

Globally Smartphone Users Spend 20% Of Their Internet Time On Mobile (MobiGyaan)
Mobile community Mobango conducted a survey amongst its India, UK, US and Italy registered users and found:

Smartphone users spend 20% of their internet time on mobile.

time spent on mobile

Wi-Fi is the preferred choice to access Internet.

wi-fi preferred mobile connection

Women in Western countries spend more time on mobile internet.

western mobile consumption

Smartphone users have 50% more apps compared to those using a feature phone.

smartphone vs feature phone apps

Users trust mobile downloads but not mobile ads.

user trust downloads not ads

That could be one of the contributing factors to what's holding back mobile advertising.

If Mobile Is The Future, Why Aren't Advertisers Investing More In It? (BostInno)
According to analytics firm Flurry, people spend 23% of their time on their mobile devices, second only to TV at 40%. But mobile receives only about 1% of ad budget spend, compared to TV at 43%. Why the big gap? Although agencies and brands are increasing their mobile ad spend, they remain in learning mode, looking for the best ways to leverage mobile and create more valuable ads. Advertisers look to achieve scale with ads that work seamlessly across various mobile devices and platforms without spending weeks custom-building elaborate rich media ad units. Advertisers prefer a platform-based approach: one that transforms assets into high-impact mobile and tablet creatives in a matter of hours, and which can run across their entire media buy. As industry standards evolve, this approach will help increase mobile ad buys by streamlining ad formats, delivery and measurement.

Advertising Relearned For Mobile (The New York Times)
As more of us have access to the internet and apps through our cellphones and tablets, advertisers are looking for new ways to reach us there. Increasingly, advertisers are tailoring ads to phones by taking advantage of elements like their ability to track location, make a call, show maps with directions and add calendar alerts. The stakes are significant for an industry that is still finding its way in the mobile world. Advertisers will spend a relatively small amount of money on ads on phones and tablets this year, less than 2% of the amount they will spend over all. Yet that is more than triple what they spent in 2010. Despite the problems, though, there is evidence that mobile advertising is becoming a meaningful business, and in some cases a bigger business than online advertising. So who will be the Google of mobile? It's really Google's game to lose.

Mobile Video: The Small Screen Boom (BI Intelligence)
Mobile video is quickly becoming a mass consumer phenomenon, much as digital photos were earlier in the smartphone adoption cycle. Last year, the first time, video accounted for over half the world's wireless data traffic. But video's much more than just a giant straw for mobile data. It also opens up a spectrum of new opportunities for app developers, advertisers, and content producers.

Mobile Video Share

In the BI Intelligence report Mobile Video: The Small Screen Boom, we explore what is driving this massive mobile video growth, examine who watches mobile video and how they watch it, and look at the mobile video monetization opportunity. 

Problems In The Mobile App Discovery Landscape (Lone Wolf)
One of the major problems we are seeing in the app world is discovery. This is not only a problem for the developers that make the apps, but also the end user. As it stands right now, developers and app lovers alike share the same core issue finding quality apps. The number one method (by users) for finding new apps is through the Apple and Android App Stores themselves. For people that don’t use the app store search or word of mouth, it is safe bet to assume they are using online blogs for to discover new and useful apps. In the end, users are spending way too much time looking for new apps and developers are spending too much money trying to find new users.

The Third Mobile Platform Is Finally Here (Wired)
When Microsoft launched the Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system two years ago, it signaled the company's first real step into the smartphone market. With Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is trying to give its smartphone business another shot in the arm. It’s stacked with new features, as well as enhancements to all the things that made previous versions enjoyable to use. This is still Windows Phone, but more grown up, and now truly ready to challenge the big kids on the playground. Microsoft continues to assure the world that it’s getting developers to create Windows Phone apps. The other volume problem is the tiny user base. It’s most noticeable in the new “Rooms” feature in the People hub, where you can have group chats, or share albums, calendars and notes. If you don't know anybody who uses a Windows Phone, this feature is totally useless. Access the full review here.

BONUS: Nine Ways To Make Your Cell Phone Last The Storm If The Power Goes Out (Quartz)
Because millions of people are without power on the East Coast, here are some tips to keep your cell phone living:

  1. Fully charge your laptop, and save that charge for your phone.
  2. When the power goes out, turn off all the radios on your phone you’re not using: WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.
  3. Keep your phone plugged into a charger until the power goes out.
  4. Turn off all “push” notifications on your phone.
  5. Restart your phone to kill all the apps that are running now.
  6. Turn down the brightness on your screen.
  7. Send text messages instead of making phone calls.
  8. Borrow a cell phone car charger (assuming your car isn't drowning).
  9. Do not use your phone.

Good luck!