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Chris Zagorski Posts Tagged ‘telecommunications’
2010 Financial Services Trends – get the slides here
We had a successful webinar yesterday; thanks to all who attended! Sorry about the sound difficulties at the beginning of the webinar.
Those of you who tuned in submitted tons of great questions about our financial services trend forecasts for this coming year. I’m crafting answers today and this weekend, so I hope to have them up on the blog by Monday. Please of course, feel free to use the comments field here if you’d like to submit more questions about our predictions.
In the meantime, Mintel Comperemedia’s fabulous marketing team has created a link to the webinar recording. You can either listen to it again (or for the first time if you missed it yesterday!) or you can download the slides to peruse at your own leisure. Click here to do so.
Is the iPhone’s reign over?
Mortorola and Google have created a great deal of anticipation and excitement with the introduction of two new smartphones. Could these new phones surpass the iPhone in popularity?
Positioned as products that can at the very least compete with the iPhone, Motorola’s Droid and Google’s Nexus One are aiming to become the new wireless “must-have.”
Critics’ reviews are starting to come in and it appears the Droid by Motorola is fairing better. Reviews of the Google phone have been mixed. Both Google and Motorola seem to have created certain features that have been received well, but other features seem to be missing the mark.
So what do the critics think about these phones’ ability to topple the iPhone’s reign? Doubtful. They may be mixed in their individual reviews, but critics are unanimous in the thought that neither phone has the potential to beat Apple’s influence, cool factor and hold over the consumer wireless market.
That doesn’t mean the two new phones were a total bust. It’s just hard to beat the original when the original is such an icon (think McDonald’s v. Burger King, Nike v. Adidas, etc.) Critics are saying that the Google Nexus One will draw huge interest from tech-focused fanatics, while the Motorola Droid will provide formidable competition to AT&T and Apple because it’s on the Verizon network.
Has anyone taken the leap in purchasing one of the new Android smartphones? Are you satisfied with the purchase? If you’re in tech marketing, what can Motorola and Google do to make their products more competitive with the ubiquitous iPhone?
It’s about time: cell phone coverage in the comfort of your own home
Need to step into the kitchen, stand on a wooden crate and strain your neck upwards to make your cell phone work in your apartment? Yeah, we hear you…
Apparently, so does AT&T, a provider that’s been critiqued for service and coverage quality issues. In response, AT&T launched 3G MicroCell—a product designed to provide “5-bar coverage” in customers’ homes, offices and other buildings where coverage is limited or non-existent. The device acts like a “mini cell tower”, improving wireless coverage by connecting through existing broadband Internet.
Standing out from other wireless providers that offer similar products (i.e. Sprint and Verizon), AT&T is using direct mail, email and print to market its new device to existing customers. They’re also selling it at a deep discount to customers who add an AT&T Unlimited MicroCell Calling plan.
It’s smart timing for AT&T. The company needs to combat criticism about network quality and appease iPhone users, especially as AT&T’s iPhone exclusivity deal with Apple nears expiration. Is a separate device the answer for AT&T? Or will yet another cost just to talk simply irk customers more?