Mobile phones and other handheld devices have made social media more accessible to more people more often. And in many cases you can monitor your e-mail with your mobile phone as well, which means you can respond more quickly to customer service requests, sales opportunities, and other transactions that typically take place on social media. Let’s say you are merchandising your store for an upcoming promotion. You can’t sit in front of your computer because you have work to do, but you can take your mobile phone around the store with you. MORE >>

NewBay’s Steve French maps out the new landscape and impact on all the players — particularly mobile operators and device makers. It’s a seismic shift that will rock the industry landscape and result in new opportunities (and issues) for mobile operators and device makers. And it’s not just about mobile phones. Premium content is also moving to the fore as storefronts like Amazon.com, Netflix, iTunes and hulu expand to feed our growing appetite for mobile entertainment. Where does this leave mobile operators and device makers? MORE >>

In my upcoming book titled Mobilized Marketing , I speak with Thom Kennon, senior vice president and director of strategy at Y&R, who tells me flat out that “privacy is delusional.” Peggy adds: Thanks for the preview of your upcoming book, Jeff, and I look forward to featuring excerpts (and more) here on MobileGroove. It’s a tough one to call, and I’m sure we can expect more discussion about user device interest next week when the industry meets to debate hot trends and developments at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. MORE >>

Millennials are mobile. In my chapter on mobile (which I summarized in this earlier post), I connect the dots in the behavior of digital natives to show how mobile complements natives’ natural inclination to interact with companies and brands. While mobile enables instant self-expression, it also turns up the pressure on companies and brands to listen and deliver their marketing within the context of what matters most to digital natives: their lives, their experiences, their networks, and their worlds. Look for more on the Guide in upcoming posts and tweets. MORE >>

In episode #9 of M-Pulse I examine a recent report from analysis firm Ovum that claims social messaging applications cost mobile network operators US$13.9 How can mobile operators hold their ground? Interestingly, the impact of social messaging apps such as Whatsapp was also a  topic I covered last year in the Netsize Guide by Gemalto, a comprehensive mobile industry analysis I wrote on behalf of my client Netsize. To drive the point home I also interviewed Pamela Clark-Dickson , Informa Telecoms & Media Senior Analyst, Mobile Content & Applications ( @PamelaC­_D ).  MORE >>