Sparksheet’s Q&A with Melody Adhami at Dx3 Canada

Its been a full 3 weeks since Dx3 Canada wrapped up and the buzz around the event still remains. Although we miss all the excitement from participating, we’ve been thrilled to see all the takeaways from Canada’s first ever digital trade show.

One such takeaway? Custom mobile solutions are serving as a channel of engagement and communication between brands and their customers.

Watch Sparksheet, an award-winning multiplatform magazine, as they question Melody Adhami president and COO of Plastic Mobile, at Dx3 on the direction and successes of mobile commerce.

Courtesy of our sensational team here at Plastic Mobile, a new and completely redesigned AIR MILES App is now available for iPhone and Android.

As the first coalition loyalty application of its kind in Canada, AIR MILES’ mobile app version 2.0 was announced today.

The coolest new feature? Definitely the Check-in Challenge (on now until April 30, 2012). The Check-in Challenge is the first ever AIR MILES mobile game that ranks the number of Check-ins Collectors do at AIR MILES Sponsor locations against other Collectors each month. At the end of the month, the top 50 Collectors with the highest number of Check-ins will get a Check-in Bonus – 2x the reward miles they earned that month at the Sponsors they Checked in at.

Collectors with Android and iPhone devices can now also get on-the-go access to AIR MILES Reward Program information such as account balances, improved browsing of the complete dream rewards catalogue and in-store bonus offers at sponsor locations based on GPS.

“We really wanted to enhance the user experience with the new AIR MILES app. By simplifying the process and adding the Check-in Challenge gaming feature, we believe collectors will not only find the app more useful in their day-to-day, but also enjoy the experience of earning more rewards,” said Melody Adhami, Plastic Mobile’s President and COO.

For complete app intel, visit our made-for-media page, complete with a video, photos and all the answers to your questions (we hope!).

Or, download the new AIR MILES App on Android or upgrade or download the app on the App Store to see just what we are talking about.

We’re all a Twitter about the new app, so tweet us and tell us what you think @plasticmobile.

The inaugural Dx3 was a huge success! A pat on the back to the team that worked so hard to bring this digital forum together for the very  first time.

Also a resounding success at Dx3 was our Plastic Mobile Candy Shop, a creative exhibit illustrating the growing relationship between mobile and retail and the future of m-commerce. Our candy shop was the talk of the show (not to brag) and so much fun for our whole team – possibly because they sailed through the whole forum on a serious sugar high!

As well, a shout out to bNotions, who’s team of developers stayed corralled in a boxing ring for 48 hours until they completed a program. Whoa. That’s digital determination. We like to think our candy helped them get through the crunch, but whatever stimulants they  used to complete the job, amazing work!

Plastic Mobile’s CEO and COO, Sep Seyedi and Melody Adhami, had a great time speaking and being interviewed about their thoughts on the future of mobile and commerce and their team’s awesome booth. Plastic Mobile can’t wait for next year’s Dx3 – who knows what we’ll come up with next?!

Shame on you if you missed the first-ever Dx3, but check out this video of our slightly silly, totally interactive and undeniably adorable mobile candy buying experience.

Every Friday, Plastic Mobile brings you a video blog that answers some of the burning questions surrounding mobile, e-commerce, the future of retail and other exciting mobile topics. Watch the “Queen of Apps,” Melody Adhami, and other industry experts, squeeze their answers into “60 Mobile Seconds” (or, close enough, anyway).

Plastic Mobile was featured on App Central show with technology host Amber Mac. The show airs on the popular Business News Network (BNN), CTV, and CP24. Watch it now below:

Watch Melody Adhami, also known as the Queen of Apps / Mobile Maven, provide the latest mobile and tech news on CTV News with Jennifer Ward. Please excuse the low quality video.

Being a mother is one of the highest salaried jobs–since the payment is pure love. To all mothers,  thanks for your patience… 
your encouragement… 
your strength… 
your generosity… 
your sacrifice… your un-conditional love… 
and for those six little special words that have likely saved us from serious consequences “…because I said so, that’s why!”.

I especially want to thank my dearest mom because all that I am, or hope to be, I owe to her. For the rest of the mothers, check out the Twitter’s mothers’s day campaign video and happy Mother’s Day.

Enjoy!

The news everyone has been waiting for has finally come out today: Nokia, the biggest handset maker in the world, both for “dumbphones” and “smartphones” announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft using its Windows Phone platform.

Based on Nokia and Microsoft’s latest deal, Windows phone will be the primary operating system for Nokia’s smartphones. This news shook up the mobile world, especially Intel that has just been thrown under the bus. The Nokia/ Intel strategic partnership a while back to create the MeeGo platform for smartphones was Intel’s effort to partner with the handset maker, but with Nokia dating Microsoft right now, it seems that Intel was just stood up!

Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer announced the news on Nokia’s blog in a post. Below is the detail from the blog:

»  Nokia will adopt Windows Phone as its primary smartphone strategy, innovating on top of the platform in areas such as imaging, where Nokia is a market leader.

»  Nokia will help drive and define the future of Windows Phone. Nokia will contribute its expertise on hardware design, language support, and help bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points, market segments and geographies.

»  Nokia and Microsoft will closely collaborate on development, joint marketing initiatives and a shared development roadmap to align on the future evolution of mobile products.

»  Bing will power Nokia’s search services across Nokia devices and services, giving customers access to Bing’s next generation search capabilities. Microsoft adCenter will provide search advertising services on Nokia’s line of devices and services.

»  Nokia Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services. For example, Maps would be integrated with Microsoft’s Bing search engine and adCenter advertising platform to form a unique local search and advertising experience.

»  Nokia’s extensive operator billing agreements will make it easier for consumers to purchase Nokia Windows Phone services in countries where credit-card use is low.

»  Microsoft development tools will be used to create applications to run on Nokia Windows Phones, allowing developers to easily leverage the ecosystem’s global reach.

»  Microsoft will continue to invest in the development of Windows Phone and cloud services so customers can do more with their phone, across their work and personal lives.

»  Nokia’s content and application store will be integrated with Microsoft Marketplace for a more compelling consumer experience.

Here is the video where Stephen Elop announces Microsoft partnership. Nokia & Microsoft partnership

Elop and Ballmer didn’t give any more details of the partnership so we don’t know what’s going to happen to Microsoft’s other partnerships for devices, such as HTC, Dell, and Samsung; or what’s going to happen to Symbian and MeeGo. We don’t know the answers to our questions yet, but we know one thing for a fact. As all the eyes are on the Nokia right now, if the company doesn’t get it right, this could send the company into freefall. We believe for Nokia, this is going to be tough; so let’s await the future and see!

My previous video post was just funny and worth the watch but this video tells a story that touches close to home.  Although it is the story of Nativity done the digital way, that is not the story I am referring to.  I am referring to the social, mobile and digital story that surrounds our lives and although sarcastic in nature, this video captures it in a unique way that really demands a second thought.  It is completely out of context when it relates to the past, so relevant to today yet the audience is exactly the same – people.

I hadn’t realized how many of my everyday words have multiple meanings until I saw this clip. It is definitely worth the watch and a great little break in the day. Enjoy!