Indeed, the COM —the destination bringing you the best of mobile blogging from around the Web — has a new look, a new focus and a new schedule. With so much happening, I’d like to start off by running through the significant changes one at a time.

Beginning in 2012 the COM is back to a weekly schedule. Please check the new schedule here, and let me know which dates you would like to host the COM in 2012. (My personal thanks to Martin Wilson, leading mobile strategist, veteran Mobilist and founder of Mobileweb Company for his continued support of the COM and for stepping up to deliver us a new website design and hosting service.)

Finally, the new site is matched by a new focus on featuring YOU, the Mobilists. I want to promote your work, your services and your sites via COM, so please start off my sending me your image (thumbnail), your Twitter handle and a 50-100 word description of what you do. And don’t forget to follow the COM on Twitter (@TheMobilists) and spread the word!

Excellent line-up

This month we received a large number of submissions —covering the months of  November and December — making it just that little bit tougher for me to choose the outstanding blogs to include in this final line-up. So, here we go…

Chetan Sharma leads the pack with a must-read post recounting the highlights of his 8th Mobile Breakfast Series event. As we would expect from Chetan, he used the sold-out event to delve into the trends and opportunities sure to leave their mark on mobile in 2012 —and beyond. By the way, Chetan is also running his survey Annual Mobile Predictions Survey for 2012 to find out what WE think were the topics and themes that impacted 2011 (and will be top of mind in 2012), so I encourage you to take a few minutes to fill it out. Chetan’s event covered a wide range of topics, from platforms, to privacy, to payments. We’re sure to hear more from Nokia (struggling), Android (gaining the upper hand), Amazon (game-changer) and the ‘Apps vs. Mobile Web debate (except the discussion has gone cross-media/cross-platform with people demanding a great experience on ALL their devices, many of which are better delivered by apps. How will it play out? Chetan sums it up best: “2012 will be another great year for mobile. Fasten your seat belts.”

Martin Wilson at Mobileweb Company has two worthwhile submissions. The first, a guest post on his company blog by Tina de Souza, connects the dots in the  Mary Portas review on retailing, a comprehensive report providing recommendations to companies on how to address the retail crisis hitting the U.K. hard. But the most significant point of the report has to do with mobile and its influence on our buying behavior, thus transforming the entire retail landscape.. Building on all this data the post presents us with 5  recommendations on how we can/should develop retailing through our mobile channel. What is this blueprint for mobile retail readiness? Read on and find out.

In the second submission Martin walks us through the basics of Google’s GoMo Initiative and spells out why it is significant for brands and their mobile strategies. The core message: Brands need to go mobile, or risk losing business. But brands also have to do it right.

Tomi Ahonen does his math in this post to present us a gloomy prediction of what Nokia’s smartphone market share will likely be for 4Q2011. Drawing from figures, reports and past posts, Tomi concludes that Nokia’s losses are inextricably linked with the actions of the CEO at the helm: Stephen Elop. The ‘Microsoft Muppet’ —as Tomi calls him —  has destroyed Nokia’s value and threatens its future. How can Nokia fall so far when it has such a quality portfolio? It’s a key question — and Tomi’s answer is sure to spark debate.

Carlo Longino over at WIP Connect submits a must-read practical post based on his recent interview with TouchType CMO Joe Braidwood. By way of background, TouchType’s SwiftKey is one of the leading paid Android apps in several markets, and has seen a huge amount of success despite having a relatively small marketing budget. How can developers make money on their apps? It’s the question developers will continue to ask in 2012 — and this interview is packed with tips and ideas to help you turn your app biz into a real business.

Dave Olsen grabs our attention with his post titled “Mobile Strategy is Dead, Long Live Content Strategy.” He argues that ‘mobile’ is becoming a prefix when we talk about the Web. As he puts it: “Search and links are the gateway for our users to our content. And you know what? They’re the gateway regardless if our users are using a mobile device or desktop.” So, do we need mobile strategies at all? Read on and make your decision.

Mark Bridge over at TheFonecast.com brings us a valuable roundup of the CES Unplugged consumer electronics event in London. His summary post gives us a good idea of what we can from the 2012 International CES this January in Las Vegas. Mark runs us through the numbers (showing that global sales of consumer electronics are still quite buoyant) and introduces us to some cool companies we’re sure to see and hear a lot more of in the coming year.

James Cameron has started a must-read series profiling some of the leading mobile minds and influencers. This month’s submission catches up with Daniel Appelquist, mobile veteran and Head of Product Management for BlueVia. What are Daniel’s his fav apps, start-ups and business opportunities? Read on and enjoy!

Antoine RJ Wright brings together a variety of perspectives in his blog post to explain why mobile fails to be a satisfying experience. Have companies stopped pushing the envelope, or is the industry at a cross-roads? Read his very personal observations and arrive at your own conclusion.

Francisco Kattan is back with a post that analyzes Amazon and asks the question: Should Amazon buy webOS from HP? Granted the post is no longer so timely (a major reason why we are weekly in the New Year), but his views on the role of Amazon and its emerging ecosystem help us understand the real essence of its competitive edge. Is the source of Amazon’s power and prowess a sharp focus on content and distribution? Read on and share your views with Francisco.

Steven Hoober combines personal experience, market reports and business observations in this post to explain the need for a broader approach to design. In his view, we need to design for every screen and think touch points, not devices. It’s an important message indeed, and one that developers should not ignore. How do we all get there from here? Read on and find out.

MobileGroove ends the year with two submissions. The first post builds on an interview with Atlas Premium (which made it’s debut in the recent Netsize Guide by Gemalto, a must-red mobile industry analysis and almanac you can download here for free). It outlines the company’s new social networking strategy and vision, one that 1) includes brands and 2) covers the bases to give Facebook & Co. some sleepless nights. Will it be the talk of 2012? Watch this space!

The second submission —from guest columnist Lisa Ciangiulli over at Optism —offers us an in-depth analysis of Starbucks’ mobile strategy (strategy, not app!). The takeaway: a comprehensive approach across all touch points can produce amazing results. What are they and how does this all tie in with lasting customer loyalty? Read on and find out!

And finally, a mention goes to this post from Six Revisions that came in via a cross-post from http://mobilerweb.com/. The post, written by web designer/ web developer Arley McBlain, asks if Microsoft’s increasing position in mobile could spark a Browser War and increased fragmentation. His message: We need to unite and demand a better browser standard.

Pick of the month

With so many quality submissions it certainly wasn’t easy.

Chetan’s post —based on discussions during his high-caliber event — were thought-provoking. Francisco did a great job of dissecting Amazon’s strategy and why it is shaping up to become the worst nightmare come true for some companies in the mobile space. And I enjoyed James’ series —and look forward to being one of the next profiles in the pipeline.

My pick goes to Tomi Ahonen for his comprehensive —and somewhat controversial — analysis of issues at Nokia. Will the number one handset maker stumble and fall? Are any hopes for a comeback blocked by current leadership? Even if you don’t agree with all the premises Tomi offers, it is a powerful argument we should all consider.

January 9th is COM #256

I am thrilled that we are going weekly in 2012 and urge you all to get your submissions in by end-day JANUARY 6th. Our next host is Mark Bridge over at TheFonecast.

Remember anyone can submit their best blog to the COM for consideration. Simply email your submission for the week to mobilists@gmail.com. If your post is selected, then the host will provide you a link to post share and tweet to your community.

if you want to host, there are slots open. Please check the new schedule here, and let me know which dates you would like to host. Hosting the COM has its rewards. For one, there is the personal fulfillment that comes from leading  the mobile discussion on your site. Our ‘founding fathers’ Russell Buckley and Carlo Longino started the COM in 2005 as a platform for ideas, insights and a way to ensure that the tide of mobile transformation lifts all boats. For this reason, the Carnival is hosted every week at a different site, a balanced approach that allows us to encourage variety, drive interest in the posts and benefit from the rise in traffic and visits.

That wraps up our last COM in 2011 — thanks to all of you for your submission and support over the last year. Happy Holidays and see you in the New Year!

Tomi Ahonen is in rare form this month with a deliciously disruptive post dripping with sarcasm. It would be a great laugh if it was only fiction. But this quiz, which tests our ability to run Nokia into the ground (as it appears Microsoft and Stephen Elop are doing as we speak), is based on keen observations from a long-time Nokia watcher (and former employee).

A sample question: You hear that your reseller chain – the mobile operators/carriers – has gone into sales boycott because of one decision made by your company. Do you:

a - apologize in public and reverse that one decision which is causing your resellers to boycott your products or

b – announce your support of a series of new technologies that the carriers specifically hate, to really infuriate them, like Dual SIM phones and Skype

Is Tomi’s post sarcasm, hard truth, or a merely a product of his caffeine-induced all-night blogging routine?  Take the quiz and let us know how YOU rate.

***

James Coops at MobyAffiliates walks us through the fast-paced mobile advertising space and introduces us to some upstart startup mobile ad networks rising up the ranks. The company profiles provide valuable market intel — and support James’ core argument. Innovation in mobile advertising is happening on the fringe — and being driven by nimble newcomers, not just market giants like AdMob (Google).

***

Our dear Antoine RJ Wright is back this month with a post that suggests a UX rethink when it comes to our number one mobile device activity: taking pictures. Antoine correctly points out that mobile devices allow us to act on impulse and inspiration. Snap and capture is a big part of what we do, so should devices provide a ’shortcut button’ of sorts that allows us to take spur-of-the-moment pictures? Check out his post, and speak your mind.

***

Judy Breck (lead blogger over at Smart Mobs) calls our attention to the rise of online listening rooms in a succinct  post that summarizes a recent Wired article. Listening to music may have been a pastime that isolated us (requiring us to plug our earbuds/headsets into an array of gadgets), but social changes all the rules. Now we can come out of our cocoons and experience music in a whole new way.

***

Alex Franks over at Blyk joins the COM for the first time (welcome!) to share his views on where mobile advertising is — and what’s needed to move the dial on spend. To drive his point home Alex draws from a variety of reports and observations from the recent Media Playground 2011 event in London. It’s a solid summary post and convinces us that makes a strong case for mobile advertising growth and excitement. In the words of Alex: ‘Viva la Revolution!’ (Disclosure: Blyk was an event sponsor and spoke on the mobile advertising expert panel.)

***

We also welcome Nan Hickman over at Open Strategies. The post, which walks us through the recent Apple developer conference (WWDC), hones in on the iCloud announcement and what it really means for Apple (and us). Nan’s take: “By pushing the content to the cloud, Apple not only strengthens its ecosystem usability experience, but creates future monetization schemes for storage and, probably ultimately, future data mining of what content people have and who they know and what context are they in.”

***

Richard Monson-Haefel over at Ambient Consulting weighs in with a pair of posts focused on what flies (and fails) in mobility solutions. In his first post, titled Which way to go? iOS, Android, or Windows Phone 7?, Richard cautions us against getting too caught up in the debate on operating systems. Instead, we should focus on the ‘big picture’ and consider that the dominant operating system could be ‘none of the above’. (It has happened before. Remember when BREW was the tough kid on the block?) It’s a serious piece backed by facts, so well worth a read.

Richard’s other post, Cross-Platform Mobile Solutions Are Bad, argues just that. In his view, resident cross-platform solutions – applications that are installed on the device – as opposed to mobile Web applications that run in a mobile browser are tempting. But there is a lot that speaks in favor of a strategy that focuses squarely on native development and mobile Web.

***

Martin Wilson over at Mobileweb Company draws from recent industry reports and surveys to map out the opportunities in the emerging mobile retail/commerce space. How can retailers really deliver value via mobile? Martin tells brands and shops what to consider (and demand) when developing a mobile presence.

***

MobileGroove deep dives into Mobile Intel: Retail, a mobile intelligence report that draws from Millennial Media network data (data that was accumulated across 67 billion mobile impressions in 250 countries and territories) and consumer research conducted by comScore. The report is chock-full of valuable data that helps brands identify key mobile retail opportunities and engage with the growing audience of mobile retail users, the segment of consumers using their mobile devices to research and purchase goods and services. A surprise finding: mobile retail not just about promotion (being front and center when people are considering products). It’s about transaction (triggering the actual purchase decision).  A big reason why companies should grasp the mobile retail opportunity with both hands.

***

Andy Favell over at mobiThinking (a must-read source of information about all aspects of mobile and mobile marketing) connects the dots in recent developments to provide us an up-to-date look at NFC (Near Field Communications) progress worldwide. Find out where contactless payments are gathering traction (and why). Kudos to Andy for a piece that gives us a crash course in an area of mobile payments sure to be top of the business agenda for many quarters to come.

***

Ajit Jaokar over at Open Gardens does us all a service by providing us an expertly curated list of Mobile Web influencers. Ajit worked together with Daniel Appelquist (@torgo) to develop the list, which I’m pleased to say includes many veteran Mobilists and COM contributors (@mtrends Rudy De Waele, @russellbuckley Russell Buckley, @eortiz Enrique Ortiz and @yeswap Dennis Bournique — to name a few). Altogether, it’s a great list — even though some comments correctly point out Ajit should expand the scope to include global industry experts and leading women in mobile. I caught up with Ajit today and he assures me the list is “evolving,” so we should continue to check back. Ajit also gets my vote for ‘pick of the month’ for this post. Well done, Ajit!!

The complete list of Mobile Web Influencers.

And finally…

Coldbeans software from Russia joins the COM and takes the wraps off a Twitter mashup allowing developers to create their own Twitter bots.

Thanks to everyone for contributing!

The COM will be back again next month (August) with a roundup of the best blogs posted in July, so check the schedule for the next COM host (or sign up to host a CO at your own website). In the meantime, remember ANYONE ANYWHERE can submit their best blog to the COM for consideration. And, if your post didn’t make this lineup of blogs, then I hope you will try again next month.

So let’s roll on with this week’s line-up.

We’re back from a break for the holidays with an eclectic collection of posts. From an open letter to Nokia’s new CEO (via Eric Chan) to the highlights from Over the Air (via Thefonecast.com) to an interview with Sam Pickard of Datilo (via WIP Jam) – it’s all at COM #238.

The previous week the Carnival set up its tents at Antoine RJ Wright’s blog. Highlights included mobile strategy and UX (via Little Springs Design), designing for mobile security (via Ajit Jaokar) and mobile app obstacles (via MobiThinking). Read COM#237 here.

I am particularly pleased that my own two-part virtual roundtable podcast exploring mobile advertising attitudes with Brazilian millennials was chosen as Post of the Week.

As Antoine put it: “All of your research and speculation doesn’t mean a thing if you lose the trust of your user base.” He gives the series high marks for providing us an honest and insightful look into what millennials really think about mobile advertising. Since the vast majority of current research is focused on numbers, impressions and network performance, I am proud to showcase the views of the people on the Optism Briefing Room destination here on MSG.

My thanks again to the Lisa Ciangiulli and the great team at the Youth Lab for supporting me in this project. Stay tuned for my next virtual round table with American youth next week!

Related links:

• http://www.mobilegroove.com/podcast-part-2-brazil-youths-reveal-what-mobile-marketing-they-want-how-they-want-it/
• http://www.mobilegroove.com/podcast-brazilian-youths-speak-out-on-mobile-marketing-permission-relevancy-are-must-haves/

A few reminders before we deep-dive into the best in this week’s mobile blogging. As COM coordinator (or “keeper of the tents”) I’d like to encourage regular contributors and Mobilists to help me make the COM more interactive and valuable for everyone.

A step in this direction will be our LinkedIn group (an alternative to our presence in Google Groups). I also encourage everyone to follow posts and hosts via Twitter (@COTMobilists) and reach out to me directly with ideas, improvements and ways to make the COM outstanding as it nears its fifth anniversary in October. (The COM made its debut on October 13, 200, via this post over at MobHappy.)

Meantime, I want to showcase the quantity and quality of the COM’s 100+ contributors and mobile passionatas. A call to the Mobilists: Please send me a 50-100 word profile of your website and or/a recent (brief) bio.

And don’t forget to check out the calendar and pick a date to host. There are slots still open!

COM #236

It’s a slow summer at the COM, all the more reason for you to follow Tomi Ahonen’s excellent advice and use the seasonal “downtime” to re-charge your batteries and catch up on COM posts you may have missed. You can find a complete list of COM posts and links here.

This week we have a short (but snappy) line-up of posts, including my pick of the week. So let’s roll!

Social mobile games and the social graph: This post from Raj Singh looks at how mobile social games might tap the social graph to drive significant revenues for the ecosystem. He draws from several examples (such as the Game Lobby from U.S: mobile operator Sprint, a virtual mobile community for gamers to meet, recommend games and challenge each other) and concludes that if these platforms follow a write-once, run anywhere paradigm and tap the social graph (much like Facebook – only bigger and better), then viral distribution will pay dividends for everyone.

Mobile design for the masses: Steven Hoober over at Little Springs Design shares a detailed and valuable post documenting mobile design elements and the process that will ensure that his work helps everyone everywhere. As he puts it: “I think good documentation should not just communicate the idea, but help the designer, whether it be UX or software of systems or database design.” And remember you can still connect with Steve and the Little Springs team in Chicago next month.

Fair data usage debate: James Rosewell over at The Fonecast explains from a personal perspective what happened when he crossed the line between “unlimited” and “fair usage.” Based on this he warns that network operators should prepare for a consumer backlash if they stick to their current limits.

NFC noise and reality: In two posts C. Enrique Ortiz provides perspective on NFC (Near Field Communications) and mobile payments following the news that Apple could be making plans for a big role in mobile NFC after hiring of Benjamin Vigier as its product manager of mobile commerce. We also get the inside track on the discourse at the recent Forum Oxford and some provocative statements made by disruptive and highly respected Mobilist Dean Bubley. Did Nokia get it right (by dropping NFC) and will Apple get it wrong (by picking up the ball)? And what are the implications as handset makers push forward with non-Single Wire Protocol (SWP) NFC handsets next year? Read on here (and here) and find out

Bible apps & community: A thoughtful post from Antoine RJ Wright retraces the evolution of Bible content and apps and challenges us to imagine the future of Biblical software. From the advance of social networks to the pace of publishing industry consolidation, Antoine outlines the megatrends likely to impact companies in this space and the investments they make in Bible content and related services.

Is Skype (?): Last week’s gracious COM host Tam Hanna is back with a brief post about Skype in Germany. It seems that the German government can listen in on Skype-2-Skype calls – and Tam provides the proof.

The Web is dead?!: This insightful and balanced post from Ajit Jaokar dissects a recent article in Wired magazine claiming that the “Web is dead.” Kudos to Ajit for going beyond the hype to show how Wired misunderstands what the Web is – period. For one, the assumption that the mobile Web is always about browsing ignores the other models and ways we access content (such as Web widgets on mobile devices). It’s a detailed post and I am glad Ajit picked up the gauntlet, which is why it is also my pick of the week.

* * *

That’s a wrap until next week. You can still sign up to host the COM #237 at your site, so please contact me directly via Twitter (@peggyanne) or email (peggy@msearchgroove.com) to sign up for the privilege

Keep it fun!

I’m pleased that my calls for posts and hosts via Twitter (@COTMobilists) have encouraged new activity and interest in the Carnival. This is reflected in the number of submissions I received this week and the offers from Mobilists to take the helm and host the COM. Thanks to Steve Litchfield over at allaboutsymbian.com, who will host later in July. There are more slots open, so check out the calendar and pick your date to host soonest.

This week’s line-up:

Tam Hanna conducts an interview with Resco, a Slovakian company sharply focused on Windows Mobile 7. What’s the view of WM7? What is the likely take-up among enterprise users? Is the timing of the release good for business (literally)? Lots of key questions, so read on and find out.

Tomi Ahonen provides us a masterpiece of math and logic. His post recounts the key stats we need to know to understand just how much money the Apple App store has made and argues that the numbers spell disaster for developers who hope to make real money selling their apps. As he puts it: “I have been claiming now for many months that the App Store hysteria is developing into a tech bubble, and that most developers will never recover their costs.” It’s a well-researched post that starts off as a typical Tomi rant, but evolves to offer us some hard-nosed business advice. It also earns my vote for Best Blog Of The Week. More on the numbers and the reasoning behind Tomi’s dead-serious warning to mobile companies and investors in our monthly MSG podcast next week.

We know Tomi doesn’t buy the apps hype. But what about Web shortcuts? Steve Litchfield over at allaboutsymbian.com points out that booksmarks may be the best way to get Web content on your smartphone. What’s more, since many servers auto-detecting a mobile phone OS and adapting their content automatically, bookmarks are a sure-fire way to “bypass a lot of typical high profile ‘apps’ entirely.” Steve wraps this up with a road test of some popular apps (app vs Web bookmark and complete with screenshots) and assess the user experience. So, do we really need app stores to get a lot of the content we love? Read on and find out…

Kudos to Stasys Bielinis over at UnwiredView.com for his keen observations and conclusions from the Droid X launch. What has happened to Motorola’s Android smartphone strategy? Where is the MotoBlur interface now? And how can handset makers differentiate on the platform? Could it be that Google has learned to innovate at Internet speed? Will handset companies ever catch up? Read on and find out…

Taking a similar stance, Sachendra Yadav tracks the evolution of the Android operating system as it takes up the charge to beat back Apple. Consolidating and defining the UI layers in the Android OS is the best solution. But how will handset makers differentiate? Will it be through media features and social networking? Sachendra is hardly convinced…

Keeping with the focus on developers, Steven Hoober over at Little Spring Designs blog walks us through a detailed discussion focused (no pun intended!) on images, resolutions and new approaches that get good images to display even better on a mobile screen.

Helpful advice of a different kind comes from Terence Eden. His blog post provides us a textbook example of bad mobile advertising (badvertising) using the example of an Apple app advert shown on an Android device. A complete mismatch and a bad user experience via the Guardian – or, more likely, whoever runs their advertising department. But it gets worse – a lot worse. How could this badvertising disaster involving the Guardian, Barclays Bank and Apple have been avoided? Terence has the answers…

In contrast, my submission from MSearchGroove offers a positive example of how charities can harness mobile for the greater good. A cancer awareness campaign gets our attention using barcodes and calls-to-action that make sense (and a difference!)

Volker Hirsch over at Volker on Mobile connects the dots in recent comments by carrier representative to conclude that the classic 50/50 rev share model may be on the way out. Will it be replaced by a 70/30 rev share model that favors developers? No clear answers, but Vodafone’s content Services Director hinted at last week’s MEM event in London that it beginning to see things differently. Will operators embrace Volker’s logic and understand that “the real value of (great) content to carriers may not lie in incremental revenues (be it 50% or 30%) but in softer albeit much, much more important values, namely marketing, positioning as well as customer retention.” Read on and find out…

And finally, an emotional plea from Antoine RJ Wright for change in the U.S. mobile market. It may not be everyone’s taste in posts, but there’s no arguing that many customer feel locked in a market that is high on carrier control and low on carrier innovation…

* * *

That’s a wrap for this week. Next week we converge on Communities Dominate Brands where Tomi will summarize the best of the week’s mobile blogging.

In the meantime, I encourage EVERYONE to get involved and submit a post. Better yet – recruit your buddies to join in as well. I still miss posts from bloggers in the emerging world where I know the REAL innovation is happening…

Thanks to Communities Dominate Brands we get a great update on the numbers that play in the zero-sum game involving smartphone makers worldwide. As the inimitable Tomi Ahonen sees it, it’s a bloodbath – and he has the stats to back it up. It’s a meaty, must-read post that recounts shipments and sales by all the major players. It also claims “Apple’s market share has indeed peaked and we’ll see gradual market share decline for this year 2010 compared to 2009.” Is Tomi right? Read on, find out… (and bookmark!)

While Tomi argues with numbers, Ajit Jaokar gives invaluable insights (with a nod to Sun Tzu) in his post into why Apple is no longer the one to watch. Now it’s all about Android. In his view, Apple’s obsessive and un-open approach to mobile has stunted its growth. Android is gaining traction and “it is now a race for Nokia, LiMo and others to compete against the rate of change of Android and that will be hard.” Who will win and why? Read on and find out…

In the run up to an exciting event — Mobile Future Forward (September 8th) — Chetan Sharma’s new post gives us the opportunity to download a worthwhile white paper that outlines the themes/ trends impacting mobile at all levels. It’s a great way to get us all thinking about the big-picture issues that define what mobile is and will likely become. The white paper also gives us a good idea of the topics senior execs from a wide range of top-notch companies will discuss during the path-breaking event. (Shameless plug: MSearchGroove is proud to be the newest media sponsor, so check back here for more content in the run up to the event, including an exclusive podcast (!) with Paul Palmieri, Millennial Media CEO.) What are the trends that matter most? Read on and find out… (Download the PDF here)

Registration for the event is open now. Early Bird expires June 30th 2010.

Mark Bridge over at Fonecast showcases a podcast with Hans Eriksson of mobile video streaming service Bambuser, which lets you share streaming video in real-time and even add chat. Hans tells us about the service and innovative ways people are using it. For one, the service was used to cover Jukka Mutanen’s 1,000 km cross-country drive through Finland. Hans also discusses some of the problems (and solutions) associated with live video streaming. A useful podcast – particularly in view of the traction video is getting on microblogs. How can video amplify your message? Read on and find out…

We know from the Obama campaign that SMS messages encouraging people to vote can have a profound impact on people’s perceptions of candidates and key issues. This post from Alfred DeRose over at Tego Interactive connects the dots in recent research on the topic and walks us through a campaign (combining Web, social media and mobile) his team developed for a Slovakian political party. Why can a well-integrated multi-channel campaign influence voter’s perceptions and participation? Read on and find out…

Participation of another kind is the focus of this post from C. Enrique Ortiz over at About Mobility. He reflects on some of his recent work and insights about the rampant spread of mobile broadband that cause him to wonder if developers (or operators) will have to carry the burden of app support. He asks: Is app-specific support a real issue today or one that is coming? More importantly, can developers even handle the hassle? And he also wants your input on these questions, which is why he asks us all to participate in a simple survey. What are app developer responsibilities and where should we draw the line? Fill out the survey and make your voice heard!

BEST OF THE WEEK

My pick this week: Ajit’s excellent explanation of why Android is pulling ahead of – well – everyone in the smartphone space. His perspective – backed up by multi-disciplinary common sense — is a pleasure to read. And don’t miss his nod to an excellent post from another author on why Apple’s secrecy may also be its undoing.

That’s a wrap until next week – when I hope someone will step up to the plate. At the moment Tomi – always the gentleman – has agreed to be our host. However, I would like to hear from some of you lurkers out there! With over 100 “members” and counting – I sure hope one of you will give a shout….

First, a round of thanks to all the companies and individuals that have reached out to become part of  The Mobile Movement, a coalition of entrepreneurs, humanitarians, artists, academics and other industry leaders committed to bringing mobile capabilities to non-profits.

In the last weeks since the launch several members of the advisory board (which includes MSG and Laura Marriott, consultant and former global President of the Mobile Marketing Association) got together for the first board meeting in Boston to evaluate and prioritize the flood of requests from non-profits and companies.

It was also an honor for my post on our launch and mission to be chosen “Post Of The Week” by the Carnival Of The Mobilists (and COM host Holly Kolman).

HEALTHCARE IS THE FOCUS

The positive feedback to The Mobile Movement is overwhelming, and we are encouraged by the number of organizations resolved to reach millions more people in need by leveraging mobile devices, networks and innovative applications they will create in partnership with social entrepreneurs.

Healthcare is a prime focus and we have already received several requests from non-profits interested in harnessing mobile to offer early cancer detection services, for example. An interesting application in discussion is a location-linked early detection service that would allow people to input their zip code to find the nearest clinic offering these screening services.

MEDIA SPONSPOR FOR MOBILE CHARITY EVENT

Clearly, mobile is becoming a strategic focus for an increasing number of non-profit organizations and charities.

The timing couldn’t be better for an event exploring how the charitable sector can leverage mobile and this is precisely the focus of Empowering the Charitable Sector with Interactive Technology (May 27, London), an all-day knowledge seminar organized by AIME (the Association for Interactive media & Entertainment).

MSG is proud to be a media partner of this worthwhile event, which will feature presentations, case studies and panel discussions based around an editorial agenda that brings together charities, advertising & marketing agencies, service providers, broadcasters, industry bodies and mobile operators.

Attendees will learn, first hand from established charitable organizations and their supporting partners, how to put together multiple platform solutions which maximize the potential for all kinds of charities to connect with the public and collect donations on a massive scale, while benefiting from lower overheads.

The event will also include a number of networking opportunities throughout, such as coffee and tea breaks, lunch and possibly a small exhibition space for companies to showcase products and services.

It will also bring charities new to using mobile together with experts in an environment to share ideas, contacts and key learnings.

SPEAKERS & TOPICS

In an increasingly ‘connected’ world, interactive platforms such as the web, TV, mobile and social media offer the charitable sector opportunities to drive higher revenue generation and public engagement at lower costs.

This event looks as the key areas that charities should be focusing on in order to maximize their fundraising activities and get the most out of their investment in digital platforms.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Caroline Lien, Head of Interactive, Comic Relief & Sports Relief
• Jim Manis, President, Mobile Giving Foundation
• Chris Ward, Director Join1 Goal Organization
• Daniela Martimo, Director, World Society for the Protection of Animals
• Simone Schmidlkofer, President, Cause2Connect
• Mike Short, Honorary Chairman, Mobile Data Association
• Doug Laughlen, Director, Local Giving Organization
• David Ryder, Director, y6Media Ltd
• Darren Parker, Business Development Director, BT Agile Media
• Robert Thurner, Commercial Director, Inventivated
• Rob Weisz, Commercial Director, Mobile Interactive Technology
• Rory Maguire, Head of Payments, 3
• Roger Craven, Managing Director, Vir2 Ltd
• Paul Swaddle, Marketing Director, WIN PLC

Case studies include:

Comic Relief/Sports Relief
Save the Children
Unicef
Leonard Cheshire Disability Organization
World Society for the Protection of Animals
Just Giving Organization
DEC

Key topics include:

• Text Donations – tax and revenue share implications
• Maximising Direct Response using WAP, SMS, Web and Email marketing to achieve optimum outcomes
• Enabling a standardized charitable giving process across MNO platforms
• Understanding the practicalities of data segmentation
• Text and Email Alerts – CRM and data management
• The role of apps and Social Media Integration
• Online fundraising –key points for success
• Legislation – Opt outs, black and grey listings
• Other platforms available for fundraising – IVR, Red Button
• Driving consumer engagement to support your mobile, online and social media strategies
• What does the future hold?

Pricing: AIME Members & attendees from the charity sector (GBP 75.00), non members (GBP 99.00)

So, register as soon as possible to ensure your place. And here’s a link where you can book your place today.

REGISTER HERE

Disclaimer: Peggy Anne Salz is member of The Mobile Movement advisory board.

This time the Carnival of the Mobilists – the line-up of the best blogs and bloggers on all things mobile – comes to us via Holly Kolman. Holly a first-time host, who – true to her blog title – is a real mobile enthusiast brings us COM #221. Kudos for an excellent job and I hope Holly will host another COM soon (!)

The line-up of blogs includes:

• A look at the recent announcement that Japan’s four leading mobile phone makers are teaming up with NTT DoCoMo to develop the operating system for DoCoMo’s next-generation mobile phones (via Ajit Jaokar @ Open Gardens)
• The real reason why Apple iPhone sales didn’t dip (via Tomi Ahonen @ Communities Dominate Brands)
• Refreshing realism on the iPhone and app opportunities (via Carl Martin @ Mobsessed)
• A welcome reminder to designers – and everyone in mobile – that not everyone will have or wants to have a smartphone (via new COM member Belen Barro Pena
• The potential headaches associated with supporting smartphones & the opportunity for operators to wring more value from helping their customs use them in the first place (two post via new COM contributors Amdocs)
• An in-depth look at opportunities in gaming and gambling (via James Coops @MobiAffiliates)
• More need-to-know mobile stats (via Andy Favell @mobiThinking – an excellent curator of key mobile advertising facts & figures)

PLUS Post Of The Week:

Humbled that this week’s pick is my own post on The Mobile Movement. By way of background, I have joined with entrepreneurs, humanitarians, artists & academics in a coalition committed to bringing mobile capabilities to non-profits in order that they may reach millions more people in need by leveraging mobile devices, networks and innovative applications created in partnership with social entrepreneurs.

On Monday I will update you on our recent advisory board meeting and the exciting projects in the works, as well as details about a new Knowledge Sharing event focused on mobile charity. (Disclaimer: MSG is aligned with the aims of The Mobile Movement and Peggy Anne Salz sits on the board of advisors.)

COM #220

Tsahi Levent-Levi over at Radvision steps up to host COM #220 – a vibrant mix of posts and insights that fits with the excitement that comes with the celebration of Israel’s Independence Day. Pay special attention to the post-even coverage and videos around this centerpiece event looking at the impact of technologies on our life and work in 2025. Another destination not to be missed: The Wadi – a new site/blog dedicated to the Israeli hi-tech industry. For links and details check out Tsahi’s blog post here.

Other posts included in the COM:

• A look at what iAd really means for the mobile space (via Carl Martin @ Mobsessed)
• How (and why) targeting can potentially increase conversions (via James Coops @ MobyAfilliates)
• An analysis that outlines the extent to which Android really is open source and the gaps that may alarm you (via Andreas Constantinou @ VisionMobile)
• Why mobile is the Here, the Now and the Future (via Antoine RJ Wright)
• A welcome roundup of stats showing why Asia will dominate in mobile (via Any Favell @mobiThinking)
• The security shortcomings associated with using Wi-Fi hotspot connection (via Martin Sauter @WirelessMoves)
• How Indian operator Idea Cellular is building a business on Pretones, content people can listen to while they call someone on their mobile phones (via very welcome COM newcomer Nikhil Pahwa)
• Musings on a possible Twitter business model that will likely become reality soon (via Ajit Jaokar @ Open Gardens)
• Tsahi’s own ideas on what videochat on the iPhone may be like

NOTE: Tsahi didn’t pick a Post Of The Week – so allow me to direct your attention to Andeas’ expertly researched and written post on Android. A real eye-opener!

COM #219

Although many of us tweeted our best wishes, a round of thanks to Antoine RJ Wright for hosting the COM #219 on his birthday. A gift to us all on his birthday is a summary of posts that set the bar.

These include:

• Management, tracking and targeting tips for your mobile campaign (via james Coops @MobyAffiliates)
• A rant about the Nexus (and all smartphones) with humor that reminds us what really makes a good user experience good (via “Mr Fat Fingers” Tsahi Levent-Levi @VoIP Survivor)
• Do companies really have a mobile strategy when all they do is launch an iPhone app? (a thoughtful post via Martin Wilson @ Indigo 102 – look for his more in-depth column on MSG soon)
• A look at what Apple results and sales really say about iPhone’s ongoing popularity (via Tomi Ahonen @Communities Dominate Brands)
• What does version 4.0 of the iPhone OS mean for developers? (via WIP Connector)
• A walk through the main points of Open Mobile (a book project I am proud to have edited) and a look at the 35+ mobile trends highest on the radar (via Ajit Jaokar @ Open Gardens) BTW: Ajit’s submission was chosen as Post Of The Week – all the more reason to read the post and download his book.
• A recap of Bible Tech (via our host Antoine RJ Wright)

COM #218

Carl Martin makes his debut as host of COM #218 and does a great job. We hope he returns to take the honors soon.

Meantime, here are the posts that made the line-up:

• A look at Nokia Bots: four mini-apps that bring new intelligence to our mobile devices –or do they? (via Antoine RJ Wright)
• MSG’s own analysis of why barcodes have a lot of mileage in the enterprise and beyond
• Must-read data points and details contained within the updated Global Mobile Data Market report (via Chetan Sharma)
• Mobile forecasts and milestones for 2010 (via Tomi Ahonen @Communities Dominate Brands)
• App promotion basics and a helpful list of companies, destinations and resources (via James Coops @ MobyAffiliates
• Are smartphones just PDAs by another name? (via Tsahi Levent-Levi @VoIP Survivor)
• A little phone geek fun (via Terence Eden)

COM #217

Martin Wilson takes the helm for COM #217 and leads us through an eclectic mix of posts and promotions people in the mobile industry need to know.

The line-up includes:

• Details on the forthcoming Mobile 2.0 Europe 2010 event (via the ever-active Rudy De Waele over at the new event website)
• An overview of the top developments and trends at CTIA (via Chetan Sharma)
• What is location really and where is the business value (via Martin Wilson and his guest column on MSG)
• A solid argument for the money – and the excitement – in Mobile 2.0 mashups that analysts might be missing (via Volker Hirsch @ Volker On Mobile)
• A discussion of affiliate marketing as a new and potentially much more lucrative way to monetize apps (via James Coops @ MobyAffiliates)
• An attempt to answer the question: when do apps make business sense (via PSFK, a New York City-based trends research and innovation company)
• A study of mobile commerce and a look at whether it is best suited to an app or a full-fledged mobile website (via Carl Martin @ Redweb)
• The decision my Mozilla to put its Windows development on hold (via Tam Hanna @ TamsPPC – the Windows Phone Blog)
• Are operators are confusing themselves and the market when it comes to defining (and understanding) mobile data? (via Declan Lonergan @ the Yankee Group)
• A podcast chock-full of highlights specific to the U.K. mobile market (via The Fonecast)
• To what extent can/does mobile education empower students to overcome a variety of physical and mental barriers (via Judy Breck’s guest appearance @ Handschooling.com)
• The inside track on BlackBerry’s popularity in the Middle East & a few surprising cultural causes (via Russell Buckley @ MobHappy)
• Expert advice to help you make the most of the Android G1 and Magic’s Limited RAM (via Dennis Bournique @ WAP Review)

COM #216

Tam Hanna hosts COM#216, a brief but appreciated summary of the top blog posts of the week. The On the heels of the industry-first report of the app market size and value, several posts choose to focus on the continuing app phenomenon.

Posts that made the line-up include:

• Highlights and data points from the milestone app report released by Chetan Sharma (via Chetan Sharma’s AORTA blog)
• A different perspective on the same report with additional insights and a podcast with GetJar, the number one independent app store worldwide (via MSG)
• An outreach from Verizon Wireless to developers (via WIP Connector)
• A comprehensive post that serves as a mobile marketing guide to Japan (mobiThinking connects the dots in observations made by Japan expert Christopher Billich)
• A hard and fair look at Adobe’s Flash mobile strategy (via Guilhem Ensuque @ Everything and the Mobile Software Universe…
• Why the 2.0 version of PayPal’s iPhone application could become one incredibly disruptive technology to the banking and credit/debit card industries (via Antoine RJ Wright)
• A run through a map app allowing people to reserve a parking space for their car (via Coldtags Suite)
• A look at mobile data charges and why transparency is just a part of the discussion (via Ajit Jaokar @ Open Gardens)
• A real life story reminds us of the collateral damage that can be caused by the wrong information when it spreads like wildfire via social media (via Dr. Jim Taylor @ Mobility Digest)

Again, no Post Of The Week was chosen. The app report is by far the most important industry news/trend. However, Jim’s thoughtful recount of a real-life incident illustrating how social media can ruin lives has my vote.

As he concludes: The story “demonstrates how the reputation and perhaps life of an innocent person can be summarily ruined as a result of an equally innocent, yet misconstrued, occurrence, poor due diligence and decision making on the part of people who should know better, and, ultimately, the power of social media.”

NOTE: If you want to submit your post to be considered for the weekly line-up by the COM host, then email your link by Sunday to mobilists@gmail.com. If you want to host a COM, then contact me directly (peggy@msearchgroove.com) Everyone is welcome to submit their post for consideration. Of course, there is no guarantee that all posts will be included in the final selection.

I encourage you to explore the content contributed by COM regulars and newcomers including MOPocket (bursting back on the scene after a long break with an in-depth look at Windows Mobile 6.5.1 and an exclusive briefing with Microsoft) and David Eads (a newcomer with a fresh new analysis recent developments in Canada’s mobile banking space.

As the COM’s new “keeper of the tents” I am pleased to report we now have a presence on Twitter (@COTMobilists), the first step in a strategy to communicate our collective ideas and recruit more bloggers. Please also check out the new schedule for 2010. After you have contributed to COM twice you may also host the COM at your site – a great way to raise profile and increase traffic.

I invite you to familiarize yourself with COM’s mission and principles (quite simply to promote the best in mobile blogging) posted on the website and get involved!

Over the next weeks I will proactively reach out to bloggers and contributors to ask for  input to make sure 2010 is an exciting and eventful year for COM. If you have ideas regarding recruitment, events and sponsorship – and any other steps we must take to make COM a vibrant organization with a (combined) voice that matters – please contact me directly (peggy@msearchgroove.com).

I am honored to follow Judy as the new Keeper of the Tents. It’s also a good time to consider new directions and activities to grow the Carnival and its roster of contributors. Thanks to the Mobilists who have contacted me to wish me the best in this new role, and a special thanks to Volker Hirsch and Srinivasarao Nandiwada (nsr), who have reached out to me to help guide the Carnival through this transition period.

It’s all about new energy, new idea and new horizons — and a new phase in the development of the Carnival. If you’re a member, submit your suggestions for consideration by the group. If you’re not a member, then get involved!

Now let’s get this show on the road!

Over at Volker on Mobile Volker Hirsch challenges us to rethink what we mean by “social media.” In his view, “empowered media” is a much better term since we are literally empowered to create, capture and communicate everything around us. The question is: how should we wield this power? Fortunately for us, Volker doesn’t settle for a philosophical discussion of the issue; he uses the recent incident involving Ian, the London subway worker (now unemployed) who threatened a passenger to drive an important point home. Was it Ian’s misfortune that Jonathan MacDonald – a social media authority well-known to us at the Carnival – was nearby? Or was it Jonathan’s responsibility to capture the “rant”, publish it, tweet it and tell us all? Read and decide.

But mobile is more than a social media (or empowered media) tool. Over at mobiEnthusiast.mobi Holly Kolman draws our attention to mobile’s potential as an educational tool with the example of BuckleUp.mobi. The mobile site urges people to use their seat belts and features important related for drives on the fly. Check it out and spread the word.

A truly eye-opening post from Mark Jaffe over at Mobile Mandala based on a chance meeting with a Flirtomatic executive. Mark walks us through some surprising numbers from the source and wakes us up to the wealth of opportunities around giving people who don’t own smartphones a good user experience. Are companies leaving money on the table by catering to the high-end device crowd? Read Mark’s insightful post and decide.

And while we look for answers to these questions James Coops over at mjelly reminds us that it’s the search for apps we like in the App Store (actually all applications stores) that will likely take up the lion’s share of our time (and patience). His extremely helpful and worthwhile post (which includes a list of sources and services that assist in iPhone app discovery) provides us a how-to to navigate the confusing terrain. From social discovery tools to app review sites, his post is one to bookmark. Check it out and add your suggestions.

(For another look at the issues around content discovery and some helpful stats to put the problem in perspective, you may want to check out last’s week’s submission from Tego Interactive, a company out to tackle this issue head-on.)

Another valuable resource is a must-read list of mobile marketing case studies via mobiThinking.com. The list includes many campaigns (from a who’s who of brands and agencies) that were submitted to the Mobile Marketing Association. (The winners will be announced on November 17 at the Mobile Marketing Forum in Los Angeles.) But it doesn’t stop there. Andy Favell, mobiThinking.com editor, has invited agencies to send in their case studies, an admirable outreach that will likely turn the site into a top-notch destination for what’s new in mobile advertising. Check it out and contribute to the conversation!

And finally, Enrique Ortiz at About Mobility: A Technology & Products Weblog About All Things Mobile gives us his take on the seismic shift in the Nav market. Does Google Maps Nav — now with real-time always up to date maps and nav info, turn by turn directions, live traffic information and even street view – disrupt the market and threaten the likes of TomTom? Read on and share your views.

My pick of the week? Although the resources provided by mjelly and mobithinking deserve special mention (I’ve bookmarked both for my ongoing work in content discovery and my new mobile advertising project), Mark Jaffe’s down-to-earth post speaks volumes about the biggest challenge facing the mobile industry: it’s own inability to see the pent-up demand among ordinary people – with rather ordinary devices – for extraordinary service.

Thanks to Mark for pointing this out and let’s all work to spread the word!

Next week the Carnival moves to Mobileslate. See you there…

In brief: MSearchGroove proudly steps up to the plate and hosts the Carnival of the Mobilists for the first time.

The last weekend in August and I spent much of it at a two-day summer festival in Siegburg, Germany, where I’m based. I’ve been on a natural high with good friends, great food and a wonderful line-up of home-grown entertainment. But not all the excitement was at the local fairgrounds. The Mobilists have also come up with a mix of thought leadership and must-read posts that give us new perspectives on mobile and start our adrenalin flowing.

Andy Favell and the team at mobiThinking.com do us all a great service and compile a comprehensive list of mobile industry facts and figures. The first in this series focuses on the size of the mobile Web and the implications for marketers. What do the numbers tell us? Should investors/companies take advantage of the economic slowdown and move ahead while others are standing still? Read on, find out and tell us what you think.

Another round of important mobile stats comes from Jose Colucci at Mobile Strategy, who continues the countdown of the 12 Reasons Why Canadian Banks Should Really Offer Mobile Services. Jose expertly brings together figures that show significant growth and penetration (despite strict government regulation, a lack of competition and a sky-high mobile data plans and pricing).  The bottom line: over 70 percent of Canadians have wireless access. Is Canada an untapped market for banking services? Is there a first-mover advantage for financial institutions that get involved? Read on, find out and tell us what you think.

With all the buzz around app stores and the proliferation of mobile devices (beyond just phones), the timing couldn’t be better for this post from Antoine RJ Wright. In it he recounts Nokia’s size, scope and industry influence, and wonders if the Finnish giant has the resources and marketing muscle to sustain three brands/strategies: Ovi, Symbian and Maemo. Could Maemo be the “wild card” in Nokia’s hand? Read on, find out and tell us what you think.

Tsahi Levent-Levi at VoIP Survivor, a blog in RADVISION’s blogs network providing insights into the VoIP industry, connects the dots in recent analysis/commentary and examines the outlook for mobile VoIP. Will current interest among carriers create the conditions for a viable market? Or will it simply advance the shift to IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) – a technology that defines how to set up advanced services for 3G cellular networks – and put operators back in the driver’s seat? Hmmm…should Fring and Truphone watch their backs? Read on, find out and tell us what you think.

A refreshing new idea comes from Judy Breck at Golden Swamp. She uses the debut of  Half the Sky, a new book documenting the plight and progress of the world’s women, to start a long overdue discussion about the impact of mobile on women in the emerging markets. Must women such as Saima Muhammad, a Pakistani woman who routinely beaten by her husband until she started a successful embroidery business, continue to endure their terrible fates in silence? Or does personal mobility offer the promise of liberation and freedom from oppression? What is the outcome when the world’s women have access to the Internet in their pockets? Read on, find out and join in the conversation at Golden Swamp.

Meanwhile, Dennis Bournique at WAP Review uncovers disturbing inequities in the price of mobile data in the developed world. He successfully argues the case for a rethink based on his shocking observation that (currently) all prepaid data is “wildly overpriced.” So, what is fair price for mobile data on prepaid plans? Dennis does the math and provides us a reasonable model that makes money and sense for everyone. Read on, find out and give us your take.

Some eight operating systems are battling for market supremacy. Will there be only one? Digital evangelist Ian Wood (thankfully) moves us past the academic discussion and back to basics in a post that draws from his vast personal experience and road tests. His conclusion: look for consolidation that will see three OS providers emerge. Who will make the winner’s circle? Read on, find out and let us know what you think.

Kudos to C. Enrique Ortiz at About Mobility for asking the question: is Apple a control freak? He connects the dots in recent developments – such as the decision by Apple to reject both Google Voice and Riverturn’s VoiceCentral application – to communicate an uncomfortable truth. But it’s not about whether Apple is morphing into a monopolist; it’s about the larger impact on the ecosystem and the third-party developers that have made iPhone the success it is. What are the arguments (pro and com)? What’s at stake? Read on, find out and speak out!

Finally, MSearchGroove uses COM #189 to showcase Mobile Groove, its new, no-holds-barred podcast series. I join with series co-host Inma Martinez, a leading digital media strategist and advisor to venture capitalists who has been referred to as a “free radical” by Red Herring and Fast Company. Together we raise our goblet of rock and speak out on the rise and demise of Blyk, what went wrong at Spinvox and what we can expect from Microsoft moving forward. Read on, have fun and contact us with your ideas/input! (mobilegroove AT msearchgroove DOTcom)

Post of the week goes to Judy Breck at Golden Swamp for prompting us to see mobile as a tool (for change) rather than a technology. Access to the mobile Internet gives everyone – particularly women suffering in isolation – a voice, allowing them to connect with people and peers who can amplify their message and fight their cause. Thanks, Judy, for reminding us why mobile is amazing and why we must strive to bridge the digital divide.

***

If you’re like me, then use the last days of August to catch up on your reading and check out the Carnival posts we unfortunately missed on MSearchGroove.

COM #186 at allaboutiphone.net (Topics include: what brands want from targeting; U.S. wireless data stats from Chetan Sharma; and a look at whether Europe risks losing its competitive edge in mobile. A highlight: an answer to the question – does Steve Jobs hate the App Store?)

COM #187 hosted by Jamie Wells at mobilestance.com (Topics include: five iPhone apps that could make publishers money; a discussion around the future of paid content; an in-depth look at what a mobile Web OS experience could offer; and an exclusive interview with Blyk.)

COM #188 at Golden Swamp (Topics include: how location adds context to content; a look at the cool new Layar Reality Browser2.0; an analysis of Nokia; and a new take on mobile education.)

Thanks to COM contributors and readers.

Look for the Carnival next week at WIPJam - and be sure to catch up with Caroline Lewko and the great WIPJam team at the next Jam Session on the World Tour: WIPJam@OSiM (Open Source in Mobile), September 16, in Amsterdam.

Contributions this week (from Antoine RJ Wright, Sachendra Yadav, Holly Kolman, Andrew Grill, Andy Favell, Ajit Jaokar and Embee Mobile Blog) cover an eclectic mix of topics including location-based services and the importance of user trust, an analysis of the rise and fall of Virgin Mobile’s Sugar Mama service and an insightful look at Mobile Advertising – 2020 Vision, a new white paper from Ogilvy and Acision that examines the future of advertising. (When the paper landed in my inbox I immediately reached out to Jo Wall, the white paper’s  author and Proposition Manager – Mobile Advertising at Acision,  for an interview/podcast. I’ll keep you posted on what we arrange.)

MSG’s contribution this week was a post recounting the highlights of the recent Mobile Search Masterclass, an event that brought me together with an impressive roster of industry authorities from companies including AmbieSense Ltd., a provider of ambient search services; Microsoft Research (Cambridge); g8wave Ltd., a mobile marketing company; and  Mobile Commerce Ltd., a provider of location-based services that also possesses what the founders call a “piece of enablement” that gives them deep insight into the search queries passed through the operator portals in the U.K., and the results set returned to the user.

A special personal thanks to Ayse Göker, who invited me to participate in the masterclass for the second successive year. Ayse, who holds a senior lectureship at City University London, is a recognized pioneer in context-aware information retrieval systems and Co-founder of AmbieSense Ltd. She is also one of the authors of Information  Retrieval: Searching for the 21^st Century. This new book on search, slated to be published within the next few weeks, also looks at mobile search and includes contributions/analysis from MSG. More on the book and details where you can order your copy soon.

In the meantime, I hope you will read and enjoy the posts at COM#185.

Next week’s Carnival will be hosted by All About iPhone.

This week’s host is Punchcut, a San Francisco-based UI design company focused on strategy, user experience design and development for the digital lifestyle. Carnival of Mobilists #184 comes from the company blog Idlemode. Contributions this week (from Tomi Ahonen, Dennis Bournique, Judy Breck, Tam Hanna, Volker Hirsch, Holly Kolman, Sanjeet Matharu, C. Enrique Ortiz and Howard Rheingold) cover an eclectic mix of topics including app store fragmentation and frustration, Palm Pre’s real market share and a look at how researchers leverage portable, camera-enabled mobile phones for diagnostic imaging and telemedicine.

MSG’s contribution this week was an in-depth analysis of Blyk’s partnership model and its first deal with Vodafone Netherlands.

Enjoy!

Next week’s Carnival will be hosted by Eric Chan at Mobileslate.

In the meantime, I’m catching up on my reading and planning coverage/features/podcasts for the next weeks. Top of the list is the Carnival of Mobilists (CoM), which is on this week at Xen Mendelsohn’s Xellular Identity. It’s a great line-up as always, but a few really merit a closer look.

My favorite (and Xen’s as well since it was her pick for the best post of the week) is a deep-dive from mobile consultant, author and esteemed colleague Tomi Ahonen. He expertly and eloquently outlines the advantages of mobile as a mass media (the 7^th Mass Media channel) and provides examples that make me wonder (as he does) why we don’t “think mobile” when we develop mobile content/apps/ads/etc…

To drive home this point he describes MTV, a content creator that truly “gets” it. When MTV shoots Jackass, for example, they do it with two separate camera crews. One focuses on producing a show for the TV screen, and the other films it for display and enjoyment on the mobile phone. Both crews shoot the same action, but they do it with the media in mind. Tomi’s conclusion: “This is the level of thinking we need. Don’t copy. Develop expressly for the 7th Mass Media.”

Mobile advertising also has to be different. Indeed, I recall a  Wireless World Forum event last year where a representative of an ad agency told the audience mobile advertising wouldn’t produce positive ROI and results until the brands and agencies developed new messages and schemes to reach mobile uses. A display banner that says “Try this!” or “Buy that!” isn’t going to cut it – and he is so right!

It’s a new game with new rules – and Tomi doesn’t just tell us that; he treats us to a few free business tips/models to get us started. There’s super-cool and lucrative personalization services via Cyworld and Flirtomatic that companies could/should consider; personalized idle screen news tickers from NTT DoCoMo that are “almost to easy” to emulate; and a blueprint to follow from ad-funded mobile services provider Blyk. Its success in allowing users to co-create their advertising experiences is more than a warm-and-fuzzy approach to capture the attention of mobile youth. It’s a hard-nosed business model that has allowed Blyk to meet its target and chalk up 100,000 users in only 7 months.

(I recently had the pleasure of meeting Anti Öhrling, Blyk co-founder, and plan to circle back with an analysis of Blyk’s approach to “user-generated” mobile advertising as well as his personal thoughts on mobile search. The folks at GCI London, Blyk’s PR agency, assure me this will happen soon – so please check back regularly…Thanks for the quick response!)

I have to wonder how long it will be before location-based service providers catch on to the sure-fire value prop Tomi presents in his discussion of a just-in-time/on-location short-term job placement service pioneered by Otetsudai networks in Japan. Its mobile service lets users see where the jobs are – and where potential employees are located. Great stuff – so I encourage you to check out his worthwhile post and download the thought piece he wrote to accompany it. (I have reached out to Tomi for a podcast on this post and his latest book, Digital Korea, so chances are good he’ll make a guest appearance on MSG as well…)

But it’s not all praise for his paper. Tomi also tells us to move on with mobile and not worry about squeezing Internet content on the phone. However, I want a lot of that Internet content because it’s there now (!) and I know it will be a while before content providers “think mobile” and produce the stuff I like the way I like it. Besides, stats from Vodafone and other mobile operators/portal providers show that users do gravitate to a Long Tail of Internet sites they know and love. Granted we have to invent new content types and approaches for mobile – but until that happens I’m hopeful that content adaptation and transcoding solutions from providers such as InfoGin and Novarra will vastly improve the user experience – and allow us to have it “all”without having to worry where the content comes from…

Another worthwhile post comes from Jamie Wells at Mobistance, who walks us through Fluid Nexus. The open source P2P mobile messaging app that runs on Bluetooth, points the way to a whole new form of messaging that was built from the ground up to enable activists to exchange data and messages amongst themselves independent of a centralized mobile network.

The part that caught my attention: The observation that Fluid Nexus can be used as a “hyperlocal message board, loosely attached to physical locations.” Jamie’s ideas on how this could be used for mobile marketing are a bit blue-sky at his point, but nonetheless food for thought…

To switch gears for a moment. I was on the road last week, so missed my chance to promote CoM #121 over at 3-Lib. But there’s no time like the present and there were some gems I just have to highlight.

MSG friends and supporters Chetan Sharma and Andrew Grill had great posts.

Chetan published an interview with ex-Moto CTO Padmasree Warrior, that is as relevant today as it was when he conducted it. I like his interview style, which gives us a holistic view of her current thinking and future vision. Well done! Andrew, who apparently shares my fascination with Blyk’s approach to mobile advertising, analyzes the importance of user feedback in mobile advertising. He (and Blyk) are on to something…

Kudos to Jamie Wells at Mobistance for providing a comprehensive update on QR codes, and divining the ambitions of Google and Apple in this space. It’s a confusing market and it’s helpful to have a roadmap. I also included a few of Jamie’s arguments in the mix of questions I posed Jonathan Bulkeley, Scanbuy CEO, yesterday. More when I post the podcast. (Just getting the other players lined-up to have a 3-part series on QR codes and content discovery…)