Google is getting one step closer to dominating mobile contextual advertising much like it did on the traditional Web with the launch of a public beta for its new AdSense for mobile apps solution.

Aimed at providing both contextual and graphical ads for apps running on both the iPhone and Android platforms, AdSense for mobile apps is taking on niche mobile ad networks such as AdMob and Greystripe who have been serving up ads in mobile applications for quite some time now- AdMob, in particular, has done very well thus far.

The solution will work similar to Google’s other AdSense products and will display ads based on keywords, demographics and location.  In addition, advertisers can also directly bid for placement in certain apps.  The application developer can even determine the positioning and appearance of any ad displayed in their app, and can filter out any un-wanted ads if they desire.

At the moment, the public beta is limited to apps that garner a minimum of 100,000 daily pageviews, which is a small number of apps, but should be released to the masses shortly.

This is significant only because of the vast reach Google already has, as well as the fact that it will be easily integrated into Google’s other AdSense solutions.  Although it’s separate now, when marketers can check mobile apps as part of their overall AdSense campaigns, there should be a lot more bidding for those mobile ad spots within iPhone and Android apps, which will also increase the bid amounts and make the overall task of advertising within mobile applications much more streamlined.

As it stands right now, Google already has more advertisers than any other startup that’s deemed their competition (AdMob), and the solution hasn’t even launched yet.  With that kind of inventory integrated within Google’s already vast AdSense/AdWords networks, the launch will undoubtedly be a game-changer.

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For being such a behemoth in the advertising world, Google has been a bit slow at launching mobile-versions of their platforms- most importantly, AdSense for mobile.

AdSense for mobile was launched, in its basic form, back in September of 2007.  Now, the search giant has finally added to its offerings and launched AdSense for mobile search- which should appease mobile publishers and webmasters that have been waiting a long time for the addition. 

AdSense for search allows mobile publishers to embed a Google search box on their mobile site, just like they would for traditional websites.  Search result pages are hosted by Google, and these pages can be customized with your logo, and custom footer links.  Site owners make commissions on clicks generated from ads alongside search results.  This method has been very popular, and lucrative, for traditional web publishers, so hopefully its success will extend to mobile as well.

The service is still in beta testing, so if you hurry, you can sign up here.  Some select users that sign up for the beta by February 13th may even receive an invite to a private information session held by Google about the new Adsense for mobile search solution at Mobile World Congress.

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Google has had some problems with its SMS search service recently with January proving to be very problematic for its users, but last night was the icing on the cake.

Starting about 8:30pm EST and lasting for nearly 4 hours, the service inadvertently sent dozens of SMS messages over and over to hundreds, if not thousands of its users. The forums and Google support quickly lit up with unhappy users who couldn’t stop the barrage of messages from Google.

Google responded quickly, but blamed it on the SMS aggregator it uses at first- the aggregator has been the source of all the problems with SMS search since the beginning of the year. Google posted a suggestion for users to contact their mobile carriers and have them reset their SMS settings, and if that didn’t work they suggested users have their carriers block Google’s shortcode for the time being.

Finally, at around 12:40am EST this morning Google fixed the problem and posted this message on its user forum explaining what happened: Read the rest

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It has been a long time since I’ve found myself frustrated by using Google for searching. Kind of like breathing, finding what I need on Google is something I take for granted. But using Google on mobile is just plain frustrating to me. Let me explain with an example: Read the rest

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One open mobile operating system. Three thousand programmers. Ten minutes.

That just about sums up Google’s brief but compelling Wednesday debut of Android,� the open mobile operating system that has rallied numerous handset makers, cellular service providers, and software developers.

Most of Android’s features seemed predicated on touch-screen technology, though tracker-ball technology is also compatible. These include:
* Navigating around images of a street, thanks to a “compass mode” and Google Maps.
* The ability to lock/unlock a device by swiping a special pattern across the screen.
* A “zoom” mode that helps users magnify Web content on their small phone screens.
* A mobile version of the video game classic Pac-Man.

Savvy marketers are watching Android closely. Keeping the system open means that any developer will be able to create programs for it–and the best, most in-demand apps will prevail. That bigwigs and small fry alike are rallying ’round Android means that developers’ efforts won’t be for naught. All this, proponents say, will lead the way to standardization of technology across virtually all mobiles (currently Windows Mobile, Symbian, and innumerable flavors of Linux fragment most of the market). In turn, marketers will be able to leverage mobile tech like never before.
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A funny thing about Google’s mobile search service, called Google SMS, which lets people find businesses by texting� names and locations to a short code: Those who know about it utilize it constantly and really love it; but passionate as they are,� users are still a minority among cell phone owners.

The dichotomy occurred to me this week after reading several reports indicating mobile search is becoming the hot new space–for investors, tech behemoths, and consumers alike. Seems everyone likes the idea of mobile search even if they don’t utilize it much themselves. While Google’s service is free� and gets the job done,� many others are seeking ways to improve, leverage, and monetize mobile search.
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Jeffrey Sharkey has won the Google Developer’s challenge, and $25,000 for his “Scan” Android application. The main purpose of the app is to find pricing and metadata info from anything with a barcode, such as CD’s, books, and other products.

We’ve seen this technology in the past, but nothing that uses the power of Android to accomplish it. The features are quite impressive, and as I’ve always said, it took a platform like Android to really open up the feature-set to make barcode-recognition a mainstream possibility. Here’s some of the features of the new app;

• Automatic barcode recognition using onboard phone camera using ZXing
• Shows CD, DVD, or book cover along with detailed reviews from Amazon.com
• Searches over a dozen stores, both online and brick+mortar
• Highlights brick+mortar stores that are nearby, with option to call the store or get directions
• Links to online storefronts to buy online from the phone
• Track-listing for CDs, along with option to play sample tracks right on phone
• For books, searches local libraries to see if they have a copy

There’s a video demo of the app in action here. The most impressive features are the fact that it will scan local stores, libraries, etc. for the product scanned, and return those results with options to get directions to the nearest store, call them for more details, and more. If you scan a CD, you can listen to a clip with ease, and it even lists brick and mortar stores separately, for if you’re on the go and want to purchase something right then instead of online.

I’ve been waiting to see something like this, and it doesn’t surprise me that it won the developers challenge. It’s an amazing application. If you go here, you can actually listen to the voicemail from Google telling Jeffrey that he’s won. Congrats Jeffrey!

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