ReadWriteWeb

This is the third part in a multi-part series about integrating the internet with the real world through barcode scanning technology.

In the first two articles we looked at the history of scanning barcodes with your mobile phone, newspaper print ads, and a new effort to bring barcodes to web printouts. Now we'll look at other uses of the technology including scanning products in store, scanning broadcast media, and even exchanging contact information with others through the use of barcodes.

This is the second post in a multi-part series about integrating the internet with the real world.

In "The Scannable World: Mobile Phones As Barcode Scanners," we introduced the concept of using your phone to scan barcoded objects in the real world. We also touched on some of the history surrounding this technology. One of the issues with barcoded ads today is where you find them: newspapers, arguably a dying medium whose subscriber base isn't necessarily composed of cutting-edge early adopters. So how can barcodes make their way to the people who actually use the web and other modern technologies? One company thinks they have the answer.

Browser vendor Opera, which is a stronger player in the mobile browser market than it is on the desktop, has just released more data on of the state of the Mobile Web. The latest report tells us that usage of the mobile Web continues to grow in terms of unique users and page views. What's more, 'long tail' sites are showing up well in the data too, which is a sure sign the Mobile Web is gaining traction in key growth markets like the U.S. and China.

The company states that in August, their mobile browser Opera Mini (our coverage) was used by approximately 17.3 million users, who viewed more than 4.1 billion pages - about 242 pages per user, per month.

With all the hype surrounding the iPhone and Google Android, users may have forgotten about one of the best mobile browsers available for Windows Mobile and Symbian owners. We're talking about Skyfire, the award winning mobile browser that we can't get enough of! Skyfire gives mobile users one of the best web browsing experiences to-date. It's also one of our picks for must have windows mobile applications. Today, Skyfire users can get a great update that breathes new life into this mobile browser. Here's a look at what's new with Skyfire.

A new report from Handango - a distribution network for smartphone applications across the BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile, Symbian OS, and Linux platforms - states that gaming apps have jumped in popularity this year. In a report entitled First Half 2008 Handango Yardstick, Handango's regular review of the global smartphone content industry, it notes that "the Games category leaped from fourth place at year-end 2007 into the second spot behind the Entertainment category, for the first time in Yardstick history."

Together, entertainment and gaming apps account for 42% of unit sales of the top ten categories. Meanwhile, business and professional apps rank third with 15% and Productivity applications (e.g. address book and calendar) fourth with 9%. Note that these are similar trends to the iPhone App Store, where gaming also dominates. Handango also reported that the Blackberry had the most app sales. Below are the top 10 lists for each major smart phone that Handango covers, courtesy of the Yardstick report:

Adobe Photoshop is a top of the line design software. We've written extensively in the past about the many ways Adobe is branching off of Photoshop to cater to a broader audience from the release of new features for Photoshop Express for lighter usage to the entire Adobe package. Adobe is sure enough building an online empire. The next addition is a mobile version of Photoshop!

At last100 [a ReadWriteWeb Network blog], we love the iPhone as much as anyone. Yet we remain convinced that for all of Apple's innovation - especially on the mobile browsing front and major improvements in usability - the iPhone in its current incarnation will have significant but limited appeal.

There's only one iPhone, and in the smartphone market, one size doesn't fit all.

Ever since our cell phones started shipping with web browsers built-in, security companies have been warning us about the threat of mobile viruses and malware. While this was likely just an attempt to broaden their reach by selling us anti-virus protection for our phones, some recent numbers make us wonder if there's perhaps some truth to their claims.

Today, the mobile advertising marketplace AdMob released a new, global marketplace for iPhone ads. The most interesting aspect of this is that these ads will be specifically tailored to the iPhone and will also be highly interactive. To promote this launch and the new platform, AdMob is giving away a total of $1 million to iPhone developers to promote their applications through AdMob.

According to the latest data from mobile advertising marketplace AdMob, the mobile web has grown by over 100% in the last 12 months. AdMob's data also shows a 20% increase since May alone. Ad impressions on Apple's iPhone and iPod touch grew by 32% in June, making it the 9th most popular mobile device for online browsing in terms of ad impressions.

It's time to review the week that was on ReadWriteWeb. On the product side we looked at Adobe's announcement of searchable Flash, checked in with online TV service Hulu, reviewed a couple of innovative new web apps (Gnip and Identi.ca) and reviewed Firefox's recent world record. On the trends side, we analyzed Microsoft's acquisition of semantic search company Powerset, looked into the latest Yahoo stats, asked if email is in danger, and reported on a new Mobile Web standards initiative.

A group of mobile operators have just unveiled a new initiative they're calling "BONDI" whose goal is to encourage development of new mobile web applications while not compromising customers' security. BONDI was created by members of the OMTP (Open Mobile Terminal Platform), an industry group that includes participants from all parts of the mobile world and whose members include operators like AT&T, Hutchison 3G, Orange, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

Although nearly everyone today has a cell phone, mobile marketing is still very much in its infancy and marketers are struggling with how best to use the mobile platform to influence consumers. So far, it seems they have not been that effective if you look at the numbers: only 6.9% of adults surveyed said that video on mobile phones influenced them to purchase electronics; 6.4% said text messaging did the same. However, when you turn your eyes to what those numbers look like for the younger crowd, an entirely different picture emerges.

Here are some of the highlights from the week's Web Tech action on ReadWriteWeb. On the product side we explored Yahoo's ongoing troubles, reported on Firefox 3's record-setting week, covered a new "universal edit" wiki offering, and checked out some Mobile Web apps. On the trends side, we looked at what could disrupt Google search, explored the issue of 'info overload', analyzed lessons from Flickr, polled you about IM clients, and interviewed VC Brad Feld.

Earlier this month we reported on a survey that revealed that 48% of online banking customers between the ages of 18 and 34 would be interested in using "secure gadgets for personal banking" if their bank offered them. More than a quarter of bank customers would consider switching to another bank if it took better advantage of web 2.0 technologies. While that survey was flawed in some ways, there is another access point to banking information that customer may want more than secure widgets: mobile.

Today, at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, Nic Covey, Director of Insights for Nielsen Mobile, spoke on the subject of m-commerce (commerce that takes place via the mobile device). In his presentation, he covered what retailers must do to make their sites ready for the mobile web as well as discussing some stats on who uses the mobile web, what prompts them to shop online, and what concerns they have today about the mobile shopping experience. Additionally, Covey reported that, based research done by Nielsen Mobile, nearly half (49%) of mobile data users have said they expect to participate in mobile commerce in the future. It looks like this is one trend about to take off.

Yesterday was the big unveiling of iPhone 2.0. Even with its lowered price, many customers are still locked into contracts they can't break yet, and others still - believe it or not - are happy to continue using their mobile devices of choice, be them Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Nokia, Samsung, or something else altogether. Unfortunately though, no matter what device you use, browsing the mobile web can be somewhat of a challenge. However, now there are new applications that allow you to browse the mobile web in completely new ways: with tiles.

Tech blogs have been literally stampeding over the top of each other today to report on the latest version of the iPhone, announced at Apple's WWDC event in San Francisco. Our network blog last100 has an excellent overview of the news. Personally I'm a huge iPhone fan and so I was looking forward to this announcement as much as the next Macbook-toting geek. However a RWW commenter, Raph, injected a healthy dose of realism into the comments of our earlier post. It makes you wonder: is the iPhone really that revolutionary?! Let us know in the poll and comments below...

Back in February we reported that Buzzd, a Mobile Web social networking service used at bars, clubs and restaurants, had won a bunch of awards at the MobileMonday Peer Awards. We noted that Buzzd is a great example of how location-based services will be the killer app for the Mobile Web. Today Buzzd announced that their service is being white labeled for the music and arts festival Bonnaroo, in a feature labeled 'Bonnaroo Mobile'.

The next big trend for social networking is the rise of the mobile social network. Gen Y's cell phone addiction has given way to a proliferation of these mobile networks, each one trying to be the MySpace of the mobile web. The number of users on these services is growing fast - in fact, a new study by InStat is predicting that by 2012, there will be nearly 30 million "millennials" in the U.S. using a mobile social network of some sort, and a ComputerWorld report confirms that worldwide, that number will soar to 975 million by 2012.