Season's Greetings from everyone at MEF!

Distimo report highlights growth of in-app billing

Distimo, the leading mobile app analytics company, has today released its reports examining the movers and shakers for the year in each of the major mobile app stores across several territories. The reports contain a huge amount of data from the whole year covering Apple's App stores for the iPhone and iPad, Android marketplace, BlackBerry's App World, Windows Phone Marketplace, Nokia Ovi Store, and the Amazon Appstore.

The key findings from the reports are:

1. In all appstores the proportion of free applications surged significantly over the past year. In most appstores the average price of all apps decreased and the most popular applications are also cheaper than last year.

2. As publishers appear to be increasingly shunning one-off fees for their apps, in-app purchases in particular have emerged from several business models as the method of choice for app monetization.

3. The reports identify significant regional variations in download volumes with some regions exhibiting spectacular growth, while in other markets in-app purchases have take the fore as the main monetization method. The full reports contain complete details on download volumes and revenue details for all regions.

To download the reports in full, head over to the Distimo website - one report costs €699 for a single user license with concessions available for purchasing multiple territory reports.

MEF members can enjoy 15% off the cost of each - contact us for more information.

MEF Americas 2011 in Pictures

We've talked a lot about MEF's annual mobile content and commerce gathering MEF Americas 2011 over recent months, and with good reason. Not only was it a hugely successful event with keynotes from the likes of Nokia, Sprint and Coca-Cola, and delegates representing both North America and LatAm from across the value chain - it was also set amid the fabulous Fontainebleau resort, Miami beach, which was definitely a canny choice of venue judging by these fantastic snaps.

Enjoy this year's MEF Americas photo gallery - and let us know if you were there in the comments!

MEF North America GM is one of Mobile Marketer’s Mobile Women to Watch in 2012

Congratulations to Marjorie DeHey Daleo, our North American General Manager, who has been featured in Mobile Marketer’s prestigious “Mobile Women to watch in 2012” list!

The leading mobile news outlet produces its list each year as a celebration of the talented women likely to make a major difference in mobile advertising, marketing, media and commerce in the year ahead.

In the article, Marjorie talks about her role at MEF and the challenges and priorities for next year;

"For 2012, my priorities are growing MEF’s mcommerce initiative and creating more content distribution opportunities for my clients. MEF’s mcommerce initiative is at the forefront of the industry as we have partnered with ASC X9, the U.S. technical group that develops financial industry standards, to develop privacy and security standards for mcommerce."

Many congratulations to Marjorie on this great achievement , and indeed all of the other execs shortlisted, many of whom hail from MEF member companies – you can read the entire feature on Mobile Marketer.

You can find out more about MEF North America and its initiatives on the MEF website.

MEF TV : Global Chair Andrew Bud at MEF Americas 2011

In the first of our interviews filmed at MEF Americas 2011: Mobile Content and Commerce recently held in Miami, MEF Global Chair and the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for mBlox, Andrew Bud speaks to Ben Smith of Tribal Labs for MEF TV.

Andrew outlines the key themes of MEF Americas 2011's keynotes from Nokia, Coca-Cola and Sprint on app localisation, the innovative ways of using mobile to engage with consumers, 'the unbanked' and mobile commerce, noting we are in the midst of a time of great innovation and disruption.

He goes on to share his thoughts on how trust, privacy and respect are common global themes and talks about the role of MEF has to play in representing all the participants across the mobile channel. Of key importance, he highlights the need for knowledge sharing between regions, particularly regarding the future of mobile payments and the complex issues involved in ensuring they are sufficiently robust to safeguard the future of mobile commerce.

Checkout MEF TV for more videos from MEF Americas, and stay tuned for featured videos coming soon.

MEF Middle East Webinar – HTML5 vs Native Apps

Topic: HTML5 vs. Native Apps in defining mobile application strategies

Date: Wednesday 14th December

Time: 14:00 (UAE)

Join us next week for a MEF Middle east webinar discussion examining the different approaches to mobile applications afforded by HTML5 and native applications.

Register Now

There has been increased discussion around HTML5 in recent months prompting content publishers to question and rethink their mobile application strategies. While many tend to revert to building native apps as a tried and tested solution, there is another camp supporting HTML5 development due to the benefits provided by an immediate cross OS platform.

During this topical MEF ME Webinar, expert panellists will explore the differences, positives and negatives of both native apps and HTML5 in the development of mobile application strategies, providing insights into the issues of security and privacy of both platforms, as well as discussing their potential profitability and overall consumer experience.

Confirmed speakers for this free MEF webinar include;

• Eric Morhenn, Director of Strategic Alliances - Qtel Group

• Terence Eden, Developer Community Manager - InMobi

• Dr. Adel Al-Hezmi, Solution Architect - QUWIC

• Moderator - David Ashford, investor, consultant and formerly GM of AppsArabia.

Check out the MEF website for more information, or contact the MEF Middle East General Manager, George Daaboul directly.

Sign up for the Webinar

Download your free copy of the Netsize Guide 2011

MEF is pleased to again be official partner for the Netsize Guide 2011.

Download your free copy now!

The Netsize Guide is the comprehensive work of reference on the state of mobile technology and its impact on business and society. This, the 10th edition, brings you 220 pages packed with thought leadership material, in-depth market analysis, interviews with industry leaders and case studies as well as a wealth of mobile telecommunications data. The guide also features an overview of the challenges facing M-commerce from MEF Executive Director, Rimma Perelmuter who discusses how MEF is tackling these issues though its global initiatives.

This year’s edition explores three key themes that drive the future of mobile: Transaction, Transformation and Trust.

• Transaction - How we've come to rely on mobile devices for commerce from researching products to making purchases.
• Transformation - How mobile devices are increasingly driving content, communications and connectivity.
• Trust - How we now require simple, transparent services and devices we can trust.

The guide also features:

• 14 interviews with industry senior executives at leading companies including; ARM, Atlas Premium Brands, BNP Paribas, CMO Council, The Coca-Cola Company, Gameloft, GlobalPlatform, Informa Telecom & Media, Millennial Media, SingTel, Texas Instruments, Trusted Logic and Yahoo
• Mobile telecommunications market data, app and mobile device usage (including tablets and smartphones) and social media statistics covering 41 countries, from Informa Telecom & Media, comScore and SocialBakers.
• A wealth of companion links to online reports, research and market analysis.