Each week the MEF team curates mobile stories from around the world. Essential news, the latest market insight & data nuggets, the Global News Round-up offers an instant international mobile content and commerce snapshot.
Global News Stories
Apple removes world’s most popular bitcoin wallet from App Store
Wired
Apple has removed the world’s most popular bitcoin wallet from its App Store. Late Wednesday (5 February), the tech giant yanked the Blockchain app from the popular mobile app marketplace and did not provide a specific reason, says Nicolas Cary, the CEO of Blockchain. The app is currently used by about 120,000 people to send and receive the world’s most popular digital currency.
Asia holds key to Facebook’s future growth
Japan Today
As Facebook celebrates its 10th birthday, one of its biggest challenges is to tap the mobile market in emerging Asian economies, where it can drive expansion after growth in the West tapers off. India is expected to overtake the United States as the country with most Facebook users in 2014, with its total number forecast to surge beyond the 150 million mark from the current 93 million level.
There Will Be Nearly 5 Billion Mobile Users By 2018 — And 8 Other Mind-Blowing Predictions From Cisco
Business Insider
Cisco just released its latest study on global mobile data trends. Looking at the years 2013 through 2018, it makes a number of predictions about the types of devices and data that people will be using in four years’ time. The standout number is Cisco’s prediction for the total size of mobile data traffic, which it says will reach 190 exabytes annually, increasing nearly 11-fold from 2013.
Paper Now Available For iOS In The US, And It Could Be A Facebook Replacement
Tech Crunch
Facebook’s new standalone app Paper is now available for download on iOS to everyone in the US, and it’s more than just a content reader. Paper has messages, notifications, search, and a completely redesigned profile.
Will Apple’s iBeacon Change the Way We Shop?
Mashable
Apple’s Grand Central store is easily one of the most beautiful retail locations you’ll ever see. It’s also a place where you can now walk in, pick up a boxed Apple TV device, buy it and walk out without ever talking to an Apple salesperson or even visiting a checkout counter. It’s possible, I’ve seen it done. The process starts with iBeacon, Apple’s Bluetooth LE-based technology that is finally starting to pop up in its stores…
“Humbling” Pie: Here’s Satya Nadella’s First Letter to Microsofties
Re/code
Microsoft insider Satya Nadella was named CEO of the software giant today, as expected, while chairman Bill Gates stepped down from that role to help him as a “technical advisor.” Nadella is Microsoft’s third CEO since its founding in 1975. Gates was the first as co-founder, followed by his longtime sidekick, Steve Ballmer. Here’s Nadella’s first letter — these techies love to write them — to employees.
Over 100 Countries Show More Than 30 Per Cent Smartphone Use
Mobile Marketing Magazine
BuzzCity’s latest report has found that surfing activity across the globe up is 27 per cent on 2012, with more than 100 countries now showing 30 per cent or more smartphone penetration on its network. The report features a survey of 19,000 respondents in 20 countries who were asked about their mobile behaviour. 89 per cent of under-20s said that mobile was their preferred device for accessing the web, with 81.4 per cent surfing mobile-only.
Weve and MasterCard kickstart UK mobile NFC payments
Mobile Money Revolution
Over the last 18 months Weve, the UK-based m-commerce JV formed by Vodafone, EE and O2, has been building its presence in the UK. It started by offering the ability to send targeted messages to opted in subscribers. Last week, it added similarly targeted display ads. Now comes the payment part. With this MasterCard partnership, Weve will give subscribers with an NFC phone the ability to store a wallet in their NFC SIM. .
Android smartphones gain on iPhone for driving mobile transactions
Mobile Commerce Daily
Android smartphones are catching up with the iPhone when it comes to driving payment transactions through a browser or application, according to a new report from Adyen. Between April and December of last year, Android’s share of smartphone transactions grew from 30.7 percent to 38.6 while Apple’s share dropped from 68.5 percent to 60 percent.
Mobile is 75 per cent of Twitter Ad Revs in Q4
Mobile Marketing Magazine
Twitter revenues reached $243m in Q4 2013, more than double the amount made at the same time last year, and 44 per cent more than the figure seen in Q3. But the final year results revealed a $645m net loss, $511m of which was in Q4. In Q3, the company made a net loss of a relatively insignificant $64.6m, with the huge leap attributed to stock obligations following its IPO in November.
Global News Round-up – These articles are not written by MEF and do not represent any views of individuals, members or the organisation.
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