Mobile device usage has spread across the globe. In terms of mobile penetration, the United States is actually on the lower end of the worldwide spectrum, with only 77% cellular device ownership. That seems counterintuitive to the way the U.S. views itself as the heart of mobile acceptance and innovation. It is China and other Asia-Pacific countries that really lead in mobile adoption.
Research firm Forrester released a study last week showing global mobile usage trends. In almost every mobile usage aspect, metropolitan China and other Pacific Rim countries lead the way. That includes mobile social usage, work usage and multiple device ownership. Mobile is near an inflection point, changing the way people interact with information around the globe.
Does the type of device that you use change the way that you consume and create information? Does it alter the types of content that you look at? We were curious, so we took a look at a week of Bitly click data (June 6th - 12th) to find out!
For the most part, the use of traditional computing platforms such as Windows, Linux and Macintosh follow a similar pattern, demonstrating that your habits don't really change regardless of which you choose.
According to a new report from network management and video optimization firm Bytemobile, mobile video now accounts for between 40% to 60% of the total mobile data traffic on operators' networks. Half of the video consumed comes from laptop computers, iPhones, iPads and Android devices, the company found.
But here's an interesting side note to that data: When broken down by device, iPhone users see more video data traffic than those on Android, or even on laptops.
Location-based media company JiWire has released a new report detailing the mobile shopping trends among the "on-the-go" audience, which JiWire defines as people using tablets, smartphones or laptops away from their home or workplace. According to the study, 79% of these users are becoming more comfortable making purchases on their mobile devices, even for big ticket items over $1,000.
It also found that these consumers are heavily engaged with local deals services like Groupon and LivingSocial, for example, and had a high demand for tablet computers.
Virtualization has been around long enough now that practices have been established. What's changing is how virtualization intersects with cloud computing.
The Influences Driving Virtualization is the latest white paper from ReadWriteWeb. In the white paper, writer Philip Morgan looks at the influences that are shaping virtualization with particular emphasis on standardization, simplification and automation. Through that lens the white paper examines the factors that influence companies and how the cloud plays a defining role.
We are pleased to announce a new premium report: Engaging Online Communities. Thanks to Microsoft for sponsoring the report and making it available as a free download.
The countless individual interactions people make online have introduced a new level of complexity in marketing. These "gestures" come in the form of likes in Facebook, replies in Twitter or subscriptions to blogs. Other gestures may be a link to a site or a check-in on a location-based network.
These gestures are generated by the billions. Engaging with people means responding to these gestures in a way that fits into the flow of their lives.
A study by professors at the Warsaw University of Technology has demonstrated something not surprising to those of us who've spent any time on the Internet. That is, people who comment online are often motivated by emotions, and negative emotions at that. Furthermore, the longer online discussions last, the more likely they are to turn increasingly negative, and in doing so, these negative discussion dissolve into a back-and-forth volley, sustained by fewer and fewer commenters.
As part of our ongoing year-end analysis of what shaped the Web this year, we've created a report - The Top 5 Web Trends of 2010 - that looks at the most important topics: mobile, the Internet of Things, location-based social networks, the real-time Web, and structured data. Using Adobe's new PDF Portfolio, we take you back through the year's news and events and then describe what the key issues to watch in 2011 will be.
Here's a brief preview of what's inside the report:
As part of our ongoing series of premium reports, we're announcing today our newest report: The Age of Exabytes: Tools & Approaches For Managing Big Data. Thanks to HP for sponsoring the report and making it available as a free download.
We are experiencing a big data explosion, a result not only of increasing Internet usage by people around the world, but also the connection of billions of devices to the Internet. Eight years ago, for example, there were only around 5 exabytes of data online. Just two years ago, that amount of data passed over the Internet over the course of a single month. And recent estimates put monthly Internet data flow at around 21 exabytes of data.
Forrester Research just released its annual survey of American technology adoption, this time focusing on the generational divide. The findings, which arose from a survey of over 37,000 participants, reveal that when it comes to the adoption of digital tools and technology, the generation gap still exists, with Generation Xers and Yers far ahead of both Boomers and Seniors.
The report delves into everything from mobile use to media consumption and PCs to social networking. The takeaway, says Forrester, is that Gen Y "lives and breathes" a digital social life, Gen Xers are masters of the functional benefits of technology, but those older are much more reserved in nearly all areas.
