Mobile Groove

There’s a sea change underway shaping the way we all communicate. No longer limited to a specific device, people enjoy the freedom to seamlessly network with friends and co-workers, watch videos, share photos, or generally wander the Net 24×7 – wherever and whenever they choose. NewBay’s Steve French maps out the new landscape and impact on all the players — particularly mobile operators and device makers.

Today’s rich communication experience doesn’t just transform how we connect and communicate with our friends, families and social networks. It also encourages us to create and share content, including user- generated content (UGC) and premium content. At the other end of the spectrum, content delivery and social networking have converged with developments in cloud-based storage, device innovation and the advance of ubiquitous broadband to enable new experiences that were not possible in the past.

The question looms like the next iPhone rumor. Will wireless subscribers accept advertising in exchange for price breaks on hardware and services?

This week, Amazon moved to at least partially get an answer, introducing the Kindle coupled with Special Offers for US$114. That’s a savings of US$25. What’s the difference? This new Kindle comes with “deals” and sponsored screensavers that display on the Kindle screensaver and on the bottom of the home screen.

While last week’s #doxchat Tweetchat focused on all the big-picture issues around the emerging mobile app ecosystem, the real discussion — one that Tweetreach reports reached a whopping 58,000+ people via 400+ tweets to achieve exposure of nearly 412,000 — centered on the likely impact of Amazon on the app store landscape.

The best response came from @iboy, who shared a “visualization of what Amazon will do to other Android app stores.” It’s a eye-opening image that should have alarm bells ringing in operator and OEM board rooms — everywhere.

The avalanche in apps and app stores doesn’t just mean more choice for consumers and more opportunity for developers. It also ushers in a new App Economy with new players and new rules. What is the impact of the Amazon app store? What is the role of the mobile operator? What revenue share operators realistically expect? And finally – with mobile commerce poised to be THE next big thing– are operators heading for a showdown with banks and credit card companies?

These are a few of the questions I explore in a podcast interview with Matt Anderson, an active blogger and outspoken commentator on the industry, who also heads up product marketing at Amdocs Interactive. Tomorrow (April 6, 5 pm CET/ 11 am EST ) Matt and Ajit Jaokar, author, speaker and mobile app authority, join me in a Tweetchat (#doxchat) to debate how the App Economy might play out and the impact on all the players.

If Apple is anything, it is unpredictable. I’ve been quite amused this week by the pundits and industry analysts who claim Apple will delay the introduction of the iPhone 5.

I have to wonder where they have been (or how well they really know Apple). Steve Jobs likes a little drama (and fun). Just think how many times Steve closed his speeches with “Just one more thing”– right before springing some of the industry’s biggest surprises on us. Cases in point: the introduction of the iMac and iPod.

The mobile app economy is growing, mobile commerce is exploding and the value chain is crowding as mobile operators, credit card companies, financial institutions, and Web giants such as Google jockey for position.

If this week’s hot news is any indication, then the industry is indeed in for a roller coaster ride as mobile payments (for everything, not just apps) becomes the next big battlefield.

Mobile Marketer tells us that American Express has taken the wraps off its Serve digital payment and commerce platform, offering person-to-person, online, mobile and traditional card capabilities in a single account. The Wall Street Journal (via MoCoNews) reports that Google is building out its plans to push contactless payments (using near-field communications or NFC technology). Google has been talking up NFC for several months now, but now it’s also got MasterCard and Citigroup on board. And the list goes on.