Here we go again, another petty fight between two tech giants over some silly and pointless matter that will make consumers lose in the long run. Google and Microsoft are quickly becoming the new Mac vs PC (can’t Microsoft get along with anyone?) and don’t stop bickering.

Whether it is Microsoft’s anti-Google advertising or Google’s latest request to remove the YouTube app from the Windows Phone Marketplace, as well as disabling the app on phones that are already using it. Yes, really.

But, it is not so black and white. Google did indeed send a cease and desist letter to Microsoft about its new YouTube app, but Google did not send it just to be evil or anti-competitive. You see Microsoft released the app with some built-in features that block YouTube advertising. That means no revenue for Google and no revenue for YouTube publishers.

You can read the letter in its entirety on TheVerge here.

To tell you the truth, both parties are to blame here since Google is not exactly making the life of Microsoft easy and Microsoft should not be releasing a YouTube app that directly contradicts the terms of service for its API. Google should release its own YouTube app for Windows Phone users, the way it does for iPhone users. Microsoft should stop with its childish advertising, which does nothing but cause more tension in the industry.

Is it just me or do I sound like I am talking to two toddlers who won’t stop fighting? Yea, I don’t think it is just me…

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As of now, these are just rumors but rumors from pretty credible sources. The latest report comes from TheNextWeb, which quotes Calcalist that Facebook is in the final stages of negotiations to buy Waze for $1 billion. Why would a social networking site buy a navigation app, is what many people are asking. Those people don’t get Facebook, or what Zuckerberg has in store for all of us.

As we recently wrote, Facebook stopped being a web-based social network a long time ago and its recent earnings are proof. Facebook is a mobile advertising company and the social networking aspect is simply a mask intended to hide the entire concept on which Facebook is based. In two words, data collection. But data collection is not the goal, it is the means. The goal is to bring hyper local mobile advertising to a whole new level.

Now, can you think of any company that has in depth data about its users’ location based on social collaboration and old-fashioned crowd sourcing? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Waze is a perfect fit for Facebook and it is so obvious, I am surprised it took this long. Now again, rumors, but even if it does not come to fruition, that is only because the price wasn’t high enough or Zuckerberg was not smart enough. This is an acquisition Facebook should make. So should Apple. And you know what? So should Google. In fact, maybe that is why there is such a high price tag, because the demand is indeed very high and there is only one Waze.

The main gain here in the long run is for Facebook, and to be honest, if all goes according to plan, Facebook users. How do I figure? If Facebook buys Waze, it will kill the app and integrate it into its platform. It will then use the data to target us with relevant and useful ads. Now, before you faint at that thought, think about it. You are walking by your local supermarket and Facebook knows that, and sends you an “ad” telling you that if you go shopping now, you can get 20% off. Or a free coffee. Or a discount on those jeans you wanted. Or or or…

The point is, advertising has become a dirty word on mobile but that is because it was stuck in the 80s with banner ads that are irrelevant to the user and quite frankly, 9 out of 10 times, ugly and annoying. But if Facebook changes the game with engaging and rich media ads that are actually relevant and helpful to users by using Waze’s location information and crowdsourcing expertise, the sky is the limit to what mobile advertising can do to enhance our lives.

As a Waze user, this news kind of makes me sad but as a general consumer, this excites me. As a mobile monetization company, I think we can all agree that “we told you so.”.

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It has become a custom of mine to talk about Apple’s mobile operating system before or right after it is released. I wrote about iOS5 features, my thoughts on iOS6, and now, with the release of iOS7 around the corner, it is time. I will split the features I would love to see in iOS7 into two categories. The first one is “Things we will most likely see” and the second, “There is not a freaking chance Apple will do this and they will remain stuck in their old and outdated ways”.

Of course, as usual, I turned to my Twitter followers when writing this post and got some good insights on features Apple should include. Here are a few.

@hilzfuld Better maps.

— Steve Furman (@stevefurman) May 7, 2013

@hilzfuld music service integration…

— Brett Petersel (@Brett) May 7, 2013

@hilzfuld Smart App Icons

— John-Paul Herrmann (@extraterrestric) May 7, 2013

Here are some of my thoughts on the topic:

- Multitasking, Apple, it’s 2013, remember? 

Seriously, Apple, I get it, battery life and all, but you know what? The solution to poor battery life is not crippling the mobile experience, but developing innovative battery technology. I know, crazy talk. But seriously, in a world of BlackBerry 10 (What? The multitasking is fantastic!), having that lame bar at the bottom in which I can see all the apps I recently ran just doesn’t cut it anymore. iOS users deserve true multitasking and the time has come, so kindly, Apple, get on that.

As for the two categories, there is a good chance of this happening.

-Now that we have multitasking… 

So you know how that bar shows me all the apps I have used and some of them actually do run in the background (like Skype or Viber)? Yea, how about a Kill button to stop them all with one tap. No, seriously, if I could have all the time I have spent killing off those apps back, I might be able to develop a solution for world peace. A kill switch please, Apple.

Good chance of this happening too.

- Stop wasting my home screen real estate! 

Static app icons, Apple? Really? That is the best you can come up with? There are obviously many solutions available to get maximum use of a phone’s home screen. Windows Phone does a pretty fantastic job with its live tiles. Android’s widgets aren’t bad either. Again, not going to tell Apple what to do here, that’s what they make the big bucks for, but I will say that app icons that tell me, well, nothing, are so 2007.

The chances of Apple implementing this functionality are slim to none.

- Tapping is the new Clicking: 

Text input. Yes, a painful topic for Apple. Forget auto correct for a second. What about the actual way I type out text in iOS? I tap on the letters. Again, BlackBerry 10 pretty much nailed this with the ability to swipe up to select words, but while we’re on the topic of swiping, how about some Swype integration? I can literally type twice as fast on Android or Blackberry 10 than I can on my iPhone. Slight problem, wouldn’t you say, Apple?

Good chances of Apple upgrading its text input method.

-Open it the heck up. With limits. 

This one is slightly controversial of course, but iOS needs to take a chill. Seriously, if I had to paint iOS as a person, I would imagine it as a very uptight human being that doesn’t know how to have a good laugh. Ever. Android would be a slight stoner. The ideal solution is somewhere in the middle. Now I do not want Apple to open it up all the way, besides, that would never happen, but there is no reason developers should not be able to create tools that integrate with the actual OS the way they do in Android. The latest examples I can think of are Google Now (one of the most awesome Android features that is totally limited in iOS) and Facebook ChatHeads (the only truly interesting part of the Facebook Home release.) Those, among many other services make iOS users jealous of Android and we can’t have that, right, Apple?

This will never happen, in case you had any doubts.

-Stop playing games, Apple! 

Allow me to tell you a short story. The other day I found myself at a restaurant waiting for someone when I realized there was an article I had to write (long story).  I had my iPhone 5, Lumia 920, and BlackBerry Z10 on me. I needed access to WordPress and Office. Take three guesses which of the three phones totally and completely failed me… That’s right, there is no Office on iOS and WordPress in Safari simply does not work. (yes, I know there is an app, it stinks too.) I wrote the whole post on my Z10 in a matter of minutes using the browser and had full access to Office on my Lumia 920.  Apple, if you want to continue competing in the business world (because, let’s be honest, you still pretty much own the consumer mind share, although that is beginning to end too), for the love of God, get Office on iOS and stop clowning around with the limitations in Safari and all your productivity tools.

This will happen eventually.

The bottom line is, there are literally hundreds of features I would like to see in iOS7, but the ones I mentioned above are most missing in my iOS6 overall experience. What else would you add?

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Remember when Facebook used to be a web-based social network? Well, yesterday the company announced its numbers, and it is now fair to call Facebook a mobile company, but not just any mobile company. When you can claim credit for 40% of the top grossing apps on both iOS and Android, and your user-base is using your platform mostly on a mobile device, which is driving you revenue via ads in the feed, it is safe to say, you are a mobile advertising company.

Maybe that is not what Facebook offers in terms of the experience, but then again, Google, who makes well over 90% of its revenue from advertising, was once just a search company. Both Google and Facebook are now full-fledged advertising companies, one on the web, and one on mobile, respectively. As far as the actual Facebook experience, clearly, the company has a long way to go before it is a mobile company!

So what are these numbers I speak of? Here are some of the highlights:

• 1.11 billion monthly active users overall.
• 665 million daily active users.
• Mobile monthly active users were 751 million, a 54% increase year over year.
• For the mathematically challenged, close to 68% of all users, access Facebook on mobile.
• $350 million of mobile ad revenue.
• 30% of all revenue is from mobile, up from 23% last quarter.
• 3,800 developers used Facebook mobile ads.
• Nearly 25 million downloads came from Facebook mobile ads.

Of course, there are a lot more interesting numbers out there, which you can read here or here, but the trend is clear. As the mobile ecosystem continues to grow, discovery is becoming increasingly challenging. Google recently made some change to its search algorithm, which drives less traffic to the App Store, and interestingly enough, on the same day, Twitter added its own app discovery channel.

Now, Facebook is making a clear statement, that as far as mobile app discovery is concerned, it intends on joining and dominating this race.

What’s that? Mobile advertising proves to be an effective method to monetize mobile? Hmm, where have I heard that claim before?

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This is really not a post intended to start a debate about iOS vs Android or whether Windows Phone or BlackBerry stand a chance of making a comeback. In fact, that is the very point of the brilliant ad for the Lumia 920 you can see below.

The thing is, the debates between Apple fans and Google fans have gotten absolutely ridiculous and to be honest, pretty much everyone else is sick of them. Of course, the debate is just a symptom of the fact that people take their phones very seriously and view this space as black and white. It is viewed as a zero sum game. Either iOS will win or Android will win.

Of course, the reality is very different and the market will change, in fact, it has already begun to transition into an industry with more than two viable options. In any case, watch the video, it is some brilliant and pretty spot on advertising from Microsoft and Nokia. And if you can’t get a laugh from this video because you think Windows Phone will fail, well, you know you are taking this stuff way too seriously.

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While the world of technology seems to be slowing down, Google is quite obviously owning all the buzz on the web with its new glasses, or should I say Glass. (Not sure anyone has yet figured out how to refer to this product.) Scoble says he will never live another day without them or another similar product, all the bloggers are busy trying them on and tweeting how ridiculous they look and pretty much everyone else is jealous. OK, not everyone, but ya know… Me.

There is no question that wearable computing is the next big thing. I think we can all agree that what the future holds is a bunch of very weird people looking at you but not really looking at you. Having said that, after hearing Eric Schmidt speak about Google Glass, it occurred to me that this product is actually very significant for a different reason entirely.

Among the statements that Eric Schmidt said about Google Glass, he said that developing and submitting an app will be a more closed and restricted process than that of the regular Android model. As in, Google will need to approve apps before they are available for Google Glass. I can’t seem to put my finger on it but that reminds me of another company…. I want to say it starts with an A and ends with a PPLE, but I am just guessing here.

Of course, that is not the only thing that is very not Android-like about Google Glass. No 3rd party ad providers will be allowed to serve ads on Google Glass. Not to mention the price of the device itself, which will surely eventually come down. It has to. The point is, Google Glass from beginning to end, is a product I would expect to see from a company focused on margins, user experience, and high standards of app quality. That is in sharp contrast with Android that is focused on volume, wider distribution, and quantity of apps, not quality.

Now, there is no guarantee that Google will not open up this process in the future, Schmidt said that is a definite possibility, but for now, it seems Google has internalized some of its possible mistakes from past strategies. Then again, I could be overthinking this but it is definitely an interesting shift in Google policy…

Thoughts?

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Obviously the new SDK includes many performance improvements and bug fixes as well. More visibility for your ads is something you can expect to see immediately. Finally, we listened to your feedback and the Read Phone State parameter in which the phone’s Unique Identifier is passed, is now no longer mandatory.

All you have to do is go and download it. We are looking forward to your feedback.

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Well, this is the million dollar question isn’t it? Given the data we possess regarding the extremely low success rates of apps that cost money, how does a developer effectively monetize an app given away for free? The answer? A little thinking out of the box. There is of course the traditional display advertising model, which should not be belittled, but does not maximize the potential of modern smartphones.

Then we have hyper-local advertising, as in serving an ad for a venue as the user walks by that venue. There is also rich media advertising, including video, which increases engagement. Finally, there are some newer options that are starting to produce success stories. These include in-app purchases and even mobile search.

Having said all that, there is a slight problem, especially when we are talking about iOS apps. Apple has made it very clear that the whole targeting a user thing based on their devices’s unique identifier, aka UDID, is a no-go and apps using the UDID to track users will be rejected from the App Store.

So, what happens when Apple makes an announcement like that? Well, the entire app tracking/monetization industry gets moving on removing the UDID from their SDKs and apps. And so did we…

I know what you’re thinking… “If we can’t use a UDID to track and target users for relevant advertising, how can we ever expect higher CTR and better revenue?” Good question. We thought we would address this… So here goes.

For iOS: ( you can very easily adapt it to fit Android )

We would like to help you improve your integration in order to increase your revenues and prepare your iOS properties for the UDID-less era.

As Apple has given a deadline by which all UDIDs must be removed, it is imperative that you update your SDK to the latest one which does not collect any form of UDID, but only collects the device IDFA (aka, advertiser ID) and MAC address. You can read more about IDFA here.

Here is some more information about the Unique Identifier (IDFA , UDID and Mac address):

With no cookie available for tracking which user engaged with an ad, the device identifier is the only means for tracking user engagement with a campaign. This parameter alone is a must for more and more demand partners, and applications not passing this correctly will substantially lose out on advertising dollars.

Moreover, we’ve surveyed our premium demand partners and found that the four most important parameters requested for better monetization are (sorted by priority):

·         Unique Identifier (IDFA for Apple devices and UDID & Mac address for all devices)

·         Location (GPS coordinates)

·         Gender

·         Age

Developers passing the above parameters correctly will enjoy higher eCPMs and performance. This information will allow the demand partners to monetize the ad-space better with more relevant, better targeted and better paying campaigns.

So what do you need to do?

If you are using one of Inneractive’s SDKs, device related parameters are handled out-of-the-box, so your main action item should be to check if you are able to pass Location, Gender and/or Age parameters.

If you are using our server side API, please make sure that you are indeed passing both the correct device identifiers to the right parameters, as well as Location, Gender and Age. All parameters are described in the server API document.

Android

The following Android SDK parameters should be enabled for optimum performance.

The Inneractive Android SDK will request both of the following parameters to access the location every 15 minutes of 200 meters:

ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION can provide a gps location if available, accessing gps consumes more battery power.

ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION can provide approximate location using cell towers and Wi-Fi only, battery usage in this case is very low.

We hope this information was useful and that the transition to the UDID-less era is as smooth as possible.

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Facebook, as a company, has undergone quite a transition in the last year or two. Of course, this transition was completely necessary given the state of the market, not to mention the company’s IPO, which had many experts declaring that social IPOs are doomed for failure. I am of course referring to the shift from a web company who happens to have a mobile app to a company that understands the potential of mobile and puts it at the top of its To-Do list. At least that is what they say.

The reality, of course, is very different. The way I see it, there are two options. Either Zuckerberg does not get what it means to be a truly mobile company or he gets it, but has the wrong people behind the wheel. You see, being a mobile company does not mean you launch a feature on your web property, then a few months later, you adapt it to fit a smaller screen. Mobile is a whole other philosophy and as far as Facebook products and features are concerned, I do not see the mobile philosophy anywhere.

I am going to give two recent examples, but let there be no mistake, there are many more instances in which it is clear that Facebook is still a web company with a mobile offering.

New Commenting System. Ooops, We Forgot Mobile

You might have noticed that Facebook rolled out a new commenting system in which you can reply directly to comments as opposed to just leaving another comment at the end of the thread when responding to someone. First of all, allow me to go off topic for a split second. The new commenting system stinks. It is confusing and seems to be very buggy. Comments seem to appear however or wherever they want if you do not use the new Reply option. Being that the Reply is pretty much invisible and most people won’t see it, comments across Facebook are just a mess. But that is not the topic here, mobile is.

You see, this new brilliant roll out of Facebook threaded comments? Yea, they seem to have forgotten about mobile. No Reply on the mobile app. “OK, maybe they will release an update with the new option soon!” Maybe, but since there was an update just a few days ago on iOS and Android to launch Chatheads and Facebook Home, I doubt it. Also, a mobile company would have released the new comments on mobile first, or at least alongside the web.

This is of course worse than just a little slip up because now, any comment posted from a mobile device, appears on the Facebook thread completely out of order, making it impossible to read the thread. That is called a company that does not get mobile. Sorry Zuck, this post is long overdue, you had this coming when you said the iPad is not mobile and you did not release an iPad app for years. (see the video below, it is truly unbelievable in so many ways.)

iOS Push Notifications, Where Art Thou?

One of the most crucial parts of a modern mobile experience would have to be the notification system. Of course Facebook knows this if I am judging by its launch of Facebook Home. Except, the Facebook push notifications including pop ups, vibrations, and sounds have not worked on iOS for months.

A quick Google search (click that link, it is one of the most awesome sites on the internet) indicates that this is not a problem only I am having. In fact, it is not a problem Apple is having. This is a serious issue on Facebook’s side and the best part? Facebook has not even acknowledged the issue, as far I can see in all the tens of threads I have read about it.

Given the nature of mobile and the social Web, notifications are not a luxury, they are an absolute necessity. Now, don’t get me wrong, everyone has bugs, but bugs should be squashed as fast as possible. Sometimes it takes a day, sometimes a week, but this iOS issue has been going on for months since as far back as the launch of iOS 6.

This would never happen at a “mobile company”, especially not a company that has Facebook’s resources. This is a matter of priorities… Which leads me to the next point. Facebook Home. I get it, Zuck wants the ability to provide a Facebook experience on a mobile phone, as opposed to just another app on the user’s home screen. I also understand why he wants to do that and it is not so he can make the claim that Facebook is a mobile company. Taking over a mobile phone means endless access to the user’s data, including location, pictures, music, etc.

Facebook (Far Away from) Home

Sorry, but Facebook Home is not the mobile strategy that will put the company where it needs to be. Facebook Home is a launcher, a replacement home screen. It is underwhelming in every sense of the word. While it is designed fairly decently, Facebook could have done so much better. In fact, despite the recent numbers indicating that Facebook Home has been downloaded 500,000 times in a week (impressive for an independent developer, but for Facebook?), I will go out on a limb and say that the people who are going to download it already have and this is the best it’s gonna get.

Sorry, but a launcher? Really? Facebook, the company with a billion users and endless money couldn’t do better? To end on a positive note, at least the fact that Zuckerberg now understands that he NEEDS to be a mobile company is a step in the right direction and one that will lead to future strategic decisions. But please, how about we start with iOS notifications and the commenting system?

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By now, we can all agree that mobile, as a platform, cannot be ignored. If you analyze that statement, it might not have been true just a year or two ago. Take Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg for example. It seems like just yesterday when he so proudly proclaimed that the iPad and tablets in general are not on Facebook’s radar because, and I quote “iPad is not mobile”. But forget that for a second. In general, Facebook always focused primarily on Web and when they were done, then mobile came into the picture.

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That has pretty much reversed itself over the past year and the new Facebook Home, which Zuck is pushing pretty aggressively, is proof. Well, Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer, who has been in the spotlight for taking Yahoo, a company viewed as on its way down, into a much better place in which most of the talk surrounding the brand is overwhelmingly positive, seems to be on the right track.

While Yahoo is still struggling to capture the dominance it once had, it seems the company is making all the right moves, and I am not talking about the new rule banning work from home…

According to The Street, “Mayer is keen to focus on the company’s mobile strategy, beefing up its apps, including Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance and others, and making acqui-hires, such as the recent Summly purchase to support this view.” Mayer said on Yahoo!’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “Smart monetization of this usage is inevitable. We intend to participate fully in the innovation and experimentation required to make Mobile a material part of our business.”

“Great, Mayer realizes that mobile monetization is a big hot space. That does not mean she understands how to enter that space”. True, but there is one thing Mayer said in the quote above that captured my attention. “Smart monetization of this usage is inevitable” Smart. Not just monetization but it seems Mayer understands that the methods we all know from the Web, i.e display advertising, are not necessarily the best way to monetize mobile. On mobile, you have to be a lot smarter.

Now, Yahoo knows this and its recent acquisitions among other things, are evidence. Dapper, for example, a company that specializes in targeting, is the perfect fit. Back in 2007, Yahoo acquired Right Media, an ad network that built its business on the Web. But the Web and mobile are two very different things… If Yahoo can take the reach of Right Media, the targeting ability of Dapper, and add some other mobile only monetization abilities such as hyper local, rich media and video, along with many other possibilities, that would be a homerun for Yahoo.

What Yahoo needs to do is integrate mobile monetization technology that brings the “Smart” into advertising and monetization in general. I have some ideas but I will let Marissa Mayer reach her own conclusions. She has been doing a pretty fantastic job so far.

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