MOBILE INSIGHTS: A Few Ideas For A New Billion-Dollar Mobile Startup

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Nine Ways A New Billion Dollar Mobile Company Might Be Created (Bubba Murarka via @andrewchen)
There are plenty of ways that the next billion-dollar mobile startup might be created. Here are some of venture capital executive Bubba Murarka's ideas: 

  1. Tablet-first start-ups
  2. A hassle-free platform for mobile payment transactions
  3. More apps to help consumers create content on mobile (in the manner of what Vine did for video)
  4. Easy and intuitive systems on smartphones and tablets for mobile multi-tasking, analagous to the way PCs allow us to open and use multiple windows and apps at the same time
  5. True mobile-native ad units
  6. Subscription businesses on mobile beyond Pandora and Evernote

Click here to read more of Murarka's thoughts. Read > 

Two Massive Deals Shake Up The Mobile Industry (Business Insider)
In the first deal, Verizon Communications forked over $130 billion to take over the 45% stake in Verizon Wireless that it didn't already own. In the second, Microsoft paid $7 billion for Nokia's smartphone business and patents. The two deals had been expected, or at least seen as possibilities. But now that they have been consummated, the mobile industry has a different look. It's more consolidated. On the carrier side, a battle is brewing between mammoth-sized carriers with interests in cable TV, Internet and other areas of communications — companies like Verizon, AT&T, Softbank, Deutsche Telekom and Telefónica. On the devices and software side, Microsoft/Nokia is a move that was needed to take on Google (which owns smartphone maker Motorola), and Apple, which since the release of the iPhone has been the leader in fusing
Smartwatchsmartphone hardware and software. 

BI Intelligence Forecast: Gauging The Global Market For Smartwatches (BII)
In a new report from BI Intelligence analysts estimate that smartwatch sales will take off, reaching 91.6 billion units and a $9.2 billion market by 2018. Similar to the tablet, the smartwatch is expected to carve out
its own consumer category as opposed to competing directly with the smartphone. Watch for the official announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch tomorrow. Read > 

Nokia Hopes To Take The Car From Maps To Infotainment (GigaOm)
Long heralded in the auto industry for its navigation systems, Nokia aims to use the cloud to integrate smartphone, tablet, and PC data into its in-dash app. Users will be able to map out a route on their tablets and have it instantly appear in their vehicle. The idea is to take the company's once walled-off navigation system and connect it seamlessly with the world of other devices consumers love. One major obstacle for Nokia's new Here mapping and navigation system could be the growing number of automakers, including Ford and GM, who have developed their own in-dash technology. Read >

Worries Over BlackBerry's Financial Future Cause Slump In Sales (GigaOm)
BlackBerry's sales slump following the release of Z10 and Q10 may be due to increasing concern that the company will no longer be able to continue in its current form due to financial difficulties. This is evidenced by recent revelations that Morgan Stanley has decided to delay a multimillion dollar phone upgrade contract with the phone manufacturer. A cash crunch at the company could mean that carriers may elect to discontinue sales of BlackBerry's products. Read >

LG Releases A New Tablet To Compete With The iPad Mini (LG)
Over the weekend Korean electronics manufacturer, LG, announced its G pad 8.3 tablet. The appropriately named 8.3" tablet is expected to hit stores worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2013. Similar screen size and weight suggest that the tablet will be in direct competition with the iPad mini and the Nexus 7. Price and whether the device will be available on mobile carriers has yet to be determined. Read>

Japanese E-commerce Giant Buys $200 Million "Global Solution For Video" (AllThingsD)
Next week Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce company, is expected to announce the $200 million acquisition of Viki, an Internet video service. Similar to Hulu, Viki offers video content to its users, but with a twist. Viki's content is produced around the world in many different languages. To make the content accessible to anyone, it relies on volunteers to produce subtitles for its content. So Viki is a combination of video and Wiki — hence the name. The company has set its sights on expansion in Europe and Latin America and continues to grow at a rapid pace in Southeast Asia. Read >