Intel® is gaining serious momentum in the mobile market, first with their February announcement of a partnership with LG®, and now with their new mobile-computing partnership with Nokia®.

Nokia, reportedly the largest smart phone manufacturer in the world, will immediately begin collaboration with Intel on new devices that run on the company’s Atom™ processor.  This collaboration has great potential — on paper, at least — for the evolution of mobile devices.

Not only will Nokia benefit by gaining access to new technology, Intel will also be able to license mobile phone technology from it’s new partner to offer to its other customers, perhaps even to LG.  This possibility is staggering; combined, Nokia and LG control almost 50% of the mobile phone market worldwide.  This share makes Intel’s theoretical reach across mobile a powerful one.

The partnership also places Intel in a key position in light of Apple®’s 2008 purchase of PA Semiconductor.  Apple, which uses Intel chips for its Mac® computers, does not use Intel for its iPhone™ or iPod® portable devices.

The Nokia—Intel joint venture goes beyond smart phones, however; both have stated that they are looking to invent a whole new mobile platform, such as Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs).  It will be very interesting to see how the Nokia—Intel partnership develops and especially how it influences the likes of Apple, AMD, Microsoft® (provider of Windows® Mobile) and Google™ (maker of Android) to progress in the development of their mobile technologies.

3Cinteractive has been chosen by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) to sit on their Consumer Best Practices Committee. Niki Dunbar, 3Cinteractive’s Director of Service Operations, was nominated for 3Ci’s position on the committee and will represent 3Ci as part of this prestigious mobile industry body. The MMA has developed the Consumer Best Practices Committee — comprised of all four Tier-1 wireless carriers, as well as leading aggregators, and content providers — to formulate a set of guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services.

3Ci is very proud to take such a strong leadership position in an important area of the mobile marketing industry. We believe that our appointment is a compelling testament to 3Cinteractive’s and Niki Dunbar’s extensive reputation as a leader in mobile marketing compliance and consumer best practices. Congratulations, Niki!

3Cinteractive would like to address the recent development of the TeleCommuncations Systems, Inc. (TCS) patent regarding SMS applications. The process patent, broadly covering MO-to-application via SMS short codes, has been making its way around the mobile industry for the past several weeks. 3Ci would like you to know that we are highly aware of this patent and that we are working closely with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and other industry organizations to stay up to date on all of the latest news and updates. The facts as 3Ci understands them today are:

1. The MMA has engaged legal counsel to review the TCS infringement notices;
2. The MMA has suggested that the infringement notices were prepared “in anticipation of litigation”;
3. The MMA is exploring the possibility of a joint defense or declaratory judgment action;
4. Identifying “prior art” may invalidate the patent or showing that MO-to-application via SMS short code was commercially used prior to April 18, 2000. Any knowledge or lead regarding this should be immediately sent to Kristine van Dillen of the MMA;
5. 3Ci clients should exercise their best business judgment regarding a response to a TCS notice; and
6. 3Ci clients should consult with legal counsel before responding to any TCS notice.

If you should have any specific questions regarding TCS or their process patent in regards to your relationship with 3Cinteractive, please contact 3Ci General Counsel Mitch Kass at 561-443-5505.

Perhaps one of the most eye-catching products to debut this year (as still early yet) is the transparent design of the LG-GD900 mobile phone from LG Electronics.  The mobile phone had its coming out party in Barcelona during the GSMA Mobile World Congress (an event attended by 3Cinteractive’s Vic Shroff).

While most of its advanced features are unknown, the mobile device itself is 13.4mm-thick with 7.2Mbps HSPDA.  The biggest feature is the world’s first transparent keypad that softly glows when the slider is open.  The body of the device has a polished silver finish, so the keypad gives the mobile phone the appearance of being made from glass or crystal.

The LG-GD900 with transparent keypad (from LG Electronics)

A Bluetooth headset is in the works from LG that will match the clear design of the mobile phone. The LG-GD900 is scheduled for release during the second quarter of 2009 and those advanced features are scheduled to be unveiled at that time.

Dan Flanegan wrote a great article in this week’s mobile marketer urging brands to think twice before considering low-cost mobile marketing campaigns. Dan pointed out the recent boom of new mobile marketing companies reselling platforms and dividing the cost.

As an established ASP, 3Ci couldn’t agree more. Cost isn’t the only factor to consider when choosing your mobile partner—this was the influence behind 3Ci’s Safe Text Campaign.

Dan lists five things to keep in mind before opting for the low-cost option.

Flexibility
“Many low cost campaigns won’t allow you to make changes to your campaign.” With 3Cinteractive you are given a dedicated short code, and web accessible platform to make changes on the fly.

Data Collection
“Most small self serve providers don’t give you the option to “tag” your media with different keywords for measurement purposes, leaving you in the dark.” With 3Cinteractive, you are given detailed reporting, by client, account, and sub-account, with each sub-account listing by programs, campaigns, and events.

Carrier Approval
“Can the provider really guarantee that your program is legally approved by all the wireless carriers? If not you run the risk of being shut off during or event before your campaign starts.” 3Cinteractive’s Compliance Team has been tapped by the world’s biggest brands to ensure their programs are approved across all major and minor carriers. An approved and compliant program is the first step in a successful mobile program.

Your Mobile Goals
“Limited contact means low costs and better margins for [the provider]. If you are new to mobile, look for a provider that encourages collaboration and support.” 3Ci’s Client Services Team is available 24/7 for campaign support.

Cost
“When you look at cost on a per message basis, not to mention the lack of interaction with the provider, you actually might be spending more.” Operating on a dedicated short code ensures your program isn’t at risk of being shut down by a rogue account. I’ve spoken with clients who have been approached by companies holding 200+ accounts on one shared short code. It would take only one client to shut down the entire short code, rendering the campaigns unusable.

Choose a partner you can trust.

- Ainsworth

Special thanks go out to Cian at GoMo news for including 3Cinteractive in their list of Top Mobile Advertisers.

- Ainsworth

Last week, The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article that covered some of the breaking news surrounding Apple’s AppStore and the 3G iPhone. Without a doubt, the initial statistics are impressive: $30 million in sales in the first month and 3 million 3G iPhones sold. I’ve used the AppStore several times, for both free and purchased applications (Tetris and Stagehand), and I am confident I’ll continue to purchase useful applications. I will admit, however, that I’ve cleared out several useless downloads (i.e. flashlight) from the first week with the phone. But amid the great news are several developers who are unhappy with Apple’s ability to remotely disable a program.

Thanks to the AppStore and iPhone OS X 2.0, the iPhone is the next frontier in software development. As I mentioned in my last Blackberry vs. iPhone articlethe system comparison has come down to an OS war. In his latest interview, Steve Job’s added, “Phone differentiation used to be about radios and antennas and things like that. We think, going forward, the phone of the future will be differentiated by software.” (Credit TUAW)

Knowing that the Apple’s iPhone strategy has created a gold mine for powerful mobile applications, why are developers so unhappy with the remote disable feature? It seems like more developers are jumping on the, “It’s a conspiracy!” wagon than the, “That’s smart OS development!” wagon. I was taken back by one blogger assuring this was Apple’s ability to disable all MS applications in one pull. Why would Apple do that?

Have AppStore developers forgotten one of the key reasons people are switching to Apple?! Apple integrates any and all necessary features to ensure the OS cannot be compromised or difficult to use. This is not Apple admitting they have a faulty screening process (we’ll give them a pass on the I Am Rich app); this is Apple protecting the OS that has created legitimate business opportunity for mobile developers (complete with Location Based Services).

This is not Apple’s desire to be able to shut down their competitor’s applications; they don’t need that. Apple is simply trying to avoid destroying the full-potential of mobile apps.

- Ainsworth