I started writing this article the morning after the media vultures started picking over Steve Jobs’ resignation carcass. Why add more fuel to the Apple fire, I thought.

Since a large number of luxury brands are steadily moving into the mobile arena, it is obvious that the smartphone reign of power has shifted over the past few years, and BlackBerry is decidedly absent.

Watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen is using the mobile version of its Watch Magazine publication to highlight new collections with a quarterly-released application.

HTML5 essentially makes the juicy, interactive features that made Flash so attractive – video, audio, animation – now achievable within the browser, no downloads or plug-ins required.

Geisel Privathotels’ Hotel Königshof in Munich, Germany, is celebrating its foray into mobile with a recently-launched application that focuses on nearby attractions, special packages and reservations booking.

Brands such as BMW, Lancome, American Express and L’Oreal have incorporated iAd banner advertisements into their mobile strategy, but this could mean that they are missing consumers without Apple mobile devices.

Luxury brands such as Oscar de la Renta and Bergdorf Goodman are using photo application Instagram to further the feeling of community among consumers by linking photos on branded Twitter accounts.

In this rant, I am going to point out what many of you already know – that the iVerse is under attack. By whom, you ask? By a pairing of unlikely conspirators: Google and Amazon.

While all sights have been locked in on Apple and Google to see how high the bar will be raised, Amazon has built what is arguably the best combination of products to be a force in the mobile marketplace.

In-app mobile advertising may very well be what marketers need to finally kick the click.