Mobile Industry News 12/18/09

Quattro Wireless' daily take on interesting and important news for the mobile industry. See something today that we missed? Post it in the comments or send it our way on twitter @intheq

Unilever, Toyota advertise in new Hachette Filipacchi apps
Mobile Marketer
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. has launched five new iPhone applications for several different media brands with advertising from Unilever and Toyota.
 
iPhone Picking Up Steam Overseas
GigaOM
Smartphones accounted for 48 percent of traffic on AdMob’s ad network in November 2009, the mobile ad startup said Friday, up from 30 percent just a year ago. And much of that growth is due to the iPhone’s exploding popularity in foreign markets: Half of the unique ad requests from Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch came from outside the U.S., up from 39 percent in January 2009.

Is 2010 going to be the year of Android?
Mobile Marketer Homepage Feed
With the Android Market reaching just over 16,000 apps and Google launching the Nexus One, expect a full-blown handset battle in 2010 with Apple and Google on the frontlines duking it out.
 
Disney rolls out paid Muppets app
Mobile Marketer
Disney Interactive Studios has launched the latest addition to its slate of applications, The Muppets Animal Drummer for the iPhone and iPod touch.
 
UPS targets small businesses with BlackBerry app
Mobile Marketer
United Parcel Service has extended its mobile shipping capabilities to Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices.  

Blockbuster Goes Mobile For Survival?
Mobile Marketing Watch
In the era of digital cable, on-demand movies, and Netflix, video stores have appeared in recent years to be headed toward extinction. As a result, mega video retail chain Blockbuster is turning to the mobile channel to revive some of the luster its industry and business have lost in the last decade.
 
Android Awareness On the Up, says comScore
Mobile Marketing Magazine
comScore has released its latest report on the mobile market, ‘Android: Crashing the Smartphone Party’. The report provides an overview of the current US mobile environment and offers an in-depth look at how the Android operating system is impacting the market. Among the report’s key findings is that consumer awareness of Google’s Android is growing rapidly, due in large part to the Verizon Droid ad campaign. Further, of those American consumers in the market for a Smartphone, 17% are considering the purchase of an android-supported device in next three months, compared to 20% indicating that they plan to buy an iPhone.
   
Merry Mobile Christmas
Mobile Marketing Magazine
Sharpcards, which provides mobile ecards, has announced year-on-year growth figures of 33% over the festive period so far, on the back of a prediction from environmental charity Waste Watch that up to 1 billion Christmas cards will end up in UK bins this year
 
Android Could Be Your Next iPhone
MinOnline :: Breaking News & Views
Content providers who are planning to deploy that cool iPhone app may want to reconsider their position in the Android market. According to a consumer survey by comScore 17% of people who are in the market for a new smart phone are planning to buy an Android-based unit, compared to 20% targeting an iPhone...
 
Mobile green: What are the criteria for device sustainability?
FierceWireless
By the end of 2009, more than 1 billion mobile phones will be shipped worldwide. Considering that 1 billion devices shipped has been and will be a yearly occurrence, and the world is now exceeding 4 billion mobile phone subscribers, the idea of mobile phone sustainability has been pushed to the forefront. Mobile phone manufacturers across the globe are increasing their efforts to reduce waste and power consumption. In addition, these suppliers are working closely with a broader mobile phone sustainability ecosystem and are seriously beginning to take on new recycling and remarketing efforts.