Fleishman-Hillard International Communications in conjunction with Harris Interactive recently published the 2010 Digital Influence Index, which found that marketers have yet to capitalize on the influence of the Internet and mobile channels when it comes to driving consumer decisions about a range of products and services.

The study also measures several key aspects of consumers’ use of the Internet, from media consumption patterns, to the degree of adoption of various digital behaviors, to involvement with online social networking.  Now in its second year, the Index has expanded to include 48 percent of the global online population, spanning France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Japan and the United States.  In terms of mobile, the study found that marketers are overestimating what average everyday consumers know about the smartphones they use everyday.  Without educating consumers on the potential of new-age smartphones and other devices, the marketing potential will subsequently suffer.

As apps multiply and speeds increase, mobile users snap up smartphones — but realize only a fraction of their potential, the study suggests.  Although mobile Internet use is growing, a significant gap exists between the capabilities available to mobile phone users and the number of individuals who actually take advantage of them.  In an article on MarketingVox, the author covers a good example of this with eBay’s recent purchase of RedLaser, a mobile application that lets customers scan bar codes in order to list items faster or just compare prices.  For those who are tech savvy, use of the barcoding app will come naturally, but a majority of eBay’s users either don’t understand how the technology works, or is to set in their ways to try something new.

In a press release issued this morning, textPlus, PointRoll and AdMarvel detailed early campaign metrics from ads served on the iPad, showing high levels of engagement and long interactions times compared to traditional mobile ads.

Campaigns that ran the first four weeks after the iPad launch delivered average interaction times across advertisers of 30 seconds, and as high as 53 seconds for one advertiser.  In addition, interaction rates — measuring the number of people tapping to expand and engaging with the ads, as a percentage of impressions — ranged from .9% to 1.5% in the first month of the campaign, up to 6 times the benchmark for comparable click-to-expand ads on the desktop.

More impressive was that 67% of users who viewed a video component of ads in the app watched it all the way through, compared to 53% completion rate for desktop.  ”These findings obviously show that the iPad can be a successful supplement to a 360-degree campaign across devices to strengthen and further lift audience engagement,” the release said.  It also serves as an early indication of what iAds may produce in terms of engagement and interaction.

“In 2010 we’re going to take the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

As expected, Jobs showed up to show off the new iPhone Monday morning at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The 4th generation iPhone is packed with some 100 new features not presently available in any previous iPhone model. While Jobs only touched on a handful of new bells and whistles, the presentation was sufficient to excite the sold-out audience with forthcoming improvements to the juggernaut Apple smartphone.

On dsiplay at the WWDC, for example, were the iPhone’s newer, higher-res screen, an upgraded and bigger battery, 5MP camera with flash, a gyroscope for improved rotation sensitivity, video chat capabilities (via front facing camera), and a sturdier but 24% thinner frame.

The 4th-gen iPhone will go on sale June 24th with preorders starting June 15th. Available in both black and white, the iPhone 4 will retail for $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model.

In an interesting article in the New York Times yesterday, the topic of geolocation and its inclusion in everyday mobile apps outside the buzz-filled realm of startups like Foursquare and Gowalla was discussed, citing advances in location-enabling solutions like Skyhook Wireless.

Skyhook is looking to expand the location trend to any individual application on your phone through its SDK and strategic partnerships with other app development tools such as AppMakr.  AppMakr, for example, has powered more than 6,200 apps for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, and will soon add easy location-based integration from Skyhook to the mix for brands wanting an easy entrance into the location space.

Four apps, including music app Sharetunes and wine app Drync, also introduced services on Thursday built with Skyhook’s SDK, “Local Faves.”  The moves by Skyhook and the development of apps using its technology raises the question of just how ubiquitous location-sharing will be, and whether brands will look to connect with customers on their own or use networks like Foursquare or Twitter.

“I do think location will become an integral part of all mobile applications and services, but companies with strong brands might eventually be motivated to collect location data on their own,” says Julie Ask, a vice president at Forrester Research. “There really has to be benefit in the size of the network of a third-party app like a Foursquare …”

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Google has decided to include App Store results in its mobile search page, a move that will enable users to more easily find and download their desired iPhone or iPod touch applications.

As of Wednesday, says the search giant on its official blog, if you go to Google.com on your iPhone or Android-powered device and search for an app, “we’ll show special links and content at the top of the search results.” For now, however, mobile app search results are only available in the US. Other countries and devices, though, are planned for the future.

You can also get a quick look at some of the app’s basic details including the price, rating, and publisher. These results will appear when your search pertains to a mobile application and relevant, well-rated apps are found.

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The Mobile Marketing Association announced Wednesday an august panel of speakers lined up for the group’s 2010 MMA Forum in New York. The event is scheduled to be held at the Waldorf Astoria on June 8th and 9th.

According to the MMA, the two-day forum serves up the “largest and most comprehensive” networking conference focused on mobile marketing. This year, the MMA will introduce several premiere events, including an “Adopt-a-Brand” program and a “Mobile Experience Lab.”

Most exciting, however, are the prominent names that will speak at the 2010 MMA Forum. The headlining speaker at this year’s event will be CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien.

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It’s been widely reported that Yahoo has long had its sights set on Foursquare, but after failing to negotiate effectively, the company has picked up the next best thing- Jakarta, Indonesia-based Koprol.

Being called the “Asian Foursquare,” Koprol offers a similar location-based service including the omnipresent “check-in” functionality.  The company says it focuses on the “intersection of location, community expertise and mobile experiences.”

The price tag put on Foursquare was likely well above the $100M mark, and while the acquisition could have been both good and bad for both Yahoo and Foursquare, picking up Koprol instead was a smarter move given Yahoo’s long-term goals of placing itself at the forefront of emerging markets.

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