Mobile Video Continues To Rise

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Mobile Video Continues To Rise (FreeWheel via Mobile Marketing Watch)
Video monetization firm FreeWheel says that 12 percent of all online videos viewed in the fourth quarter 2012 were watched on smartphones or tablet computers.

How To Make The Most Of Mobile Local Search (Mashable)
Brands have a lot to gain by embracing geolocation based mobile strategies. And you don't have to be a big box retailer to benefit from doing so. Companies are still trying to figure out how to best approach mobile local search by connecting online consumers to nearby businesses and boosting traffic to the physical store. Geolocation is nothing new, but as mobile wallet and payment options hit the mainstream, business will try to gain recognition in local searches more than ever before. "The companies that might target mobile-local searchers are not necessarily companies that are doing a great job being found on traditional Web," says Cindy Krum, CEO and founder of marketing and SEO firm Mobile Moxie. Read >>

Mobile Email Opens To Outnumber Desktop (Knotice via Marketing Land)
The number of commercial emails opened on mobile devices is expected to be higher than PC-based emails by the end of the year, according to the latest report from digital marketing agency Knotice.

Knotice says 41 percent of commercial emails were opened on mobile devices in the second half of 2012, up from 27 percent a year earlier and just 13 percent at the end of 2010. Based on that trend, the company is estimating that more than 50 percent of commercial emails will be opened on mobile devices by year’s end. Read >>

Gates Rips Microsoft’s Mobile Strategy, Not Just Windows Phone (WindowsITPro)
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates uttered some surprising if vague criticism of his firm’s mobile moves during an interview this week, noting that its "cell phone" strategy over the past decade was "clearly a mistake." These comments have been misinterpreted by some to be about Windows Phone specifically. More than likely, he was talking about Windows Mobile, which stagnated when Apple launched the innovative iPhone back in 2007. Regardless of what Gates meant specifically, it’s unclear what the company can do to make up lost ground in this market, regardless of how unhappy he and Mr. Ballmer are about it. Read >>

Celly Launches To Let Anyone Create A Mobile Social Network (TechCrunch)
Celly, a Portland-based startup that makes it easy to instantly create your own social network, believes that the opportunities for social networking in the real world are fundamentally emergent. That groups tend to arise spontaneously, grow and then combine to form interdependent networks. The company raised $1.4 million in seed funding led by Oregon Angel Fund (OAF), with contributions from Upstart Labs, Portland Seed Fund and a handful of angel investors. With its new funding in tow, the startup plans to begin expanding its team, starting with engineering talent. Read >>

How Mobile Is Changing Business (KISS Metrics)
More people are shopping on mobile devices than ever before. Is your business prepared to satisfy these mobile customers?

Web traffic by device last year:

Web usage trends by device:

Check out the full infographic for mobile e-commerce trends as well as mobile experiences. Read >>

How Far Mobile Phones Have Come (TNW)
In light of the Mobile World Congress approaching, check out the evolution of the mobile phone. Read >>