The snow is all kinds of serious here in Cambridge, but what better time to cozy up with a latte and some Nielson numbers? Hey, It’s New Year’s Eve, let’s get crazy…

Upon reading The Television-Internet Connection yesterday (a Time article from ‘07 that is still particularly relevant), I was struck by the stat that 37% of the U.S. population over the age of 12 use their computers while watching television at home (Solutions Research Group). Because LocaModa focuses on building products that are cross-channel (i.e. work on out-of-home signage, web, mobile), it’s not surprising that such a significant chunk of the population is already habitually multitasking their “screen viewership,” yet it is a bit surprising that it’s happening so quickly.

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Although “mobile location-based services” carries with it an overly broad definition and a crazy boatload of ancillary concepts, the basic construct can be whittled down to a place-based technology solution accessed via mobile. From FireEagle to Whrrl, the harmony changes a bit, yet the melody remains constant: connecting people where they go… when they’re on the go.

Although LocaModa reaches far further than a straight-up mobile LBS (in that we connect consumers synchronously through the web, mobile, DOOH locations, and social networks like Facebook), our core solution can be (at least loosely) aligned with the aforementioned model.

…All that to say… HEY, CHECK OUT THESE HUGE EMARKETER GROWTH PREDICTIONS.
(Who’s glad I got to the point? Other than me…)

We’re busy as ever over at LocaModa HQ, but wanted to share a great pic of Wiffiti at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA! Our CTO, Steve An, went to a show last weekend and snapped this in the lobby.

Also wanted to pass along an open invite to the Mobile Monday Boston event on November 17th, 7-9pm at the Omni Parker Hotel (It’s a Monday). It’s free, and you can register here. The focus this month is on early stage mobile companies. MoMo always puts on a great event!

In an election climate that drew much of its early vigor from the infamous 3am text message heard ’round the nation, it’s only fitting that as the day grows closer we gear up in suitable fashion…
Yep… It’s time to get your cell phone outfitted for election day data overload.

As a first step, check out two of the best mobile sites I’ve found: Google Election News Tracker and CNN’s America Votes mobile site. I have the Goog app bookmarked on my iPhone (see my strangely red hand holding up said app below), and it’s a great quick resource pulling in the latest election-related rss feeds. It’s really nothing fancier than a simple pre-loaded search query, but helpful on the go.

Slate.com also released a sweet little iPhone app called Vote Tracker 08 (99 cents at the app store) that’s been getting positive reviews.

Moving beyond the mobile web, I urge you to follow Paul Notzold’s Txtual Healing 10 Nights, 10 Cities, 4 States, 1 Obama Road Trip ’08!

And, of course, don’t forget to send your Wiffiti support to the Obama Minute Billboard in Times Square!

I came across this amazing excerpt this morning on Smart Mobs, which quite elegantly sums up the integrated, convergent vision of LocaModa and The New Media Triad.

The passage, taken from a longer work by Teemu Arina, explores How Mobile is Changing Our Society:

I have a feeling that the question we pose today is wrong. It’s not about mobile anymore. For some people, mobile means the devices that we carry around as we move, usually hooked up to a cellular network. The truth is, the activities we go through online with computers and what we do with our “mobiles” cannot be seen as separate anymore. This convergence means our language needs to change or our culture will never understand its future. . .

The mobile is like the horse wagon. If Henry Ford had asked people what they wanted, they would have said “faster horses.” It’s the language and our experience of the past that limits our understanding of the future of “mobile.”

Arina’s Mobile Monday Amsterdam event sold out its 400-seat capacity in 2 hours.

I’m not surprised.

[flickr cred]

Because we have a 1:1 ratio of iPhones to employees in the LocaModa office, most conference calls involve a cacophony of static and beeps when the devices belly up to the table with the Polycom speaker phone.

Clearly, iPhones don’t like to sit next to other phones; it makes them jittery.

Yesterday, thanks to a Steve Woodruff tweet, I learned a neat trick: Place your iPhone on top of a piece of tinfoil, and it eliminates all interference!

It actually works!

As an alternate solution, I suppose we could all tuck our phones underneath our tin foil helmets like in Signs…

(By the way, check out this fascinating study on the efficacy of tin foil helmets from a few good folks at the MIT Media Lab. I also must credit them with this terrific image below.)

Tired of industry buzzwords?

Tired of “buzzword” as a buzzword?

Tired of lame images of bees used in every blog post about buzzwords? (I would never…)

For those of you interested in emerging media, digital signage, and all things mobile, check our the newest addition to the blog: The DOOH Dictionary. While you’re at it, check out the books and blogs we’re currently digging over on our Resources page.

Oh, the magical land beyond the landing page!

[img cred]

I clicked over to an article in Marketing 2.0 today because the author had a great little stat nugget relating to both mobile and digital signage.

According to a recent Razorfish survey, mobile is considered the most important emerging media channel in the coming year, garnering 51% of the vote. Digital signage was second in line, capturing 32%. Other channels lagged way behind.

Although we’ve been championing the New Media Triad for a quite a time here at LocaModa, it’s always nice to see backing from the industry.

Mobile Monday Boston put on a fantastic event last night and hosted an amazing panel of Boston’s most successful mobile experts. The lecture hall was filled to the brim, and the discussion could have gone on for at least another hour.

LocaModa’s CEO Stephen Randall and Enpocket Founder (and current Global Director of Mobile Brand Strategy for Nokia) Jeremy Wright found quick cadence doling out keen industry insight in dueling British accents, while VoiceSignal’s Founder and CEO Dan Roth was not only hilarious, but gave some very sage advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

The panelists discussed the challenges of entrepreneurship in general, and segued into a more targeted conversation about the mobile industry in particular. Referred to as the “Godfathers” of the mobile world in Boston, the panel built off each other’s advice well, and gave their honest views of the constantly shape-shifting industry. It was wonderful to see such a great turnout of students, newly-minted MBAs, business professionals, and mobile strategists in the audience.

I couldn’t help myself but add captions to this panel photo, as it was pretty lame without a backdrop of any kind. But no, Stephen and Jeremy did not dwell upon their mutual love of London, and Dan may or may not have been thinking about cats… I promise this is completely in jest :)

Thanks also to sponsors BU Entrepreneurs and Common Angels!

Yep… more than half of teens consider their cell phone the “key” to their social life. Surpassing jewelry, watches, and shoes, teens say a cell phone is a prime indicator of social status – falling only to clothing (WHAT? Tiny dogs didn’t make the list?!).

And where does texting fall into this whole social strata? Well, 47% of teens say that their social lives would seriously suffer without text messaging. SRSLY?

What’s more… 47% say they can text with their eyes closed. Hey waaaait a minute, is this the same sample set as above? Are we talking Social SMS Survival of the Fittest here?

Check out the full rundown of stats from the new CTIA/Harris Interactive Survey, Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged, including the chart below (courtesy of Harris and CTIA).