Today's headlines

Instagram covets bigger social stardom and is broadening its appeal beyond mobile, with an eye toward driving brand opportunities. As a result, Instagram could lose appeal for users who embrace it for its ease of use and intimate feel.

A jury last week found that Apple's iPhone infringes three patents owned by MobileMedia Ideas covering camera phones and how incoming calls are handled.

Registration is open for the second annual Mobile FirstLook: Strategy 2013 conference Thursday, Jan. 17 featuring speakers from Coca-Cola, Sephora, Nissan, Museum of Modern Art, Citi, MillerCoors, Seamless and JetBlue. Must-attend event for brands, retailers, agencies and publishers.

From driving foot traffic into dealerships to helping users research, mobile ad spend from automotive brands has taken off this year, according to a new study from Millennial Media.

Mobile Commerce Daily today - Is demand strong enough to support multiple mobile POS solutions?; Kenneth Cole makes multichannel push via mobile photo sharing contest.

News briefs: Popular Science leverages facial mapping technology for new iPad app; Location-based ad engagement jumps for rich media mobile ads; New York to pilot mobile taxi hailing program next year.

Meet Anda Gansca, an ambitious Romanian immigrant to the United States who is out to change the world of social feedback through a color-coded application in the Apple App Store.

Luxury Daily today - SLS Hotel South Beach bolsters lifestyle, on-site services via mobile app; Mercedes channels Santa Claus' good list in multichannel holiday push.

Mobile Marketer is inviting nominations for the Mobile Marketer Awards, the most prestigious recognition honoring outstanding mobile advertising, marketing and media work in 2012 by brands, retailers, marketers, agencies and publishers.

By Scott Swartz

Twitter has been coined the "SMS of the Internet" with more than 500 million active users. Facebook itself claims 1 billion, and then there are the millions of users on LinkedIn, Digg, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+.