Novarra-RSS Feed-Current Articles on Mobile Broadband, New Mobile Browsers, Mobile Video

4G to the Rescue for Mobile Broadband Congestion?

Novarra — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:33:54 +0000

Much has been said about how 4G will help overcome mobile broadband capacity issues. It will help, but will it be enough? That's the question. Web usage on mobile devices is on pace to double this year due to drivers such as "always on" social networking and bandwidth hungry video, the increased capabilities of phones and unlimited data plans. 4G network capacity may not be enough. Remember when 3G was set to solve the capacity problems of 2G?� We can see from AT&T with the iPhone in the US and O2 in the UK, just to name a couple, that 3G capacity only goes so far.� Besides the fact that we must service current 3G challenges, it will be only a matter of time before demand outstrips 4G capacity.� Operators can reduce payload and make better use of network capacity through additional methods. One option is by taking advantage of in-network intelligence (as with Novarra's Vision platform) to provide a quality web user experience while reducing over the air data transfer, in some cases as much as 90%.� Also, by adding a network proxy, an operator can update or add services that are immediately available to the entire subscriber base by taking advantage of cloud-based computing. More about this topic in an article for RCR by Novarra's Randy Cavaiani:

Novarra offers oneweb service for industry and consumers

Novarra — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:05:28 +0000

For nearly a decade, Novarra has been a�pioneer in�mobile web and applications.� Now, we are offering oneweb, a new service for the industry and consumers to directly experience all of the capabilities of our Vision platform - anywhere in the world, on thousands of handsets, with no software to install.� The new service showcases the capabilities and power of the Vision platform.�

Try it yourself, it's easy.

oneweb offers simple, fast, always-on access to daily-use favorite activities including social networking, streaming video, webmail, news and info in a single unified dashboard.� The offering provides apps, widgets and services with dynamic updates.� With the oneweb dashboard, users can perform single click updates and posts. On a PC, it only takes a minute to see it live � just download the oneweb PC app. On the phone, there is nothing to install �you can get started via SMS or type oneweb.net in the phone browser.� oneweb is currently available on any network for smartphones (Blackberry, Android, iPhone, Series 60, Palm, Windows Mobile) as well as feature phones (series 40 and others).� oneweb enables operators, internet brands and handset OEMs to quickly and easily customize and launch mobile web and app offerings.� The service also reduces network bandwidth usage by up to 90%, providing faster browsing speeds, a better user experience and improved network efficiency.

2009 Lessons - Internet, Web 2.0, Mobile as a Medium

Novarra — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:08:23 +0000

Following on the heels of�the latest release of the Mobile Internet Experience Update in October,�Novarra� shared several bits of important usage statistics with the mobile industry.� Each on its own is interesting, but in whole they�demonstrate an undeniable trend.��First, let's recap some of the points:

During the Major League Baseball World Series in the US, traffic from mobile devices to baseball-related web sites tripled on game days, as compared to off days.� More...
In the UK, the wildly popular X Factor television reality dance conpetition�drove mobile web traffic�spikes of an amazing 15,000% to sites with show information and community on days when the eliminations occurred.� More...
During the holiday shopping season, mobile�traffic to retailer web sites on Black Friday - the traditional start of the holiday shopping sales in the US - skyrocketed as well.� More...

Much of this growth is driven by "traditional" Web 2.0 behaviors.� As noted earlier in this blog:

Twitter ranked as one of the fastest growing sites for mobile web page views (not SMS tweets mind you, but browser-based page views).� From the start of 2009 to mid year, Twitter experienced 3500% growth according to Novarra statistics.
Click throughs to URL shorteners such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com were up over 1000%.� This proves that the tweets we often receive via SMS drive�many people�to use the web (many who are not otherwise inclined to use their phone's browser) when�they click on a link in a received tweet.� More...

These are all intances of consumers transferring PC web and other media habits to mobile. Sports, reality TV, shopping are not unique examples.� It is clear to many of us that mobile can no longer be ignored as a viable media channel.� Another important conclusion is that when individual consumers drive the choice of web sites, and not "the industry," it is ever more important that service providers enable a quality experience across any/all sites a valuable role to be played by the mobile network.

Tipping Point? shopping and TV spill over to mobile also

Novarra — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:26:57 +0000

If Novarra's recent Mobile Internet Experience Update and Major League Baseball World Series mobile web usage statistics are not enough to convince us that we have reached a tipping point for consumer adoption of mobile web, these stats surely will. Consider the dramatic results from the UK's dance competition television show "X Factor".� On days when eliminations were announced, traffic to the show's web site and other fan sites via mobile skyrocketed.� Blue days are "off days" while read are days that correspond to shows and elimiations when users flocked to web sites with their mobile to get updates, read news and share thoughts about the contestants.� More...

In the US, retailer web site traffic also surged on Black Friday, the traditional kick off for holiday season sales.� More... Clearly, consumers are transferring web and media habits to mobile.� The tipping point has arrived for our industry.

Web 2.0 - a mobile internet traffic tsunami

Novarra — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:51:37 +0000

For those of us who have not consciously chosen to begin using our mobile phones as an internet terminal, our more tech-savvy friends and co-workers are�introducing us to this new behavior, whether we realize, and like, it or not.� We are being caught up - or more accurately stated, helping to create -�a mobile internet traffic tsunami.

This is proven by a couple�recent Novarra statistics:

Twitter ranked as one of the fastest growing sites for mobile web page views (not SMS tweets mind you, but browser-based page views).� From the start of 2009 to mid year, Twitter experienced 3500% growth according to Novarra statistics.
Click throughs to URL shorteners such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com were up over 1000%.� This proves that the tweets we often receive via SMS drive�many people�to use the web (many who are not otherwise inclined to use their phone's browser) when�they click on a link in a received tweet.�

World Series fans turn to web on mobile for game stats

Novarra — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:13:02 +0000

Mobile web usage data from Novarra shows that "game day" traffic (shown blue) to a collection of baseball related web sites during the World Series surged dramatically compared to �off days� (shown gray).� The highest traffic was for Game 6 when page views nearly tripled off day levels during the final game when the New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies and MVP Hideki Matsui drove in six of the Yankees� seven RBIs.

This demonstrates the increasing importance of mobile internet browsing and applications for mainstream information and entertainment by American consumers.� We continue to see consumers transfer PC web and media habits to mobile as solutions, like Novarra�s Vision mobile browser and/or content transformation server, offer a quality mobile internet experience across smartphones and feature phones.

Novarra on Digital Media Forum panel @ SuperComm

Novarra — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:23:25 +0000

This SuperComm Digital Media Forum panel focused on mobile apps and internet services.� Randy Cavaiani of Novarra, along with representatives from Alcatel-Lucent and comScore discussed how mobile applications provide new opportunities to drive B-to-C communications, advertising, marketing and customer interaction. Cavaiani shared Novarra industry experience relating to the fragmentation challenges faced by mobile developers as they struggle to address the "mass market" when there are so many different handset platforms, each with its own unique capabilities and shortcomings, limit the ability of advertisers to have broad reach for mobile campaigns.� Other topics of discussion included mobile advertising hurdles such as richness of constrained creative due to lack of rich media and inability to effectively execute below the line campaigns since mobile internet transactions cannot consistently work on all handsets.� Of course, Novarra can help address these hurdles with solutions for contextual mobile advertising and mobile video streaming and multimedia.

Phone features and mobile web data usage

Novarra — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:00:14 +0000

In the most recent Mobile Internet Experience Update, Novarra compared monthly� web data usage levels for three highly available feature phones, which have very different form factors and�product positioning, to understand the correlation between handset capabilities and internet usage.

	Simple clamshell with striking design - but little else in the way of features for mobile internet
	QWERTY messaging phone with keyboard and landscape screen orientation that is well suited for mobile internet page viewing
	Music/media phone with touch navigation wheel, relatively high resolution screen, expandable storage and often marketed with larger data plan for music download service

Features like 'fit to screen' handheld view and single click access to search, main content and login forms, as well as fast page loads and up to 90% reduction of over the air data are all benefits offered by Novarra's mobile internet and multimedia platform and mobile browser that help drive web usage across all types of mobile phones. Believe it or not, the least expensive clamshell owners used 20% more data than owners�of the messaging phone and 10% more than the music/media phone owners, demonstrating that regardless of form factor, a quality mobile internet experience will ensure mobile browser usage.

Mobile web page views increase across sites, content

Novarra — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:00:11 +0000

In Novarra's Mobile Internet Experience Update, four categories of site types were analyszed:

Social Networking & Community
News/Information/Entertainment
Search/Webmail/Portal
"Mobile-relevant" (sites with content specifically targeted for mobile users, not to be confused with mobile versions of other sites)

Within each category, a sampling from the top 100 sites is presented below.�

The growth across all categories underscores the importance of offering a high quality mobile web user experience across all sites and providing consumers with choice, rather than dictating or trying to pick "the next big thing".

Mobile web data consumption shows strong growth across all users, phone types

Novarra — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:00:49 +0000

Users in all segments of Novarra's Mobile Internet Experience Update substantially increased their average monthly data consumption between January and June 2009.�

Business Pros ended June using 79% more data per month than in January, followed by Mobile Millennials with an increase of 57%.� Connected Kids were the group with the least increase but still consumed 14% more data per month mid-year that at the start of 2009.

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The increase in data usage across all segments was driven partially by a 74% increase in streamed mobile video which is quite remarkable considering the fact that this growth is from only a subset of the sample.� At the time of this report, many service providers had yet to turn on video streaming and multimedia transformation services within their Novarra Vision mobile internet and multimedia platform.

Users of mobile internet on pace to more than double in 2009

Novarra — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:00:45 +0000

From January to June 2009, the count of active monthly unique users in�Novarra's Mobile Internet Experience Update sampling increased 61%, a pace that is on track for a more than doubling of�mobile web�users by the end of 2009.� Business Pros, traditionally reliant upon their mobile devices for "corporate" access, showed the largest growth rate, 112%, as they increase usage of consumer oriented web content from their mobile phones.� Mobile Millennials showed just over 100% growth in monthly active users, but remain the largest single segment.� Even Frugal Fanatics, the slowest growth group, still showed double digit growth.

In developing markets, usage ramps up to levels similar to developed markets in just one quarter of the time.� These users more quickly adapt and embrace internet access via mobile when other methods are more costly or less accessible.

Mobile internet insight is more than simple web stats

Novarra — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:00:39 +0000

It is not enough to simply publish mobile internet�page views and mobile browser�usage statistics.� Our customers and partners, as well as the industry, are eager to understand the insights behind the stats.� In our Mobile Internet Experience Update, we utilized the powerful Vision analytics capabilities to segment users�and understand how their mobile web user experience, preferences and behaviors vary.� These segments include:

	Business Pros� Prefer highly capable smartphones for email, web browsing and access to company systems but until recently were not heavy users of PC sites via their mobile browser.
	Multitasking Parents� Generally carrying well-equipped, but not cutting edge phones that they use for mobile search, price checks and text messaging.
	Mobile Millennials� With plenty of discretionary income, they�enjoy latest and greatest mobile phones, apps and are heavy users of mobile Web 2.0.
	Connected Kids� Their phones�may be�"hand-me-downs" from parents or value-priced handsets that tend to have a stand out feature or two. They comfortable with mobile web and use it for entertainment more than other groups.
	Frugal Fanatics� They are basic free phone users with�minimal, if any, data plan.� They are relatively high users of free download and phone customization sites.

Mobile Internet Experience Update - latest edition now available

Novarra — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:00:09 +0000

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Novarra's Mobile Internet Experience Update provides an ongoing look at the changing habits of various groups, from highly sophisticated technophiles to mass market users, through global usage data aggregated and extrapolated from live operator and service provider deployments.� Two thirds of US mobile users and over one billion globally have access to some form of mobile internet service based upon Novarra's Vision mobile internet and multimedia platform and/or Vision mobile browser.

The report identifies and highlights new and emerging trends as well as other aspects of mobile internet behavior and usage - all aspects of the mobile browsing experience that operators and other audiences should consider when assessing the mobile internet market.�

The full Mobile Internet Experience Update is available for download (PDF).� In subsequent posts, highlights and insights will be shared.

CTIA Wireless - Novarra on BnetTV.com

Novarra — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:40:49 +0000

See Video

At the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2009 show, BnetTV.com's Michelle Sklar interviews Randy Cavaiani, vice president of marketing for Novarra regarding mobile web browsing, videos and widgets. Cavaiani discusses the Novarra Vision^TM mobile internet & multi-media platform and the browsing benefits users enjoy such as speed, data compression, reduced payload, and access to mobile video. Utilizing the mobile browser, he references other advantages such as avoiding handset and content fragmentation.� Also noted are recent Novarra launches (Telecom Italia, Turkcell and Verizon) plus Novarra's award-winning mobile widget platform that includes an open standards-based widget run-time engine and micro-browser, an in-network runtime engine for phones that cannot handle widgets alone and the ability to create widgets quickly and economically. In addition, Sklar and Cavaiani talk about the role of app stores and what part the mobile internet will play.

Novarra mobile video, widgets update - Mobile Internet World @ 4G World

Novarra — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:59:14 +0000

With all the talk of 4G and the future of mobile internet during Mobile Internet World at 4G World, it almost seemed out of place to share Novarra results on 2.5G and 3G, but the following TMCnet video interview with Novarra's Scott Cotter covers that very topic.� Topics discussed include mobile video services growth and widgets. Even as 3G rollouts continue, operators around the globe are recognizing that a rich mobile internet experience is expected by consumers.� This is spurred on by internet brands and content publishers who are increasingly adding video to sites for a compelling experience and interactivity with newer web technologies like AJAX and silverlight.� Regardless of the capabilities (or lack thereof) possessed by the mobile phone and its mobile browser, consumers are not forgiving when Flash, video and PC web content do not work as they expect.� The industry cannot wait for 4G.� Mobile devices will never keep pace with PC processing power.� Solutions, like Novarra's Vision�mobile video streaming and multimedia transformation,�exist today to deliver a quality internet experience via mobile.

Overcoming Mobile Advertising Ecosystem Hurdles

Novarra — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:36:15 +0000

For some time, mobile advertising has been promised to offer the industry dramatic new revenue growth. Each year, that promise is pushed off.� While SMS has made inroads for below the line, and sponsored apps for above the line, marketing programs,�mobile display ads, in general, have not yet found their way into advertisers' media budgets as a significant spend.� At first glance, this is surprising considering there are over four billion mobile phones, more than twice the number of PCs and laptops, and our phones are always on and always with us. The potential window of engagement dwarfs the PC. Novarra's Scott Cotter draws upon his experience from both the mobile industry and B2C agency work to provide a look at some of the hurdles and solutions in an article entitled "Overcoming Mobile Advertising Ecosystem Hurdles" for Mobile Marketer.

Lackluster media - consumers are all too often turned off by a boring, or even non-functional mobile web experience.
Ineffective targetting and tracking - with personal profiles, mobile clickstream and other information available, why is a consumer offered the same music video, from an artist for which they have no interest, over and over again?
Constrained creative - the art of advertising creative is evoking emotion with rich compelling content. When was the last time you looked at a simple WAP page and were moved by it?

These hurdles can be overcome. Read the full article in Mobile Marketer's 2009-2010 Classic Guide to Mobile Advertising for more insights and see how Novarra's Vision contextual mobile advertising and analytics solution can create a more rich and compelling mobile advertising ecosystem.

Cloud Computing becoming de-facto mobile internet development approach

Novarra — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:22:58 +0000

�Many, many applications can be delivered through the browser and what that does for our costs is stunning. We believe the web has won...� - Vic Gundotra, Google Engineering vice president and developer evangelist @ Mobilebeat Conference, July 2009 It seems a day does not go by when some provider's app store or download count doesn't make news. While apps are top of mind today, there are many reasons to acknowledge that a could computing model makes the most sense for reaching the mass market and driving adoption and usage.� Besides the fact that Google says so (sarcasm intended), there are considerable factors to weigh:

handset fragmentation is costly for developers - over 8000+ device types (Yankee Group), with 20+ widget runtime environments (Symbian Foundation) and various flavors of Java, Brew, Android, Apple and other proprietary handset application platforms - that developers must take master in order to offer a mass market service
one consumer does not equal one device - as we move from PC to mobile to set top box, consumers will increasingly expect their online services to know their preferences and shift "presence" accordingly.�
the network is a logical focal point - True �internet mobility� requires a new distributed architecture utilizing both in-network intelligence and mobile device processing capabilities.

Novarra recognized early that in-network intelligence could lessen the burden (and cost) for developers and extend reach to any type of mobile handset.� Our patented distributed architecture that is the basis of the Vision mobile internet and multimedia platform splits processing between the handset and the network has been copied by others and is now becoming the de-facto approach to enable mass-market reach, performance and usability.