CHARGED issue7 by Charged

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THE ART OF PERSONALIZATION Gear: Like no other Screen: Aussie rules Feature: Streaming La Vida Loca

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Editorial_

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:fek\ekV Sharon Shaw, contributing editor Jay Oatway, features editor www.r-t-zan.com, art direction and design content@charged.mobi

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:feki`YlkfijV Jay Oatway Lorien Holland Michael Ho Natalie Apostolou Stephanie Lewis Jimmy Poon, David Jacques, Benjamin Grubbs and Manish Sinha, George Jones, Laura Marriot

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t should come as no surprise that mobile phones are as much individual expression as multi-functional devices that we can’t leave home without. After all we’ve been adding covers, jewelry, ringtones and themes for years. But we’re not just talking about a new bit of Hello Kitty bling that every young Asian man seems to get for his girlfriend. In this issue, we talk about serious personalization empowerment, from the hardware to killer apps that take customization to a whole new level. But let’s talk about hardware first. Just as Dell revolutionized the way PCs were configured and bought, companies such as zzzPhone are looking to do the same with mobile phones. That is, allow you to build a handset to your personal specs. In short, a phone like no other. On the software side, it’s still early days for apps that feed off your lifestream narrative, but these tools are set to go big soon, again as part of the customization wave. Thanks to what Slashdot calls “the killer app of 2008”, you can now edit and control your attention profile in return for content and ads that again meets your own personal specs. Check out how our correspondent Jay Oatway, risked life and limb, as he put lifestreaming through its paces (page 34). Still on empowerment, media companies are latching on to this trend to give consumers what they want for even the smallest of screens. The latest to do so, and with some considerable success is Vodafone with its Street TV initiative in Australia. It’s essentially a mobile YouTube — users get to vote what is screened on their mobile. The higher the ratings, the better the chance that the content will be broadcast. Part and parcel of the interactive and participatory nature that today’s consumers expect from their media. All in, plenty of inspiration to motivate us at Charged to get out and pimp our phones. Once that’s done, we’ll be lifting up the hood on a makeover of Charged Media. This redesign of our cross platform offering will ensure that we will bring you the best about mobility in the way you’d like to receive it. Watch this space for our new look coming soon.

Michelle Palmer, associate publisher michelle@catalistgroup.com Stefan Rust, CEO Cat Rust, founder and director

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ISSN 1992-6715

CHARGED is a bi-monthly magazine published every two months by Charged Media, 302 Wilson House, 19-27 Wyndham Street, Central,Hong Kong. CHARGED has an issue circulation of 22,000, sent to qualified readers and distributed at all major mobility events across Asia. CHARGED has newsletter service. Register your free digital copy or newsletter now at www.charged.mobi Subscription rates: 1 year HK$300 (Hong Kong only) US$39 (within Asia) and US$49 (outside Asia); single/back issue (if available) HK$50 per copy (Hong Kong only) US$9 (within Asia) and US$10 (outside Asia) plus US$5 handling charge per order. Printed in Hong Kong. Postage paid in Hong Kong. ©2008 Charged Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Editorial_

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:fek\ekV Sharon Shaw, contributing editor Jay Oatway, features editor www.r-t-zan.com, art direction and design content@charged.mobi

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:feki`YlkfijV Jay Oatway Lorien Holland Michael Ho Natalie Apostolou Stephanie Lewis Jimmy Poon, David Jacques, Benjamin Grubbs and Manish Sinha, George Jones, Laura Marriot

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Michelle Palmer, associate publisher michelle@catalistgroup.com Stefan Rust, CEO Cat Rust, founder and director

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ISSN 1992-6715

www.charged.mobi

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Hong Kong lags mobile marketing curve plus case studies: Epson, KFC China and Nike Philippines

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Motorola buys Soundbuzz; music labels get with the program

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Personalized handsets like no other; hit the road with GPSenabled choices

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Aussie rules in made-for-mobile TV, third screen dropouts

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Fun is serious business at Games Developers Conference; girls just wanna have fun

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Penguin India inks e-book deal; stock tips on the run

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Malware miscreants highlight lax mobile security; belt up and switch on

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Hong Kong lags mobile marketing curve plus case studies: Epson, KFC China and Nike Philippines

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Motorola buys Soundbuzz; music labels get with the program

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Personalized handsets like no other; hit the road with GPSenabled choices

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Aussie rules in made-for-mobile TV, third screen dropouts

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Fun is serious business at Games Developers Conference; girls just wanna have fun

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Penguin India inks e-book deal; stock tips on the run

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Malware miscreants highlight lax mobile security; belt up and switch on

3/12/08 7:18:42 PM

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Done sticking a new skin and adding your favorite ringtone? Take personalization to a whole new level as Jay Oatway has done with a lifestream narrative and a sharply-defined attention profile

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Adobe’s Daniel Brongiel on how Flash is leading the always-on, always-connected lifestyle revolution

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Data charge shocker; pester power; from phone to ticket stub; What’s on your phone?

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Personalization’s nirvana; the value deal-maker; mobile auctions; ubiquity in diversity

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Five top trends from MWC and diary of global events

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Top 10s in games and music; how the giants stack up; who sold the most phones?

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Done sticking a new skin and adding your favorite ringtone? Take personalization to a whole new level as Jay Oatway has done with a lifestream narrative and a sharply-defined attention profile

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Adobe’s Daniel Brongiel on how Flash is leading the always-on, always-connected lifestyle revolution

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Data charge shocker; pester power; from phone to ticket stub; What’s on your phone?

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Personalization’s nirvana; the value deal-maker; mobile auctions; ubiquity in diversity

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Five top trends from MWC and diary of global events

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Top 10s in games and music; how the giants stack up; who sold the most phones?

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Radar_

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ot quite as cheap as chips, but the world’s fastest-growing mobile phone market has unveiled a US$20 handset, with plans to sell the model elsewhere in Asia. Dubbed the “people’s phone” by its manufacturer, Indian telecoms giant Spice, the handset has been stripped of non-essential features, including its screen. Spice believes it can drive handset costs down to $10 in the future. Spice is eyeing the lowest end of the Indian market, and plans to sell the phone in other Asian markets, including Indonesia, in March. Handset makers expect the number of people owning mobile phones to grow by a billion to 4 billion, and see immense potential in going after the lower end of the India, South American and African markets. Nokia has tested cheap handsets for mobile banking, while rival Motorola has experimented with a bicyclepowered device.

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while LinkedIn and Xanga in Hong Kong have since unveiled mobile versions. The launches come on the back of forecasts by research consultancy Pyramid predicting that as many as 950 million users worldwide will be accessing social networks via their handsets by 2012. “There are strong forces bringing social networking services and mobility together, including the industry-wide trend towards presence and

personalization,” said senior executives at Pyramid. LinkedIn, the business oriented network, has launched its mobile offer in six languages, including Chinese and Japanese. Smaller than either Facebook or MySpace, LinkedIn is banking on the larger base of mobile device users to grow its membership of 19 million users. Its mobile offer will be available for Blackberry devices, the iPhone and WAPenabled handsets.

ocation-based service providers are lining up to cash in on China, a market that is expected to contribute handsomely to robust global demand for GPS and navigation products.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s most popular social network, Xanga, has teamed up with local telco CSL to offer mobile access to its site. With the HK$20 a month Xanga Mobile, CSL customers can stay in touch with friends, upload images directly using their handset camera, post to their weblogs and more. CSL is offering free use for a month, and will pre-install the application software on popular handsets for use right out of the box.

Two major deals were struck in the last few weeks, hinting at the lucrative potential that exists in China, where every public and special-purpose vehicle is required by law to install a GPS device. Last month, SK Telecom snapped up a controlling stake in Shenzhen-based E-eye High Tech, which manufactures GPS handsets and provides a range

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orget funky skins in making a personal statement with your mobile phone. A new nanotechnology concept Nokia is researching in partnership with the University of Cambridge could help reinvent the form and function of mobile devices. Morph is based on a similar principle as a spider’s web and involves stretchable and flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning materials. With shape-shifting applications, Morph can be used to adjust a device’s form to fit specific tasks. For instance, it can be folded into the shape of a traditional mobile phone or unfolded when a larger display area or keyboard is needed. Nokia expects elements of Morph could be used in handheld devices in about 7 years, though initially for highend sets.

SK Telecom

of GPS-related services and software systems. In an earlier move, GyPSii, a provider of geo-location and social networking services, teamed up with Shanghai Rannuo and China Unicom for a mid-March debut with an eye on the Olympic Games bonanza. Users will be allowed to upload content immediately to their personal GyPSii space to share with their social network, as well as retrieve maps and directions to their location, and find friends, all via their mobile phone. The service will be free for the first two months. A monthly subscription fee will be levied from June onwards. Still a nascent segment of the industry, location-based services are tipped to go mainstream globally this year. “The decision by major handset

companies to include GPS capability on new phones is helping to accelerate adoption, together with improvements in technologies such as Cell ID, which is now accurate enough to deliver to individual people who are using their mobile phone,” said Alex Sowden of the CC Group, which handles GyPSii’s communications. Manufacturers have launched a raft of GPS-enabled handsets this year (see p24), and while prices are fairly steep, they are expected to fall as the cost of GPS chips decline. At the same time, new service providers such as Google and Nokia are aggressively marketing their GPS offerings, which again should speed up LBS adoption. Nokia in particular made an aggressive move last year, splashing out US$8.1 billion to buy Navteq, which has digital maps for 69 countries.

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Russian tennis superstar Maria Sharapova will front Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications global marketing offensive for the next four years. The stunning 20-year-old will take centre stage in a series of consumer brand campaigns that revolve around her offcourt passion — from fashion to films, music and design.

Japanese video game maker Konami has taken its Metal Gear Solid title to mobile phones, earning some pretty impressive reviews for the crossover. Packed with graphics, the stealth action game succeeds in recreating the gaming experience of the popular PlayStation 2 franchise on the small screen.

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The GSM Association has thrown its weight behind a global campaign to prevent mobile users and groups either consuming or profiting from child pornography. GSMA members will back a range of measures, including implementing mechanisms that block access to websites identified by an appropriate agency for hosting child porn as well as remove offending content on their services.

Share trading has gone mobile in Australia with online trading house Bell Direct launching SMS-based services. Investors will pay 55 Australian cents for each trade, and will be identified by their PIN and phone number first. Bell says its was encouraged by the popularity of mobile trading in China, where 1.48 million trade stocks via SMS.

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India is putting together a regulatory framework for mobile banking as banks in the world’s fastest-growing mobile market expand electronic services. Banking authorities said they favored greater use of IT services but were concerned about customer authentication issues for mobile banking. In a separate development, HDFC Bank and Reliance Communications have launched virtual mobile credit cards for the first time in India.

A video avatar service has been launched in the Philippines allowing mobile phone users to send and receive video messages that feature live video or a chosen avatar. The Smart Communications service uses NMS Communications technology and allows 2.5 and 3G customers to hear the sender’s voice mouthed by an avatar that operates with lip synching technology.

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aking its cue from MySpace and Facebook, more social networks are breaking out of the PC to go mobile amid the blistering growth in wireless devices. Moko is looking to take its mobile community to a global audience, targeting mobile operators that use Intercasting Corporation’s Anthem platform,

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Radar_

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ocation-based service providers are lining up to cash in on China, a market that is expected to contribute handsomely to robust global demand for GPS and navigation products.

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SK Telecom

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Radar_

pple’s threat to render unlocked iPhones inoperable with software updates doesn’t appear to have curbed China’s appetite for the sleek touch-screen device. Last month, research company In-Stat found 400,000 unlocked iPhones on China Mobile’s network even though the smartphone has yet to launch in Asia. Talks between Apple and China Mobile, the mainland’s largest mobile player, for the iPhone’s launch broke down late last year after the two sides were unable to agree on revenue sharing. China’ thriving grey market

means there are now more iPhones on the mainland than Europe, where the gadget launched late last year. With a deal and a Chinaspecific model in place, InStat believes Apple would be looking at a potential market of 28 million consumers willing to lay big bucks for a device because of its entertainment and multimedia features. Not to mention its cool cachet. Red-hot Chinese demand for the iPhone is a mixed blessing for Apple: without a carrier deal, it can’t collect royalties, as it does in its earlier launch markets. There is still no sign of a

carrier deal for Asia three months into the year. Talks are reportedly underway with NTT DoCoMo, but nothing has yet been confirmed. Even Australia may prove a stumbling block for Steve Jobs. Law researchers say Apple’s strategy of lining up an exclusive carrier deal could be illegal under the country’s anticompetition laws. If Asia and Apple’s sagging share price are a headache, Jobs can at least look to South Korea for comfort. The iPhone was voted the “most inspirational invention” of last year in a poll of 590 South Korean CEOs.

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GJG [f\j [flYc\ [lkp E ot content with just shooting villains or watching movies on your PlayStation Portable? Thanks to a firmware update in February, Sony’s WiFi-equipped PSP can now double up for Skype calls and internet radio. Next on the cards is a plan to make the PlayStation Store available on the PSP. When this

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happens, buyers can purchase and download content from any WiFi hotspot. The series of changes have been made possible by growing WiFi coverage and 3G broadband networks that are being rolled out around the world. Meanwhile, rumors of a PSPphone refuse to die down, especially since a report in

Sony’s very own magazine — complete with mock-up of a double-slider phone image — claimed that a gaming-oriented phone is in development. Could this be a massive PR stunt or does the company’s penchant for cross-branding with its Cybershot and Walkman labels suggests otherwise.

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The Sell_ Insider_ Groove_ Gear_ Screen_ Games_ Word_ Serious Stuff_

ore hopeful signs of growth in Asia’s fledgling mobile content space: CNN video clips will now be available on Nokia Nseries mobile devices across the region following a deal struck by parent company Turner. News clips will be supplied directly to users of Nokia’s multimedia N95 and N95 8GB handsets. CNN content will streamed on Vidiator’s platform to a dedicated video RSS feed for the Nokia Video Center service embedded inside its Nseries handsets. Separately, Malaysian mobile operator DiGi will bring Bollywood entertainment and mobile content to subscribers of its mobile podcast service in March. DiGi will provide D’podCast subscribers with another 150 video and audio podcasts.

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Radar_

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The Sell_ Insider_ Groove_ Gear_ Screen_ Games_ Word_ Serious Stuff_

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The Sell_

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n a city with more mobile phones than people, Hong Kong clearly enjoys the benefits of mobile living. Or does it? Advertising agencies keen to maximize valuable real estate offered by the smallest of screens think not. On the numbers alone, the mobile phone is a mass medium: There are more 10 million mobile subscribers in this city of 7 million residents. Of this, a little more than 2.7 million are on 2.5 or 3-enabled plans. But, according to agencies, telecom operators — having splashed out on exorbitant 3G licences — aren’t really exploiting the wireless potential to help themselves or their subscribers. Instead of keeping data charges on the pricey side, agencies argue operators could easily defray high GPRS tariffs with advertising dollars. Doing so, they claim, will only encourage consumers to make greater use

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of the city’s excellent WiFi and 3G networks in the same way that subscribers in Japan and Korea do. It’s an argument that resonates not just in Hong Kong but the world over. Telecom companies are facing similarly tough decisions — should they remain as utilities providers or reinvent themselves into internet and media organizations? In Hong Kong’s case, agencies are clearly frustrated with the status quo. They feel the city could be so much further in consuming wireless media, including mobile TV, if only telcos would help themselves. “We have better technology than China or India, a better range of 3G handsets, our challenge is pricing,” says Sean Rach, managing director of OgilvyOne Worldwide Hong Kong. “GPRS tariffs are much lower in China and India, so both markets have leapfrogged Hong Kong. WAP advertising is also a real deal, a viable business in China

and India, but it’s a non-starter in Hong Kong.” Neither, it appears, is mobile TV, going by Rach’s assessment: “The range of mobile TV hasn’t happened both for the viewer and the advertiser.” An eat-all-you-can pricing model similar to wired internet services, plus more compelling content which loads with the same ease as switching TV channels should jumpstart local demand. Rach cites Hong Kong’s use of SMS as an example. Use exploded after telcos allowed users to text people outside their network. Nearly a billion texts are sent today. High GPRS charges or not, there is a healthy appetite for content on the go. In fact, locals are voting with their feet as the latest business report by city’s largest quad-play company PCCW shows. PCCW drew 16 per cent more mobile subscribers, giving it a little more than a million customers in the last quarter of 2007.

It attributed this jump to the launch of more compelling mobile content — live sports action and its MOOV music download service. But, as agencies contend, subscribers could be using this and other mobile entertainment services more frequently. The ball pretty much lies in the telcos’ court. For now, few players in this highly fragmented market have shown much appetite for advertiserfunded cash. Of the 7 players, 3 and Smartone/Vodafone have perhaps been more amenable to working to tap advertiser rather than subscription revenue. With an enviable supply of content from its broadband TV operations, Hong Kong’s largest contender PCCW has gone in the opposite direction. “We have 7 operators in Hong Kong, and it won’t be easy to get them all to the table to set standards for advertising formats,” notes Kevin Huang, CEO of Pixel Media.

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The Sell_

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Case Studies_

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basketball inspiration with you everywhere’ — tapped into another Philippine obsession: the mobile phone. More than half of local youth have a mobile phone, making it a mass media platform for advertisers looking beyond traditional media. Phone users were able to access video clips of the documentary or skin their phones with their basketball idols. Artworks of the different players were blasted everywhere and the user simply had to take a picture of the QR code seen in each artwork with his camera phone. The action automatically brought users to a site where they could download

wallpapers and video clips for free to store on their phone or pass on to friends. MobiTMS provided the barcode technology used in the campaign. The initial set target for the campaign period was 6,000 mobile downloads. The figure was easily surpassed. There were a total of 27,225 clicks; 96,254 page views; and 41,922 downloads over a period of less than 2 months. Going by an average ‘pass-on’ rate of 1:4, TMS estimated that the nearly 42,000 downloads eventually reached 168,000 downloads. “Moreover, we were able to determine which local and

international athletes were more popular than others through the number of downloads which also impacted how we positioned the creative material on our website and other online efforts,” said an agency spokesman.

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asketball is a national obsession in the Philippines, and Nike tapped into the country’s passion to inspire local gunners to follow their hoop dreams for its Summer Hoops campaign. Using both local and international basketball stars, Nike tasked the agency to create a documentary and series of artworks that would capture each of the player’s backgrounds. Given a tight budget and a tight deadline, Nike wanted the agency to generate an idea that would create maximum buzz in a non-traditional way. Ogilvy’s idea — ‘bring your

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astfood chain KFC had a new menu set to promote, but more importantly it wanted to better engage China’s growing pool of mobile users. Dubbed the Tea Dog campaign, the effort had other objectives besides drumming up sales for the new menu set. KFC wanted to acquire new patrons and establish a consumer database of mobile users for future marketing campaigns. Madhouse was contracted to build KFC’s mobile campaign site (wap.KFC.com.cn), a platform for consumers to download the TV spot’s jingle and animated wallpapers, sign up for a lucky draw and alert friends to the site. Consumers were asked to present downloaded wallpaper to KFC stores in exchange for a printed coupon. Those who registered on the site were entered into the lucky draw (a handset worth Rmb 3,000 was offered) and would be sent future information on KFC’s products, campaigns and promotional coupons by SMS or MMS. KFC capped frequencies to three clicks per unique user per day in serving mobile banner ads on the MadNetwork platform to reach the massive base of mobile users across China. By last year-end, 29 days into the campaign, the wallpaper and jingle had been downloaded 340,000 and 100,000 times respectively. Equally important, KFC was able to compile a database of 63,000 registered users for future marketing efforts. :c`\ek KFC China 8^\eZp Madhouse Inc FYa\Zk`m\ Promote its new set meal

F^`cmpFe\# 8Z`j`fe jki`b\ dfY`c\ [\Xc OgilvyOne and Acision have joined forces creating a bridge between the worlds of marketing and telecoms. The deal will allow OgilvyOne to combine its marketing expertise with the mobile delivery capability offered by Acision, a mobile data services provide. Acision works with about 300 network operators and service providers worldwide. “While ideas for advertising are often focused on the simple process of sending unwelcome brand messages to a consumer, the real potential lies in the targeting and delivery of marketing communications both for the operator themselves and for third party brands — addressing churn and opening the opportunity for new revenue models.What has been missing until now is a bridge between the marketing and telecoms worlds,” Acision CEO Rory Buckley said in a statement.

KXc\ek j_fn X[[j dfY`c\ \ok\ej`fe A mobile extension has been added to iTalentStar, an online user-generated competition that kicked off on February 14. Essentially a scaled down version of its online website, the mobile extension (italentstar.mobi) is a light version that allows users to vote, Americn Idol-style for contestants in four markets, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, according to Kenny Goh, general manager of Global One Media, which organized the competition in partnership with iHub Media.

>Xd`e^ ^`Xek fg\ej 8j`X ?H Electronic Arts has launched its Asian headquarters in Asia, kicking off the milestone with the launch of a major online soccer game in a region obsessed with football. EA Sports FIFA Online 2 will debut in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in the third quarter, with roll-outs scheduled later for other markets in Asia. The game is already in play in two of the world’s biggest online gaming markets — China and South Korea.

Dfm`lj j_Xig\ej kXi^\k`e^ Mobile media company Movius Interactive will launch its range of personalized media applications and portals for service providers in Asia following a global deal with Action Engine Corporation. The on-device portal company, which works with top media brands such as AOL, Dow Jones and MSNBC.com, will provide the platform to allow marketers to offer personalized messaging to their target demographics. Movius currently works with wireless operators in more than 75 countries.

www.charged.mobi

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hina offers a number of ways to reach mobile users, the latest is China Mobile’s MMS newspaper. Púca China used the platform to run the sponsorship portion of Epson-C110 Printer’s launch campaign. Púca targeted the telco’s 23 million paid MMS subscribers, providing them a discount for online orders. Rather than simple banner or text ads, the format allows the brand’s message to be further integrated into the paper’s entire editorial offering — in short, the offer highlighted the benefits associated with being a paid subscriber of the MMS paper. “We believe MMS newspaper subscribers represent the kind of audience this campaign is after,” says Jimmy Poon, Púca China managing director. “These readers appreciate new technology, and are willing to pay for innovative products that match their expectations.” While WAP continues to grab the bulk of attention, the reality is that only a fraction of mobile users in China can, and do, visit mobile internet sites on a regular basis. “SMS and MMS are simpler media formats compared to the mobile internet, but it is exactly this aspect of simplicity that makes them work so well,” says Poon. The 23 million paid subscribers provide a large enough base for an MMS newspaper to work effectively as a medium, while the size of its publisher, China’s largest telecoms player, adds to its credibility, says Poon. “Scale and credibility are two things lacking in most new advertising channels, and in this case, we have both.”

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Case Studies_

Case Studies_ <gjfe Y\kj fe DDJ B=: nffj :_`eXËj e\njgXg\i dfY`c\ dXjj\j

:c`\ek Nike Philippines 8^\eZp Ogilvy & Mather Philippines FYa\Zk`m\ Nike Summer Hoops mobile campaign Gif[lZk`fe ZfdgXep MobiTMS

12 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

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:c`\ek Epson 8^\eZp Púca China FYa\Zk`m\ Launch Epson C110 Printer

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13 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

E`b\ X[[j dfY`c\ kn`jk kf _ffg [i\Xdj

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MMA view THE EVENT FOR MODERN MARKETING:

CONFERENCE

•

EXHIBITION HALL

•

NETWORKING

ad:tech is a world class event for the online advertising and digital marketing industry, held in 11 cities and 7 countries. For the first time Singapore will host ad:tech with a true regional focus Expo Hall is free!

on the insurgence of digital media.

The Mobile Marketing Association has more than 60 members in its Asia Pacific chapter, representing all parts of the eco-system to advance mobile marketing in the region

26 - 27 june 2008 suntec international convention centre

singapore

LAURA MARRIOTT, PRESIDENT, MOBILE MARKETING ASSOCIATION

DD8 X[mXeZ\j dfY`c\ dXib\k`e^ `e 8j`X

14 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

he Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) launched its Asia Pacific chapter in February 2007 and since then, the activities in the APAC region have been busy! The MMA is the leading non-profit trade association to advance mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The key differentiator of the MMA is our diverse membership, representing all parts of the mobile marketing and media ecosystem. Handset manufacturers, wireless operators, agencies, brands, aggregators and technology enablers come together within the MMA to establish the guidelines and best practices for mobile marketing as well as evangelize and educate on the use of the mobile channel. Since February 2007, the MMA

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has launched the following initiatives: • Code of conduct • Consumer best practices • Mobile advertising formats and guidelines for display based advertising The APAC chapter also launched the Mobile Advertising Guidelines in December 2007 — and issued an Annual Attitude & Usage Research Report, for 6 markets in Asia Pacific, available free of charge for all MMA members. The MMA is comprised of more than 600 member companies across over 40 countries worldwide. The APAC chapter currently has more than 60 member companies representing all parts of the ecosystem. Member companies include: Procter & Gamble, The Walt Disney Company, GroupM, Yahoo!, The Hyperfactory, Nokia and so on. The MMA recently held its Asia Pacific Board of Directors election — and the new Board will be announced in mid-March 2008. To join other leading organizations in setting the ‘rules’ for our industry, please visit www.mmaglobal.com

@ejliXeZ\ X[m\ik`j\i jZfi\j YiXe[`e^ _`k Results Exposure to the campaign significantly increased all of the awareness metrics including unaided awareness, aided awareness, ad awareness and message association. The most dramatic increase was in consumer’s ability to associate the advertiser’s message, “Safe Driver”, with their brand — an important marketing element for the insurance advertiser’s Objective campaigns. • Test the effectiveness of the • 41% lift in unaided brand insurance advertiser’s mobile awareness campaign at increasing awareness • 23% lift in aided brand and persuasion metrics awareness • 49% lift in mobile ad Solution awareness • Insight Express’ AdInsights • 407% lift in safe drivers for mobile used a test/control association methodology that measured the attitudinal effect of mobile Conclusion advertising — two groups were Advertising on weather.com’s recruited — the control group WAP site was an effective (unexposed) prior to the campaign medium for reaching users and the test group (exposed), once of all ages, particularly adults the campaign launched. 18+. The relevant messaging • Each survey was delivered along with key placements were directly to the users’ screen vital to this mobile campaigns on their WAP enabled/browser branding success. mobile device and their responses compared. A leading insurance advertiser, with a goal of increasing overall driver safety awareness among mobile users 18+; decided to leverage the broad reach of weather.com’s mobile audience by launching an advertising campaign on its WAP site. Weather.com commissioned Insight Express to evaluate the brand impact of the mobile advertising, as well as its success at improving persuasion metrics.

3/12/08 7:19:29 PM

S A V E T H E D AT E :

shanghai

Gateway to Interactive Marketing in Asia: bringing together the region’s marketers, ad agencies, technology providers and online publishers. •

Participation is expected throughout the region with more than 2,500 attendees from 20 countries.

•

80+ exhibitors and sponsors from international and local technology providers, advertising agencies and online publishers

•

120 high level speakers from across the globe

25-26 november 2008 shanghai international convention & exhibition centre www.ad-tech.com/shanghai

www.ad-tech.com/singapore

MMA view THE EVENT FOR MODERN MARKETING:

CONFERENCE

•

EXHIBITION HALL

•

NETWORKING

on the insurgence of digital media.

The Mobile Marketing Association has more than 60 members in its Asia Pacific chapter, representing all parts of the eco-system to advance mobile marketing in the region

26 - 27 june 2008 suntec international convention centre

singapore

LAURA MARRIOTT, PRESIDENT, MOBILE MARKETING ASSOCIATION

DD8 X[mXeZ\j dfY`c\ dXib\k`e^ `e 8j`X

14 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

CHARGED V1 I7.indd 14

3/12/08 7:19:29 PM

S A V E T H E D AT E :

shanghai

Gateway to Interactive Marketing in Asia: bringing together the region’s marketers, ad agencies, technology providers and online publishers. •

Participation is expected throughout the region with more than 2,500 attendees from 20 countries.

•

80+ exhibitors and sponsors from international and local technology providers, advertising agencies and online publishers

•

120 high level speakers from across the globe

25-26 november 2008 shanghai international convention & exhibition centre www.ad-tech.com/shanghai

www.ad-tech.com/singapore

Groove_

n yet another example of music labels attempting to get with the digital program, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and Sony BMG Music Entertainment have inked a digital licensing agreement that largely spells the end for digital rights management (DRM) technologies that the record labels have used to jealously guard their 19th century business models against 21st century technology. The move comes as another major recording act — Nine Inch Nails — imitates Radiohead’s payas-you-want online download model, which saw consumers pay US$6 on average to the group. Sony hailed the pact signed early last month as a victory for the digital music industry and claimed the announcement would secure the industry’s previously uncertain future. The deal simplifies a number of sticky issues, including royalty payments and licensing arrangements for music and music videos. Although there has been no disclosure, the deal is believed to set a rate for digital services throughout most of the AsiaPacific region, including Hong Kong, China and India. The arrangement creates a new precedent in India where for

the first time record companies have agreed to pay mechanical royalties to songwriters and publishers on the sale of records. Among the offerings incorporated under the arrangement are online products, including audio and video downloads, streaming and subscription services; mobile products including master ring-tones, ringback tones, full track downloads and mobile video. Basically all digital uses of compositions fall under the agreement, except monophonic and polyphonic ringtones, and karaoke tracks. “The future of the music business requires simplification, immediacy and effectiveness and this deal leads the way on every count,” said Kelvin Wadsworth, Sony BMG president, Asian region. Sony BMG’s senior vicepresident of digital and new business development in Asia, Ruuben van den Heuvel, said: “Streamlining the digital licensing process in Asia provides an amazing impetus for our respective digital partners to

Jfd\ nflc[ jXp k_\ dlj`Z è[ljkip `j kXbè^ X Y\Xkè^ Y\ZXlj\ `kËj ]X`c\[ kf b\\g lg n`k_ k\Z_efcf^p% Efn knf dlj`Z ^`Xekj Xi\ dXbè^ `k \Xj`\i ]fi Zfejld\ij kf c\^`k`dXk\cp Ylp dlj`Z fecè\6 @j `k kff c`kkc\ kff cXk\6 maximise the sales of not only local, but also international music in the region.” “For many years digital music re-sellers have been challenged with licensing content from a myriad of content owners and similarly challenged in effectively reporting sales. “We expect to see a significant increase in our respective businesses as content flows to our partners and consumers are able to find their favourite artists and discover new music.” Businessweek had earlier reported that Sony BMG would become the last of the big record companies to offer music without DRM, in an effort to chase down Apple’s wildly successful iTunes Store. EMI, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group all announced they would provide DRM-free downloads to consumers last year. But Sony, infamous for secreting “rootkits” — otherwise known as spyware

— onto millions of legitimately purchased CDs in 2005 — will be the last to limit the way consumers choose to listen to legitimately purchased music. Days before the announcement was made public, Universal, Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Hong Kong) and Warner Music Hong Kong filed a suit against Chinese search engine Baidu in Beijing, demanding the court order Baidu to remove all “deep links” to pirated tracks. A second action alleging the same unauthorised practice was filed by the trio against Sohu. “The music industry in China wants partnership with the technology companies but you cannot build partnership on the basis of systemic theft of copyrighted music.” said IFPI chairman John Kennedy in a statement.

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MICHAEL HO

><KK@E> N@K? K?< GIF>I8D

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3/12/08 7:19:50 PM

Groove_

18 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

MICHAEL HO

><KK@E> N@K? K?< GIF>I8D

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3/12/08 7:19:50 PM

Gear_

Efk fecp ZXe fec`e\ i\kX`c\ij c`b\ qqqG_fe\%Zfd XZZfddf[Xk\ k_\ leljlXc# k_\p ZXe Xcjf f]]\i X gi`Z\ X[mXekX^\% Cfn fm\i_\X[ Xe[ ef `ek\id\[`Xi`\j Xccfn ]fi ]Xi jlg\i`fi ]\Xkli\j Xk X ]iXZk`fe f] k_\ Zfjk

N`k_ e\n fec`e\ jkXik$lgj ifZb`e^ k_\ Zljkfd g_f e j\c\Zk`fe f] k_\ Yi`Zb$Xe[$dfikXi _Xe[j\k i\kX`c\ \ dXib ij cf \k# fbj k_ fl \ c` k f d` othing fits better than stockroom big enough to keep ] ]X k\[ bespoke clothing, madethat many colors in stock at the j_ to-measure for just you. same time, let alone provide `fe The same is true for phones, options for gold plated cases as Terry Yen, a marketing viceor gold accents or personalized

president at Qualcomm, recently told reporters: “It’s looking more and more like the ability to buy a phone personalized to your needs is the killer app.” In early February, the inevitable happened. A new online retailer, zzzPhone.com, began offering custom-tailored handsets through an online store — just as Dell did for the PC industry when they started selling bespoke computers. It’s the same old online retailing disruption, just for a whole new market. Mobile phones have traditionally been sold via the carriers’ retail outlets. This means bricks and mortar — and limited shelf space. The physical-world shops must attempt to guess what the market wants, and then pre-select what they think will be the best-selling range of devices to suit a variety of tastes, needs and price points. Due to the physical limitation of stockrooms, only a relatively few makes and models can be offered. Online retailing, on the other hand, has unlimited shelf space, so to speak. A company like zzzPhone has an immediate advantage when it comes to providing the killer app of personalization. Choice of 14 colors? No problem. No carrier can afford a

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K_\ kX`c f] k_\ kXg\ A quick comparison of a zzzPhone (US$149) versus a Nokia 95(US$739): The Nokia gives you the same Tri-Band service, conference calling, voice dialing, camera flash, GPS, email, mp3 player and video playback features as the zzzPhone. It can also go to 8mb of storage while the zzzPhone tops out at 4mb. But the zzzPhone provides a lot more: a bigger screen (yes, it’s a touchscreen as the device runs Window Mobile 6); Skypeenabled VOIP; dual SIM cards; two cameras (one on the front for video calls, and one on the back that can be upgraded to 7 — seven — megapix); 512mb of internal memory (Nokia has only 128mb). Now, if you’re willing to pay a bit more, you can choose from a ton of soft options to be preloaded onto the phone, including Yahoo and Zillow software, mp3s and even movies of your choice. Of course, zzzPhone.com comes up short in the style department. It’s no iPhone. It doesn’t make hardened mobile phone critics go ga-ga, as does SonyEricsson’s new Xperia X1. There’s no lust factor in the zzzPhone, at least not aesthetically. And, perhaps, that’s an important point when it comes to personalization: like any bespoke fashion, it’s more than just the measurements and fit the count. The killer app of

logos, like zzzPhone does. Pfli g_fe\ `j Xe `e[`m`[lXc kff The new reality is that the mobile phone isn’t really just a phone anymore. The reasons for why we carry these devices vary widely from person to person. The number of ways the mobile device is being used — from lifestreaming to TV watching, from GPS-tracking rounds of golf to playing the latest in 3D golf on the handset — are multiplying almost by the day. The list of unusual uses makes it hard for a traditional retailer to provide for everyone: frequent business travelers take phonecam pictures to remember which generic rental car is theirs; paranoid home owners monitor their belongings by receiving mobile alerts and images from home video cameras every time their motion sensors are set off; parents subscribe to tracking services that report a child’s location en route to and from school; meanwhile, the teens are texting for pizza. Not only can online retailers such as zzzPhone.com accommodate the unusual, they can also offer a price advantage. Low overhead and no intermediaries allow for far superior features at a fraction of the cost.

personalization also requires a “cool factor”, which means different things to different people. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Dljk Y\ Y\Xlk`]lc Ç Xe[ jdXik When it comes to offering beauty, there are a lot of lifestyle brands, who know nothing about the inner workings of a mobile device, but would love to put their fashion stamp on the little boxes we all flaunt. This is where another startup, ModeLabs has seen an opportunity: “What is better than a handset that stands out from the crowd? It is the perfect status and personality symbol, along-side a watch or jewelry.” ModeLabs has been busy tailoring sexy custom phones for the likes of Levi’s, MTV and Hummer — delivering cross-branded lifestyle fashion accessories. This trend will continue to fragment the market share that for so long has been controlled by just a handful of manufacturers. But beauty is only skin deep. ModeLabs devices, while built with jaw-dropping fantastic quality screen and device materials, leave a lot to be desired in the brains department. Ultimately, only the handsets that provide both fullcustomization of state-of-the-art insides and plenty of runway sexappeal on the outside will truly deliver the personal killers.

www.charged.mobi

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JAY OATWAY

C@B< EF FK?<I

3/12/08 7:19:54 PM

Gear_

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www.charged.mobi

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21 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

20 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

JAY OATWAY

C@B< EF FK?<I

3/12/08 7:19:54 PM

Groove_

16 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

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otorola has bought Singapore-based Soundbuzz as it sets its sights on a bigger regional market for its Motomusic online download system and a new revenue stream. Motomusic has been one of the few bright spots for the US handset maker, which continues to lose global market share to rivals Nokia and Samsung. Its failure to launch a replacement for the successful Razr model has cost the number 2 player, which saw its global share shrink from 21.5 per cent to 11.9 per cent in the fourth quarter, according to Gartner. But its two-year-old Motomusic platform continues to win fans in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and Soundbuzz should pave the way for Motorola to take the service region-wide, to markets such as India, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. At this stage it is believed both download sites will keep separate brand identities. The deal will provide buyers more than 750,000 songs and 500,000 music derivatives. Buying Soundbuzz has clear benefits for Motorola, which has been hit by rumours that the handset operation is on the auction block. The deal gives Moto access to one of the largest music libraries in Asia Pacific through contracts with Sony BMG, EMI, Warner Music International and Universal Music Group, and a potential new revenue stream from wireless and desktop music downloads. But the benefits for Asia’s largest online retailer of music and its customers are less obvious. With more than 90 per cent of all digital music sold in Asia via a mobile device,

Soundbuzz needs resources to grow, says Sudhanshu Sarronwala, CEO of Soundbuzz. “Motorola has the resources and the installed base of mobile devices across the region, to be sure, but what we saw was the great untold story about Motorola,” he told Charged. “It has successfully transformed itself in Asia into an entertainment brand and focuses on what we think is our own real differentiator, delivering the music wrapped in a complete and amazing experience.” He said the buy-out would allow Soundbuzz to “begin offering service improvements” to customers that would otherwise have had a much longer timeframe. He would not comment on what additional service offerings were in the pipeline, other than to say there were “cool” new offerings planned. Sarronwala said Soundbuzz technology would be integrated into handsets including the new Rokr line of mobile phones. The company will continue to work with all handset manufacturers, and keep its infrastructure and content deals with Asian mobile operators and telcos. “That means delivering a music service that puts the mobile device comfortably at the heart of entertainment in Asia,” he said. “And that means building on music to drive deeper into the different forms of entertainment.” Though growing rapidly, the mobile music download space is filling up fast. Latest estimates point to 498 online music stores in more than 40 countries. The world’s largest mobile phone brand Nokia has deals with handful of music labels for its suite of mobile internetbased services available on Ovi (it’s Finnish for door).

In perhaps the most interesting deal, LG has signed an all-you-can-download deal with British firm Omnifone that offers unlimited downloads for either 12 or 18 months, for a one-time fee. The firm’s MusicStation Max software will soon ship on LG handsets, allowing owners to download, play and swap a library of close to 1.5 million tracks immediately after subscribing. That move is remarkably similar to a deal with 3 Hong Kong which allows MusicStation subscribers unlimited music for HK$12 a week on any 3G or 3.5G capable phone. The flurry of deal-making shows just how eager handset manufacturers are to get into the content business and extend the relationship with the customer long after the phone has been purchased.

Kfgg`e^ k_\ Z_Xikj • Point Topic estimates record labels earned US$2.9 billion from digital music sales last year, up 40 per cent over 2006. • Last year saw 1.7 billion single music tracks legally downloaded, up 53 per cent on 2006. • ITunes sold 2 billion songs between January 2007 and January 2008. • Japanese group GreeeeN sold more than 1 million full track downloads to mobiles. Most Japanese users tend to download music over the air.

www.charged.mobi

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MICHAEL HO

Groove_

3/12/08 7:19:46 PM

Groove_

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www.charged.mobi

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MICHAEL HO

Groove_

3/12/08 7:19:46 PM

Gear_

;@I<:K@FEJ =FI <M<IP KLIE >GJ `j ]Xjk aldg`e^ ]ifd ZXij kf dfY`c\ g_fe\j Ylk k_\j\ _Xe[j\kj [feĂ&#x2039;k Zfd\ Z_\Xg1 LJ -,' Xe[ lg gclj jlYjZi`gk`fe ]\\j KflZ_ Xe[ ^f No self-respecting mobile brand these days can do without a touch-screen and GPS-enabled model on its books. Enter HTC Touch Cruise, a feature-laden smartphone that packs plenty of punch, from navigation to wireless connectivity, if a little too much heft. Equipped with a built-in GPS plus navigation software, this multimedia device allows for easy viewing of web pages, documents as well as pictures, all with the sweep of a finger across an LCD screen. But competition being what it is in the high-end market, sexy matters as much as smarts. Expected retail price: HK$5,580 C

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Efb`XĂ&#x2039;j EXm`^Xkfi Nokiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first GPS-enabled device, the 6210 Navigator, throws in an integrated compass, its Maps 2.0 and voice navigation for good measure. Sensitive to even the slightest movements, the compass provides users with visual turn-by-turn guidance. Add in location-based photo-tagging and free geocaching software and the Navigator, with dualband HSDPA, Bluetooth and 3.2 megapixel camera, is a phone that does more than point the way. Expected launch in selected markets in the third quarter.

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>Xid`e ^\kj `ekf k_\ ^Xd\ GPS device manufacturer Garmin has taken the wraps off its first mobile phone, naturally equipped with personal navigation functionality. Offering touch screen technology for navigation, a camera and MP3 for music, the quad-band GSM nĂźvifone bears a striking resemblance to Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iPhone. Users choose navigation options based on their address book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Points of interestâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Favoritesâ&#x20AC;?. Once options are selected, nĂźvifone will then provide turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions to the destination.

CMY

>cfYXc ^`^ ^l`[\ Sony Ericsson is touting the W760i as its first truly global Walkman phone, a handset that can be used anywhere in the world. W760iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s multimedia features, from built-in stereo speakers, tri-band HSDPA for speedy content downloads and wide-screen for gameplay, are to be expected of a Walkman-branded handset. But what makes the W760i worth packing for travel? The built-in GPS plus Wayfinder Navigator and Google Maps can apparently guide users looking for a new club or gig to 20 million points of interest around the world.

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Gear_

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CMY

3/12/08 7:19:59 PM

Screen_ MICHAEL HO

8LJJ@< ILC<J

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24 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

NATALIE APOSTOLOU

IMAGE: STREET TV

ustralia is fast emerging as a test bed for new modes of mobile interactivity and entertainment for local and offshore markets hungry for compelling content for the third screen. Helping put the continent on the mobile TV map is an emerging clan of digital content developers, with a background mostly in film and television — not telecoms As they see it, the concepts of interactivity and user engagement are becoming essential elements for the next phase of entertainment for the smallest of screens. Interactivity and mobile dramas or mobisodes have been a work in progress for carriers around the world over the last few years, yet monetizing the concept and retaining a loyal audience has remained illusive.

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Early prototypes notably include the UK-produced MMS drama, InYrShoes, which used user interaction as a trope for narrative development. Each episode featured a cliffhanger or dilemma, where the audience then SMS’d its desired outcome or next development. In Australia however cross platform engagement is the name of the game. Mobile comedy/drama Forget the Rules began with the same user engagement concept as its UK counterpart but with streaming video for mobile networks, as a 39x3-minute series. With mobile users defining the ending, producer Jim Shomos banked on revenue coming from sponsorship and subscription, and while he did manage to get 3,000 subscribers to pay A$3 per month, the project

failed to meet its business targets by a long shot. The second series which screened up until December 2007 however, worked, as Shomos used YouTube to drive traffic to the mobile site but he had to compromise on the interactivity component. Nearly 50 per cent of viewers online were from oversees and, despite no expenditure on marketing and promotion, it attracted 100,000 viewers across all the platforms. Upping the ante is specialist interactive digital production house ISH Media, producers of Girl Friday and yet to be launched teen drama Camp Kilmore. ISH Media creative director Kylie Robertson forecasts that there will be a big shift in the type of mobile content, interaction and applications available to users

over the next 12 months. “With the advent of more data friendly technology such as wireless enabled mobile handsets, increased user numbers and interaction with content via the mobile should take place. It is increasingly apparent that audiences want content that works intuitively with the device from which it is distributed. For mobile specifically, this means content and interaction that complements the daily functions of the phone.” Both dramas are available online and via mobile and encourages user engagement via a series of unique features which aims to capture as much personal info about the user as possible to further the level of interactivity. In Camp Kilmore, teen mobile users are assigned different

characters to view the story through and engage with other viewers. Viewers are also encouraged to SMS the characters themselves. Robertson believes that this is taking the passivity away from mobile viewing — which is often a deterrent to maintaining audiences and adding activity that will continue to bring the consumer back for more. In a variation on the theme, Vodafone is currently having success with its Street TV WAP site, which features a range of entertainment vignettes from music, interviews to “live” performance. Viewers vote on what will be screened and when. Vodafone Australia general manager of mobile advertising David Green said “the voting mechanism provides us with valuable

insights into the choice of topics we cover on the channel”. Street TV has 40,000 regular viewers and is tracking up to 12,000 unique votes per month. “Its more than just a mobile TV show, it is an interactive and participatory media, and we look forward to creating new ways we can interact with our audience and, more importantly, how our audience can interact with us and have a say in the type of content that we provide. In future, we may include location-based services and we are keen to explore the potential to incorporate more of our audience as an active part of the production crew on Street TV, by encouraging customers to use their handsets to create stories that could be uploaded from all over Australian,” he adds.

www.charged.mobi

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ore subscribers in a range of bellwether markets opted out of their mobile TV contracts last year than signed up for TV broadcast to the smallest screen, according to a new survey. The M:Metrics study of 34,000 consumers in North America and Europe commissioned by infrastructure suppliers Tellabs found that consumers who had opted out grew a whopping 68 per cent last year, outpacing the 36 per cent growth rate of the total market. “Operators will be disappointed; while the marketing dollars invested in this nascent industry appear to be working, the trend in ex-user growth is undoing all of this good work,” said Paul Goode, senior analyst, M:Metrics. “The challenge and opportunity for 2008 is to win former users back with better network quality and reliability — while getting it right with new users first time around.” The survey, released at last month’s Barcelona Mobile World Congress, found that price, picture quality and reliability were the big three reasons for consumer’s disenchantment in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the US. “One thing is that many people have gone at mobile TV with a basic assumption that there is this great big population of people who want it,” says Charles Edwards, director and executive producer of The Media Village in Hong Kong. “The metrics aren’t there and it’s expensive. Plus the content is pretty much rubbish.” Perhaps most alarmingly from an Asian perspective is that even in Italy, a global trend-setter which has the biggest market penetration for mobile TV in Europe, there are now 2.2 people who have opted out of mobile TV for every one person still tuned in. The survey concluded there were about half a million people who watched mobile TV during the three-month survey period. Hutchison Whampoa subsidiary 3Italia was the first mover in that market, rolling out a hugely popular Nokia-backed DVB-H format that offers Serie A football as the cornerstone of its offering. Using a relevant cultural insight and developing it, such as Italy’s passion for football, is one way mobile TV could improve market penetration, says Edwards. “The issue at the crux of all of this is that the consumer experience is just not there,” he says. “The entire industry is guilty here. They haven’t come to grips with their new roles. Whether they are aggregating content or creating content many handset manufacturers still think they are making widgets.” Despite the less-than-stellar reception, consumers appear ready to give mobile TV another chance. About two-thirds of respondents who had halted their subscription said they would switch on if service quality and reliability were improved, the survey reported. The M:Metrics report comes on top of a Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) paper on Mobile TV in the Asia-Pacific region that outlines a brighter longer term outlook, with a five-fold increase in subscribers by 2012. Datamonitor research quoted in the report says the number of mobile TV subscribers could hit 76.3 million by 2012 — about half of the world’s total — up from an estimated 15 million subscribers today. Potentially, the rewards are substantial, says CASBAA mobile TV consultant Mike Walsh but the networks, handset makers and content producers have to cooperate and meet a legal framework put in place by the region’s governments.

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Screen_ MICHAEL HO

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NATALIE APOSTOLOU

IMAGE: STREET TV

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www.charged.mobi

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Games_

=LE @J J<I@FLJ 9LJ@E<JJ Three of the most commonly discussed themes at GDC this year were mobile, mainstream, and independent games. When you consider that there are more than 3 billion mobile phone subscribers around the world, it starts to become clear that the ideological overlap between these three concepts alone is capable of fueling tremendous growth in the market, making it a massive opportunity for smart entrepreneurs and businessmen around the globe. “The more

approaches to gaming we try, the better…the independent gamer phenomenon is a good omen,” says Sid Meier, lead designer of Civilization IV, widely considered one of the finest strategy games of the last five years. “The new generation of game designers is very far ahead of where we were during my day.” Here are 5 key concepts gleaned from the show: (% Fe$[\Zb ^Xd\j Xi\ k_\ kildg ZXi[ f] k_\ Ylj`e\jj1 One of the key tenants in the mobile space is

that consumers are much more likely to click on and purchase games that are “on-deck”. ‘Ondeck’ refers to the availability of a game (or other form of mobile content) within the main menu system on a mobile phone. ‘Offdeck’ refers to instances where users must access a library of catalog or content via a mobile phone’s internet connection. As an example, Nokia’s N-Gage device offers a proprietary selection of games that are easily and quickly accessible from the phone’s main menu via download and by memory cartridge. Over the course of 2008, expect the most successful mobile game publishers to aggressively lobby wireless carriers to embed, include, or pre-sell their games on a wide variety of mobile phones. )% JfZ`Xc e\knfib`e^ 4 ^Xd\j1 The overlap between social networking websites and video game experiences is increasing. Savvy game publishers will find ways to harness the power of next-gen web gaming by incorporating simple play mechanics and games (tic tac toe and word games are

=fli ^Xd\j kf nXkZ_ These four games won awards in the mobile gaming category at the Independent Games Festival, a showcase for innovative and progressive video game design. Winners of this competition tend to have a significant near-term influence on the industry as a whole. 9\jk DfY`c\ >Xd\1 Critter Crunch, developed by Capybara Games and published by Disney, casts gamers as a hungry toad that uses its long tongue to grab small creatures. @eefmXk`fe è DfY`c\ >Xd\ ;\j`ê1 EGO, developed by Punch Entertainment. The game is a social network at its core and allows gamers to developer their own alter-ego and move through a virtual world, making friends and enemies. @eefmXk`fe è 8l^d\ek\[ ;\j`ê1 PhoneTag Elite, a game that takes advantage of the GPS capabilities of numerous devices worldwide.

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8Z_`\m\d\ek `e 8ik1 Kodo, an action game by Jadestone Entertainment where each player controls a small creature with only a single button as the control.

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great examples) into the wide number of virtual worlds that are spreading across Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe. *% Gfn\i kf k_\ g\fgc\1 One of the most interesting emerging trends is the movement towards coaxing everyday gamers into becoming game developers. At the show, Microsoft announced that it would allow consumers to use its XNA game design kit to produce video games for mobile devices. Numerous other game developers, including Electronic Arts, announced similar initiatives. Home-brewed games are relatively cheap to develop and more importantly, they offer increased opportunities for the sort of innovation that will deliver high profits to wireless carriers and game publishers. +% @eefmXk\¿lj`e^ Xcc f] X g_fe\Ëj ZXgXY`c`k`\j1 Based upon the demonstrations at GDC, it’s becoming clear that the most successful mobile games take full advantage of the advanced technological capabilities of high and mid-range devices. This means audio, 3D graphics, and video. One example of

a game that is pushing the envelope in terms of technology is Metal Gear Solid Mobile. A mobile version of the popular PS2 series, this game features advanced 3D graphics and takes advantage of a phone’s built-in cameras to sample colors from the real world for an in-game camouflage system. ,% C`Z\ej`e^ nfibj nfe[\ij% Not surprisingly, wireless carriers and game publishers have found that they can reap low-risk fortunes by licensing properties from board games, social networks, and even books. Licensed properties come with built-in audiences that can be aggressively targeted with both on-deck and off-deck marketing campaigns.

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27 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

or one week in >\fi^\ Afe\j February, San Francisco’s 2008 Game Z_\Zbj flk JXe Developers Conference center stage for =iXeZ`jZfËj >Xd\ innovativewas and entertaining game game publishers, ;\m\cfg\ij developers, and entrepreneurs across the :fe]\i\eZ\ Xe[ globe. Also known as GDC, the conference is a rare event in [`jZfm\ij X glj_ that it stacks intensive two- and three-day workshops on top kfnXi[j dfY`c\ of the traditional booze-fueled insider networking that is the Xe[ g\fgc\ gfn\i hallmark of all industry events.

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Games_

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8Z_`\m\d\ek `e 8ik1 Kodo, an action game by Jadestone Entertainment where each player controls a small creature with only a single button as the control.

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www.charged.mobi

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27 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

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Games_

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eleased in 2005 in Korea, Taiwan and China by Korean game developer Nexon Corporation, Audition is a downloadable, online-only PC game. Audition features no monsters, no guns, no dungeons, and no death. Only dancing. The

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GEORGE JONES

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gameplay is a simple-to-grasp, difficult-to-master memory/ rhythm challenge. Gamers use their keyboard keys to tap out dance moves which corresponds to the onscreen instructions. The best dancer reaps prizes and glory. Audition has been a huge hit for Nexon, so much so that in 2007, the company brought the game

over to the US. Not surprisingly, the majority of gamers playing Audition are women. Based on the current changes in the video gaming market, game developers in the US and Asia would be more than happy to emulate Nexon’s success. E`ek\e[f j\kj k_\ jkX^\ In 2006, Nintendo shocked the video gaming world with the wildly successfully worldwide release of the Nintendo Wii. The innovative montion control device, which allows gamers to play in a more visceral and intuitive manner, was and still is an impressive technological feat. But the real story, at least from the business perspective, has been the broad audience the Wii has attracted. Women, parents, and even grandparents are actively playing Wii games. Recognizing the potential appeal to female gamers, Nintendo has begun advertising the system in Oprah magazine. The fact that women are buying videogame console systems at all is a relatively new phenomenon. But the reality is that the female gaming audience has existed for years. In the entire universe of online gamers — games such as Audition fit into this category — 42 per cent are female. And of all casual gamers — meaning gamers who play less hardcore games such as checkers on mobile/handheld devices as well as on their PC — 76 per cent are women. N_Xk [f ]\dXc\ ^Xd\ij nXek6 At a panel at the most recent Game Developers Conference,

a moderator asked, “What constitutes a female gamer?” One of the panelists, Jane Pinckard quickly replied, “Women aren’t just this monolithic block of gamers. They all want different types of games.” Another panelist, Sheri Graner Ray, took the matter a step further, adding, “There is no definition of a female gamer, and trying to tack a label on them does a disservice. The female gamer is simply a female who plays games. She’s just as diverse as any other market out there.” Nexon would disagree with this notion. With games such as Audition, Maple Story, and Kart Racers, the company has achieved outstanding commercial success with what many would consider to be typically female games that emphasize socializing, outfitting your character with accessories, and decidedly nonviolent gameplay. Sony Online Entertainment is taking a markedly different approach, one that could have some interesting ramifications for game design in general. In conjunction with The Art Institute, a design/technology school with a creative bent, the company recently announced the creation of a special gamedesign scholarship specifically created for budding female game designers. Named G.I.R.L., short for Gamers in Real Life, the scholarship will grant US$10,000 and a paid 10-week internship to the winner to help grow the pool of female design talent.

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Games_

>@ICJ ALJK N8EE8 ?8M< =LE

28 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

GEORGE JONES

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Word_

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Mifflin and World Books. Ebooks have been touted as the next big thing yet consumers have been loathed to ditch the dead tree medium. Has the time come for ebooks, especially as more ebook-compatible devices hit store shelves? Mobifusion is betting big that a tipping point is at hand. India is their number 1 market as the massive rise in mobile subscribers and the sophistication of services offered there has resulted in a huge demand for branded local mobile content. While the response to going mobile has been cautious in the US and generally positive in the UK, Chris McKenney, chief content officer at Mobifusion, says in South Asia, mobile operators and publishers have been “just about jumping out of their seats” to work with them. “When you’re creating a mobile product for someone like Penguin,” said McKenney “it’s under the assumption that

we are going to address the mobile user’s continual need to ‘snack’ — to search, browse, or locate bits of entertainment or information that they digest and then move on.” Just taking a book and putting it on a phone is doomed to failure, he says. Most of the books they work with are reference titles, and the ones that aren’t they “slice, dice and repackage” to make them fit the mobile context. McKenney sees little likelihood that novels will go mobile but most books that do not require indepth reading and can be reworked to offer an immediate, multimedia experience have a future. “What you need to do is take the raw content from a publishing company — text, graphics, and perhaps audiovisual elements including video — and make something that is, firstly, relevant, and, secondly, takes advantage of the strengths of mobile: the fact that people carry their mobiles in their

pockets along with their wallets and purses,” said McKenney. He also advocates staying humble before the consumer, and following their tastes. While they “import Oxford or Britannica to Asia these titles are still not going to play as deeply and widely in the local market as celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor in India”, said McKenney. While the virtual world raises issues of copyright control, most of the big global publishers now attain global electronic rights as a matter of course. But for smaller trade publishers or deals in which the rights of just one country have been attained, partnering with local mobile service providers offers a degree of control. In India, for example, most of Mobifusion’s sales are through a partnership with a major wireless operator, such as Vodafone or Airtel, and these operators only sell to their subscribers, who are only in India.

STEPHANIE LEWIS

30 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

ince the hubbub over the future of ebooks ended in a sigh of disappointment about 10 years ago, many in the publishing industry have reacted with skepticism to further plans to make books available in electronic formats. But now, some of the world’s biggest publishers are dipping their textual toes into the virtual world of mobile reading. Random House and Hachette are reportedly planning to release ebooks by some of their star talent such as Ian McEwen and Delia Smith. Closer to home, Penguin Books India has signed a deal with mobile technology and content development firm Mobifusion to offer select titles in mobile format. Mobifusion already has a global deal with Dorling Kindersley, also part of the Penguin Group, and works with Encyclopaedia Britannica, Oxford University Press, Houghton

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loomberg Television is the latest news service to go mobile. In late April, they plan to launch a wireless service that will give subscribers in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia access to money news on the move. Content will be streamed live, be accessible via WAP sites and reach handsets by SMS. The information provider has partnered with SingTel in Singapore, Telkomsel in Indonesia and Viettel in Vietnam, and plans to expand the service to Hong Kong and Malaysia later this year. Next on the list are South Korea and Macau. Rival CNBC was one of the first business news broadcasts to launch made-for-mobile content in Asia, followed by CNN, which will create a dedicated RSS feed to stream news clips to Nokia N series handsets. Jimmy Kim, head of network distribution and new media at Bloomberg TV Asia Pacific, expects good uptake in these regions. “These markets are most familiar with Bloomberg TV and the Bloomberg brand and we feel they are ready for our WAP service,” he said. “The nature of mobile means we can expand into the younger generation, while offering added value for our generally older core of Bloomberg TV viewers.” While they now have exclusive relationships with the trio of operators, Kim says the company will reassess this within a year and perhaps expand to more providers “who have the same target audience” as Bloomberg TV. Its mobile content will consist mainly of material on its Bloomberg TV’s global WAP site, but Kim says Bloomberg is flexible if providers are looking to feature

more local content. “We will have one site map that has pretty much everything but if our partners want to offer more local content, for example if Viettel wants to provide extra news specifically relevant for its Vietnamese subscribers, as we create and own all our content, we are flexible and can tailor-make our services to suit different regions.” While the service will begin with the live streaming, WAP site and SMS service, in time Bloomberg TV will expand it to include video-on-demand. “In Vietnam, consumers aren’t keen on watching long videos. We will probably offer oneminute videos to Vietnamese subscribers,” said Kim. “In Hong Kong and Singapore, we may however offer longer videos, of, say, up to 8 minutes.” Subscribers will be able to choose different packages depending on their needs, from a basic subscription to a full, premier package, and customers with no internet capabilities on their phones can still benefit from the SMS service. The WAP site will give subscribers the choice of dictating what content they want to receive, and Bloomberg TV will evaluate the popularity of particular services to build up and improve their offer. Subscriptions will be monthly — or yearly — based on what each operator thinks works in their market. Flexibility is an inherent part of Bloomberg TV’s business model, and Kim says they are open to working with new partners, for example a new media firm or a device manufacturer. “We are spending a lot of time on the design of the WAP site and developing it as a better version of the website, which is particularly suited to the mobile platform,” said Kim.

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Word_

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STEPHANIE LEWIS

30 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

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www.charged.mobi

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Serious Stuff_

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Mobile phones connect to a miniature cellular network installed inside this aircraft. A modem transmits data and calls to a satellite that routes them to a ground station. Data and calls are then routed to the passenger’s usual telephone network. The cellular network is located inside the aircraft. Passengers’ mobile phones only emit at minimum power, ensuring there is no risk of harmful interference with aircraft avionics or ground telecoms network. • Phones are used as they are on the ground. To make a call on board the aircraft, passengers simply dial the international prefix (+) or 00 + country code + full number (without the 0). • The cost of data exchanges are invoiced by the customers’ home telephone operator and are comparable to those used for normal international mobile phone calls.

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cent of respondents reported experiencing a mobile virus. Which may explain the somewhat blasé attitude some have towards mobile security. “In respect of how famous you become for taking out a bunch of phones, it’s less exciting in terms of personal exposure compared to web stardom,” an industry executive recently noted. Admittedly, the volume and severity of attacks are more acute for PCs than mobile devices, but innovations such as Bluetooth, WiFi and the smartphone are helping marshal a perfect security storm. Use of smartphones and other feature-laden wireless devices have been growing at a rapid clip. These so-called high IQ phones allow users to surf the web, bank, trade stocks, play games, and engage in mobile commerce and social networking. Smartphone use has or is fast reaching enough of a critical mass to attract hackers, while their growth as a dominant platform to access the internet provides a vulnerable opportunity for a virus infection.

“We are witnessing the evolution of an entirely new wireless experience, where applications are no longer tied to specific devices and networks and mobile users are able to reap many of the rewards they already enjoy on the internet,” said Victor Kouznetsov, a senior vice-president at McAfee, in a statement. The other serious vulnerability is that mobile phone systems, unlike PCs, are locked, preventing consumers from installing antivirus software on their handsets. As a result, as McAfee discovered in its survey of 2,000 respondents in the US, the UK and Japan, 74 per cent of mobile device users have not installed security software on their handsets, while another 15 per cent were unsure if their devices had protection. With phones locked, 60 per cent of respondents believed networks should take the lead in protecting their mobile phones, according to McAfee’s research. Whether it’s the operator, handset maker or consumer, acting on mobile security is not something that can be put away for another day.

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he next time you @e$]c`^_k dfY`c\ board a flight don’t be surprised if the g_fe\ lj\ `j stewardess starts giving instructions for fe k_\ ZXi[j making in-flight calls from your phone. ]fi 8j`X# Ylk mobile Having long ordered passengers switch off their mobile devices, YiX^^`e^ i`^_kj toa handful of airlines have now an about-turn on highn`cc ^f kf k_\ done altitude mobile phone and use. i\^`feËj jdXcc\i# Blackberry Significant pent-up demand is airlines’ policy reversal. Yl[^\k ZXii`\ij driving A recent USAToday/CNN/Gallup

F-Secure estimates there are more than 400 mobile viruses, and believe the figure will rise with growing use of smartphones. Some of the common virus or malware are: B`Xq_X$8, the virus deployed in China, is part of a sophisticated mobile malware package. Hackers can use this virus to set up elaborate scams by controlling SMS on infected handsets. @e]fAXZb KifaXe spreads by tricking users to install what appears to be a legitimate application for games or stock trading. The malware then disables Windows Mobile security systems allowing more malware to be installed on the infected handset.

poll found nearly 70 per cent of frequent or occasional air passengers want the US to lift its ban on inflight mobile phone use. “Passengers want the choice to be able to use their cell phones in the air in the same way that they use them on the ground,” David Colley, director of marketing and strategic relationships for AeroMobile, said at a recent US briefing. “Passengers want connectivity to be simple, cost-effective, seamless and available — from

9iX[fi will send the local host IP address to the author of the virus, providing a backdoor for the author to upload and download files and display messages to the user of the device.

the airport lounge to the airline cabin,” Paul Domorski, president and CEO of EMS Technologies, said at the same briefing. While the US government dithers, European carriers led by Air France have started testing in-flight mobile phone connectivity, using technology developed by OnAir, a jointventure between travel body SITA and Airbus. Last December, passengers on the French carrier’s Paris to Warsaw flight became the first in the world to use their GSM handsets for calls, email and text messaging after the aircraft reached a cruising altitude. Three other European airlines were due to test OnAir technology in the first quarter and will be followed by carriers in Asia and the Middle East. But don’t expect to make mobile calls anytime soon on Asia’s premium flag carriers. It’s the smaller and younger budget airlines that are racing to claim bragging rights in this space. India’s Kingfisher Airlines,

China’s Shenzhen Airlines, Malaysia’s AirAsia and newlylauched AirAsia X have contracted OnAir for trials this year. These airlines clearly recognize there is significant pent-up demand for personal handset use, with voice as the key application. Aviation analysts say demand is so huge that they predict inflight connectivity for passengers could become a worldwide requirement, with thousands of aircraft equipped for voice calls in the coming years. And giving passengers what they want can be especially sweet for the bottomline: the World Airlines Entertainment Association forecasts that the market for in-flight communication and entertainment will grow from US$50 million in 2005 to $950 million by 2016. That translates into a staggering number of calls. For airlines, the new challenge will be in managing the expectations of passengers who want peace and quiet in-flight.

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acking of mobile phones may be rare, but this month’s attack on smartphones in China highlights a looming threat as the worlds of telecoms and computing converge. In that audacious attack, malware miscreants deployed a sophisticated Trojan to paralyze Symbian Series 60 smartphones. This allowed them to then extort US$7 in ransom from users of the infected handsets. The threat that flashed on phone screens was roughly translated as “Warning: Your device has been affected, please prepare a recharge card of Rmb 50 and connect QQ (ID removed) account, or your phone will be paralysed!!!” Despite this incident, virus assaults on mobile phones are still few and far between. From first reports of mobile bugs back in 2004, there have been none of the spectacular and coordinated PC-style attacks on mobiles in that time. As security specialist McAfee discovered in a recent study, only 2.1 per

Serious Stuff_

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9iX[fi will send the local host IP address to the author of the virus, providing a backdoor for the author to upload and download files and display messages to the user of the device.

www.charged.mobi

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Feature_

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s I walk down the busy Hong Kong street, my thumbs click away on the QWERTY keypad of my HTC TyTN II. I’m sending out Twits, Plazes, Flickr photos and YouTube videos — all rolled into one convenient lifestream. I feel so completely connected — always on, and on the go. Yet, I can’t help wonder if I’m broadcasting to the world or if I’m just talking to myself. Judging from the looks on the

faces of my fellow pedestrians, they’re not sure either. My step slows as I shift between two worlds — the physical one with its very real hazards that I am trying not to trip over, and the virtual one where the less obvious pitfalls often cause me to stumble. For example, I take and tag photos of the back end of the B&Q delivery truck (I’ll explain why later), but I too quickly agree to let my phone auto-send it to Flickr, and the image gets squirted out into my lifestream and into the public view — sideways.

In this crooked way, lifestreaming — what Slashdot is calling “the killer app of 2008” — truly reflects life: it’s far from perfect. This isn’t the carefully edited autobiography of yesteryear. This is live, warts and all, and the show must go on. GXp`e^ Xkk\ek`fe I carry on down the street, eager to find anything and everything I can stream about myself. I switch on the GPS and Google maps, thinking that it might be neat to mash-up some location awareness with my stream. As I step off the curb, I’m struggling to set waypoints

and I momentarily slip from the physical world into the virtual. The rumbling pavement pulls me back. I look up just in time to see the bus that is about to kill me. The bus driver blasts his horn as I leap to safety. My near death experience drives home an important point to the whole lifestreaming thing: it’s all about what you are paying attention (or not paying attention) to.

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Aggregate your social profiles. Use something like Tumblr, FriendFeed or Iminta to combine the feeds from your Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Del.icio.us, Last.fm and any other social networking account. If you don’t yet have any social networking accounts, now would be a good time to join the party.

Go for coffee, take advantage of your phone’s wifi and listen to Last.fm, turn on the scrobbling so that what you’re listening to automatically gets sent to your lifestream.

Read your favorite RSS feeds. Use Del.icio.us to bookmark and comment on the posts you like (sadly Del.icio.us bookmarking is only available for your pocket IE). Your bookmarks, comments and tags add to the stories — and then all become part of your lifestream narrative.

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Go for coffee, take advantage of your phone’s wifi and listen to Last.fm, turn on the scrobbling so that what you’re listening to automatically gets sent to your lifestream.

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We simply don’t have time to deal with the massive flow of communications that rage like white water rapids through our RSS readers Lifestreaming is just one side of the attention coin. The other side is something called an “attention profile”. And as developers begin to write applications that make use of these new tools, they will offer the ultimate experience in personalization.

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;\]`e`e^ n_f @ Xd The social web, with its alphabet soup (RSS, XML, OMPL, API, FOAF, XFN) of free and open standards, has made sharing information easier than ever. Perhaps, too easy. We simply don’t have time to deal with the massive flow of communications that rage like white water rapids through our RSS readers. Attention tools, like the aggregator that rolls

together my lifestream, help tame the river of news. The newest of these tools are Attention Profiles. These are simple XML files that you can create from any other RSS feeds, including your own lifestream. The file then lists keywords reflecting the most prominent terms in your lifestream, indicating what you are paying attention to. The promise of these simple files is nothing short of personalization empowerment. You get to edit and control your attention profile, or even make multiple profiles for different occasions. You then get to choose whom to share your profile with. If a website or feed

service asks for your profile, and you agree to share it, they can then return with just the content — and the ads — that you are interested in. If the Attention Profile standard (APML) takes hold, it will allow us to personalize our communication flow like never before. So, I make myself an attention profile from my lifestream (using a helper application from Engagd.com). Keep in mind that this particular attention profile reflects only my lifestream for this story, which throughout the last couple weeks has made some narrow judgments about what I like paying attention to: Graph, work, mobile, attention, Wednesday, service, feedburner, eating, cupcake, box, kong, giraffe, soho, gadgets, caffeinated, sunny, toys, shops, rat, dinner, coming, warming. My attention profile has definitely been learning from my

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There is still no way to share the taste of your lunch, but you can take picture of your meal. You add a few mouth-watering details about the cuisine to the picture and off it goes to Flickr, and then into the lifestream. Bon appétit!

Shoot video of yourself ranting in the back of a taxi about whatever has vexed you this afternoon. Send it your YouTube account. Again, wait until you are near a wifi hotspot so as to avoid putting heavy use on your 3G account — unless you’ve got an unlimited plan, lucky you!

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lifestream. And I too have been learning that I can only expect to get out of my attention profile what I put into it. Which brings me back to why I was taking a picture of the B&Q truck. I was attempting to shape my attention profile to recognize a brand — but all I got was “box” from my title about the “Big Box” concept coming to Hong Kong. I learn that titles are more important for shaping the profile than photo description, which is where I mentioned the brand name. So, I head off towards a popular coffee house, keen to see if I

can do better. As I approach my destination, my pace slows then stops. Attention and motion, I find, don’t go that well together. Tagging, titling and adding description, even with the help of a full QWERTY keyboard, requires an investment in time. Lifestreaming, like blogging, requires an unusual level of dedication, probably beyond what most people will be willing to commit. But it could also become one of those addictive things, a bit like Facebook. 8Ylj`m\ Xkk\ek`fe Why not just lifestream inside Facebook? Why bother

aggregating all your social networks into a lifestream, when there is really only one social network that matters? The answer is simply that things can go horribly wrong behind the closed doors. If lifestreaming stands any chance of living up to its potential, it needs to do so out in the open. Eventually, the likes of Facebook and MySpace, regardless of their market value today, will suffer the same fate as Compuserve, Prodigy or AOL. In time to come, a distributed social networking model — the so-called “chained islands” — will replace the “walled garden” variety of social networks. And it’s the walled gardens themselves that will likely drive users to seek out open social options.

As I swing between realities, I begin to feel like I’m losing myself. I veer and swerve as I totter down the street, drunk on lifestreaming

Last year, Facebook seized upon attention profiling. Of course, like all things inside the walled garden of Facebook, ownership of your attention belongs very much to Mark Zuckerberg & Co. When Facebook launched Beacon, and began tracking the attention of the site’s “social graph”, the reaction from users turned hostile. Beacon, which took data from 44 web destinations and mashed it up with Facebook’s internal information about you and your friends, was designed to deliver relevant advertising, “endorsed” by you and your friends. While at first it seemed like a clever idea, Beacon quickly became a privacy nightmare for the users — and the company, with several advocacy groups filing complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. Eventually Facebook founder Zuckerberg relented, shutting Beacon down and posting a public apology, acknowledging that “we really messed this one up”.

9lk k_\p n\i\ fe kf jfd\k_`e^% Recommendation ads are yet another untapped potential for lifestreams and attention profiles. This new approach, if done properly, takes contextual advertising (like the highly successful Google Adsense) to the next level — the social network. Recommendation ads embedded in our lifestreams, reflecting the attention we choose to share, could truly become a powerful form of personalized endorsements from each of us.

:i\Xk`e^ X dfejk\i Back on the busy streets, I continue to click away on my phone. Communications flow in and out, swirling through my attention profile. As I swing between realities, I begin to feel like I’m losing myself. I veer and swerve as I totter down the street, drunk on lifestreaming. My mind races with the heady news of the future, as filtered by my attention profile. News floods in telling of killer mobile internet devices / phones coming later this year, of

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Build your attention profile. Go to a site like Engagd.com and feed your lifestream into your attention profile. While someday this profile will come in handy for getting you personalized web services, for now you can learn how to pay better attention to the things you like.

Obsess about your subscriber numbers. There’s little point in talking to yourself. Using a service like Feedburner to distribute your lifestream feed, you can keep track of how many people are tuning into your life, which pictures, videos, or texts they are clicking on, etc. You can even monetize your lifestream with Google ads.

Send a text to Twitter from the noisy, but totally happening place you’ve found yourself this evening, since it’s too loud and too dark for video or pictures. The text (now a Twit at this point) is shared out on Twitter, and, of course, into your lifestream and attention profile.

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As I swing between realities, I begin to feel like I’m losing myself. I veer and swerve as I totter down the street, drunk on lifestreaming

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open-source mobile operating systems, of open networks, and of ever more social networking / lifestreaming services. With this sort of focused attention profile, all the news that gets filtered into my phone points toward the eventuality that all mobile users will possess the ability to lifestream and build their own attention profiles. But I’m not sure I hold much objectivity anymore. As I flow through the

social networks, both virtual and in the real world, I find my attention to this story increasingly defining me as a lifestreaming junky. While I was lifestreaming from Web Wednesday, I was even introduced to the entire gathering as a “nutter”. Surprisingly, I kind of liked it. With each passing day, lifestreaming this story has led me further and further away from the personalized

expression I expected and into something else — and into someone else. Lifestreaming and attention profiles may be the future of personalization, but for now it’s important to enjoy the simple pleasures of customizing your wallpaper, screensavers and ringtones while you still know who you are. I turn off my lifestream, put my phone in my pocket, and quicken my step.

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Nfik_ GXp`e^ 8kk\ek`fe Kf • Lifestreaming is simply social networking aggregation, which means that it rolls together a user’s activities from various popular social networking sites, like Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Last. fm, Upcoming, etc. It then makes all these activities visible via a single destination (usually a webpage and/or RSS feed). • Lifestreaming represents the next generation of Web 2.0 / mobile web business opportunity: it’s all about the interface — all the best sharing services for video, pictures, text and so forth have already been invented. • With so many great “open” sharing services, the opportunities are in developing a multi-platform, single sign-in experience that allows the user to control all the traffic to and from their various social networking accounts. • First movers in this space include Lifestrea.ms, Iminta.com, FriendFeed.com and Tumblr.com. These services are currently pretty basic, and most are still in private beta-testing. These new social networking aggregation services have been called “chained islands” in contrast to their predecessors, the “walled gardens”. • Chained island thinking could also simplify mobile services. The “landlord” of the island will need only to control the user interface and the advertising partners. This will allow content to move more fluidly, while allowing the “attention” sharing with advertisers to be moderated by the user.

)*1'' Use Plazes the social networking location service to plaze yourself in bed. Geotags are totally hot, so use your built-in GPS to add lat’ and long’ coordinates to your pillow — just what all the stalkers that subscribe to your lifestream are dying to know. Sleep tight.

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“The home screen for mobile phones is probably the most expensive real estate in the world”

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@e ^\e\iXc# n_XkËj nife^ n`k_ k_\ Zlii\ek lj\i `ek\i]XZ\ fe k_\ dfY`c\ [\m`Z\6 It’s not engaging and it’s not personalized. We’re in middle of the digital lifestyle revolution. We’re all a part of it — we have the perfect storm forming in our industry. There are a lot of devices now that have much faster CPUs with lots more memory, and we have networks that are getting dramatically faster. And we also have consumers who are demanding more engaging experiences. I believe that 2009 is going to be a catalyzing year for us. The market is moving away from desktop-centric computing, demanding scalable experiences that they can take with them from device to device.

The home screen for mobile phones is probably the most expensive real estate in the world. Everyone is fighting for a piece of that real estate — to drive personalization, to drive relevance, to drive an engaging experience. The home screen is your first association with the device. The iPhone is a great example — Apple’s raised the bar for creating engaging experiences and making it relevant.

;f pfl j\\ =cXj_ gifm`[`e^ Xe `G_fe\$c`b\ `ek\i]XZ\6 Flash accommodates many different input methods, whether it’s a touch screen, a gyroscope sensitive device, where you tilt it and the display changes — Flash already does that. Flash takes complex information and makes it visually intuitive. When you have navigation?fn n`cc =cXj_ ?fd\ X[[i\jj k_`j challenged devices, like mobile gifYc\d6 phones where click efficiency is Flash Home provides a of a premium, having rich visual personalized engaging experience applications and services is on the home screen of the device. absolutely critical.

Jf n_XkËj k_\ ]lkli\ f] k_\ dfY`c\ L@ ^fè^ kf cffb c`b\6 The most important aspect is the personalization and relevance to each of the subscribers. The interface is going to change based on countries, markets and users. Places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea — where mobile penetration is more than 100 per cent — interfaces are having to become more engaging. Operators and OEMs need to use the interface to differentiate their brand and their services — it’s the first experience the user has when they pick up the phone at the store. The moment the customer doesn’t like the experience, you’ve lost an opportunity to get your brand and your service to them. N_\e n\ gcl^ =cXj_ :Xjk ) èkf =cXj_ ?fd\# Xe[ jkXik [i`mè^ [XkX kf k_\ [\m`Z\# _fn [f\j k_Xk Z_Xe^\ k_\ èk\i]XZ\6 On mobile device, we have to be able to surface the most relevant and personalized services, and

not have users click 5 or 10 times deep to find the app or service and launch it. You can literally get on to your home screen, click one button and have a set of data channels that are personalized towards you — whether access to MTV, news from the Nasdaq, or local store locations for Dolce & Gabbana. Jf k_`j `j Xe \mfclk`fe ]ifd k\ok Xe[ [XkX kf jfd\k_è^ dfi\ îXg_`ZXccp Xgg\Xcè^6 Mobile handsets are navigationchallenged devices, where click efficiency is really important. We proved during the WAP days that the consumption of a lot of text and data information has not been successful. Especially when you have executives who need to quickly understand the relevant information — taking complex information and making visually intuitive with color graphs, charts and additional graphics starts getting the user closer to

what they are experiencing on a desktop or laptop.

It’s about first forging the relationships with those big operators, so as Flash becomes 8[fY\ _Xj \dg_Xj`q\[ k_Xk pervasive across mobile devices =cXj_ ?fd\ \eXYc\j fg\iXkfij — just as it has in the PC world Xe[ F<Dj kf [\c`m\i dfi\ — the entire ecosystem benefits \e^X^è^ \og\i`\eZ\j Ç Ylk n_Xk from it. XYflk k_ì[$gXikp [\m\cfg\ij6 ;f pfl j\\ X dXib\k ]fi k_ì[$ 9lk nfeËk k_Xk Xcjf [`dè`j_ gXikp =cXj_$gfn\i\[ L@6 k_\ ifc\ k_\ fg\iXkfi gcXpj Xj Flash Home and Flash Cast 2 k_\ jfc\ Zfek\ek$gifm`[\i è k_\ are being marketed towards \Zfjpjk\d6 the operators and OEMs. The operators have a big But once this platform question to ask themselves: does starts reaching out to their their business model revolve subscribers, that’s really around being a dumb-pipe or do where we start empowering they want to be the broadcaster the entire ecosystem and of digital services. leveraging the millions of It doesn’t take a lot to open Flash developers. a browser, type in a URL What’s happened here in address and get anywhere Japan, with iChannel, which you want on the internet with is NTT DoCoMo’s brand name a mobile phone these days. for Flash Cast, is that its been So it’s really critical for the opened up to the third-party operators and the OEMs to development community and support technology that is now you’ve got hundreds going to allow consumers to of channels to choose from engage in all the relevant and based on what your personal personalized applications on preferences are. their devices.

PflËi\ efn YXj\[ `e Kfbpf% ?fn cfe^ Y\]fi\ k_\ i\jk f] k_\ nfic[ ZXkZ_\j lg kf n_\i\ AXgXe `j n`k_ =cXj_ kf[Xp6 Japan, generally speaking, is about two years ahead of the rest of the market, but it really varies on a country-by-country basis. What’s already happened here, that’s beginning to happen around the rest of the world — as the networks get faster, as the CPUs in mobile devices become more powerful, as more memory continues to go into them — there’s only going to be one internet. Irrespective of the device you have, it’s going to connect to the cloud. Users are going to want to have a seamless internet browsing experience, from device to device. This experience is coming, we’re only a few years away from it. And it’s clear today, you cannot surf the internet without the Flash player.

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“Flash accommodates many different input methods, whether it’s a touch screen, a gyroscope sensitive device, where you tilt it and the display changes — Flash already does that. Flash takes complex information and makes it visually intuitive.”

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what they are experiencing on a desktop or laptop.

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icket stubs are so last century, especially with technology in place to turn ticket queues into a thing of the past, while providing sellers with a rich source of consumer data. Early adopters have come mainly from the transport sector with Japan once again leading the curve. Its railway operator debuted the technology as early as 2003, followed in 2006 by its largest domestic airline, All Nippon Airways. In the latter’s case, passengers can book a flight, select seats and download travel information, all from the comfort of their mobile phone, which eventually turns into a

boarding pass. Japan’s success with mobile ticketing has inspired transport operators in Germany and India down the same track. RVN in Frankfurt, Deutsche Bahn and budget carrier TUIfly have all launched mobile ticketing services within months of each other. Meanwhile, India, the world’s fastest-growing mobile phone market, is looking at selling rail tickets directly to handheld devices. But clearly the technology has uses well beyond the transportation sector. Indeed as the organizers of a Guns N’ Roses concert in London in 2006 proved, mobile ticketing certainly has a place in large-scale events as well. “Nokia’s high-profile mobile ticketing trial at last night’s Guns N’ Roses gig went seemingly without a hitch, which is more than can be said for the band’s arrival on stage,” TechDigest said at that time about the technology’s debut,

while bemoaning Axl Rose and company’s belated arrival on stage. Two years later, can we expect the same at events in Asia? Not so fast. Ticket stubs still rule here. That said, the year did open with something of a PR boost for the technology when the mega-sized Singapore Airshow whisked 80,000 mobile ticket holders through its turnstiles without a major hitch. “There were lots of positive spontaneous responses such as ‘wow’, ‘cool’, ‘it works’,” said Chua Mun Yuen, senior manager, corporate communications at Venture Corporation, a global electronics systems provider. Venture worked with bCode to power the event’s ticketing system. BCode claims its SMS-based technology is near ubiquitous and can be used to wirelessly send a ticket or coupon to about 99 per cent of the 3 billion existing mobile phones and PDAs in use today, a key criterion for an event with a large international audience using a diverse range of mobile devices.

“Compared to the manual registration process, the mobile ticketing solution provided by Venture and bCode cleared registrants at a ratio of 5 to 1.” Airshow visitors who opted to use mobile ticketing were sent an SMS message. On arrival at the event, they then scanned the message on bCode readers to gain admission and their personalized conference tag. In all, more than 6,900 SMSs were sent to delegates in more than 50 countries prior and during the event.Apart from the home market, SMS coverage extended to Malaysia, Japan, Korea, China, New Zealand, the US, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK. “It is possibly the first time a mobile ticketing solution via SMSs reached such a widespread target in a single event,” said Chua. With people more likely to return home if they’ve forgotten their handsets, mobile ticketing makes a compelling case for event organizers, as transportation companies have long discovered.

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known about it, that is. When I queried the company, they weren’t even able to tell me where the relevant packages and charges were displayed on their website; there were so many different options and variables.) The company website is of course another frustrating story, but a divergence from my main point of outrage here. Just to make sure you understand clearly, my bill was 20 times higher than if I had taken a

flat fee eat-as-many-bytes-asyou-can package. According to my mobile phone company, I should have known this would have happened. I should have known what my data package consumption was as I surfed the web, using my phone as a modem. I should have realized that I was entering big bucks territory by downloading my Yahoo mail every day for a month. This (and a few other web pages a day) is apparently high data usage. Now this is exactly the problem with add-on services to mobile phones. It is really, really hard to work out what they will actually cost you. If you are paying the operator’s tariff for every two kilobytes of data downloaded, do you know what your bill will be at the end of the month? I didn’t think so. When queried, even my

mobile service provider didn’t seem to have much of an idea about the data costs involved in downloading my Yahoo mail page on a daily basis. I thought I would try putting “data charges” into my internet search engine to see who else is being affected out there. Wowee! Its not just me. Mobile operators in the US, the UK, Australia and Hong Kong all seem to be in on the same game. There are hundreds of horror stories of massive charges for data downloads. As one irate Australian put it, mobile operators seem to have adopted the philosophy “there’s a sucker born every minute”. Of course, we only get taken for such a bumpy ride once. My mobile service provider did actually waive my bill after I had made enough fuss. But I won’t be using any data download services any time soon. Judging by the low levels of usage on these services, neither will most of us. Take Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile operator. In the six months to September 2007, nearly two-thirds of its data sales were in the form of simple text messages. These are easy to understand. There is a fixed charge for each one, and there are none of these ephemeral data transmission charges that lead to uncertainty and mean that people don’t want to use the service. Enough said.

y eldest son, who =fi^\k C\^f# is seven, wants a mobile phone. He b`[j Xj pfle^ Xj says he needs one, and that most of ]`m\ Xi\ ^\kkè^ his friends already have phones their own. I thought he was k_\ì ]ìjk dfY`c\ ofmaking that bit up for added and to make his demands g_fe\# n`k_ g\\i effect, seem a tiny bit more reasonable. then I made a few calls and gi\jjli\ [i`mè^ But discovered that yes, three of his here in Kuala Lumpur \Xicp X[fgk`fe% buddies already have their own mobiles. one four-year-old we know 8i\ k_\i\ _\Xck_ Even has his very own handset. I did a bit more research i`jbj ]fi pfle^ andThenfound out that these figures well behind the global jlYjZi`Y\ij6 seem kiddie-telco curve. According to LORIEN HOLLAND

LORIEN HOLLAND

got a very sizeable bill last month from my mobile phone company. Data services, they said. Several squillion data packages had been consumed by yours truly, they said. The sum that they were trying to charge me was enough to buy a modest new computer. And it was a full 20 times higher than the flat monthly package fee I could have signed up for. (If I had

London-based Dhaliwalbrown consultancy, the average age to get your first phone in Britain has fallen to eight, with many five-year-olds already hooked up. Nielsen, the market research company, found that 35 percent of American tweens (eight to 12year-olds) had phones in 2007. In Asia, recent figures are hard to come by. But tween usage in Hong Kong was 29 percent way back in 2004, and even then,

the highest in the region. Now, it must be fast approaching saturation point. “So, who are you going to call if you get a phone?” I ask my son. He seems a bit flummoxed. Well, there are games on the phone and a camera and it plays music, he says. Later, he tries a different tack, with a big charming flash of a smile. “Mummy, you’ll be the person I will call. I might need you.” In fact, most parents buy small children phones for exactly those kind of safety reasons. There are many models, like the Firefly, the Tik, the Owl, the Teddy, and even a Mickey Mouse Disney offering, which are directly targeted at children as young as four years old. Some have pre-programmed numbers and limited buttons to press. Others offer a tracking service for nervous parents. But children themselves do not seem overly concerned with safety issues. They want phones to keep up with their friends, and are duly influenced by the bombardment of industry advertising aimed at them. “The pressure felt by tweens

to consume, in this case mobile phones, risks commercializing their childhood with negative effects for their development,” warned the Australia Institute’s February 2007 research paper on growing levels of mobile telephone use among six to 13-year-olds. Commercialization aside, there remains potential cancer risks too among young users. Professor Sir William Stewart, chairman of Britain’s National Radiological Protection Board, has been a consistent advocate for restricted mobile use in small children, and advises that kids under eight could be at risk from ear and brain tumors and should not have access to mobile phones. Even studies that find no short-term link between cancers and phones concede that long-term data is just not yet available. That is because 10 years ago, the idea of a sevenyear-old having his own phone was utterly ridiculous. Even now, I find the idea faintly ridiculous. Go and play with your Lego, son. And leave me in peace to babble on my phone.

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@ N8EK# @ N8EK# @ N8EK @K EFN

IXekè^ XYflk k\cZfjË dfY`c\ Y`ccè^ giXZk`Z\j XggXi\ekcp jki`b\j X le`m\ijXc Z_fi[% 9`ccè^ gcXej Xi\ efk fecp lee\Z\jjXi`cp Zfdgc\o Ylk le\ogcXèXYc\ Xj n\cc# \m\e Yp k_\ ZfdgXe`\j k_Xk [\m`j\[ k_\d

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Lifestyle_

J?8CC @ :?8I>< PFL 9P K?< 9PK<6

48 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED CHARGED V1 I7.indd 48

LORIEN HOLLAND

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49 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

@ N8EK# @ N8EK# @ N8EK @K EFN

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Lifestyle_

D\cmpe C`d# j\e`fi Xik [`i\Zkfi# F^`cmpFe\ J`e^Xgfi\

More power in the palm of your hand Our Rich Media Software Suite enables you to design, develp, manage and deploy appealing, interactive services on any network with best time to market.

Nflc[ pfl [fnecfX[ X[$]le[\[ Zfek\ek6 Sure. Byte-sized please. ;f pfl kiXm\c i\^lcXicp6 ?fn f]k\e A few times a year. More should be on leisure though. ?fn dXep ]c`^_kj [f pfl kXb\ `e X p\Xi6 5 to 6. ?fn dXep _fk\c e`^_kj `e X p\Xi6 About 20 odd days. <m\i Z_Xe^\ J@D ZXi[j n_\e pfl ifXd6 Only if I’m Jason Bourne. N_\i\ nfeËk pfl kXb\ pfli dfY`c\6 Into the hot springs of Japan.

N?8KËJ FE PFLI G?FE<6 N_Xk nXj pfli ]`ijk dfY`c\ g_fe\ Motorola, Startec N_Xk dfY`c\ Xi\ pfl efn lj`e^6 Sony Ericsson K810i ?fn dXep _Xe[j\kj [f pfl _Xm\6 2

D`e^ J_\e :_\f# \oZlk`m\ [`i\Zkfi# El]]eXe^

N_Xk [f pfl lj\ k_\d ]fi%%% \dX`c# n\Y jli]è^ è X[[`k`fe kf ZXccj Xe[ k\okè^6 Phone, primarily for calls and texting and Blackberry primarily for email ;f pfl j_ffk m`[\f Xe[ g`Zkli\j n`k_ pfli g_fe\6 More frequently pictures, but occasionally video.

For more infomation : www.streamezzo.com

;f pfl c`jk\e kf dlj`Z fe pfli g_fe\6 No.

;f pfl nXkZ_ KM fi c`jk\e kf k_\ e\nj6 No.

;f pfl kiXm\c i\^lcXicp6 ?fn f]k\e Relatively regularly. At least once to twice a month.

;f pfl e\\[ glYc`ZXk`fej fe pfli g_fe\6 No.

?fn dXep ]c`^_kj [f pfl kXb\ `e X p\Xi 12 a year.

N_f \cj\ è pfli ]Xd`cp _Xj X dfY`c\ g_fe\%%% èZcl[è^ b`[j `] Xggc`ZXYc\6 Everybody in the family really, parents, siblings, etc.

?fn dXep _fk\c e`^_kj `e X p\Xi6 About 50 nights.

<m\i Z_Xe^\ J@D ZXi[j n_\e pfl ifXd6 Not normally. Unless I’m out <m\i i\Z\`m\[ Xep dfY`c\ dXib\k`e^ for an extended period of time d\jjX^\ k_Xk pfl ZXe i\ZXcc6 — over a week. No. N_\i\ nfeËk pfl kXb\ pfli Nflc[ pfl [fnecfX[ X[$]le[\[ dfY`c\6 Zfek\ek6 My mobile goes with me Really depends on what the everywhere. I couldn’t imagine content is. If it relates to my life without it! interests, why not?

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Mobile services spring to life with rich media solutions The Streamezzo Group develops rich media mobile services for telecom operators, broadcasters, media compagnies, content providers and service providers. We understand the lifestyle choices your custommers are going to make, and we have the technology and services you need - mobile TV, music and multimedia, mobile portals, micro sites, etc. - to stay one ahead of them.

N_Xk nXj pfli ]ìjk dfY`c\ g_fe\ Nseries phones if that’s what you The Philips Genie. Great form are into. (Yes, Nokia’s our client). factor. I was sold on the TV commercial with Udo Kier. ;f pfl c`jk\e kf dlj`Z fe pfli g_fe\6 N_Xk dfY`c\ Xi\ pfl efn ljè^6 I’m torn between my phone and The E61i and a certain touch my über sexy iPod. screen gem by a company with a fruit for a logo. ;f pfl nXkZ_ KM fi c`jk\e kf k_\ e\nj6 ?fn dXep _Xe[j\kj [f pfl _Xm\6 I will when telecom companies Two that I use daily. More in cut the rates for 3G. boxes at home which I hope might come back as trendy retro ;f pfl e\\[ glYc`ZXk`fej fe phones someday. pfli g_fe\6 A mobile version of Monocle N_Xk [f pfl lj\ k_\d ]fi%%% magazine would be great! \dX`c# n\Y jli]è^ è X[[`k`fe kf ZXccj Xe[ k\okè^6 N_f \cj\ è pfli ]Xd`cp _Xj X Mostly for my music and surfing dfY`c\ g_fe\%%% èZcl[è^ b`[j `] the web. Wi-fi hotspots are a must. Xggc`ZXYc\6 My wife has the same 2 ;f pfl j_ffk m`[\f Xe[ g`Zkli\j handsets. n`k_ pfli g_fe\6 The video quality isn’t that great, <m\i i\Z\`m\[ Xep dfY`c\ dXib\kè^ but hey the E61i is a business d\jjX^\ k_Xk pfl ZXe i\ZXcc6 phone. I would recommend the None that really stood out.

3/12/08 7:24:15 PM

Lifestyle_

D\cmpe C`d# j\e`fi Xik [`i\Zkfi# F^`cmpFe\ J`e^Xgfi\

More power in the palm of your hand Our Rich Media Software Suite enables you to design, develp, manage and deploy appealing, interactive services on any network with best time to market.

N?8KËJ FE PFLI G?FE<6 N_Xk nXj pfli ]`ijk dfY`c\ g_fe\ Motorola, Startec N_Xk dfY`c\ Xi\ pfl efn lj`e^6 Sony Ericsson K810i ?fn dXep _Xe[j\kj [f pfl _Xm\6 2

D`e^ J_\e :_\f# \oZlk`m\ [`i\Zkfi# El]]eXe^

For more infomation : www.streamezzo.com

;f pfl c`jk\e kf dlj`Z fe pfli g_fe\6 No.

;f pfl nXkZ_ KM fi c`jk\e kf k_\ e\nj6 No.

;f pfl kiXm\c i\^lcXicp6 ?fn f]k\e Relatively regularly. At least once to twice a month.

;f pfl e\\[ glYc`ZXk`fej fe pfli g_fe\6 No.

?fn dXep ]c`^_kj [f pfl kXb\ `e X p\Xi 12 a year.

N_f \cj\ è pfli ]Xd`cp _Xj X dfY`c\ g_fe\%%% èZcl[è^ b`[j `] Xggc`ZXYc\6 Everybody in the family really, parents, siblings, etc.

?fn dXep _fk\c e`^_kj `e X p\Xi6 About 50 nights.

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Insider_

ÈK_\ XY`c`kp kf hl`Zbcp d`^iXk\ Xe[ XZZ\jj g\ijfeXc`q\[ j\kk`e^j i\^Xi[c\jj f] k_\ _Xe[j\k n\ lj\ `j k_\ b\p kf k_\ ]lkli\ [\m\cfgd\ek f] g\ijfeXc`qXk`feÉ

ÈCXZb f] j\^d\ek ]fZlj f] k_\ jXc\j Z_Xee\cj `j fe\ f] k_\ Y`^^\jk YXii`\ij kf g\fgc\ Ylp`e^ dfY`c\ gif[lZkjÉ

JIMMY POON MANAGING DIRECTOR, PÚCA CHINA

DAVID JACQUES

Cffb kf >ff^c\ ]fi kil\ g\ijfeXc`qXk`fe

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ersonalization is meant to be a true blessing for mobile users. Especially in a world where mobile functions are becoming more elaborate, and the amount of mobile content is reaching record size, personalization is no longer goodto-have, but an essential part of our total mobile experience. Personalization starts the very moment we get our hands on a new phone; we populate and organize our contact lists to reflect our daily communication needs, we set up bookmarks on our browser to get us to our favorite sites more readily, we install programs and tools that we have grown used to, we configure chat groups to keep in touch with our colleagues and loved ones. In my experience, it can take me up to a week to do all of the above and thoroughly customize my phone. Each time I change mobile phones, it means a week spent tediously migrating all my customized settings from my old phone to the new. Even so, this manual process is less than perfect; a lot of things in my old phone, such as my very important and personal SMS messages, cannot be moved over. Personalization portability

is really the next hurdle to overcome; the ability to quickly migrate and access personalized settings regardless of the handset we use is the key to the future development of personalization. Imagine the ability to personalize a new phone as soon as you insert your SIM card, with all your customized settings automatically transferred onto your new phone via the airwaves, without much hassle. This will make personalization truly hardware independent, working in much the same way as server-based software such as gmail. As gmail users well know, it doesn’t matter which computer you use to access gmail, your messages, calendars and personalized settings are always there. Your settings are dependent on your identity unlike the hardware. This evolution of personalization portability benefits all parties; users can more easily access and migrate their personalization settings, handset manufacturers can sell more handsets as users become more ready to change phones, and operators can hold onto subscribers’ settings and hence the subscribers themselves.

While personalization portability is good news to most, it also suggests a shift of power from handset manufacturers to operators in the long run, since operators are the ones who host mobile IDs from day one. On the handset manufacturers’ side, it is becoming clear that a hardware-only proposition will be much weakened in tomorrow’s market place. This can explain handset manufacturers’, such as Nokia’s, recently proclamation of their evolution into internet companies. On the operators’ side, by having access to a fuller set of subscribers’ data, they will be more ready than ever to exploit other revenue channels, such as advertising and content offerings, in addition to traditional revenue streams, in voice and data. Personalization on its surface appears to be a small and personal matter, little do we know that it is in fact the tip of the mobile evolution iceberg.

Creating customer value doesn’t happen in isolation. Companies must get close and personal to target customers through research and including them in the design process

here is no doubt that personalization in product and service delivery is one of today’s hot topics. Personalization answers people’s deep need to reflect and reaffirm their individual beliefs and values, or in some cases their belonging to a group. Over the past few years we’ve observed and interviewed hundreds of people in their homes, at work and followed them around in their social context, in order to have a better understanding of the role of mobile phones in people’s lives and to uncover innovation opportunities. One thing that stood out was how almost everyone personalizes their mobile phone to some degree, with ringtones, wallpaper or themes being the most common form. In fact, it’s one of the first things people do when they get a new phone. We’ve seen countless teenagers exchange ringtones of their favorite songs, set their wallpaper to pictures of themselves or loved ones and install cartoon or video game character themes. And personalization is not limited to tech-savvy teenagers. Interestingly, we saw many

non-tech-savvy older adults set their wallpapers to a picture of someone close to them, although most often with the help of friends or family. That could represent an untapped market. Before companies start developing yet more mobile products and services for everyone and their mother, they should get a good understanding of who they are targeting, and what these customers want. This may seem obvious but look at service providers and content developers in the past few years. With a “create-it-andthey-will-come” attitude they invested heavily on purchasing and developing a vast array of mobile products and services, much of which in the end almost no one uses. By trying to provide something for everyone at the same time, they end up appealing to almost no one. With mobile content, the key to success lies not only in identifying different target segments and understanding what constitutes value to each of them, but also in understanding what they are willing to pay for — there are some things that people value

greatly, but would not want any other way than free. Offering the right value is only the first step — it needs to be delivered. Lack of segment focus of the sales channels is one of the biggest barriers to people buying mobile products. And that’s not to mention poor usability. How many times have we seen people try to use mobile portals and give up, saying “this is not for me?” Designing portals that cater to specific segments’ needs is definitely a step in the direct direction. But the envelope could be pushed even further by providing individual, unique channel experiences. There is immense potential to attract and retain more mobile customers by allowing them to personalize portals to their individual needs, thereby creating a stronger emotional connection. But even with the best of intentions, creating and delivering customer value doesn’t happen in isolation; it requires getting close and personal to target customers through research and including them in the design process.

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Cracking the portability challenge is crucial to true personalization, where our data isn’t tied to a specific handset but takes a cue from Google’s serverbased software approach

Lg Zcfj\ Xe[ g\ijfeXc n`k_ pfli Zljkfd\i

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Insider_

ÈK_\ XY`c`kp kf hl`Zbcp d`^iXk\ Xe[ XZZ\jj g\ijfeXc`q\[ j\kk`e^j i\^Xi[c\jj f] k_\ _Xe[j\k n\ lj\ `j k_\ b\p kf k_\ ]lkli\ [\m\cfgd\ek f] g\ijfeXc`qXk`feÉ

ÈCXZb f] j\^d\ek ]fZlj f] k_\ jXc\j Z_Xee\cj `j fe\ f] k_\ Y`^^\jk YXii`\ij kf g\fgc\ Ylp`e^ dfY`c\ gif[lZkjÉ

JIMMY POON MANAGING DIRECTOR, PÚCA CHINA

DAVID JACQUES

Cffb kf >ff^c\ ]fi kil\ g\ijfeXc`qXk`fe

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Creating customer value doesn’t happen in isolation. Companies must get close and personal to target customers through research and including them in the design process

www.charged.mobi

3/12/08 7:24:16 PM

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53 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

52 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

Cracking the portability challenge is crucial to true personalization, where our data isn’t tied to a specific handset but takes a cue from Google’s serverbased software approach

Lg Zcfj\ Xe[ g\ijfeXc n`k_ pfli Zljkfd\i

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Insider_

È@e AXgXe# n_\i\ k_\i\ Xi\ k\ej f] d`cc`fej f] Zfejld\ij fe ]`o\[ [XkX gcXej# \okiX k`d\ Yifnj`e^ Zfek\ek fe X *> g_fe\ [f\jeËk Zfd\ Xk Xe \okiX ZfjkÉ

ÈDfY`c\ M8J `j Xj dlZ_ XYflk \[lZXk`fe Xj Zfddle`ZXk`fe¿ K_\p dljk \[lZXk\ lj\ij fe k\Z_efcf^p# kXi`]] jkilZkli\j# gi\d`ld JDJ# @MI# [XkX ljX^\É

MANISH SINHA IS VICEPRESIDENT, STRATEGY AND DIGITAL THOUGHTWARE, BATES ASIA

BENJAMIN GRUBBS IS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EBAY HONG KONG

8lZk`fej Y`[j efn Xe[ JDJ XnXp

CHARGED V1 I7.indd 54

nternet buyers and sellers congregate at online auction websites looking for many of the same things: value, selection, and trust and safety. Buyers want to choose from a variety of new and/or used items, purchase the item at a good price, and be secure in the fact that the item will arrive as described. Sellers want to get in front of as many buyers as possible, at the most economical cost, and be secure in the fact that they will be paid for the item. Buyers who don’t want to wait to find out if they are the winning bidder can purchase the item at a fixed price. Auctions are attractive to buyers since they can end up buying the desired product at a price lower than other channels. Sellers with in-demand items stand to earn more for their item when a group of bidders outbid one another in the closing minutes of the auction. In the US and Europe, internet auction sites have added mobile extensions to their product to benefit buyers and sellers. Buyers who have been outbid can re-price their bid using their mobile phone, and skip rushing to the nearest computer in the

closing minutes of the auction. This is great for the seller, since they wind up earning more for their product via the lastminute incremental bid. It’s also beneficial to the auction operator, since they charge the seller a commission on the closed transaction. An increase in the final price results in a revenue increase. The Japanese e-commerce market was worth nearly US$44 billion in 2007, and it’s reported that several billion of that total was generated on mobile auction sites. Two things work in the favor of the Japanese consumer: access and product. In a market where there are tens of millions of consumers on fixed data plans, extra time browsing content on a 3G phone doesn’t come at an extra cost. Auction sellers can snap photos of their product using their camera phone, and proceed to list the item to the mobile auction site. At no point is there a need to use a computer. In the Philippines, there is an auction site that may exist for the sole purpose of creating content for the mobile phone. The parent company generates revenue from SMS usage. A bidder being outbid

is a good thing, since they can enter a new price via SMS. The buyer and seller can also discuss the transaction via SMS. The latter activity is happening today in China, a cash-based society where transactions frequently take place face-to-face. An iResearch report in 2007 estimated that US$1 billion physically traded hands during face-to-face transactions after the buyer and seller came to an agreement. Some buyers though are going as far as using the mobile phone for payment. In the same report, 0.7 per cent of all e-commerce payments in 2006 were from mobile devices, a share that is worth US$30 million. This will only grow over time.

There is more to India’s mobile market than explosive growth. Growing ubiquity is also delivering immense diversity in its user base, with major implications across the ecosystem

he Indian mobile market is one defined by increasing (i) ubiquity as subscribers reach the 250 million mark and (ii) diversity — where BOP (bottom of pyramid) consumers co-exist with the sophisticated set. India is slowly transforming from a voice-only market to a multi-platform VAS market. Until recently, the VAS market had been primarily SMS-based with Bollywood and cricket being the largest content drivers. While VAS is now a US$1 billion market, it still contributes just about 7 per cent of total mobile revenues. To help this market explode, brands and marketers need to gear up for four challenges. 1. Consumer challenge: Shift in focus from acquisition to education. Brands must realize that mobile VAS is as much about education as communication. They must educate users on technology, tariff structures, premium SMS, IVR, data usage, etc. 2. Device challenge: Providing feature-rich handsets at low cost is a big challenge. Pre-loading of applications by handset OEMs has not really caught on yet. 3. Content challenge: Brands

need to think afresh in packaging Bollywood and cricket and also think beyond them. They must think non-English and vernacular to reach out to the masses. 4. Operator challenge: Low spectrum forces operators to go for customer acquisition rather than focus on VAS. Despite these challenges, the Indian mobile marketer has realized that even the BOP segment is a major market because price won’t be a constraint for long. Furthermore, BOP markets often have moderate-to-high techadoption curves. For example, fishermen in Kerala track daily market prices on their mobiles. As a result of this potential, telecom operators have launched some BOP innovations: 1. Micro pre-paid cards. These are essentially recharge options as low as 25 cents. 2. Full value recharge, where talk time equals recharge value 3. Group calls, providing unlimited calls among a group, a mindset shift from user as individual to user as group. 4. Bulk SMS pack. Aimed at the youth segment within a specified area at a much lower cost. At the same time, in sharp contrast, the top-end consumer

in India is being addressed in a totally different manner. Airtel is a good example of how to segment the market at the topend especially for VAS usage. Faced with diminishing marginal returns on voice revenues, India’s largest GSM operator was therefore forced to abandon a ‘one-size-fitsall’ demographic segmentation and has reclassified its users based on attitude, VAS adoption traits and ARPU. It focussed attention on 2 segments: 1. Funsters, a group between 1835 years old, but with a common trait: a high adoption of VAS Airtel believes that with some targeted marketing, spending can be pushed from US$2.5 to $6.25. It has done exclusive tieup with apps providers such as Google and has identified music as a value proposition. 2. Achievers. They are the top 5 per cent of users. Not a high adopter of VAS, but contributes to revenues nearly 10 times that of Airtel’s ARPU, currently at US$10. To enhance customer experience for this segment, Airtel has separate relationship managers. and has also partnered with HTC and Blackberry for high-end handsets targeted at this segment.

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Online auctioners have gone mobile, which means no more mad scramble to find a PC for that last-minute bid

LY`hl`kp `e @e[`XËj [`m\ij`kp

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Insider_

È@e AXgXe# n_\i\ k_\i\ Xi\ k\ej f] d`cc`fej f] Zfejld\ij fe ]`o\[ [XkX gcXej# \okiX k`d\ Yifnj`e^ Zfek\ek fe X *> g_fe\ [f\jeËk Zfd\ Xk Xe \okiX ZfjkÉ

ÈDfY`c\ M8J `j Xj dlZ_ XYflk \[lZXk`fe Xj Zfddle`ZXk`fe¿ K_\p dljk \[lZXk\ lj\ij fe k\Z_efcf^p# kXi`]] jkilZkli\j# gi\d`ld JDJ# @MI# [XkX ljX^\É

MANISH SINHA IS VICEPRESIDENT, STRATEGY AND DIGITAL THOUGHTWARE, BATES ASIA

BENJAMIN GRUBBS IS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EBAY HONG KONG

8lZk`fej Y`[j efn Xe[ JDJ XnXp

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There is more to India’s mobile market than explosive growth. Growing ubiquity is also delivering immense diversity in its user base, with major implications across the ecosystem

www.charged.mobi

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Online auctioners have gone mobile, which means no more mad scramble to find a PC for that last-minute bid

LY`hl`kp `e @e[`XËj [`m\ij`kp

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Events_

(% I\XZ_ flk Xe[ kflZ_ jfd\fe\

56 MAR/APR 08 CHARGED

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K_\ dfY`c\ p\Xi kilcp Y\^èj n`k_ k_\ >JD8Ëj DfY`c\ Nfic[ :feî\jj n_\i\ k_\ è[ljkipËj j_èè^ jkXij i\m\Xc k_\ì gifkfkpg\j# Y`^ `[\Xj# Xe[ n`j_]lc k_èbè^ Ç f]]\iè^ X ^c`dgj\ f] k_\ ki\e[j n\ ZXe \og\Zk kf j\\ Y\kn\\e efn Xe[ :_i`jkdXj The iPhone seems to have everyone racing to catch up. The touch screen interface looks set to become a standard feature, but not everyone has mastered touch the way that Apple has. Apple maintains a strong lead with its multi-touch technology, optimized software and good sensors. It’s the sort of display that you can stab at with your big stubby digits. Navigation is intuitive, and the auto-switch between portrait and landscape layouts is as slick as they come. Touch, however, poses both hardware and software problems for newcomers. Companies that hastily push touch screens out the door do themselves no favors — especially as every new interface is being measured against the multi-touch magic of the iPhone. As a user, if you tap a touch screen only to experience a long delay, you tend to think that the device is broken. Or, if your finger is too big to tap the screen, you feel clumsy and get frustrated — pulling out a stylus is so Palm Pilot generation. The most noticeably absent player in the touch game is Nokia. They demonstrated a mock-up at MWC of what touch for Series 60 devices might look like, but they won’t have a working prototype this year. It’s not like Nokia to be so late to the party, but maybe it’s better for them to take the time to get it right.

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With GPS chip prices plummeting, it’s becoming as common to find global positioning in a handset as it is a camera. GPS opens the door to new mash-up opportunities. GPS integration with map data is on the rise, with players such as Nokia making a lot of noise about finding directions for you. Geo-tagging (the ability to imbed your lat’ and long’ coordinates into other data such as email, pictures, video, etc.) will continue to gain traction. Along with this will come the social sharing of your location with friends, and the geo-tracking of loved-ones (with their permission, of course).

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Beauty comes both on the inside and the outside. On the inside (inside the screen that is), it’s all about “Motion Design” — moving graphic straight out of Hollywood special effects factories, all flowing and swirling as you navigate your way through menus, folders and files. With more and more graphic processing power coming to the mobile device, expect a lot more “Wow!” in every little screen transition. And on the outside, the boxes are sleek, slim and sexy — like supermodels prancing down a Victoria Secret runway. Eye candy has overtaken the boring form of the past. Form has truly begun to matter more than function. Again, we can thank the newcomer iPhone for this: despite lacking 3G, the device became an instant love affair for millions of mobilists.

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Along with the big touch screens, slide out QWERTY keyboards, and slick graphic interfaces comes a web experience far more comparable to that of a laptop — especially with devices that can switch between HSDPA / HSUPA, WiFi, WiMax and good old fashioned 3G. More than 50 million phones (they might better be described as mobile internet devices) will be in use by the end of the year, which means that mobile net usage is set to spike. New browsers from Opera and Skyfire will mean that most of the web that isn’t already optimized for mobile devices will become just as accessible to the mobile internet device as it is to a laptop. This also means that web-based applications will make big inroads this year, leaving behind the enormous challenges of building and distributing applications that need to be downloaded to all the different handsets sporting a myriad of operating systems. With the wireless web will come new social networking, online gaming and collaborative productivity — a great equalizer between all the different handset platforms.

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Major players from the internet and computer industries are crossing into the mobile telecoms territory. Google is charging in like a knight in shining armor with the promise of freedom of open devices, open networks, open applications and open services on the 700Mhz spectrum. More immediately, they also promise an open source operating system, Android. But Google is finding it slow going compared to their speed in the internet arena, and have yet to deliver on their promises. Of course, Google isn’t the only non-traditional player crossing into the fray. Microsoft has gained a lot of traction, and is predicted to have more than 20 million Window Mobile OS devices on the street this year. While Google has invested more than $150 million in mobile, outperforming their arch-rival won’t be easy. Apple, of course, is the other major cross-over player, and a master of disruption. The release of the iPhone SDK will be a huge hit this year, expanding the use of the iPhone and generating new demand. While Nokia S60 currently enjoys the lion’s share of the market, the trend towards “cross-over” operating systems will challenge Nokia’s dominance.

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5 – 7 May 2008 Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore

Asia’s rendezvous point for stakeholders in the mobile content and entertainment space •

Benefit from a unique platform, boasting over 30 global speakers sharing expertise and experiences on emerging trends through case studies, panel discussions, special focus groups and brain share sessions

•

Listen to what your end users have to say with our Street TV and Consumer Behaviour Panel segments. Know their mobile content needs and wants

•

Demonstrate how content can best be deployed through various scenarios like music, video, mobile TV, marketing & advertising, mobile IM, mobile Web 2.0, social networking and more

Asia’s rendezvous point for stake holders in the mobile content and entertainment space

Mobile Asia Congress Macau SAR, China www.mobileasiacongress.com/

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T.Kugan Head, Products & Infotainment Business Maxis Communications, Malaysia

David Ko Vice President & General Manager, Yahoo! Connected Life Asia Yahoo! Inc., Singapore

Ziad Al-Masri Senior Manager, Mobile Data Services Zain, Jordan

Wim De Mooij Strategy Manager, Mobile Broadband Orange Group - UMTS Forum, UK

Anthony Tse President China Entertainment Television, Hong Kong

Laura E-Wendt Vice President & Managing Director Walt Disney Television International (Southeast Asia), Singapore

Ringo Chan Vice President, Wireless Development Asia Pacific Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd., Hong Kong

Nabil Hijazi Head, Mobile Content Al Jazeera Channel, Qatar

IPTV World Forum Asia Singapore www.iptv-asia.net

Pre-conference masterclass • 5th May 2008, Monday Uncovering the ‘Next Big Thing’ in the mobile business: mobile advertising & marketing

Response Form

Fax to +(65) 6271 8057

Yes! I am interested in Attending the conference. Please contact me. Sponsorship the event. Please contact me. Please send me a conference brochure.

Media partner:

Name: ................................................................................................................................................... Job Title: .......................................................................................................................................................... Company: .............................................................................................................................................. Main Line of Business: ............................................................................................................................. Address: .................................................................................................................................................. Postal code: .....................................................Country: .......................................................................

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Party Sponsor:

Endorsers:

Organised by:

Call +65 6322 2710 for more details or register online at www.terrapinn.com/2008/mcw.

3/12/08 7:24:42 PM

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Asia’s rendezvous point for stakeholders in the mobile content and entertainment space •

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Listen to what your end users have to say with our Street TV and Consumer Behaviour Panel segments. Know their mobile content needs and wants

•

Demonstrate how content can best be deployed through various scenarios like music, video, mobile TV, marketing & advertising, mobile IM, mobile Web 2.0, social networking and more

Asia’s rendezvous point for stake holders in the mobile content and entertainment space

Mobile Asia Congress Macau SAR, China www.mobileasiacongress.com/

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T.Kugan Head, Products & Infotainment Business Maxis Communications, Malaysia

David Ko Vice President & General Manager, Yahoo! Connected Life Asia Yahoo! Inc., Singapore

Ziad Al-Masri Senior Manager, Mobile Data Services Zain, Jordan

Wim De Mooij Strategy Manager, Mobile Broadband Orange Group - UMTS Forum, UK

Anthony Tse President China Entertainment Television, Hong Kong

Laura E-Wendt Vice President & Managing Director Walt Disney Television International (Southeast Asia), Singapore

Ringo Chan Vice President, Wireless Development Asia Pacific Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd., Hong Kong

Nabil Hijazi Head, Mobile Content Al Jazeera Channel, Qatar

IPTV World Forum Asia Singapore www.iptv-asia.net

Pre-conference masterclass • 5th May 2008, Monday Uncovering the ‘Next Big Thing’ in the mobile business: mobile advertising & marketing

Response Form

Fax to +(65) 6271 8057

Yes! I am interested in Attending the conference. Please contact me. Sponsorship the event. Please contact me. Please send me a conference brochure.

Media partner:

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Globe Telecom, the Philippines’ second-largest mobile operator’s subscriber base at the end of 2007.

Hong Kong’s mobile phone penetration rate hits the triple digit mark in percentage terms, as the total mobile subscriber base shoots past 10 million at the end of 2007.

Asia will account for this figure in percentage terms of annual global mobile music sales for the next five years.

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Companies will spend this volume in percentage terms of its overall telecommunications bill of US$133 billion on wireless calls, Insight Research has forecast. Wireless calls represent the fastest-growing cost for companies.

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, Leading members of the GSM Association, Vodafone Group, Telefonica O2 Europe, T-Mobile, FT Orange Group and 3, have launched a group to measure mobile advertising.

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The figure estimated in percentage terms of Koreans and Japanese who buy mobile games compared with about 7 per cent for the US and Europe