Internet browser market share of BlackBerry (0.02%) in the UK. SonyEricsson has 0.01% of the UK market according to StatCounter research. iPhone and iTouch combined took 0.9% of the UK market in March to date.

In the US iPhone’s market share of Internet browsing at 0.18% is significantly ahead of Nokia which came in at 0.01%.

The StatCounter analysis was based on a sample of 371 million page views globally from December 07 to March 08, including 71 million page views in the US and 14 million in the UK.

Originally posted on March 16, 2008 @ 10:30 pm

RIM taps Will.i.am’s Dipdive to beat iPhone

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rim.gifIf you want to topple Apple’s iPhone and iTunes, you have to have that so so-called cool or X-factor. Well, it won’t be that easy. But this is exactly what Research in Motion has in mind in order to maintain its solid leadership in the smartphone segment and establish foothold in the consumer retail market.

The brilliant plan – partner with Dipdive, a combination of social networking site and music store created by Black Eyed Peas front man and a big Obama endorser Will.i.am. According to a news article, RIM will make this startup site available wirelessly on its BlackBerry.

RIM has every reason to be afraid of iPhone. Even though it controls the US smartphone segment with its 41% market share, iPhone was able to seize 28% market share of the US smartphone market 6 months after its launch.

This transition to attract the broader consumer market will be quite difficult given the strong association of BlackBerry handsets with business people and big corporations.

Originally posted on March 10, 2008 @ 10:37 am

SongNumbers.com, a new music mobile service unlike any other

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The time has come. Artists and record labels are now empowered with a new critical mass media utility from SongNumbers.com.

The patent-pending SongNumbers utility is very simple to use: Artists assign a phone number from the SongNumbers.com website that anyone with a cell phone can call and preview music. At anytime during the call, fans can press #1 to instantly purchase that song!

There is no complicated software, no players to install, no DRM issues, nada. In fact, fans, family and friends can effortlessly purchase your music, anytime, anywhere, 24/7, armed with only their cell phone. AT&T and Alltel are carriers currently available in the U.S.

Try out the LIVE demo number now: 515-862-1000.

Originally posted on March 11, 2008 @ 10:06 am

JupiterResearch finds more advertisers deploying mobile coupons

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JupiterResearch has found a growing segment of consumers totaling 30 percent is interested in receiving coupons on their cell phones, although at one percent, adoption remains low. During the next year, more advertisers are expected to tap this interest using mobile coupons or promotions, although anticipated growth will remain in single digits. In order to be truly successful, however, such mobile tactics must focus on highly relevant offers, deliver value, manage frequency, and give the consumer control.

These findings are outlined in a recent report published by JupiterResearch. “Mobile Coupons: Identifying New Opportunities Beyond Early Trials,” and focus on how some advertisers are aiming to exploit the inherent location and realtime delivery capabilities that make for a more compelling solution than traditional paper coupons.

Redemption methods are one key inhibitor to wider use by advertisers. Few retailers have systems able to read coupons directly from handset screens. This lack means the POS requires another way of verifying and tracking. Current methods include the following: entering the code manually in a cash register; matching it with a customer’s loyalty card number; or writing it down on paper—the least preferable way. But while there are still hurdles that need to be cleared, this method of mobile marketing presents some potential and clear benefits to advertisers.

Originally posted on March 9, 2008 @ 5:06 pm