Mobile Industry News 12/3/09

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

The Habits of Heavy Mobile Web Users
The US mobile Internet population is increasing rapidly. eMarketer estimates that 29.2% of mobile phone users log on to the mobile Web at least once per month in 2009, up from 22.3% last year. And according to BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, many of those qualify as “heavy” users—those who go online via mobile more than 10 times per week.

HP exec: brands’ mobile spend will be up in 2010
Mobile Marketer Homepage
After a difficult 2009, brands will increase their mobile spend in 2010, according to a Hewlett-Packard executive.  During the hour-long webinar “Mobile Marketing in 2010: Up, Down or Flat?” hosted by Mobile Marketer and sponsored by mobile marketing firm HipCricket, six panelists discussed how they believe mobile marketing will fare in 2010 and shared tips for effective campaign planning and management. The webinar panel was moderated by Mobile Marketer’s Mickey Alam Khan.
 
HipLogic Raises $7 Million To Bring Apps To Feature Phones
 mocoNews
HipLogic, a Fremont, Calif.-based startup that is trying to bring the app-like experience to mass phone market, has raised $7 million in a second round of funding. Bay Partners led the round, and new investor Accrue Sports and Entertainment Ventures participated, along with existing investors Benchmark Capital and Stage 1 Ventures.
 
Harnessing The Mobile Marketing Power Of The Twitter 360 iPhone App
Mobile Marketing Watch
I wrote yesterday about the enormous potential augmented reality presents in the mobile world, and how close we are in terms of device technology to making the concept a reality. Shortly after, the Twitter 360 iPhone app launched that combines Twitter’s new geo-location APIs, the iPhone 3GS’s compass feature and augmented reality to make one really slick iPhone app.  In short, the app allows anyone to point their iPhone’s camera at any given location and be able to see their friend’s tweets overlayed on the camera’s image, including arrows in the direction of the “tweeter” and their avatar.
 
Mobile Phone Navigation Company Networks In Motion Sells For $170 Million
mocoNews
TeleCommunication Systems, a publicly held company in Annapolis, which serves mostly the government sector, has agreed to acquire Networks In Motion for $170 million. Network In Motion is a privately held company headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif., which provides wireless navigation software for GPS-enabled mobile phones. Networks In Motion powers white-label navigation services, such as Verizon Wireless’s VZ Navigator, which launched in January 2006.