Mobile ads, particularly app install and direct response ads, have become a big business for Facebook and are likely to become a big business for Twitter very soon. Much of the focus has been on the app install business and how large that line of business can become. But I think Twitter and Facebook could head in different directions.
Tag: mobile
4 Reasons Why Android-First Strategies Haven’t Worked (Yet)
About three years ago there were a handful of companies that set out to build Android-first or Android-only startups. All of those, including the one that I co-founded, had a thesis on why focusing on Android first or exclusively was a wise strategy. With a few exceptions, most of those companies, including mine, have not […]
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Google Glass and B2B Applications
I’ve been using my Google Glass for awhile now and it has been a really interesting experience. I think enough other smart people have written great articles talking about the future of Google Glass, what the experience is like, and whether it’s a mainstream product. A quick Google search will give you lots of good […]
Why Refresh.io Nails and Pre and Post Meeting Intel for Busy Networkers
When I first heard about Refresh, I kind of rolled my eyes. I love CRM and contact management applications, and many of them sound better in practice than they deliver in practice. I figured that Refresh would fall short as many other well-intentioned products in the space had in the past. But Refresh is now […]
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On Startups Competing with Core Mobile OS Apps
One thing that’s been on my mind lately is how (and whether) startups can compete with the stock applications that ship with Android and iOS devices. I’ve included a screenshot of my current homescreen – it changes fairly often, but this reflects the apps that I use fairly often today. As the image of m […]
Classic Parlor and Board Games Continue to Inspire Social Mobile Game Devs
Yesterday someone asked me the ubiquitous “what’s working in mobile social games?” question and I thought it was worth pointing out that a lot of the most popular games today outside of the physics genre (by reach and revenue) are social mobile versions of known popular board and parlor games adapted for asynchronous play on […]
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Facebook Mobile and Discrete Apps for Core Services
I’ve been thinking a bit about how I use social networks and how it continues to evolve. Increasingly, I find myself wanting to consume Facebook’s myriad set of products and services as discrete applications, especially on mobile devices. The core Facebook UI is burdened with having to do a lot. It has to be able […]
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My Experience Getting Over the Trusted Stranger Issue with TaskRabbit
I’ve been really curious about TaskRabbit ever since I heard about the service. While it has always sounded interesting in practice, I’ve struggled to find a good personal use case for the service. Like a lot of people, I’m busy and have a lot to do. But the idea of trusting tasks I need to […]
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Mobile App Discovery Is a Developer Problem, Not a Consumer Problem
In my dual roles as a Venture Partner at SoftTech VC and Co-Founder of Bionic Panda Games, I’ve met with a bunch of companies and teams who are focusing on trying to solve the problem of mobile application discovery. Simply put, the problem (as articulated by people trying to solve it) is that there are […]
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Looking for My Ah-Ha Moment with Beluga (Group Messaging)
I spend a large chunk of my day on my phone and away from my computer, running to and from meetings or pacing around the office. I also travel a lot, so I try to make sure I have a set of mobile communications tools I can use to stay on top of everything. Aside […]
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