Mobile Groove

This week I wrap up some of the most interesting interviews in my career. It’s been over a month of collecting facts, figures and vision from 25+ mobile executives and luminaries, in-depth information that will be the foundation of the Netsize Guide 2009, which I am writing as we speak.

Is convergence the end-game? Will mobile advertising foot the bill for mobile content and apps? What is the real value of location? How can companies remain relevant to their customers? Are mobile operators -well- outdated? These are just a few of the questions I have the freedom to explore in the guide with the full support of George Yaryura, Netsize Strategic Marketing Manager. Our goal: To co-create a highly accessible and valuable publication for mobile professionals and practitioners. I must keep the keep the details of these interviews confidential until the Netsize Guide is formally released at Mobile World Congress. But I can share my take of the megatrends that matter and the industry developments that merit a closer look.

Top of my list is mobile barcodes.

Regular readers will recall that I write columns and commentary for a wide range of sites and publications including MobiAdNews and (beginning in the New Year) Mobile Marketer and RCR Wireless (Analyst Angle). However, it is my collaboration with Michelle Manafy, my editor, esteemed colleague and friend at EContent magazine, that has allowed me to not only analyze trends and companies that matter, but recognize leaders in mobile impacting the industry at all levels.

Congratulations are in order for the four new (mobile) additions to the EContent100: ChangingWorlds, CrispWireless JumpTap, MCN and SurfKitchen. They join other movers and shakers that made the list including Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Nokia and Twitter.

The arrival of Android and the remarkable success of the iPhone have whet our appetite for mobile data services, but they don’t solve the usability issues that prevent mobile data services from becoming a routine part of daily life for many mobile users.

Granted, the iPhone and G1 tackle a laundry list of usability issues. They have been instrumental in raising consumer awareness of the mobile Internet. But what about the vast majority of users on mid-range devices? Recent research from the Yankee Group reports that almost 70 percent of subscribers have either never used the mobile Web on their mobile phones or, only tried it once or twice.

How viable is mobile advertising in an economic slowdown? How will the current economy impact businesses that derive revenues from mobile advertising? Can mobile advertising count on VC funding?

These were just a few of the key questions that thought leaders, startups, investors, mobile carriers, device manufacturers, and mobile application developers debated during Mobile 2.0 in San Francisco.

The mobile conference – organized by the Mobile 2.0 Organizing Committee ( Daniel Appel…

After conducting in-depth analysis into the campaigns I ran using three ad networks (Google, Decktrade, and Mo’Jiva), this is the unexpected yet inevitable conclusion I reach. Google gets high marks in my book for relevancy (geographical targeting, for example), and other ad networks would do well to borrow a page from Google’s modus operandi.

Regular readers may recall that my mobile advertising white paper (Mobile advertising for newbies) documented how I (together with my es…