NFC Forum and WIMA Call for Groundbreaking Entries for "Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012"

January 05, 2012 08:00 AM Eastern Time 

Developers of Creative NFC-Based Solutions Contend for Top Honors at WIMA in Monaco, April 12, 2012

WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The NFC Forum and WIMA today announced a call for entries to Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012, recognizing the development and deployment of innovative and exemplary NFC solutions around the world. Co-sponsored by the NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and WIMA, a worldwide event dedicated to NFC technology, the competition is expected to attract global entries spanning a diverse range of applications and industries.

“We are excited to partner with the NFC Forum in both recognizing and encouraging the development and deployment of innovative NFC solutions throughout the world.”

NFC has already sparked breakthrough innovations in areas such as access control, gaming, healthcare and wellness, hospitality, loyalty, marketing, mobile payment, mobile social media, online banking, pairing of consumer electronics devices, and retail. A key reason for this diversity of applications is NFC's unique ability to operate in three modes: reader/writer, peer-to-peer, and card emulation. Entries in the competition may take advantage of one or more of these operating modes.

Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012 selects the most outstanding NFC solutions in the world with first-place awards in three categories:

• Best Innovative Solution for the entry that uses NFC technology in the most inventive way to address a market, business, or consumer need;
• Best Business Viability for the entry that offers an NFC solution with the most commercial potential;
• Best User Experience for the solution that best leverages the power, ease, and convenience of NFC technology.

The deadline for all entries is 11:59 pm GMT March 5, 2012. A jury composed of senior and recognized professionals and experts from academia and industry will evaluate each entry and select three finalists in each of the above categories. Those nine finalists will be announced on March 19, 2012. Finalists will be invited to the awards ceremony at WIMA in Monaco on April 12, 2012, at which a winner will be announced in each of the above three categories.

In addition to the three awards, all nine finalists will also be judged, and a special award will be given, at the awards ceremony:

• The Audience Award for the solution that receives the most votes from the WIMA audience; the audience award may be selected from among the winners of the other three awards.

First-place winners will receive a Global Competition trophy and all nine finalists will receive a certificate of commendation. The winners will have the opportunity to demonstrate their solutions at the NFC Forum booth at WIMA on April 13, 2012. It is preferred but not required for finalists to attend the WIMA Conference in order to be considered finalists. An entrant may be selected as a finalist or winner in any of the competition categories.

The competition attracts global media attention as well as interest from industry leaders and venture capitalists and the opportunity to share ideas and forge relationships with other leading developers from business and academia.

"The NFC global ecosystem is an abundant source of inventive solutions that bring NFC's power and ease to both new and existing applications," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "We are delighted to partner with WIMA in bringing the best of these services to global attention."

"NFC’s simple user experience and broad applicability make it a tremendously powerful tool for business," said Joanna Merchie, executive director of WIMA. "We are excited to partner with the NFC Forum in both recognizing and encouraging the development and deployment of innovative NFC solutions throughout the world."

Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012 is open to anyone aged 18 or older, and there is no entry fee. To enter, visithttp://www.nfc-forum.org/events/2012_competition/, complete the entry form, and provide the information requested. The competition task force is now accepting entries; all final proposals must be received by 11:59 EST March 5, 2012. For further details or questions about competition rules and entries, write to: competition@nfc-forum.org.

Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012 builds upon the legacy of the NFC Forum Global Competition, which was conducted annually from 2007 to 2010. By changing the competition to a single contest with multiple award categories and eliminating entry fees, the organizers are opening the event to a broader and more diverse range of contestants from around the world.

About WIMA

WIMA is the leading global conference and exhibition held in Monaco and the U.S. exclusively dedicated to NFC applications, products and services and a name of confidence for hundreds of industry companies. The events bring together the entire ecosystem with both transversal and vertical sectors from industry leaders to startups, and from application developers to merchants and service providers spanning a wide variety of industries. WIMA is a catalyst, facilitating networking and information sharing, enabling partnering and business to take place within the NFC industry. More information at: www.wima-nfc.com.

About Near Field Communication Technology

NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.

A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, healthcare, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport.

NFC technology is supported by the world’s leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.

About the NFC Forum

The NFC Forum was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum’s mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum’s 160+ global member companies currently are developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability.

The NFC Forum’s Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Barclaycard, Broadcom Corporation, INSIDE Secure, Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.

Contacts

NFC Forum Public Relations
Ruth Cassidy, +1 617-957-8494
ruth.cassidy@nfc-forum.org
or
WIMA
Perrine Brinkhuis, +377 93 10 40 60
Press Officer
p.brinkhuis@wima.mc

Tabbedout Launches Beta Offers Feature for Austin Consumers

January 05, 2012 08:00 AM Eastern Time 

Tabbedout Offers give easy-to-redeem discounts and specials to consumers using the mobile payment app

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tabbedout, the Austin-based mobile payment solution that enables customers to open, view and pay their bar or restaurant tab with their phone, has launched a new feature that allows users to opt-in for Tabbedout Offers—discounts and specials, like a reduced tab—that will automatically appear in the app. Tabbedout chose to launch the beta version of Tabbedout Offers locally because of Austin’s high number of tech-savvy consumers who are regularly on the forefront of tech adoption and usage, and the strong user base the company already has in its hometown.

“The Tabbedout platform is expanding and connecting to our users on a personal level. In addition to providing the most secure method of payment through their phone, we also want to reward our users with Offers from us, the places they already visit or the ones they want to discover”

Tabbedout Offers is a new way for consumers to save money while having a good time, with minimal effort. When a consumer opens a tab, they will see the Tabbedout Offers available to redeem that day. Tabbedout's unique mobile payment platform allows the user to control their experience by redeeming the Offer and applying the discounts directly to their tab in real-time from their phone. If the user forgets to redeem before paying their tab, the app will send a notice to apply the discounts before final payment is made.

Tabbedout Offers will transform the way consumers utilize Tabbedout – now as both a mobile payment solution and hub for local incentives. The way these Offers are delivered to the consumer, the minimal effort the consumer has to invest and the instant gratification they get makes it unique in the marketplace.

“The Tabbedout platform is expanding and connecting to our users on a personal level. In addition to providing the most secure method of payment through their phone, we also want to reward our users with Offers from us, the places they already visit or the ones they want to discover,” said Rick Orr, Tabbedout CEO. “We chose Austin to test Tabbedout Offers because of the loyalty and acceptance we have experienced with our users, merchants and partners, and couldn’t be more excited to get their feedback before we expand Offers to other markets.”

Tabbedout Offers will enhance the value the app provides its consumer base, but the core of Tabbedout is still mobile payment. Available for free on both iPhone and Android smartphones Tabbedout allows users to store credit or debit card information directly on their phone, encrypted and under passphrase protection, instead of on host servers or in “the cloud.” Consumers are safe from the threat of stolen identity due to lost or forgotten credit cards since they now can open and pay their tab directly from their phone, without handing their payment information to a server. Tabbedout also allows customers to share their experience with friends: the app is socially integrated, allowing users to “check-in” to venues via their Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare accounts without ever leaving the application.

Tabbedout is currently available in nearly 400 locations nationwide – about 50 of those in Austin – and growing daily. For a complete list of Tabbedout locations or to download the app, visit tabbedout.com.

Near Field Communications News

1. 2012 to Take Credentials Mobile ‎ NFCNews - 6 hours ago As credentials expand from cards to phones, increased adoption of mobile features and near field communications will change the way we think of credential ...

2. Nokia drive to highlight NFC benefits ‎ Trade Arabia - 15 hours ago Nokia has announced the launch of its first consumer engagement campaign focusing on educating people about the benefits of using Near Field Communication ...

   NFC World

3. Are We Nearing the End of Cash Payments? ‎ Huffington Post UK (blog) - 11 hours ago As a result NFC (near field communication) technology is lauded as potentially crucial for the payments industry. It has in the past been used to allow ...

4. Apple doesn't fall far from tree ‎ Sydney Morning Herald - 5 hours ago Near-Field Communications (NFC), used with an electronic wallet, may also be in iPhone 5. This depends on chip design and large-scale rollout of NFC ... Rumoured end of 2012 release for iPhone 5‎ FinancialNews.co.uk all 63 news articles »

   Sydney Morning Herald

5. Video: Samsung's Galaxy Nexus battery charging system ‎ GigaOm - 52 minutes ago The spare battery is a duplicate of the one that comes with the handset; same 1850 mAh capacity and Near Field Communications support. ... Samsung announces launch of new smartphones and tablets in Singapore‎VR-Zone Top Tech Products of 2011‎ International Business Times AU 11 Reasons Why Galaxy Nexus Is Better Than iPhone 4S‎ EFYTimes (press release) Planet Insane all 494 news articles »

   IBNLive.com

6. Ericsson: First taste of 4G likely in 2012 ‎ ScandAsia.com - 15 hours ago Mobile payment via Near Field Communications technology would play a key role next year. Read full article in the source link below.

7. Malarie Haven: 'Smartphones' will change how we live ‎ Sand Mountain Reporter - 22 minutes ago Near Field Communication technology, often referred to as NFC, has piqued my interest. I'm not one to keep up with the latest and greatest trends of the ...

8. Corporate Leaders Weigh In On 2012 Technology Trends ‎ Wall Street Journal - 21 minutes ago 2012 is also likely to see smartphones transformed into electronic wallets, thanks in part to a technology known as "near field communication," or NFC, ...

9. Google picks up 200 more patents from IBM ‎ ZDNet UK - 9 hours ago ... such as patents relating to wireless telephone systems, near-field communication (NFC) and availability policies on virtual machines. ... Google calls up IBM yet again to buy some patents, picks up 217 more‎IntoMobile Google grabs yet more patents from IBM war chest‎ Register all 136 news articles »

   BBC News

10. How Will 2012 Look for iPhone, iPad and iPod? ‎ TechLeash - 3 hours ago Near-field communication (NFC) has been rumored to be integrated in the device for a while now, even though the technology isn't really ready to face the ...

UL Expands Global Payment and Security Evaluation Services with Acquisition of Witham Laboratories

UL to support all parties in payment and security industry with leading information and hardware security testing

NORTHBROOK, Ill. and MELBOURNE, Australia, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- UL, a world leader in advancing safety, announced today the acquisition of Melbourne, Australia-based Witham Laboratories, a leading provider of payment card security assessment and advisory services.  By adding Witham Laboratories' global capabilities and expertise in payment terminal, software and infrastructure security, UL can benefit customers throughout the payment card value chain.

As a leading assessor to industry-accepted payment security standards compliance throughout the world, Witham Laboratories helps customers across Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas guard against payment fraud and data theft. The company tests various payment-related software and hardware, including PIN devices, encryption processes and component circuit boards, to ensure data protection and integrity as well as product performance.  It is the only laboratory in the Asia-Pacific region accredited by the Payment Card Industry (PCI) to evaluate PIN Entry Devices for compliance.

"As a company committed to the protection and security of payment data, we are excited to join the world's most trusted name in safety," said Mario Sist, a senior leader at Witham Laboratories.  "UL brings an unmatched standard of scientific rigor and integrity, a far reaching global platform and an aggressive growth strategy for the technology sector." 

The addition of Witham Laboratories accelerates UL fast entry into high growth payment arenas like smart metering, mobile ticketing and a worldwide mobile payments industry that is expected to grow 43 percent annually to $984 billion by 2014.[1]  Their Melbourne facility also extends UL's capabilities locally to an Asia-Pacific region that is projected to become the second largest card payment market in 2016 with US$4.7 trillion in card payment volume.[2]

"Witham Laboratories' people and expertise are unmatched in the industry, which makes for a great fit," said Sajeev Jesudas, President of UL Verification Services. "By adding their back-office capabilities to our smart card and terminal evaluation offerings, we are developing a seamless, end-to-end solution for retailers, banks, gateways and consumers."

Witham Laboratories is the second payment and security testing acquisition in eighteen months to join UL's Verification Services business unit, which provides testing, inspection, and audits to the appliance, high-tech, lighting and retail industries. RFI Global Services Ltd. joined UL as a leading provider of testing, approval and consulting services to the global technology market, providing security evaluation services for smart cards, PIN devices and Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals across the world.

About Witham Laboratories (Witham Pty. Ltd.)

Witham Laboratories provides services to clients around the world, with many years of experience in the detailed review of payment software and hardware security, delivering timely and cost-effective services, expert guidance early in the product design stage, and training in the various complex security standards around the world. During the evaluation process we stay in close contact with our clients, offering real-world knowledge and advice. Our aim is to facilitate understanding of the complex legal and industry requirements that must be met by all manufacturers, distributors and users of payment devices or applications.  Additional information about Witham Laboratories may be found at withamlabs.com.

About UL

UL is a premier global independent safety science company with more than 117 years of history.  Employing more than 9,000 professionals in over 100 countries, UL has five distinct business units -- Product Safety, Environment, Life & Health, University and Verification Services – to meet the expanding needs of our customers and to deliver on our public safety mission.  Additional information about UL may be found at UL.com.

[1] Yankee Group, "A View from the Trenches: What Consumers Think of Mobile Transactions", Feb. 2011

[2] Research & Markets, "Assessing the Payment Landscape in Asia Pacific", Oct. 2011

InteliSpend's New Expense Visa® Prepaid Card Helps Businesses Streamline Expense Management and Control Costs

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions™ is today announcing its new Expense Visa Prepaid Card, designed to help companies better manage corporate spending and streamline administration for business expenses. The Expense Visa Prepaid Card offers spending limits, transactional reports and is supported by InteliSpend's program management options that range from self-service to a fully customizable solution. InteliSpend brings more than a decade of expertise in thebusiness-to-business prepaid industry to expense management.

According to a March 2011 report from the Aberdeen Group, companies that automate their expense management processes showed a 63 percent cost reduction rate over competitors and a 42 percent higher rate of compliance with corporate travel policies.

A custom expense and cash management solution, the Expense Visa Prepaid Card can be used as an alternative to traditional corporate cards or to augment current corporate card programs. Using DirectSpend,^® InteliSpend's patented process, spending on the Expense Visa Prepaid Card can be limited by industry and merchant. In addition, any unused money preloaded to the card can be returned back to the sponsoring company.

"Keeping a tight rein on spending is a business necessity. With our new Expense Visa Prepaid Card, we have created a solution that gives companies a better way to manage cash expenses with built-in features that allow for the return of unused funds back to the funding company at any time,"  said Darryl Hutson, CEO of InteliSpend. "Detailed reports that show you where your expense dollars are going and the Visa brand which is known around the world, make  this new option a real value for our customers as they search for ways to keep a handle on spending."

The Expense Visa Prepaid Card can improve spending control whether companies are providing funds for corporate travel, per diem, relocation, training, entertainment or other business purposes.

Expense Visa Prepaid Card Features

Acceptance restrictionsDirectSpend, a patented process, ensures corporate funds are spent appropriately by enabling companies to determine where they can be spent and where they can't. Companies can limit by industry and merchant.

Prepaid optionsCards can be issued for a set amount or reloaded over time, and unspent funds can be returned to the sponsoring company. Optional ATM feature with withdrawal limits.

Transactional reportsStandard reports provide access to detailed transactions at the individual card level. Companies can monitor spending, ensure proper use of funds, and streamline administration by eliminating the need to turn in receipts.

Card optionsCards are available with standard plastic or can be co-branded or fully customized to match company or program goals.

Additional features include standard 12-month predenominated, 24-month reloadable or variable expiration options and domestic or international fulfillment.

For more information on InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions, visit www.intelispend.com.

Elavon Introduces MobileMerchant for Small Businesses on the Go

Image via Wikipedia

January 04, 2012 04:00 AM Eastern Time 

Innovative Solution Turns Smartphone into Chip & PIN Payment Device

WATFORD, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elavon, a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) and a leading global payments provider, has introduced Elavon MobileMerchant, an innovative, affordable and secure payment solution that effectively transforms mobile devices into terminals, allowing small businesses to accept payments quickly and securely anywhere, anytime. The solution is currently running as part of a pilot programme in the UK, with full production availability scheduled for March.

“Our goal is to make payment acceptance easy for all businesses, regardless of type, size or acceptance environment.”

Elavon MobileMerchant combines the ease of using a mobile phone for payments, with an affordable, easy-to-understand rate programme, making it the ideal solution for small businesses on the go. The App is downloaded onto the merchant’s existing smartphone, and a Bluetooth-connected Chip and PIN device securely captures and encrypts card data, ensuring that no information is stored in the smartphone. Receipts are sent to the customer via email or text message. The solution meets all the current UK banking requirements, so as to protect both cardholders and merchants from fraud, abuse and chargebacks.

“Elavon has responded to the call for innovation by delivering a convenient and secure solution that makes payment processing accessible to a new class of customers,” said Simon Haslam, president of International Markets at Elavon. “Our goal is to make payment acceptance easy for all businesses, regardless of type, size or acceptance environment.”

Many types of mobile businesses such as tradespeople, repair or delivery companies, market traders and personal service providers, such as beauticians and photographers, can confidently accept Chip and PIN payments on their mobile phone, and their customers are no longer limited to cash on hand. Elavon MobileMerchant currently operates on Blackberry and Android smartphones and tablets.

In early 2011, Elavon released VirtualMerchant Mobile in North America. The solution turns smartphones and tablets into mobile payment acceptance devices and supports card readers that securely encrypt data before any information is sent to the phone. It runs on the company’s successful VirtualMerchant hosted payment gateway solution.

New Mobile App Gives Fiserv Clients On-the-Go Convenience

Image via Wikipedia

January 04, 2012 12:56 PM Eastern Time 

Immediate access to production, delivery and inventory information

BROOKFIELD, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, has expanded access to WC3^®, its Web client control center, to include smartphones.

“With the mobile app, clients don’t have to fire up their laptop computers to check an order, they simply log onto WC3 from their phones. We’ve taken the user experience to the next level.”

WC3 is a sophisticated, web-based tool that enables Fiserv clients to compose document messages at the individual level, manage document content and monitor production status for products including statements, EOBs and credit, debit and prepaid cards. With the WC3 mobile application, Fiserv clients can now monitor and manage production and delivery information including job status, special handling requests, inventory volumes and usage, and mail dates from the convenience of their smartphone.

“Clients appreciate being able to get immediate updates on the production of their customer communications– even when out of the office,” said Jorge Diaz, president, Output Solutions, Fiserv. “With the mobile app, clients don’t have to fire up their laptop computers to check an order, they simply log onto WC3 from their phones. We’ve taken the user experience to the next level.”

The WC3 mobile application works with the majority of the most popular smartphones, including iPhone^®/iPad^®, Blackberry^® Torch^TM, Android^TM and Windows^® Phone. To ensure compatibility, mobile access is provided through a secure URL.

The mobile application syncs to the client’s desktop, so changes made using one access tool, will be reflected on the other. Clients can also designate “favorites” to quickly access certain files and actions. Overall, the mobile app enables clients to stay connected and keep projects moving from the convenience of their smart phones.

Discover U.S. Spending MonitorSM Consumer Confidence Remains Steady in December

Image via CrunchBase

January 04, 2012 07:00 AM Eastern Time 

Consumers’ Views About the Economy and Their Finances Are Improving While Post-Holiday Spending Intentions Fall

RIVERWOODS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consumer confidence remained fairly consistent in December, as consumers viewed the economy and their finances as improving, but consumers are heading into the New Year with conservative spending intentions according to the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor. The Monitor, a 4-year-old daily poll tracking economic confidence and spending intentions of nearly 8,200 consumers throughout the month, recorded a 1.3-point decline from the previous month to 85.0 percent.

More than 23 percent of consumers felt economic conditions were getting better in December, a rise of more than 4 points from November. Similarly, those who believe economic conditions were getting worse declined by nearly 2 points from November to 53 percent.

The percentage of consumers who rate the economy as poor dropped 3 points from last month to 58 percent. While only 9 percent of consumers rate the economy as good or excellent, a 1-point increase from November.

Views of Personal Finances Improve

Consumer sentiment toward their personal finances improved from last month as well.

• 33 percent of consumers rate their personal finances as good or excellent and 24 percent rate their personal finances as poor, unchanged from November.
• Consumers believing their personal finances are getting better increased for the fourth consecutive month to 19 percent, up 1 point compared to November. The percent of consumers who believe their personal finances are getting worse declined to 49 percent, down nearly 2 points from November and the first time this number has been below 50 percent in seven months.

With Less Money Left Over, Consumers Plan to Pull Back on Spending Next Month

Consistent with previous Monitor reports around the holidays, fewer consumers expect to have money left over after they finish paying their monthly bills. Accordingly, they plan to cut back next month on spending.

• 45 percent of consumers expect to have money left over after paying monthly bills, a 3-point decrease from November.

• Nearly 29 percent of consumers who expect to have money left over anticipate that they will have less money left over after they finish paying their monthly bills than they did last month. This is a 6-point increase from November.

• Consumers planning to spend less in the next month more than doubled, rising from 15 percent in November to 31 percent in December.

Consumers’ Plans For Discretionary Spending Are Conservative

Consumers are heading into 2012 with lower discretionary spending intentions as well.

• Consumers planning to spend less on discretionary entertainment expenses, such as going out to dinner or the movies, increased by 3 points to 48 percent in December and those planning to spend the same or more in this category declined 2 points from November to 49 percent in December.
• Consumers planning to spend less on major personal purchases, such as a vacation, increased by 2 points to 47 percent for the month. Forty-nine percent plan to spend the same or more on this category, which is at the same level as in November.
• On home improvement purchases, 50 percent of consumers planned to spend less in the month ahead, up 2 points; 45 percent plan to spend the same or more, down more than 2 points from November.

Related articles

• Discover Releases November 2011 U.S. Spending Monitor (epaymentnews.blogspot.com)

comScore Reports November 2011 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

Posted January 3, 2012

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending November 2011. The study surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 25.6 percent market share. Google Android continued to capture share in the smartphone market to reach 46.9 percent market share.

OEM Market Share

For the three-month average period ending in November, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 25.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 0.3 percentage points), followed by LG with 20.5 percent share and Motorola with 13.7 percent share. Apple strengthened its position at #4 with 11.2 percent share of total mobile subscribers (up 1.4 percentage points), while RIM rounded out the top five with 6.5 percent share.

Top Mobile OEMs 3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Aug-11	Nov-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Samsung	25.3%	25.6%	0.3
LG	21.0%	20.5%	-0.5
Motorola	14.0%	13.7%	-0.3
Apple	9.8%	11.2%	1.4
RIM	7.1%	6.5%	-0.6

Smartphone Platform Market Share

91.4 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in November, up 8 percent from the preceding three month period. Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 46.9 percent market share, up 3.1 percentage points from the prior three-month period. Apple maintained its #2 position, growing 1.4 percentage point to 28.7 percent of the smartphone market. RIM ranked third with 16.6 percent share, followed by Microsoft (5.2 percent) and Symbian (1.5 percent).

Top Smartphone Platforms 3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2011 Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
	Aug-11	Nov-11	Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Google	43.8%	46.9%	3.1
Apple	27.3%	28.7%	1.4
RIM	19.7%	16.6%	-3.1
Microsoft	5.7%	5.2%	-0.5
Symbian	1.8%	1.5%	-0.3

Mobile Content Usage

In November, 72.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, up 2.1 percentage points. Downloaded applications were used by 44.9 percent of subscribers (up 3.3 percentage points), while browsers were used by 44.4 percent (up 2.3 percentage points). Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 2.1 percentage points to 33.0 percent of mobile subscribers. Game-playing was done by 29.7 percent of the mobile audience (up 1.2 percentage points), while 21.7 percent listened to music on their phones (up 1.0 percentage points).

Mobile Content Usage 3 Month Avg. Ending Nov. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Aug. 2011 Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+ Source: comScore MobiLens
	Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
	Aug-11	Nov-11	Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers	100.0%	100.0%	N/A
Sent text message to another phone	70.5%	72.6%	2.1
Used downloaded apps	41.6%	44.9%	3.3
Used browser	42.1%	44.4%	2.3
Accessed social networking site or blog	30.9%	33.0%	2.1
Played Games	28.5%	29.7%	1.2
Listened to music on mobile phone	20.7%	21.7%	1.0

About MobiLens
MobiLens data is derived from an intelligent online survey of a nationally representative sample of mobile subscribers age 13 and above. Data on mobile phone usage refers to a respondent's primary mobile phone and does not include data related to a respondent's secondary device.

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital business analytics. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

Read more: comScore Reports November 2011 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share - FierceMobileContent http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/press-releases/comscore-reports-november-2011-us-mobile-subscriber-market-share?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal#ixzz1iQ0YWgMb
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