Ian Carrington, Google’s head of mobile, said these brands needed to learn from businesses such as House of Fraser and Marks and Spencer.

Speaking at the IAB Mobile Engage event, he said brands which were not mobile-ready were already missing out on ‘such a big opportunity’

Carrington also commented on mobile sites which are up and running, highlighting some common failings such as sites being difficult to navigate or lacking a good strategy.

He also singled out sites for positive reasons including eBay, Amazon, Paddy Power and Marks and Spencer.

One of The Global Studio’s recent projects challenged students to develop design-led mobile computing concepts.

Titled ‘On The Move 2 – Mobile Computing Now’, the project focused on forward-looking concepts which could potentially be introduced into the market within two years.

The project was undertaken in collaboration with Intel. The communication between the design teams in the UK and the USA-based Intel staff happened mostly via regular teleconference reviews using a dedicated server.

Students also had a chance to meet Intel’s Future Concept Design Strategist Nick Oakley in person when he visited the university in October 2009.

One of the concepts that came out of the project was ‘The ScrapBook’ – a paper-based sketchbook-inspired tool to capture and organise digital media such as images and data.

Another one outlined a concept of a tool for professional photographers which allows instant editing and transferring of photos using a wireless connection between the camera, the device and the web.

Read more about the project on The Global Studio website.

Feature article

Global Studio brings international flavour for Northumbria design students

Over 20 million people each month are using the mobile internet in the UK. If your website is not optimised for mobile you’re turning potential customers away.

But taking your website mobile isn’t always straightforward. What content do you want to offer? How far should it replicate your website? What phones should you develop it for? Should it be transactional? What functionality is unique to mobile? Do you really need an app strategy for your customer base or is a mobile website enough?

To hear the answers to all these questions and more and put your own questions to our expert panel, tune in to our upcoming webinar.

Speakers:

John Field, European product marketing manager, Sitecore
Justin Pearse, editor, new media age

To attend, visit the event website.

MobiCart is an easy way to build and manage an m-commerce store.

A local m-commerce company has snapped up former Google Director Stephen Lusty.

The announcment was made at the Thinking Digital Conference today.

The leading Industrialist and Google’s former Director of online sales and operations joins MobiCart as Chairman and Investor.

The company, which has recently secured a $500,000 investment, is looking to expand in an industry set to reach $9 billion this year.

Customer value chain changing

Stephen, who left Google last year to set up his own investment company, said he was delighted to join MobiCart, having been very impressed with what the team had achieved.

“The dramatic increase in the adoption of smartphones presents businesses with fantastic new opportunities to reach, interact and trade with their customers”, he said.

“The entire ‘customer value chain’ is changing and the smart adopters of m-commerce have the potential to market individually tailored offers to each customer based on time-of-day, season, location and recent spending patterns.

“MobiCart is the backbone in this chain.”

iPad, Android and HTML5 on agenda

MobiCart founder and CEO Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine said Stephen’s “experience and leadership” would be a great asset.

“This year has already been really exciting for MobiCart and we know this is a sign of things to come,” he said.

“The take up for our product has been phenomenal and we’ve just gotten started. Support for iPad and Android will be ready in July along with an HTML5 web app version, and a host of other innovative features.”

Generator invites Plugged In members to attend an exclusive Mobile Marketing Masterclass.

Learn everything you need to know about mobile marketing from the experts and get the opportunity to win a free mobile APP developed specifically for your music courtesy of Mobile Roadie.

This session will outline the most interesting mobile campaigns demonstrating what’s needed to promote your band and music.

Guest Speakers

Steve Mayall – Music Ally (Digital music business consultancy)
Stephen O’Reilly – Mobile Roadie (Music App developer)
Seth Jackson – PIAS Digital / Indie Mobile (Digital Distribution /Marketing)

An expert panel will give an overview of mobile marketing, demystify the jargon used in mobile marketing and discuss inspirational campaigns and why they work.

The guest will also get a chance to:

* Create mobile marketing campaigns at different budget levels.
* Build an app using audience content live.
* Deliver a free App to a lucky audience member courtesy of Mobile Roadie.

There will also be an opportunity for networking and drinks

Read more on Generator website.

Titled ‘Appysnap’, the free app has a simple idea and great prizes.

Players are sent ‘missions’, where they are simply asked to take a photo of a particular item, place or theme within a set time limit.

Missions can be sent at any time of night or day. If a player completes the mission quickly, they can win iPads, Kindles and Amazon vouchers, as well as other incentives.

The clock is ticking

Appysnap was created by Newcastle-based app developers Never Odd or Even.

“We wanted a fun, simple game that anyone could play, but also one that took the game to the player”, creative director Paul Smith said.

“As soon as a new mission arrives, the clock is ticking and you only have so long to take a photo and complete the mission.”

“You might be shopping or in the office when a new mission appears, and you might need the help of friends and colleagues to complete it.”

Variety of possible applications

Appysnap can be played around the world but missions can also be sent to players in specific towns or neighbourhoods.

“We can send a mission only to people attending a gig in a specific venue, challenge them to take a photo of the band, and offer backstage access immediately after the gig as a prize”, Paul said.

Some missions will reward players with points, those with the most points at the end of every month will win prizes.

Players can also win prizes by playing just one mission and taking a single photo. Prizes range from vouchers for Amazon and Starbucks, to Kindles and the iPad 2.

Download Appysnap for free from the iTunes store.

This one day event will enable you to understand how these changes impact your marketing strategy.

Social media, mobile, video, attribution real time bidding and targeting are all transforming the online landscape. This NMA Live Masterclass will inform and inspire you on how to leverage these trends to make your online marketing strategy more effective.

Panel members include:

Stephen Haines, UK Sales Director, Facebook
Find out how to utilise the most successful social media platform from an insider! And hear him define the future of social media for marketers.

Jonathan Mann, Online Marketing Manager, Groupon
If anyone knows how to generate revenue from social media it is Groupon. Discover how it successfully built a multi-million dollar business through the power of social media.

Callan Harris, Global Digital Brand Manager, Bacardi Global Brands
Learn why Bacardi is dramatically shifting its marketing spend away from individual brand websites to social media.

Ben Carter, Global Digital Marketing Specialist, Betfair
Betfair has been working with the IAB in order to determine a successful method of accurately measuring social ROI. Get exclusive insight straight from the source.

Book online at www.nmalive.co.uk/masterclass to ensure you don’t miss out. Alternatively call 020 7970 4848 or email nmalive.masterclass@centaur.co.uk for more information.

Go Go Games is a free half day conference and networking event for mobile games developers. It’s a chance to learn from experts in this field whilst also networking with a national audience of games developers, publishers and aggregators.

The event forms part of Gateshead Digital Summer, a summer-long international celebration of digital technology.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Mark Rein, Vice President and Co-Founder of Epic Games
• Stuart Varrall, Director of Newcastle based Fluid Pixel
• Renate Nyborg, Head of Business Development at A&M Media
• Chris Petty, Communications Director of Newcastle based Smashing Ideas
• Phil Scott, the Technical Evangelism Lead at Nvidia
• Chris Wright, CEO of Games Analytics
• Ryan Lewis Davies, Creative Director of Gateshead based app developer Gospelware
• Mills from ustwo™ who is the self proclaimed King of Failure!

The event takes place from 2pm to 5:30pm followed by networking drinks until 7pm. Registration will open at 1pm.

To register for the event please visit:
http://www.gamehorizon.net/go-go-games/

The Next Web brings together the best audience and companies from Europe and the US to discuss the future of the web and mobile.

The Next Web has a soul, a vibe that is shared amongst the speakers, the attendees, the partners and the organizers. Something you have to have experienced before you can put a finger on it.

Here are a few bullet point to give you an idea of what The Next Web Vibe is and what makes this the most amazing conference, year in year out:

* All participants, speakers and organizers are easily approachable and open for new business opportunities and fun stories. No VIP treatments. TNW people love to get in touch with each other.

* We don’t give away free conference passes (exceptions for industry press). Everybody has the same incentive to get the most out of the conference.

* Everybody that joins TNW Conference is passionate about the web and mobile industry. Assuring high level talks and discussions.

The Next Web is the leading web and mobile conference for entrepreneurs, developers, investors, tech companies, social media strategists and influencers. Join 1200 leading professional at TNW 2011, register now.

The Open Mobile Summit provides a 360 degree view of the changing face of media, marketing and mobile commerce as we enter a 4-screen age. If you’re in media, getting a grip on this highly fragmented, fast changing landscape is key to your future success.

At The Open Mobile Summit, 8-9 June London, you can:

* Meet Stephen Elop CEO Nokia plus Amazon, Google, Motorola and LG and hear how mobile platforms, devices and app stores are evolving.
* Hear Conde Nast, FT, Bonnier and Harpers Collins on tablet wars and the future of publishing
* Understand how FremantleMedia, Endemol, BSkyB, YouTube and the BBC see the future of TV and interconnected entertainment
* Learn how Rovio made Angry Birds into a worldwide phenomenon, and how Zynga’s move into mobile looks set to revolutionise social gaming
* Explore how mobile advertising and mCommerce is evolving with M&C Saatchi, AKQA, eBay and Kraft Foods

Meet the mobile elite – and get a crash course in all of the key developments in this fast changing landscape.

You can save £500 on the registration fee if you use code NMA before Easter Friday (offer ends April 21).

Book your tickets here.