The Amhrán na bhFiann application that MobaNode developed (in conjunction with Gaelchultur) for the Nokia Ovi Store has been a great hit abroad it turns out. When looking at the download stats in advance of a presentation we were giving for the Nokia Ireland Developer Event it turns out the Ireland is sixth on the list when it comes to download locations and we are trumped by Turkey, Vietnam, UK, Indonesia and India! Since launch, nearly 25,000 downloads (as of last week - I'm sure more now) of Amhrán have been made as can be seen in our report screenshot below...

This fact, made for great PR copy and earned exposure in all sorts of places, including the Front Page of the Irish Times...

and coverage was also featured on Radio - 

Morning Ireland (What it says in the papers) - 

and no less a place than the Gerry Ryan Show too -

and fair play to Gerry, he actually got out name right!

The audio clip below was recorded just after winning the Elevate Award. Even though I say so myself, I sound remarkably together and composed for someone just having won and award - I should have practiced my "Oscar tears". Many people heard this on the Radio the morning after, but I missed it (that's another story) and have only just received the clip of it - hence its late posting now. Anyway, here it is now for posterity...

Following on swiftly from Google's purchase of Admob (as written previously on this Blog) for $750 Million the news is out that news that Apple is buying Quattro Wireless for $275 Million, commentators are saying the the combination of these two purchases has instantly pushed the mobile advertising industry passed the $1 billion mark in value. This fact is quite an accomplishment given that the total U.S. mobile advertising market was only worth $416 million in 2009. 

This is yet again a validation of the Mobile marketing space with these uber strong players involved. All smaller mobile advertising companies must be dusting down their suits and polishing their shoes waiting for Microsoft, Yahoo et al to come knocking, for as sure as night follows day, these guys will go sniffing too. All good news for all of us in the Mobile space - MobaNode contact details are here - please call, night or day, we don't mind ;-)

Came across this on this and really liked it. Knowing how hard it is to get mobiles to do what you want to do, hats off the the guys who created this. The "Making Of" video is worth a watch too and you can read more about the effort here

Experience Mobile Mobile from James Théophane Jnr on Vimeo.

The tune, though it's "Carol of the Bells" is nearly now more widely known for the Garmin ads - amazing how "brand association" works.

QR codes are a superb way of making the static actionable. They've been around for a while (and MobaNode has worked with them before), but outside of Japan they've yet to jump to the mainstream. They effectively bridge the digital and physical divide, by allowing you to find out more information through the simple act of taking a photo with a suitable phone. Now Google (yeah you've heard of them right?) are getting in on the act 

The search giant has launched a new effort to send window decals to over 100,000 local businesses in the U.S. that have been the most sought out and researched on Google.com and Google Maps.

Each window decal has a unique bar code, known as a QR code (a major trend to look for in 2010), that you can scan with many mobile devices including the iPhone, Android-powered phones, BlackBerry, and more. Once scanned, it will take you directly to the business’s Place Page on your mobile phone. What does this mean? Well, by pointing and clicking at a storefront, you can immediately find reviews, get a coupon if the business is offering one, or star the business as a place you’d like to visit in the future—all without stepping a foot inside.

(taken from Alltop.com)

If Google think it's a good idea, then it generally is (though they've been wrong before), but most importantly, with QR codes popping up everywhere, they should become a more familiar sight - and about time too!

Interesting to note that all the phones used in the "promo" video are iPhones and not Android phones...