Now that I have your attention, there is an interesting parallel between Carrier IQ and Starbucks that explains a lot about the phantoms we battle in the mobile world.

Few companies have taken the plunge to use Kinect as a marketing tool, but most have dragged their feet, preferring to let the technology mature rather than act as a guinea pig.

Developer energy is shifting back to Apple as fragmentation and unenthusiastic interest in current Android tablets take away from Google’s recent gains, according to an Appcelerator study.

Near field communication has the potential to generate billions of dollars of incremental revenue from mobile marketing services alone, not even factoring in payments, which will be a watershed moment for mobile, according to Razorfish.

The American Red Cross is committed to raising money via mobile for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week.

The Dealmap has partnered with Microsoft to offer local and daily deals for Bing’s Web and mobile properties.

BMW’s Mini Financial Services has launched a mobile Web site that lets smartphone users process payments and common account requests using their handsets.

The ongoing mobile turf war between Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nokia and BlackBerry may change completely with the entry of a new player who will redefine the mobile Internet’s most potent use.

Jesta Digital, formerly known as Fox Mobile Group, has launched its on-demand mobile television and movie subscription service Bitbop for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 smartphone users.

What are the key trends with mobile applications and what will Apple, Google, Microsoft, Research In Motion and others do that will affect brands in their marketing and commerce?