Mobile Insider is delivered first thing every morning exclusively to BI Intelligence subscribers.
THE TOP 25 MOBILE AD COMPANIES (THAT AREN'T FACEBOOK): Mobile advertising analytics company HasOffers has released a comprehensive rundown of the top-performing mobile advertising companies, besides Facebook. According to Gartner, about $13.1 billion was spent on mobile advertising worldwide in 2013, and Facebook took 25% of that. So, HasOffers has taken the opportunity to highlight some growing mobile ad businesses that make up the remaining 75% of this burgeoning industry. These are the top five:
- Google AdWords
- InMobi
- AdColony
- AppLift
- Millennial Media
The top five is a good indicator of how fragmented the mobile advertising space is currently. Each of the top five specialize in a different branch of the ecosystem. For example, AdColony and AppLift specialize in rich media and games, respectively, while Millennial and InMobi have created new products like analytics and audience targeting. The mobile ad space will only continue to grow, and more companies will have the opportunity to carve their own niche. HasOffers based their rankings on three equally weighted factors — revenue per install, install volume, and client adoption. These performance metrics are based only on HasOffers' MobileAppTracking analytics platform. (HasOffers)
iBEACON SPECIFICATIONS: Apple has finally released official specifications for its registered iBeacon hardware partners. The specifications will be rolled out so that Apple can start to certify third-party devices that carry the iBeacon technology. Meaning, more iBeacon-powered devices will begin hitting the market soon. Potential iBeacon hardware partners can view the specifications after signing a non-disclosure agreement. (BEEKn)
QUOTE OF THE DAY— "I work for the shareholder. Standard answer. If somebody comes to me with $19 billion, I would definitely sell it. I would recommend to the board to take it."— BlackBerry CEO John Chen discussing the potential future for BlackBerry Messenger's market valuation in the wake of the WhatsApp deal. BBM currently has 85 million active users compared to WhatsApp's 450 million. (CNBC)
BLACKBERRY IS EXPLORING PAYMENTS: BlackBerry phones and, in particular, BlackBerry Messenger still hold some traction in emerging markets. In these countries, where mobile payments are often popular, the company is exploring ways to turn the messenger service into a peer-to-peer money transfer service, according to John Sims, BlackBerry enterprise unit president. (Re/code)
SOFTBANK GOES AFTER LINE: The Japanese telecommunications giant is seeking to acquire a substantial stake in Tokyo-based messaging app LINE. Bloomberg is reporting that LINE has received at least one other offer from another firm to acquire most or all of the company. LINE is currently controlled by South Korean conglomerate Naver, and before the SoftBank acquisition reports, was possibly looking to go public. It is the top-ranked messaging service in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand, according to App Annie. LINE has 340 million users and Bloomberg reports it may be valued at $14.9 billion. Unlike WhatsApp, LINE has become a bona fide content platform, generating significant revenue from games and stickers. (Bloomberg)
KAKAO BLURS SOCIAL AND MOBILE: Kakao is another direct competitor to WhatsApp, but is much smaller in scale with just 133 million users. Nonetheless, Kakao is looking to separate itself from the messaging pack by offering a flurry of services. Kakao users can share photos, play games, and shop on their favorite retail sites all within the app. It's a way to keep users locked into the Kakao ecosystem, and even to get them to interact. "We're trying all kinds of different things and services. You can call it our survival instinct," said Sigroo Lee, co-CEO of Kakao Corp. (Wall Street Journal)
NOKIA NAME MAY BE RETIRED: Greg Sullivan, director of Windows Phone at Microsoft, tells CNET that the Lumia name has been licensed for 10 years and will continue as a brand under Microsoft. He would not confirm the same for Nokia, though. So the Nokia name could be going away, while Lumia Windows Phones become ascendant. (CNET)
LIGHTS OUT: Doug Thompson at BEEKn has a take down of Philips smart LED lighting, claiming it will not be as successful as beacon technology. Most importantly, the smart LED lighting signal can be easily cut off by keeping a phone under wraps in a pocket or purse. (BEEKn)
Here's what else BI Intelligence subscribers are reading …
The iPad Is No Longer So Dominant As A Driver Of E-Commerce Traffic
Over 50% Of US Payment Terminals Will Take 'Chip-And-Pin' Credit Cards By 2015
Amazon Grabs One In Every Seven North American E-Commerce Dollars In 2013