It's Brewing on the Horizon
The possibilities for mobile marketing grow with each new smartphone introduced. For marketers, it's best to keep on top of the latest iterations—to better design mobile campaigns that dazzle. The latest newcomer? RIM's new multimedia Blackberry, the Storm, arrives tomorrow. After 18 months in development, some say this slick combination of high-tech and high-touch is Blackberry's best shot at the iPhone.
Some points: The Storm is a little thicker than the iPhone 3G, and comes with 1GB of internal storage (upgradeable to 8GB), a removable battery and a 3.26" screen display—smaller but higher resolution than the iPhone. Its video playback, touch-to-click keyboard, and accelerometer are notable. But it conspicuously lacks Wi-Fi and some of Apple's renowned navigational elegance.
With 40 different smartphones on the market (Canalys), consumers have a lot of comparison shopping to do. For instance, you can't overlook the G1 (a 'Googlephone' based on the company's Android operating system). It currently supports real-time pricing while you shop by turning the phone's camera into a bar-code scanner.
Side-by-side comparisons of Storm and iPhone will be of limited value until the Storm has been in enough hands to test. But as Skype Journal Editor and smartphone follower Jim Courtney says, "The combination of Storm, with RIM's Blackberry and enterprise ecosystem, and Verizon, with its 3G network experience, are going to give iPhone (and Android) serious headaches."
The Po!nt: Stay on the line. Today's smartphones continue to generate new marketing applications—and drive new consumer behavior. We'll help you keep on top of the trends.
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