Yesterday we looked at some trends to expect next year in terms of mobile marketing and advertising, and today, the folks over at CNET are offering up five predictions for mobile devices as we enter the new year.

See the full list here.

New projections published this week from Berg Insights suggest the global mobile marketing & advertising industry will grow an impressive 37% over the next 48 months, representing record growth in an already fast-moving segment.

The research firm predicts the industry will reach a value of over $22.6 billion by the end of 2016, attributing most of the growth to continued smartphone adoption and increasing availability of mobile media that can include mobile advertising.  “Brands are now progressively embracing the mobile channel, including the entire range of apps, from games and entertainment to utility applications.  Also, mobile Web advertising and opt-in SMS [Short Message Service] campaigns are popular,” explained Rickard Andersson, telecom analyst at Berg Insight.

For more on the report, visit this Mobile Marketing Watch article.

In a new report and forecast published recently by Frost & Sullivan, the firm suggests the market for mobile health apps is set to reach $392M by 2015.

The report, dubbed ”Analysis of the U.S. Broadband mHealth Applications Market,” notes that the continued expansion of business models and significant value offerings from mobile health applications attribute to the firm’s healthy forecast, but also warns against the various restrictions in terms of market entry — citing the FDA’s evolving mHealth guidelines.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jonathan Linkous, Chief Executive Officer of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), has issued 7 trends he expects for the year ahead in terms of telemedicine and overall telehealth services as we begin 2012.

Linkous predicts major changes for the telehealth industry, covering everything from the rise in so-called “virtual medical centers” to the multi-nationalization of the industry and even the concept of telemedicine becoming a standard of care.  Of course, the rise in mobile access to healthcare in general is included as well.

For the entire list, visit this press release issued recently by the ATA.

As the mobile application market continues to gain incredible momentum as we enter 2012, increased fragmentation and the need for cross-platform development is reinforcing the need for HTML5, according to new research from mobile application development provider Kony.

The research surveyed executives at over 100 Fortune 500 companies and found that 74% of executives were considering HTML5 implementation.  However, only 7 percent said that it would replace their current native application offering, suggesting HTML5 will co-exist with native applications well into the future.  In addition, 82% of respondents cited the ability to deploy on a wide range of phones and platforms as the most attractive quality of HTML5.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance for healthcare organizations wanting to leverage “emerging electronic media” for marketing purposes — particularly organizations related to pharma and medical devices.

The move marks the first time the FDA has clearly addressed rules for pharma and medical device companies’ digital communication — specifically mentioning channels such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.  The predominant message in the draft guidelines stipulate that pharma and medical device companies must provide only fair, non-promotional information to questions posed over social media.  In addition, this type of communication doesn’t have to follow the strict requirements of direct-to-consumer advertising.

Read the rest of this entry »

New data just published by market research firm Berg Insight suggests that roughly 2.2M people were actively using remote patient monitoring services as we closed out 2011.

This figure only represents those using remote monitoring services based on equipment with “integrated connectivity” or systems that use monitoring hubs with “integrated cellular or fixed-line modems.”  Still, Berg projects the market for home monitoring systems will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 percent between 2010 and 2016, reaching 4.9 million connections globally by the end of the forecast period.

Read the rest of this entry »

Though tablet usage among healthcare providers remains a hot topic, it’s been revealed that less than 1 percent of hospitals currently have fully functional tablet systems in place as we enter the New Year.

The low adoption numbers are despite aggressive financial incentives from the government and stem from equally low adoption of EMRs, according to Jonathan Mack, director of clinical research and development at the West Wireless Health Institute.  Why such slow adoption?  According to Mack, the most popular systems don’t yet make apps that allow doctors to use EMRs on a tablet the way they would on a desktop or laptop and to use a mobile device effectively requires a complete redesign of the way information is presented.

Read the rest of this entry »

Not unlike previous years, 2011 proved to be another standout year for mobile commerce growth, both in terms of adoption on behalf of retailers and overall consumer usage.

The continued growth in smartphone and tablet adoption attributed to a significant uptick in the number of people gaining the ability to access and purchase things via their mobile devices.  During 2011, smartphone adoption hit 31%, which means that one-third of U.S. consumers are now toting around smartphones.  Similarly, tablet adoption in the U.S. hit nearly 11% during 2011.

Read the rest of this entry »

With adoption of mobile purchasing on behalf of consumers continuing to rise in record numbers, the importance of a solid user experience has come into focus more than ever.  No longer can retailers simply cut and paste their existing ecommerce site and hope mobile users follow.

Mobile has evolved into a fully independent channel that needs its own unique strategy that leverages its distinctive capabilities and personality, while also playing into a retailer’s overall cross-channel commerce strategy.  To do so, the user experience must be executed with precision.

Read the rest of this entry »