I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and my thinking has been influenced by research, including the September Pew Internet report on “The Rise of App Culture,&# and a r eport on global mobile statistics from MobiThinking. believe that associations need to get mobile right, and fast. could never advise an association to try to compete for mobile app users in any of these niches. By the time association members are ready, mobile apps will be on the decline. In addition, more and more popular applications will be preloaded on mobile devices. MORE >>

Editor’s note: We kick off regular and in-depth coverage of how mobile is transforming health care and treatment in developed and developing markets with Dr. Phillip Olla, a visionary and entrepreneur creating an ecosystem that leverages mobile devices and networks to improve diagnosis and treatment. The mobile revolution has been hailed as the enabling force for emerging markets and developing countries to become more active participants in the global economy. Mobile medical diagnostics. It’s an issue that Dr. Olla feels mobile can help solve. MORE >>

Some of the smartest minds in mobile marketing and advertising recently gave their 2012 predictions for mobile during a webinar conducted by Mobile Marketer and sponsored by Hipcricket. All speakers agreed that mobile plays a more central role in marketing, impacting people and influencing their actions throughout the purchase funnel (from awareness to conversion and commerce). However, there was a lack of consensus when it came to answering THE big question: how will mobile play out in 2012? 2012 will be the year of the mobile web. MORE >>

Check out these stats on the mobile market … 1. “Of the world’s 4 billion mobile phones in use, 1.08 Mobile. One half of searches are done via a mobile device: smartphone,tablet, etc. Mobile. 86% use their mobile devices (smartphone/tablet) in conjunction with watching TV. My question, aren’t most of them watching TV on their mobile device too? Mobile Apps. Over 300,00 mobile apps have been developed in three years. But demand for download mobile apps is expected to peak in 2013. Mobile Web. MORE >>

The best insights I’ve seen or heard about consumer behavior on tablets were shared during a seminar in New York conducted by the Direct Marketing Association in collaboration with the online news destination Mobile Marketer. The messenger was Craig Etheridge, vice president of mobile advertising sales for USA Today at Gannett Digital. Mobile users average six-minute session times, but they return often. Etheridge also gave us the numbers that are meaningful to all in the mobile marketing ecosystem. “But consumers don’t really care about mobile advertising. MORE >>