A $12.5 billion takeover of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. by tech giant Google is just the latest sign of a general mobile trend. Companies are increasingly investing in mobile hardware and apps, and users are embracing that technology in their daily lives. What does this trend mean to the small business community? Read the latest mobile news and how the trend may affect you.
Mobile Has Far Reaching Implications
Google has finally acquired Motorola. Google CEO Larry Page blogs about the historic and long awaited deal coming to fruition and about long-time Google executive Dennis Woodside taking over as CEO of Motorola. Page pays tribute to Motorola as a great American tech firm and talks about how cell phones have become supercomputers in our pockets. Google Official Blog
Reasons new mobile deal might be important. Technology writer Dan Frommer speculates about why Google’s $12+billion acquisition of Motorola might be important news for the search engine’s company…and for the rest of us. Unlike other acquisitions—YouTube or AdMob, for example—this isn’t just another Web-based or mid-sized company that can be easily folded into Google’s operations. SplatF
Microsoft plans Office for iOS and Android Tablets. Google isn’t the only big tech firm continuing to make forays into the mobile space. Accessing Microsoft’s full office suite via iPad, Android tablets, and maybe even iPhone and iPod touch may be just around the corner according to this report from tech blogger Jonathan S. Geller. Geller says the release of some of these new products may come as soon as November. BGR
Yahoo! makes mobile bookmarking and search easy. The company’s new Axis app combines a variety of unique functions in one place to be used via the iPhone or iPad. A review of the new app shows a full-tabbed Web browser for mobile users, meaning more and more search and bookmarking will likely be done on the go. Engadget
6 Reasons You Should Care
Mobile helps small businesses cope. A recent study including 258 small businesses shows 78 percent of respondents use mobile devices to do work while away from the office or their work computer. The study demonstrates how small business owners are using mobile technology to handle longer working hours and extended workweeks. eWeek
Your customers may already be there. Mobile searches and app-savvy customers and clients are part of the new landscape all businesses face. There is one important question every small business owner and entrepreneur must answer: To what extent is mobile technology part of the shopping experience for the customers and clients you serve? Small Business Trends
E-mail, too, is getting more mobile. If you do much of your business communication via e-mail, you should consider the fact that many retrieve these messages on mobile devices, too. Here are eight tips for making your e-mail marketing more mobile friendly from mobile marketing expert Eric Pontides. Idea Sprouts
The market will be huge. Perhaps most important of all is a recent projection by research company Forrester, that by 2016 one billion people will own smartphones. The number represents a massive potential audience and market for all your businesses. The New York Times
Security threats abound. Just as with your other small business technology, mobile devices are susceptible to a variety of security threats. Like your computer, they can be attacked by viruses and malware, and can allow access to any sensitive data that may be stored on the device. Fortunately, some simple steps allow you to neutralize most of these threats. Fusion Alliance
Mobile marketing can help even the smallest businesses. Shea Glenny, founder of IM for Solos: Internet Marketing Plans & Tutoring for Solopreneurs, says even single employee business may be able to take advantage of mobile marketing. The key is to decide whether mobile will work effectively for your small business or not. The Solopreneur Life
Does this mean there will be a new line of cool phones coming out soon? (P.S. I’m thinking of an autonomous mobile phone like their driverless car.)