The biggest talking points at this year’s CES included Samsung TV sets offering 8 million pixel resolution to tantalize your eyeballs; Sony’s water resistant Xperia that can be submerged in water for up to 30mins, LG’s introduction of NFC in all of its white goods, TrackDot which keeps track on your luggage and Audi’s self-park system. While these products are exciting, the real story here is about mobile computing and where the industry is headed.

Mobile may have not been at the forefront at this year’s CES, but undoubtedly the revolution of mobile computing has come along way since 2010 and showing no sign of slowing down. The magnitude of mobile products being release was exciting for the industry as a whole, but there were no real aw-inspiring technological advancements to promote, although companies did strive to improve the functionality and quality of their products. If anything is certain, the future of mobile devices and tablets will continue to evolve with the pace of technology.

The tech giants of mobile are rethinking the shape and size of their future devices, which will ultimately alter the screen, as we know it. Manufactures are notably fixated on incorporating new OLED display technologies to increase battery life, overall resolution quality and give their products a slim and sleeker design. When buying a phone, the screen will always be a factor in the purchase, bigger screens may not always be popular with users but it was a quick win at CES this year. If this bigger is better trend continues we will all be carrying around “Phablets” one day soon.

Mobile operating systems stole some of the spotlight from smart-phone and tablet hardware at CES. Reach in Motion (RIM), did not host any press conferences nor did it have a booth, instead they gave a closed-door presentation on their new OS’s key features. The latest newcomer to throw their hat in the ring of mobile was Mozilla; the company previewed their upcoming Firefox mobile OS at CES. We can expect to see the Firefox OS installed on low-end smartphones; it will be available to the public this year.

The largest mobile carriers, from the likes of T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint were present at CES this year. They did not announce any major smartphones and tablets releases or upgrades to their infrastructure. However, T-Mobile‘s CEO unveiled, once again, a contract free and unlimited plan for $70. This should heat up the competition for market share amongst the bigger mobile carriers in 2013.

Most people unquestionably dislike receiving junk mail! PaperKarma can stop junk mail from making it to your mailbox, while reducing wasteful paper consumption, limiting deforestation and creating additional trash. The free app, available on iPhone, Android and Windows Phone, allows recipients to unsubscribe from all their unwanted junk mail without the hassle of speaking to a customer service representative trying to convince you not to.

According to PaperKarma’s website, US households receive an average of 850 pieces of junk mail per year. For each piece of mail you want, you receive about 20 unwanted ones. That adds up to more than 100 Billion pieces of junk mail per year for the US alone.

This past week, I anxiously waited for the postal man to deliver my mail so I could try the app for myself. Lucky for me, my mailbox was crammed with unsolicited junk. I snapped a photo of a credit card offer that I receive about once a month, in a few simple clicks PaperKarma automatically contacted the sender and removed my information from their distribution list. Now only if they can stop restaurants from putting their menus on my door!

It’s a free app, available on iPhone and android, that gives you great insight into where and how you spend your money. Connect all of your bank accounts and credit accounts to Mint, and it will categorize all of your income and expenses, and give you an easy to understand overview of your finances.

Mint does a good job categorizing transactions, however, there are instances of transactions being attributed to the wrong categories. In these cases, you will have to manually change the category that the transaction is filed. The process is very smooth, but if you have multiple transactions from the same merchant, you will have to change each manually. Through Mint.com on the web, you can create rules so that all transactions are categorized accordingly.

Creating a budget is easy; Mint will initially create a budget based on the average over several months, but you can easily change that via a slide bar. Pick a category, set your budget, and you are done. There are dozens of budgeting options to choose from: Clothing, parking, the cinema, and baby supplies are just a few of the available options.

Upon opening the Track to Lose It app the user is asked if they would like to use the calculator feature to determine their daily budget. Also, diet settings must be completed before using the app, such as your daily budget, activity goal, first weigh in, goal weight, and how you budget your food cost. Each day users will input the meals they have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack and are asked the number of servings and cost of the food.

The user can edit the time periods, and add an extra meal, input their favorite foods, and an activity list management. Another helpful aspect of this app is you can keep track of how much water you drink by tapping the glasses of water on the interface Track it to Lose it acts like a calculator to keep track of calories, weight gain or loss, as well as a log for physical activities completed. This app helps users stay on track with their health, fitness, and budgets and has links to blog posts pertaining to those categories.

Navigating this app is confusing although the main points are clear; there are no distinct instructions on how to help you grasp the concept of the app. The app’s interface is not motivating or inspiring nor does it match the theme of the app. In order to successfully use this app one must go through each setting and each segment and make sure to set all of the settings so they match the specific user.

YOGA HD is an app geared to introduce poses of yoga and the experience to create your own program. The app offers the user 55% off a 12-month premium subscription for $8.99. The main interface of the Yoga HD includes a calendar to track trainings the user has had by marking the calendar with a flower. Work statistics are asked such as the name, start time, and duration of your training. An inspiring yoga quote is displayed under the calendar daily. A log of programs that are ‘ready-made’ or ‘self-made’ by the user are complied and users are able to choose existing programs based on beginner, intermediate, advanced, or guru depending on their level of experience. Programs are labeled their respective names along with specific areas they target such as stretching, energy and vitality.

Another twenty programs and more are offered with the All-in Yoga premium package where 12 months of extra programs are 1.49 per month. If you’re in the mood to have a program specifically geared to your age, weight, goal (balance, flexibility, breathing exercises, fitness, etc.) level, and your desired duration of training, the personal yoga training option is perfect for you. Creating your own program is another segment of this app where users can choose the specific poses they want in their program based on standing, sitting & twisting, or backbends for example and can choose the duration of each pose. The video in training option allows users to view videos of each asana, before beginning the pose. The pose base is filled with photos and videos of the poses, an explanation of each, and lastly a digital image of a human and the muscles being worked by the various poses.

One of the cons of this app is the voice chosen to accompany the poses sounded very similar to a computer generated sounded voice. This feature did not compliment the app, but there is the option to turn the teacher’s voice on or off. A pro of this app are the multiple options of relaxing music available whilst training or none for a truly peaceful exercise.

In a new report, BI Intelligence offers their take on the tablet industry in the fourth quarter of 2012 and its relative performance for each year. They believe last quarter’s tablet shipments will reach “56 million, a 90% increase over the same quarter a year prior, and almost double the previous record for quarterly tablet shipments. Shipments through the first three quarters are already up 89%. In 2010 and 2011, the fourth quarter accounted for 55% and 44% respectively, of annual sales.” It may be safe to assume that in 2013 tablet sales will continue to boom and evolve with consumer expectations.

Tablets and mobile devices are so versatile, making them the most desired gift across multiple demographics. Since 2010, the fourth quarter has historically represented a successful period for tablet sales, primarily due to the holiday season. In addition to hardware sales, mobile friendly websites and applications were in high demand. According to PC Mag, a technology news and information source, Flurry reported an estimate of 17.4 million iOS and Android devices were activated and 328 million apps were downloaded on Christmas Day alone. Between Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, 2012, 50 million gadgets were activated and 1.76 billion apps were downloaded. An increase in tablet requests reached 164,204,876 Million, a 21.27% increase from 135,406,609 earlier in December on Todabridge, Todacell’s proprietary network.

However, advertisers spend on mobile devices and tablet specific campaigns have been hampered by their lack of know how. We often hear, “advertising agencies just don’t get mobile” due to their lack of certainty. Nobody wants to be at fault for a failed campaign and risk losing a big client. It is important to note, advertising on mobile and tablets may seem similar to desktop display, but advertisers need to understand the medium has it’s own unique nuances and need to consider the additional targeting/technological capabilities and would do well to create demographic/device specific creative. According to the New York Times, eMarketer reported that advertisers spent only a small portion of their digital media budget on mobile and tablets in 2012— $2.6 billion, yet this budget is triple the amount of what was spent in 2010. The stakes are significantly high for advertisers looking to connect with consumers on mobile and tablets, as the mobile ad market is in its infancy and relatively new to brands.

New Media Trend Watch has no doubt that tablets will continue to rise in 2013 forcing advertisers to take this platform more and more seriously. If you still don’t believe in mobile advertising, here are some key points that may sway your opinion according to a survey by comScore. As mobile and tablet devices penetrate the marketplace, Internet traffic will continue to shift from desktop-PCs to tablet and smartphone devices. This transition provides a growth opportunity to reach potential consumer. Also, apps provide a new-found level of reach and can drive brand engagement but others believe that HTML web-based mobile apps are the future due to their versatility across multiple operating systems.

Ad agencies turn to mobile networks, like Todacell, for a stronger understanding of the mobile advertising landscape and to help plan strategic campaigns to not only hit mobile specific campaign objectives but also help amplify TTL and ATL campaign goals. We expect the mobile advertising industry to see a year-on-year increase as we approach 2015. More advertisers will be keen to leverage the mobile in a more meaningful way as they begin to incorporate this medium into their arsenal.

The application simplifies the shopping process by searching for your home & garden, clothing, or electronic deal within their respective category. Coupon Sherpa also makes shopping easy with the GPS feature, ensuring you find coupons at nearby stores. A useful tool not only for your gift or shopping needs, but coupons are also available for a handful of grocery stores. Customers can search deals their local supermarkets are offering, enter their rewards or membership number and be one click away from simple savings. My favorite feature is the users’ ability to quickly view active coupons by stores they have added to their list of favorites.

Coupon Sherpa’s biggest downfall is that available coupons are for in-store use only, not online. Furthermore, Coupon Sherpa may not work with certain in-store bar code scanners due to limited adoption, it may be more convenient to print coupons at home to avoid problems for now. Download the Coupon Sherpa app for Apple and Android devices, or select a coupon from the mobile site to start saving money with your phone, it is way faster then traditional couponing.

The UPC scanner can determine the best deal by scanning the item’s bar code, or by searching via voice or image. RedLaser then brings up multiple retailers so comparing prices is easy. Top deals are offered as well as the option to browse deals by specific stores. After exploring the app, RedLaser recommends products based on your viewing history. You can purchase items directly using RedLaser and pick them up at a nearby store.

The option to save deals for the future and see past purchases is available too. Overall the application is easy to use, it has a fast and efficient interface that allows for seamless shopping on your mobile device. My favorite feature is the app’s ability to scan universal product codes (UPC), this allowed me to compare prices between local and online retailers but I experienced limitations. Many of the items that I scanned were not available for comparison between other local stores, which may minimise uptake from the local consumer. Download RedLaser the next time you shop online with your mobile device, it may save you a couple of bucks in the end!

From what used to be a standard JPEG or animated gif, the mobile banner is now a veritable; all singing, all dancing entertainment hub, allowing the user to interact with brand content in ways never before seen.

It would seem that these advances in technology place a lot of strain on the industry to ensure that there is always that brand spanking new ad format available for the next big innovative campaign but, how does a client decide which format will have the most cut-through and ultimately the most drive the most efficient ROI or cost per action.

This has been a hot topic for us at Todacell over the last few weeks, as we know the importance of staying ahead of the curve when it comes to product offerings. We have already established ourselves very well within the market by offering enhanced real-time optimisation, our own premium network, accurate post campaign analysis tools, cutting edge technology and an intuitive self-serving platform Todabridge. However, now there is a demand for the next big thing within the mobile advertising arena, is it time for ad networks to start expanding their offering and start providing more innovate new advertising formats?

An immediate action we decided to implement with the release of the iPhone 5 was developing our 320×480 banners, which has seen a great deal of positive attention. But aside from that, some of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves are – What are the different types of ad units out there? What are differing engagement levels of ad units and how do they impact conversion? Do different territories/demographic audiences prefer different ad units? What is the future of ad units on mobile and tablets? And, what is the adoption rate by brands and agencies?

To answer these questions, it is important that we have a good understanding of where the industry has come from, where it’s currently at and discover where it’s headed. There is an extremely wide variety of ad units currently out there ranging from video rich media ads all the way through to augmented reality and expandables.

Rich media truly made its mark in 2012, an argument that is strengthened by the success of Celtra. It allows advertisers to house a vast amount of content including video, data capture, swipeable images, and etc. all within a single banner unit. The challenge that we believe rich media now faces is positioning itself as an ad unit instead as an alternative to a mobile optimised site. It’s only a matter of time before every web page becomes optimised for mobile, so does that mean that rich media has a short shelf life? The other format that truly made its mark in 2012 was augmented reality, mainly due to the success of Blippar and its peers. The initial excitement of playing with an augmented reality is, for me, very short lived. I also question the longevity of this format due to the fact that it relies on more traditional forms of advertising in order for the user to get the full benefit, a sentiment I hold QR Codes. To summarise, we believe that the future of mobile ad units will not change dramatically once the industry, as a whole, catches up.

I think standard banners will always rule the mobile advertising space and that the advances within the industry will depend mainly on targeting, re-targeting and optimisation capabilities. However, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t a demand for advanced ad units from the more savvy media agencies. One of the most impressive, yet simple, offerings I’ve seen recently comes from Google with a product that solves the old age problem of the Fat Finger.What we see here is a much more natural evolution of the mobile banner oppose to the genetically mutated versions offered up in the form of rich media and augmented reality. This subtle change to an already well-established format means that the audience will grow to appreciate mobile banners much more instead of getting annoyed with them because they’ve been mistakenly taken away from their content. Another impressive format I have recently come across is a banner with data capture capabilities ideal for on-the-go lead generation.

The obvious benefit for this format is that the user can choose to engage with content they’re interested in but more importantly, the advertiser won’t be paying out for wasted clicks and they get customer data in return. Both of these formats are simply a variation on a theme but they’re highly effective and make for a natural progression to the next generation of mobile banners.

My estimations for the mobile market in 2013 is that all mobile networks will be expected to offer video pre-roll, rich media and banner units as standard. Any surplus to that will help grab the attention of media agencies but, whether or not they commit to spending considerable amounts is yet to be determined. As long as networks can provide sufficient reach, targeting and performance I would say that they will do very well for themselves but then again, it never hurts to stand out, be different and get yourself noticed.

Ad:Tech’s app is a great tool to help attendees navigate any Ad:Tech conference. I found it to be useful, even a week beforehand. The application allowed me to plan my itinerary in advance. I was able to view the conference schedule, along with summaries of planned sessions. After finding an event that interested me, I simply add to my agenda. This feature was a huge time saver because as I had access to all the necessary information combined with an effective integrated planning tool at my fingertips. Upon further exploration, I found a map of the layout for Ad:Tech NYC. The map will surely increase the efficiency of travel time between sessions and stop me getting (too) lost.

I like the application’s reward based social feature and the Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn integration which allows for seamless multichannel updates. The reward based feature lets users earn points, badges, and prizes for being active on the app during the event. To get in on the action, attendees create individual profiles to connect with the Ad:Tech community. Similar to Foursquare, users can check-in to each session, allowing individuals to share their interests and opinions. It enhances virtual dialog cantered on the conference in real-time. You’ll be able to praise and berate speakers and because the app has a full list of names with profile pictures you will be able to recognize them at all the top industry parties.