January » 2011 » mobilegroove

Robert Rice -- author, serial entrepreneur, futurist and mobile Augmented Reality (AR) expert/enthusiast -- is the second in our series of five innovators stepping up to offer predictions for 2011.

Robert is also the CEO of Neogence Enterprises, the company behind Mirascape, a location-based mobile platform that connects people, places, and things. The company is low-key but Robert's Skype profile gives us a glimpse of how disruptive he intends to be. It reads: "Mobile Augmented Reality. I'm going to change the world :)" I greatly look forward to following developments at Robert's company -- and I'm certain the impact will be seismic.

Today the popular (and viral) Five From Five series continues with mobile Augmented Reality (AR) and asks five companies/influencers across the emerging business ecosystem for their pick of hot topic and trends.

Christine Perey is more than an independent analyst; she is a leading - and passionate -- evangelist working within the industry to increase deal flow, validate business models, and promote sanity (not hype) in the nascent mobile AR space. She made a huge impression on me when she stepped up to contribute a guest column (one of the most popular on MSearchGroove, I might add) examining mobile AR evolution, use cases and the revenue streams that will help advance the industry.

Today we step up our coverage of the mobile code space with Laura Marriott, the acting CEO of NeoMedia Technologies. You may recall Laura's take on barcode trends and her list of 2011 industry predictions, which we published here in late December as part of the popular and viral Five From Five series showcasing the top five mobile code predictions from five of the leading barcode companies.

I caught up with Laura to discuss her view of the market (she predicts exponential growth of mobile codes and some agreement around methodology and standards) and get the inside track on progress with recent partnerships (including an update on the the tie-up with Buongiorno).

This week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was billed as an introduction of new products. But what's really new? And -- more importantly -- what really matters?

With more than 80 tablets introduced in Las Vegas, some called it a tabletpalooza. However, many of the products are destined to be loozas (losers). This should be a warning to marketers that have been (in my opinion) ill-advised to spend their time and resources trying to reach consumers (and engage with them) via these second, third and fourth-tier tablets devices.

Editor's note: We kick off regular and in-depth coverage of how mobile is transforming health care and treatment in developed and developing markets with Dr. Phillip Olla, a visionary and entrepreneur creating an ecosystem that leverages mobile devices and networks to improve diagnosis and treatment.

The mobile revolution has been hailed as the enabling force for emerging markets and developing countries to become more active participants in the global economy. Given the right tools and environment, people can harness mobile technology to leapfrog more developed countries, creating services that address local problems and issues, and ultimately close the digital divide.