Mobile Behavior is Similar to Desktop Behavior, it Seems

Peak mobile engagement with Web resources seems to mirror that of desktop PCs, namely that usage peaks in the early evening.

Like PC usage, which occurs nearly all hours when people are awake, mobile Web usage happens all day long.

Google+ Users Prefer it to Facebook

A poll of 1,000 Google+ users suggests Google+ users, at least, are looking for an alternative to Facebook. The poll found that 67 percent of Google+ users prefer it to Facebook.

The results do not necessarily suggest people will stop using Facebook; only that Google+ early adopters do prefer Google+. Read more

That isn't hard to believe. The Google+ interface is clean, simple and uncluttered. But the main thing is that it allows people to create "Circles" of freinds, family, acquaintances and work or hobby associations that actually make sense. It has never made sense to some of us that all Facebook updates are broadcast to all "friends."

A reasonable expectation for Google would be that growing numbers of people start to use Google+ for new social activities, without abandoning Facebook entirely. An application with clear network effects, which is what Facebook is, is tough to abandon once the scale effects kick in.

The other issue is that some users won't want to make drastic changes of habit until they are fairly convinced Google+ will survive. Not all products Google launches succeed, and some users might be wary of investing too much time in Google+ until it is a "survivor." Read more here.

Google+ Push to Affect "Blogger" and "Picasa."

Google will rename Picasa "Google Photos" and rebrand "Blogger" as "Google Blogs," apparently as part of the larger Google+ push.
The transition from Picasa and Blogger to Google Photos and Google Blogs will occur “in a month to a month and a half,” suggesting August 2011.

The date aligns with the likely public launch of Google+ is supposed to happen on or before July 31.

The brand unification effort will be the largest in company history — it’s never renamed a property as large as Blogger, some would note. Other acquired brands have been re-named in the past, so the move is not without precedent. And it makes sense. Blogger and Picasa are social products, where sharing is built into the the basic functionality.

Google To Retire Blogger & Picasa Brands in Google Push:

Payfirma Launches iPhone Mobile Paymenets

Vancouver, Canada-based Payfirma launched an iPhone-based service quite similar to U.S.-based Square. allowing Canadian merchants to process major credit payments to be manually, by entering card information on the iPhone, or using an optional card reader.

Transactions are conducted in real-time through Payfirma’s secure gateway, and no information is stored within the app or the card reader. Read more..

There’s an option for auto-calculation of tips, pre-authorized payments, and even refunds. Customers can then sign right on the screen, and receipts emailed instantly showing transaction details and the signature.

Payfirma's revenue model is transaction fees, set at 1.99 percent of the value of the sale, plus 25 cents per transaction. The credit card reader costs $99, but is free to accounts billing $500,000 or more. Read more..

Mobile Payments Market: $670 billion in 2015

The total value of mobile payments for digital and physical goods, money transfers and near field communications transactions will reach $670 billion by 2015, up from $240 billion this year, according to Juniper Research. Digital goods payments will account for nearly 40 percent of the market in 2015.

The growth will be driven by the rapid adoption of mobile ticketing, NFC contactless payments, physical goods purchases and money transfers as people in both developed and developing countries use their devices for everyday transactions.

Some 20 countries are expected to launch NFC services in the next 18 months, resulting in transactions approaching $50 billion worldwide by 2014. Meanwhile the need for financial access in developing countries is such that active mobile money users will double by 2013, Juniper Research estimates.

Mobile Payments Market to Almost Triple in Value by 2015 Reaching $670bn, According to New Juniper Report

LightSquared Raises $265 Million

LightSquared has raised $265 million of additional funding from new and existing investors.

LightSquared has now raised a total of $2.3 billion in the past year, but may need to raise as much as $4 billion to finish its nationwide network, and it still has to get permission from the Federal Communications Commission to use its spectrum, given concerns about interference with GPS and aeronautical communications.

Falcone’s LightSquared Raises $265 Million - Bloomberg

Nexus "Contraptions" Uses Content as a Game

Google is using a YouTube game to market the Nexus S smart phone. Its the first time I've recalled seeing YouTube used as a game platform.

This is a glimpse at what video might be in the near future; an experience that is more interactive, more engaging, and customizable by each viewer. It’s also an interesting use of game content.

The game has a problem solving angle, and illustrates use of interactive video that can be customized for each user.

Check it out here: YouTube - ‪nexuscontraptions's Channel. ‬‏