Adding Functionality to your Existing Mobile Device - One Accessory At A Time - Erik Moreno-MCV

One of the wellnoticed developments with the iPhone 5 was the change from the quotold faithfulquot 30pin dock connector to the new 8pin quotlightningquot connector Making a change like this in an existing ecosystem is kind of like ripping off the BandAid after a cut is healed it39s never an ideal time but once it39s done it39s doneThe initial change and associated irritation will dissipate but it highlights an interesting and important development in the mobile ecosystem the accessory market is playing an increasingly important role And it is a significant growth area for the mobile businessMobile accessory revenues are also up 32 percent for the first half of 2012 and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soonWe too have selfinterest in this accessory market Dyle39s partners are making offboard atscmh tuner accessories that enable users to receive over the air TV signals live on their mobile devices without having to worry about their mobile data capsThe EyeTV Mobile accessory a TV tuner for iOS devices connects directly to the dock connector on devices and receives TV signals from a miniature antenna to live broadcast programming including localnational news and sports and entertainment contentThe EyeTV doesn39t use WiFi or cellphone data connections Instead it uses its pullout antenna to detect the signals that networks like NBC Fox and Telemundo are broadcasting from their TV towers Eventually accessories like the EyeTV will be able to develop a realtime map of where consumers are able to receive broadcast signalsIn addition to the EyeTV Mobile accessory of course customfashion cases and covers are one important part of the story as well With a standard size device eg iPhone selling huge volumes these adornments can help consumers personalize these devices with a sense of their own styleBut we think there is also a bigger trend happening beyond the fashion market Mobile accessories that pair up with dedicated apps help consumers and businesses take better advantage of their smartphones A smartphone is a powerful nimble computer that is always on and always available But it doesn39t always have every feature a consumer might needIn order to meet design size or cost requirements a device maker has to be ruthless in prioritizing what components it adds to a smartphone The result is that a lot of the quoton boardquot innovation is around improving existing basic capabilities faster clock speeds better screens more megapixels and better audio These innovations are oneword marketing magnets that are proven to move more unitsThis means that features that are new or niche such as near field communication NFC health monitors payment systems sensors or TV tuners don39t always make it into the main device This is where accessories become an essential part of the mobile ecosystem giving consumers a way to take advantage of the availability and computing power of their smartphonesOne class of devices in this new wave of accessories enable consumers to connect to ambient signals and data For example my Wahoo heart rate monitor connects to my iPhone via bluetooth I am able to sync my heart rate with my fitness app that calculates in real time exactly how many calories I am burning while I run Looking at my smartphone app I can determine in real time whether I will be able to have the India pale ale with dinner or if I will need to stick with waterAnother category of accessories is in the payments sector instead of spending hundreds of dollars for a dedicated reader small businesses can use new mobile accessories as credit card readers Square and Intuit help businesses to accept and process creditdebit cards these readers take a fairly rudimentary data set the credit card swipe and enable it to be input into more sophisticated customer management tools at the point of sale No longer does the retail sales person need to anchor themselves at the register they can enable transactions from anywhere in the storeAnd then there is also gaming While there are many dedicated portable gaming devices as well as a myriad of gaming apps available to consumers the iCade Mobile accessory from ION is incredibly unique The accessory snaps on to your iPhone or iPod Touch device offering the user additional gaming controls complete with buttons that enhance the gaming experience that touch screens sometimes cannot provide The iCade Mobile works with hundreds of games and apps and provides fresh new thinking to the phrase quotmobile gamingquotThese are just a few examples of the accessories that are making mobile devices even more usefulErik I Moreno serves as Senior Vice President Corporate Development for Fox Networks Group a division of News Corporation where he is responsible for identifying new business and strategic opportunities as well as work on acquisitions and joint ventures MundoFox Broadcast Network hulu JV MySpace Music JV Mobile Content Venture JV Mr Moreno is also CoGeneral Manager of the Mobile Content Venture MCV a joint venture of 12 broadcasters that are working to deliver live digital television to mobile devices in the United StatesCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Adding Functionality to your Existing Mobile Device - One Accessory At A Time - Erik Moreno-MCV

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