Mogees, a mobile billing start-up, yesterday announced that it plans to release an SDK Beta for Android. Beyond its open platform, key to driving innovation in Android will be consumer-friendly billing/payment mechanisms that reward/incent developers. Billing for Mogees include credit card and Paypal account, which are relatively new payment mechanisms for mobile consumers. The vast majority of mobile content purchases appear on consumers' wireless carrier bills. As long as it is secure, and easy (tightly integrated into the purchase process), I suspect that consumers will not have a problem with it. Also, because the carrier will not be a part of the billing/payment process, the business model looks to be more favorable to the developer, as reported by MocoNews.

MetaTXT, the first mobile search engine optimization standard, has gained the support of 10 mobile advertising networks and search engines including Abphone, Bango, JumpTap, Taptu, MCN, Medio, Mobilytics, Nubiq, RingRing Media and Visibility Mobile, who have banded together to form a working group to further the standard.

With 1,000 mobile sites using it already, metaTXT enhances mobile search by indexing all types of mobile sites together, whether they're m.name.com, wap.name.com, name.com/mobile or mobi. This, the group says, helps brands gain more mobile awareness.

Details on how to use metaTXT are available in a white paper. More info on the standard itself can be found on the group's blog at www.mobileseonews.com.

While countless companies are announcing layoffs and other cost-cutting measures, mobile video tech start-up Azuki Systems has put out the word that it's managing to not only survive, but flourish, despite the flagging economy.

Sure, it can be considered bragging, but since it launched in June, Azuki has doubled its office space, upped its headcount from 25 to 40 and launched its MashMedia Platform into pilot programs with several media outlets including WheelsTV and Boston.TV.

Last month Azuki unveiled its ClickZoom technology, which converts mobile video into snack-sized chapters and creates more opportunities for targeted in-video advertising.

New additions on the employee front include Andy Roberts as VP of advanced technology, Mark Basler as VP of business development and Dan Carney as VP of operations.

Apptera, which operates a voice and visual mobile ad network, just completed a $10.5 million funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alloy Ventures and Walden International.

The money will go towards growing the company's MobileAd Exchange network, which it says serves millions of ads per month and is growing at a triple-digit rate.

Additionally, Apptera named former Yahoo SVP of sales David Karnstedt to its board of directors.

VideoEgg has extended its video and rich-media ad network to mobile phones with something called AdFrames.

Initially available for the iPhone, AdFrames is a performance-based offering that supports opt-in expandable video and rich-media ads. The idea behind AdFrames it to help advertisers extend their brand to mobile in a way that will keep consumers interested and entertained.

With the launch of AdFrames, VideoEgg will offer ad distribution across mobile applications and Web pages on the iPhone. The plan is to eventually add support for additional mobile platforms and devices.

Nikon has already signed on to use AdFrames to promote its CoolPix and D90 cameras.

Check out a demo of AdFrames in the video below.

VideoEgg AdFrames for Mobile from troy young on Vimeo.

PNC Financial Services Group is adding to its mobile banking services with technology from ClairMail.

The ClairMail System, which the company describes as enabling 2-way mobile phone-based customer interaction, is a modular system that takes advantage of the SMS functionality built into nearly every handset. This means that PNC customers can access their accounts from their cell phones - regardless of the make, model, OS or carrier.

PNC is also adding text alerts for such things as account security overdraft notification and other events.

ClairMail says it processes millions of mobile banking transactions every month and sees more than a dozen transactions per user per month.

Read a great column today by Steve Smith in Mobile Insider. In it he highlights the challenges (cultural, business models) in bringing together two very different worlds, mobile technology and media. He also brings in some interesting observations from his discussions with COO of billing tech provider Transverse.

YES, in this new mobile media landscape it is "Not Mobile Customers, But Mobile Audiences." Remains to be seen how quickly the mobile (carrier) world can recalibrate and move towards this vision; or else potentially lose-out on monetization opportunities.

CitySearch, an online local guide, today launched in Beta its new Mobile by CitySearch. New mobile functionality includes ability to post reviews from mobile phones and ability to share business listings via text-to-phone capabilities. The new site is also supposed to improve the mobile browsing experience, including enabling an optimized, personalized experience based upon the device type (key attributes, content layout, keystrokes and navigation). In mobile, the ability to maximize the UI based upon the individual user's device type is really key. Quality content and integration with the user's location information will also be key to driving a superior local mobile search experience.

Quattro Wireless is growing its presence north of the border in a major way. The mobile ad network has scored Canadian broadcaster CTV as a customer, and already has one mobile Web site, for the company's TSN sports network, live and kicking.

TSN Mobile takes the best content from TSN.ca and combines it with mobile-specific programming to create a full-blown mobile sports channel, according to Quattro Wireless VP of business development Lars Albright.

CTV is using Quattro's full suite of services, including site building, the advertising platform, ad sales and analytics and tracking functionality. Quattro's mobile Web technology can take wired Web content, dynamically configure it for mobile viewing and deliver the best version for any type of Web-enabled phone.

According to Albright, TSN only launched earlier this month and has already seen millions of impressions. It also got Cadillac as a premier advertiser. TSN is only the first of a number of planned mobile sites Quattro is deploying for CTV. Future sites include Much Music, MTV Canada and CTV's news site, although no formal deployment schedule has been set.

SinglePoint, the company behind hundreds of mobile-driven interactive TV campaigns, has snagged a spot on Deloitte's 2008 Technology Fast 500 list. The ranking is based on revenue growth from 2003-07. Falling in at number 376, SinglePoint grew 361% over the past five years.

The Seattle-based firm also holds 20th place on the Washington Technology Fast 50, a ranking of the fastest-growing tech outfits in Washington State.

Rich Begert, SinglePoint's CEO, said the company's growth is a result of more consumers wanting to receive text alerts on topics they find interesting as well as increased advertiser adoption of mobile campaigns to build customer loyalty.

According to Begert, SinglePoint's technology delivers millions of text messages for interactive TV shows and standalone text message alert campaigns through partnerships with all US mobile operators. And with its new SingleBrand advertising system, companies can insert "targeted advertising into these millions of text messages for more revenue-generating opportunities," he said.

(Image credit: Jupiterimages Unlimited)

NYC & Company, which markets New York City to boost tourism, has launched a new phase of its Just Ask the Locals tourist appreciation campaign - and extended it to mobile phones for the first time.

In this, the third phase of the campaign that launched in August 2007, local NYC celebrities and experts offer insider tips on what to see and do throughout the city. Now, in addition to the insider tips appearing on bus shelters, taxi monitors, street pole banners and such, visitors can get real-time mobile event info by texting "TODAY" to NYCGO (69246). The campaign also encompasses 80 exclusive offers for dining, shopping and entertainment venues available to folks using their American Express Card.

Since August and running through the holiday season, UPS has been leveraging mobile to recruit driver assistants and shippers nationwide. Run for UPS by recruitment marketer TMP International, the hiring efforts integrate mobile calls to action with traditional print and outdoor media. After opting-in via text messaging ("UPSJobs" to #95495) applicants with WAP-enabled or video-capable phones can potentially fill-out an application on the fly or watch videos, whereas those with just text are prompted to send their email addresses for further contact.

Mobile when integrated smartly with traditional media can achieve desired and measureable results. What is interesting from the early results of the campaign, as reported by Marketing Daily, is that low-end, feature phones (with text messaging capabilities only) are prevalent among those who opted-in. Despite this, the campaign was still successful in text to email participation. No doubt the sluggish economy and rising unemployment rate also played a role in driving participation.

Agreement among the carriers around best practices is really key to making the mobile channel attractive to marketers. As reported by Mickey Alam Khan in Mobile Marketer, T-Mobile is the last of the Tier 1 carriers to get on board and drop double opt-in for standard rate SMS campaigns. Prior to getting on-board with other carriers, T-Mobile customers were required to jump through an extra hoop after opting-in to standard rate text messaging campaigns. This meant that mobile marketers were potentially going to have to educate the T-Mobile customer differently about engagement or risk losing their participation entirely.

All in all, this is good news for mobile marketers. Now we just have to wait and see what Verizon Wireless does with its planned SMS MT rate hike and how that impacts the ecosystem. See mediabistro's "What's Up with Verizon Wireless' Plans to Raise its MT Text Messaging Fees?" for more.

Just wondering if the iPhone frenzy will ever stop. AdMob's latest October metrics report show that the iPhone effect is in full force. See mediabistro's "iPhone Now Top Smartphone for Browsing: AdMob," for more details. This and other recent surveys from TNS Compete, global carriers, among others, demonstrate that the iPhone user is the gold standard for mobile engagement in apps and advertising.

Launched yesterday on AT&T's Media Mall, the "VH1 Watch and Discuss Live Chat" mobile IM application is an example of how media companies are looking to integrate mobile with traditional media and leverage key community elements. The downloadable app from Mobui lets VH1 viewers chat real-time with friends, other viewers and on-air talent/hosts via a number of different programming-specific, user-defined and celebrity chat rooms. Mobile elements also include viral SMS send to a friend functionality.

The app as I see it has lots of challenges, including limited distribution via AT&T and the price point. The app costs $7.99 for a one-time download or $2.99 monthly. If the utility of the app is partially tied to traditional media consumption, then I will be near my computer with access to (free) online chat/IM services. This may translate into limited utility and willingness to pay. Just wondering if I'm missing something on the use cases in mobile.