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Google and Apple have taken clearly different approaches to the smartphone market overall. On the one hand, Apple approaches the market from a hardware-centric perspective (after all, Apple fundamentally sells hardware), while Google outsources the hardware component, focusing instead on the content delivered by the hardware and related search and advertising opportunities. At the center of these two approaches are the smartphone-toting Connected Consumers who leverage the ecosystems, but there are clear differences between iOS and Android Connected Consumers when it comes to a wider brand loyalty beyond the device itself.

The Internet connected HDTV screen has so far failed to break beyond the bounds of its TV-centric heritage, with little use for the big screen beyond the obligatory video services. But the connection is being used to provide access to a far wider variety of alternative sources for video content. The latest NPD Connected Intelligence Application & Convergence report highlights that nearly six out of ten consumers who own a connected HDTV are accessing Over-the-Top (OTT) video services through the device.

T-Mobile has finally got its hands on the iPhone, and should be launching the device early in 2013. That’s the great news and is clearly a “good thing” for the carrier as it attempts to protect and increase its subscriber base. The bad news, of course, is the timing of the launch with two key issues reducing the impact of the deal, at least near-term...

The Black Friday extravaganza saw a major lift in mobile shopping app and website use, with more than 21 percent of smartphone users pulling out their devices to compare prices on apps and 40 percent using websites during the day.

Election Day had more than one winner, with traditional media outlets doing quite well in terms of an overall boost in usage. Notably apps continue to trail web use when it comes to news-seeker smartphone users…