Posts Tagged ‘mobile’

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Data: the Next Frontier?

Unlimited Talk

I don't care. I want data.

Was anyone truly surprised when wireless carriers revealed pricing plans to use Apple’s new iPads over their networks? I don’t think so. No carrier divulged their data plans until the day before the iPad was released and probably with good cause. You just need to look back at the launch of the iPhone in Canada, when Rogers published their data plans well in advance of the smartphone’s release. Potential buyers were outraged at the data cap and this prompted Rogers to create a limited-time, high-volume data plan which has since returned with the launch of Apple’s iPhone 4 (assuming, of course, you can actually find an iPhone).

So what’s all the fuss about data? Well, as I’ve often suggested to those who’ve asked, it’s not the phone that cost money, it’s the data plan. Take a look at my plan. I have 1GB of data usage per month; however, I never used more than 15% of it. So why not switch to a cheaper package? Well, it’s not that simple. I would lose other features that I do use and in the end, I wouldn’t save that much money. When the iPad was released, I—like many others—quite foolishly (or naively) expected that we’d be able to use these new devices on our existing data plans. Not so. I would be required to purchase an additional plan to use the iPad, even though I’m wasting 85% of my existing plan.

And so, here’s an obvious wedge for carriers to use in a fight for my monthly mobile dollar. In the past year, Canada has seen more than a few new players enter the mobile market–Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, Public Moblic, Rogers’ own Chatr. The big telcos–Bell, Rogers, Telus–have tried to counter with discounts on voice but for me—and a growing number of subscribers, as usage trends indicate—this means nothing. I want better prices for data. And I don’t think I’m alone.

So, as stated in today’s Globe and Mail, is data the new front in the wireless war?

Posted: September 20, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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Should Bricks & Mortar Stores Offer Free WiFi?

Photo of woman using her mobile phone and shopping

As reported by Mobile Marketer, mobile audience media company JiWire released a study outlining an increase of people accessing the Internet via their handsets. A growing majority of mobile users are shopping and browsing the internet outside their homes and that got me thinking: should a brick and mortar store offer you free internet access?


I’m guessing most retailers would answer with a “no”. Why? Comparison shopping. I myself have been at a Costco with a DVD in hand and used my iPhone to check if it was cheaper at Future Shop or Best Buy. Granted, it was a labourious process; checking prices over a 3G network on non-mobile optimized websites is simply annoying. But what if the store I’m at makes this process easy?


Radical, I know. You’re inviting me to check prices at a competitor? And make it easy?


But what if that company is confident enough in its pricing and focused on something else: like a great customer experience? And what if they can add more value by my being there—right now? Something like the ability to scan a product and send me to a price comparison chart of their own. How would this affect your purchase decision?

Posted: February 24, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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Canadians are Buying Smart

According to today’s Globe and Mail, 55% Canadians are expected to buy new mobile handsets in the coming year. This figure is up from 19% last year, says TNS Canadian Facts. Of those interested in a new wireless phone, 28% were looking into touchscreen smartphones while 19% expressed the desire for a QWERTY keyboard, likely for easy texting.

The other big telecom shift for 2010—especially with the entry of multiple new service providers—is the idea of wireless substitution whereby subscribers ditch their land lines and keep their wireless number.

Posted: January 12, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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M-Commerce is on the Rise

For obvious reasons—ease-of-use the most notable one—smartphones are leading charge in mobile commerce. According to e-Marketer, one third of smartphone users purchased an item after seeing it in the store. 28% purchased an item on their phone when it wasn’t available at a store. Another 28% purchased an item without seeing it in a store. Other activities include checking the status of a submitted rebate, checking to see if an item was available for pick-up and, of course, price comparison.

But the most common smartphone behaviours to date (near 50% and higher) include checking consumer/third-party reviews, product descriptions, looking up shipping information and confirming store hours and location. Deloitte found that one fifth of smartphone users were planning to engage in shopping activities with their phones this past holiday season. It will be interesting to see what research is revealed in the coming months.

Posted: January 11, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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The Noise about the Google Phone

Depending on how much time you spend in geeky circles, you’ve might have heard a tremendous amount of buzz regarding Google’s new Nexus One mobile phone. Many folks have simply dismissed this news as Google’s entry into the hotly growing smartphone market but you should know that this is much more than a shot across the bows of Apple, BlackBerry and other players. In fact, it’s not so much about the phone as it is about the data.

I strongly recommend reading Mitch Joel’s (Twist Image) latest entry from his blog Six Pixels of Separation in which he outlines what the Google Phone is really all about. Click here to read it.

Posted: January 7, 2010 by mcharbonneau | View Comments
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