MobileWebsiteWatch

Discover® Card today announced the launch of a mobile solution for its cardmembers, Discover.com Mobile. This mobile version of the Discover Card Web site will allow cardmembers to manage their credit card account directly from their mobile phone’s browser.The new mobile Web site offers a simplified version of the Discover.com account summary interface and includes the following functionality:

• Make a payment

• View recent transactions

• View recent and pending payments

• View rewards activity

• Enroll in the 5% Cashback Bonus® program

While there are a few banks out there that offer mobile services, such as Chase (SMS only) and services like Paypal, for the most part this major function of that people need access to in their everyday lives and consistently report having a desire to do via mobile in surveys, is sadly underserved. Discover is making some great headway ion this space and clearly has a solid understanding of the market and its customer base.

“At Discover, we know that busy consumers are constantly looking for more convenient ways to stay in control of their finances,” said Sarah Alter, vice president of e-business and new markets at Discover Financial Services. “Discover.com Mobile provides a new service channel that allows cardmembers to have access to their account information right at their fingertips. Whether by telephone, Internet or now mobile phone, Discover Card is committed to providing cardmembers with the services they need at the time, place and method they choose.”

As more and more companies turn to using the booming mobile web channel to provide serives to thier cusometers, streamlined and mobile optimized products like this will continue to grow rapidly in importance use and payoff.

The way the world gets its news is changing yet again. Leading the charge, standard flying high is the New York Times. FierceMobile reports:

The New York Times announced its mobile news site drew 19 million page views in May, up from 10 million hits in December 2007 and 500,000 views in January 2007. According to Robert Samuels, the Old Gray Lady’s director of mobile products, mobile web, messaging, games and alternative platforms, most of the mobile web views derive from high-end devices like the iPhone, BlackBerry and Treo–generally speaking, mobile consumption habits mirror online user behaviors, with articles focusing on business and politics as well as blogs and most-emailed stories generating the most reader interest. Samuels adds the NYT plans to introduce mobile showtime listings, weather services and restaurant listings before the year is out.

Similarly, a new research report from PEW reveals that nearly 1/3 of smart phone users get their news from their mobile device and that this trend is on the rise. The study describes this section of new-net news consumers as “Integrators”

Integrators (23% of the population) are much younger and more affluent than the Traditionalists (median age: 44). Politically, they are not much different than the public as a whole – 38% identify themselves as Democrats, 29% as Republicans, and 26% as independents. They are highly connected: 93% have internet access at home, 45% go online from work, and 24% have smart phones (iPhones/Blackberries).

This is the fastest growing segment of news consumers. New media is a terms thrown around a lot these days, but when the data keeps pouring in that this is the way that media is going to be consume in the very very near future, the topic of new media and mobile internet cannot be dismissed. Dismissal is simply in affordable.