Everybody secretly likes to have a bit of a snoop, especially if there is not a chance in hell of being caught. Snooping gives us that little rush of excitement that you simply can’t get anywhere else and with the proliferation of mobiles all over the globe, snooping is now easier then ever!

A recent Australian survey of around 500 mobile users, aged 18-29, recently uncovered that 1 in 3 mobile phone users are officially ‘SMS Snoops’, the consequences of which can be devastating if the other person actually finds out. The survey was conducted by Virgin Mobile Australia and also shows that women are more likely then men to take a peek at their partner’s messages without their knowledge.

Surprisingly, 73 per cent of the ‘Snoopers’ admitted that they had found out things they wish they hadn’t. Further more, 10 per cent of these people actually had to end their relationship, all because of a little SMS.

“In a society when we very rarely let our mobile phones out of our sight, it’s quite amazing to think that for a lot of us the minute we jump in the shower, someone might be checking up on us,” Virgin Mobile’s Amber Morris said in a statement.

Over things discovered by the survey include:

• 60 per cent rush to grab their partner’s phone as soon as they hit the showers
• 41 per cent do it openly, while their partner is in the same room
• 45 per cent admitted to finding flirtatious and sexual texts, ranging from innocent to XXX

Quick, I better find my phone…

A forecast issued this week by media research firm Nielsen Mobile suggests that mobile subscriber interest in the Olympics is strong after all.

• In the U.S. 44.7 per cent of mobile video users and 22.6 per cent of of mobile web users will turn to their trusty mobile phones to get Olympics highlights and updates
• In the U.K. 31.3 per cent of mobile video users and only 17.2 per cent of mobile web users will turn to their mobiles for highlights and updates
• In the U.S. 66.3 per cent of mobile users cite Olympics event results as the most desirable information, while medal counts account for 44.3 per cent and TV schedules at 43.7 per cent
• In the U.K. 73.5 per cent of respondents want event results, while 37.4 per cent want to read informative articles based on the Olympics and 34.2 per cent desire medal counts
• In the U.S. 61.7 per cent of mobile video users want to watch gymnastics highlights, while 58.5 per cent want swimming/diving highlights and 54.4 per cent want track and field clips
• In the U.K. 89.9 per cent want track and field highlights, while 59.1 per cent want boxing clips and only 53.7 per cent want gymnastics

A survey of 600 “Gen Y” Australian mobile phone users by marketing agency Fresh has revealed that almost half use their phone to surf the net at least once a week.

Users aged 10-14 preferred downloading ringtones and mobile content. Users aged 15-17 and 24-28 spent most of their time checking out sports results and news headlines. Users aged 18-20 were heavily into social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, while those aged 21-24 looked to MSN chat and mobile email to pass the time.

In a recent survey conducted by RBC Capital Markets, over 3,600 American participants were asked what type of smartphone they were interested in buying in the next three months. The results are as follows:

• Apple iPhone - 56%
• Blackberry - 23%
• Palm - 3%
• Other - 18%

Apple lovers cited better connectivity and prices as the main factors in their increased attraction to the brand. With such anticipation, RBC expert analyst Mike Abramsky is forecasting a massive boom in iPhone sales with a year-on-year growth of over 100 per cent.

New research shows that Australians are rushing to the stores in droves to buy new mobile phones, despite 80 per cent of the population over the age of 12 already having one in their pocket. It seems all the carriers are hoping the lure of cool features like GPS navigation, faster Internet access, instant chat and multiplayer mobile games will keep the momentum going for years to come.

While the stats might show a vast increase in the number of handsets, it appears that despite the growing number of features, the average Australian is still using their mobile for basic calls and text messages. For the first time in Australian history  the number of phones shipped has tipped the 10 million mark. In May phone vendors ordered 797,430 handsets, which is up 7.5 per cent from last year.

The CommSec Chief Equities Economist, Craig James, has been quoted saying “The sales figures show no signs of slowing. Australians love tech goods like mobile phones, computers and iPods and the record-breaking run of mobile phone sales is confirmation of that fact.”

To find out more about the future of mobile content Mobgizmo recently went out and interviewed Paul Thompson, New Horizons Manager, from MobileActive. Paul was nice enough to answer 10 questions. Read the interview below:

The Future of Mobile Content

Mobgizmo: Hi Paul, thanks so much for taking the time out to speak with us today, it’s really appreciated! We are eager to hear your thoughts about the future of mobile content. I have to get the obvious question out of the way. When the Apple iPhone finally drops in Australia, what impact do you think this will have on the Australian mobile content industry, if any? Will you be buying an iPhone Paul?

Paul: The iPhone has made the biggest impact in the US and it will continue to be strong in that market. The current EDGE version works on 2.5g technology which is much slower than many 3G top end phones in the same price bracket.

Retailers in the UK are slashing ₤100 of the cost of iPhone this month in an effort to shift stock; there is very little chance of a 3G version being available in Australia until at least 2009. I personally won’t buy an iPhone until at least the second or third 3G generation.

Mobgizmo: Until 2009? I can’t wait that long! By then I’ll probably be rocking a Blackberry Thunder. So what type of mobile content sells the most in Australia? Ringtones, Games or Videos? Why do you think this is?

Paul: There are two separate markets – the personalisation market which typically attracts the female teen market. The female teens tend to personalise their phones like their bedroom walls. The guys tend to go for the games, but the female market for games is also growing at a rapid pace. Guys tend to go for more action-orientated branded games while the girls go for more challenging puzzle games.

Mobgizmo: I have to agree with that, personally I go for the big name games like Indiana Jones and Iron Man. The puzzle games put me to sleep! David Flynn from SMH.com.au recently wrote about how Bluetooth technology allows the easy transfer of mobile content, including the latest evolution “Bluetooth Stereo”. How do you think Bluetooth technology has affected mobile content in Australia? Do you think it will continue to make an impact in the future or will Bluetooth fade out and/or be replaced by a superior technology?

Paul: Bluetooth actually helps the market, as it is an enabling technology which allows competent users to user their broadband home data connection to download large files (music, videos and games) and transfer them over to their phones. In the UK and Europe this counts for as much as 50% of downloads.

Bluetooth may be superceded by wi-fi networks, should they become as popular here as they are becoming elsewhere in the world. Alternative technologies may be around the corner!

Mobgizmo: I like how Bluetooth allows mobile users to share content easily. Being able to share content is so important in today’s hyper networked society and Bluetooth helps facilitate this on the mobile front! Moving on, in your professional opinion, what makes great mobile content? Any examples?

Paul: Great mobile content is something which is personal, intimate and immediate. Having the latest personalisation product or the hottest game is always a winner for MobileActive.

Great games are those which can be played in a snacking environment (on the train, at the airport). The traditional space invaders, tetris and pac-man and other nostalgic games are very popular entertainers.

Mobgizmo: We have been noticing a constant stream of “holiday-related cute talking animal videos” coming out of MobileActive in the last few months, this must be what you mean by content that is personal, intimate and immediate. Ok, so when the majority of Australians finally have 3G phones, what do you think this will mean for mobile content?

Paul: More bandwidth will mean better quality graphics, add-ons and better sound. Already some gaming environments download additional scenes better quality video and stereo sound, if the phone supports it.

Video is another area which is impeded by the speed and cost of the networks. As compression technologies improve and the bandwidth increases there will be much, much more in the way of mobisodes, short TV episodes and other great video content downloaded.

Mobgizmo: Mobisodes are awesome. I remember watching “Forget The Rules” a while ago. As a consumer, what kind of mobile content would you actually pay money for? Why?

Paul: I would pay for convenience, to have what I want, where I want it and when I want it. The BBC have had phenomenal success with their iPlayer product, which lets UK customers view programs they have missed anytime within 7 days of the program. Hundreds of thousands of downloads prove that convenience is a key factor for success. (iPlayer is currently only for fixed internet devices).

Location based services have yet to take off in Australia, but content which is created for the location I am currently in, is sure to be a winner. I would definitely pay to have a personalised experience based on my past habits and current location.

Mobgizmo: I’m a big fan of location based services and bluetoothed coupons. The other day I was lining up for a movie at Hoyts and I was sent a message containing a coupon for discounted food at the candy bar. If I could pay for a service that sends me coupons for every shop I walk into, I would sign up right now! So who controls the world of mobile content in Australia? Carriers, networks, content providers or the consumers?

Paul: Australia suffers somewhat from the tyranny of distance and size of the market. Some suppliers will only deal with networks, and networks have limited space on deck, but they are becoming fewer by the day.

Ultimately networks pass on the content suppliers create for them, so the bottom line is, as the supply chain starts with suppliers, they are the ones in control. If they don’t see value coming back up the supply chain they simply wont bother with this market.

Mobgizmo: With companies like Nokia introducing new handsets seemingly every week, what impact does this have on the promotion, development and distribution of mobile content?

Paul: It’s a nightmare! There are some great aggregators though who sort out the mess and provide handset compatibility solutions. We also have the infrastructure to facilitate this.

Again different technologies such as Brew, Symbian and Edge still compete.

Mobgizmo: Ok, sorry for keeping you for so long, there’s just one last question. Can you please tell us a little bit about what exciting mobile content MobileActive is bringing to the market this year, or is it all top secret?

Paul: MobileActive will be bringing cutting edge content to mobiles all over the world. Our goal is to provide mobile users with the best possible entertainment experience. As a small example, in 2008 Australians can enjoy exclusively licensed local content from the boys at Fat Pizza, the comedic genius Steve Abbott (The Sandman) and mobile works of art by Reg Mombassa of Mambo fame.

Mobgizmo: Thanks for chatting to Mobgizmo Paul, we look forward to catching up with you soon!

According to a recent international survey, Australians are already indulging in the iPhone hype and are demanding more usability from their phones! The iPhone hasn’t even hit our shores yet and already Aussies are becoming picky about usability issues based on what they’ve heard about the amazing iPhone.

The annual Mobile Landscape survey, compiled online locally by mobile software provider m.Net and the University of Adelaide, found ease of use was the most popular reason for people deciding to upgrade their handsets (95%), ahead of larger screens (85%), better performance (82%) and the design of the handset (78%). It’s obvious usability is king, you only have to look at Australia’s favourite brands to realise that. Nokia came in first at 45%, followed by Motorola on 14%, Sony Ericsson on 11% and LG came in last at 9%. Research director Marisa Maio Mackay said that was inspired by the local preference for “easy-to-use type of handsets”. “Usability is becoming far more of an issue around handsets and this awareness has increased because of iPhone,” she said. “Even though we don’t have access here, it’s starting to set expectations.”

The eye-opening survey also showed people were placing increasing importance on the speed and type of data services being offered by their mobile carrier, with their No. 1 gripe being the cost of wireless internet access. This has been a major problem in Australia as it shows we are really lagging behind other developed mobile markets.

“Around 65% of people said they would change for better mobile data services and lower-priced data services, where if you really did go back about a year it didn’t even measure as a factor,” Dr Maio Mackay said. However, she predicted the biggest growth spur would come from telcos offering more unlimited-access deals to their customers.

It appears that most of us Aussies are not having the best user experience when it comes to surfing the web on our mobiles. A new survey that has just been released by 3 Mobile and Sony Ericsson reveals that a whopping 91% of respondents don’t use their phone for accessing the Internet, because they believe it either costs too much or offers a below average user experience. As a mobile user in Australia, I tend to agree!

The report also found that around 80% would increase their mobile Internet usage if the price was brought down. Hopefully the big carriers will take note of this and lower costs in the months to come. About 3/4 of respondents said search engine sites and email were the most valuable to access while on the move, with travel and timetables sites (67%), and news and current affairs sites (63%) also popular. With Google dominating mobile search, it seems they are heading in the right direction as far as the Australian mobile web market is concerned.

Proving that more people want to be online wherever they are, 53% said they would like to access the Internet when out and about, 45% while on holiday, 23% while commuting, and 11% when out with friends. The survey also showed that accessing the Internet on a mobile phone isn’t just for the young, with 63 per cent of 25-49 year olds saying they would increase usage if they had cheap and easy mobile Internet access, compared to 75% of 16-24 years olds.

I’m still anxiously waiting for the anticipated debut of the Aussie iPhone. I believe all these statistics will mean nothing once the iPhone tears through the Aussie market.

For those of you who have just started to get used to purchasing your tickets online, get ready for another paradigm shift as tickets have just evolved onto your mobile phone. The concept has been thrown around for a few years now and thanks to vast improvements in handsets, has only recently picked up momentum. Juniper Research has just released new statistics that estimate over 2.6 billion mobile tickets will be delivered to around 208 million phones by 2011. The Juniper report goes on to identify mobile tickets as one of the key areas to watch in the world of mobile.

There are plenty of benefits for the user, including the elimination of ticket scalpers. This is great news for people like me, who have been fooled in the past by ticket scams on eBay. Mobile tickets are even becoming a better alternative to buying tickets online. Some consumers have been skeptical about buying tickets online because of fraud, but mobile ticketing plans to stop all this by ensuring increased security. The m-tickets also offer an improved environmental footprint by reducing paper!

Early use of mobile barcode technology will be gradually complimented by the emergence of NFC (Near Field Communications), in particular for the transportation ticketing sector where there are already commercial deployments in the Far East and important trials in Western Europe and North America. Most encouraging for the sector is the wide adoption by some of the major organisations that control the issuance of tickets, such as Ticketmaster, British Airways and Tickets.com. This is coupled with the involvement of the key operators and technology providers such as O2, NTT, DoCoMo, Vodafone, Nokia and Samsung.

It’s official, chatting away loudly on your mobile is now the most annoying thing you can possibly do on public transport! New research conducted by the UK’s Transport for London (TfL) showed that commuters are getting increasingly agitated by anyone yapping away mindlessly on their phone. The noise coming out of someone’s earphones came in at 2nd place, with commuters who take up extra seats sliding into 3rd. In the battle of the sexes, Men were perceived as being more likely to yell into the phone and gobble up hot food, whereas women were seen as being responsible for taking up more than one seat with stupidly-sized bags.

The research also shows that people are consistently being inconsiderate, without meaning to. This wealth of data has prompted TfL to begin a new campaign that tells commuters to “Consider your fellow passengers”. The advertising campaign will address all the issues, with a focus on the mobile phone. Cityrail in Australia have recently done exactly the same thing, with a great campaign that created monsters out of the bad passenger stereotypes. The monsters were a huge hit with the Australian public and Cityrail recieved a lot of positive feedback from commuters. To see the list of monsters, click here!

Bloggers the world over have also been angered by this trend. Back in 2007, Conal Hanna posted an amusing article about the pitfalls of being forced to listen to someone else’s conversation. It seems the mobile phone is turning the etiquette world upside down.

Personally, I’ve been angered for a while now by commuters who think it’s ok to have a conversation that lasts more then a few words in an enclosed environment where other people are trying their best to either read a book or sleep. It’s ok to answer your phone, say a few words and get it over and done with, but to sit there and chin-wag for 20 mins is just not acceptable and needs to be stopped. Here’s hoping the new campaigns work, otherwise “Phone Rage” will start bursting out of people. I still say we need a global “No Mobile Phone Day“…