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Welcome to the 241^st edition of Carnival of the Mobilists. This week it is again the turn of leading mobile strategist and marketer Martin Wilson of Indigo102 to provide his take on a week in mobile.

A week after celebrating its 5^th anniversary it is great to see the Carnival alive and well and conveying aspects of an industry that still continues to buzz with so many different vibes. A week in mobile is never a dull affair.

The working week came to a close in truly invigorating style with the Forum Oxford: Future Technologies Conference at the University of Oxford. On the promise of all the event presentations being made available online it is definitely worth making effort to sign up to the free forum – Forum Oxford: Next Generation Mobile Applications Panel). More in a moment…

An email from Nokia recieved – I can finally buy an N8, but not sure I want one now.

3 days to go…

Long time no see: Windows Mobile back from darkness. Aurélien Fonteneau, at ON, gives a round-up of the buzz surrounding the imminent release of Windows Phone 7. We get: Devices, Strengths and Weaknesses. And proclaims; I would definitely wait a few months before buying a Windows Phone an opinion I am not sure I agree I want one!

Beyond opportunity…

Mobile Marketing Association Mobile Forum Analysis @ Mobile Marketer. Peggy Ann-Salz, of mSearchGroove, gives us her take on the recent MMA event in London. Speakers included: Jay Altschuler, Unilever Global Communication Planning Director; Paul Berney, MMA CMO & Managing Director EMEA; and Jude Brooks of Coca Cola and touches on some of the latest consumer findings and insight from the likes of Lightspeed Research, Electronic Arts (EA) and Buzzcity.

Confidence critical…

How Mobile Operators Can Make The Grade. Lisa Ciangiulli, of Alcatel-Lucent Global Advertising Solutions. Lisa suggests that much of the reticence among mobile operators and companies across the mobile marketing ecosystem to seize the opportunity is not a matter of failing to understand the business benefits, but rather one of confidence.

 Shake-up time…

What if Tesco decided to really take on mobile? Helen Keegan, of Heroes of the Mobile Screen, provides a very interesting view on what mobile may look like if an organisation such as Tesco became serious…Well, the app store would be more focussed and better organised (simpler is better). Beyond the app store… How about if Tesco provided suppliers (be that FMCG, mobile apps, clothing, whatever) with a full-service marketing option. And… What about if Tesco were to take on some web 2.0 and mobile 2.0 principles. READ ON.

Context, or NOT…

Mobile context – As a road sign. Steven Hoober, Urges to think about users and think contextually. Mobile ‘Context’ is ever present in the ambitions of many when designing mobile applications, websites , interfaces and even phones. But somehow, it never gets really understood by many.

Finally…

A reach out from Holly Kolman, of MobiEnthusiast, seeking for expert contributors to share Breaking news about mobile App, Computer or Cloud technology.

 Forum Oxford

The 35 plus delegates were treated to some great presentations from a number of leading industry figures. Organised by Peter Holland and co-chaired by esteemed colleagues Ajit Jaokar and Tomi Ahonen, there was a lot for our industry to talk about - major shifts at Nokia, 3D mobile premiere, apps of course, and how social media is integrating with mobile.

Proceedings were kicked off by James Elles, Member of European Parliament (MEP). It was very it reassuring to hear an MEP speaking quite fluently about mobile and digital. However the audience was left feeling that it is a concern that government appears to be talking, not really acting.

Second up was an effervescent David Marutiak(@marutiak), of Vodafone. Topic: ‘Communities’ and what constitutes a community. “Communities” are supersets of social networks. You don’t need to be in the latter to be in the former. Despite an expectant audience, David stopped short of criticising Vodafone 360’s efforts to date except to suggest that one core learning is it is too complex for retail sales – sales cycle too long and user interface is too loaded.

The audience was treated to array of statistics by Chetan Sharma(@chetansharma), of Chetan Sharma Consulting, as a true authority in global stats and trends he gave an intriguing view on the next 10 years and 15 trends that matter. Global reallocation of advertising spend shifting Mobile = 5% by 2012, On-deck revenue set to rapidly decline from 60% in 2009 to 30% by 2012.

Jeanette Carlsson, of IBM Global Business services, gave a presentation of ‘Social Media on the Web’ and the influences of mobile. It was slightly bizarre by the fact that one could suggest that IBM clearly have a different view of mobile than many in the real world.

Jonny Bentwood(@JonnyBentwood), of Endelman, provided an interesting insight into how ideas spread? Idea Starters – Amplifiers – Adapters – Commentators – Viewers. Start by identifying the most influential sources to help boost a message, although the source may not be who and what you naturally think.

Simon Cavill, of mi-pay, gave us an amazing insight to the world of m-payment. Blowing the audience away with stats like; 20% of the GDP of Kenya goes through mobile phones. Proclaiming minutes on SIM cards are “the Euro of Africa”. Stunning!  Mobile is really making a difference to the developing world. Although in conversation later Simon was quick to point out that adoption in developed countries is going to be far more challenging.

Volker Hirsch(@vhirsch), of Scoreloop covered the ‘Economics of Applications’, a critic of the models, issues and insights in what to do…..Create Fanatics ……Keep it in Context.

Sean Mitchell, of Movidus, spoke of the intention of sharp to releasing a 3D handset in 2011 and then treated delegates to a demonstration of the latest in their 3D technology for mobile phones – mind blowing.

 Xi Sizhe, a 21 year old PHD student provided a great insight in to the environment in China, the drivers and where technology is going. Xi introduced us to the term ‘imovation’ – the ability to copy and innovate – and talked about the age of abundance of devices.

(Forum Oxford: Next Generation Mobile Applications Panel).

 

Martin Wilson – has been involved in digital media for over 14 years, during which time he gained a wealth of experience in the fixed line and mobile Internet, and a deep understanding of the local space. In January 2008, Martin established Indigo 102, an independent consultancy, to assist organisations (including digital advertising agencies, directory publishers, media owners and online service providers) take their brands – and value propositions – mobile. In this role Martin has supported the development and launch of mass market mobile services across three continents. You can contact Martin directly (martin@indigo102.com) and follow on Twitter (@indigo102).

Greetings and welcome to the 239th Carnival of the Mobilists.

This week Eric Chan (@mobileslate) hosts a double-shot of Carnival of Mobilists, all right before the 2010 CTIA Fall San Francisco Conference.

“First double-shot: Martin Wilson over at Indigo 102 starts us off and writes about the next Nokia and Intuit global alliance: Another nail in the coffin for directory publishers?

The opportunity in a real and trusted role as intermediary marketer for the small business is really up for grabs. I have always said that new players would emerge and stake a claim in this potentially very lucrative space – I am not convinced Google will dominate as many think, Nokia could well prevail if they play the right cards.

He also writes about Seven Shortcomings That Can Wreck Your Mobile Strategy

We concluded that many companies deserve high marks for trying to ‘think mobile’, but their execution is mediocre at best.”

 The full Carnival post: Here

Martin has spent almost 10 years involved in developing, marketing and commercialising mobile services and has developed an indepth knowledge. Having supported some of the world’s large media owners in developing mobile services his track record of delivery speaks for itself. Martin is a true expert in mobile who really understands how to open the mobile environment in an effective and often complimentary way for the organisations that he works.  If we can support you get in touch (martin@indigo102.com).

(Follow us on twitter: @indigo102)

Greetings and welcome to the 219th Carnival of the Mobilists. This week created and hosted by AntoineRJWright.

Our Indigo 102 post on the iPhone was featured and received a best ‘nod’ from Antoine. For the full Carnival visit: 219th Carnival of the Mobilists

The excerpt:

“Indigo 102 diagnoses the “i Syndrome” that’s unfortunately too common in what passes for mobile strategies these days. In the same diagnosing vein, Tomi Ahonen writes a v-e-r-y long post detailing why he thinks Apple’s iPhone marketshare has peaked. And then there’s WIP Connector with another iPhone-centric piece which points to the question of whether developers for iPhone applications will sit in a now fragmented iPhone world, or port their applications and services to other platforms which offer more freedom for developer skills and tools.

Of these three, my one would have to be the post from Indigo 102. Besides being shorter than Tomi’s and a little more descriptive than WIP Connector’s, it diagnoses the reality that mobile is indeed bigger than any one device or service (except probably SMS).”

Welcome to the 217^th edition of Carnival of the Mobilists. This week it is again the turn of leading mobile strategist Martin Wilson of Indigo102 to provide his take on a week in mobile.

A week in mobile is never a dull affair.

The mobile buzz has continued in no uncertain terms; two major US events completed – South by South West, in Austin Texas and CTIA, Las Vegas Nevada. M&A activity continuing – Amdocs snapping up UK based MX Telecom, Nokia buying Chicago based mobile browser operator Novarro. Location based services and advertising still a major topic of conversation, Martin gives his view on the challenges and who he believes have potential to win out.

 A theme that seemed to resonate in a number of posts this week; People are key, their needs may not always be placed at the forefront of thinking! (We will let you judge). 

Here are some of the week’s highlights – we hope you enjoy the read.

EVENTS

The dates announced for the forthcoming Mobile 2.0 Europe 2010 – June 16th and 17th 2010 – the talk ‘Emerging Mobile Ecosystem and Disruptive Mobile Innovation’.

Another year of CTIA, event round-up through the eyes of Chetan Sharma – Ground Hog day or has the industry moved on? New devices, Network upgrades, mHealth, increasing focus towards developers and everyone talking about a ‘Revolution’ (?).

MONEY MAKERS

Location, Location, Location – Martin Wilson posts a Guest column at mSearchgroove. Advertising based on location is set to be the most valuable and highly contested sectors – the winners may not be who you think!

Mobile 2.0 – Because You’re Worth-it – Volker Hirsh, critics the Juniper forecasts for Mobile 2.0 as not being potentially lofty enough, have they missed the mash-up?     

New developer models – James Coops from Mobyaffiliates, talks up the potential for affiliate programs to support delivering value to app developers.

CUSTOMER’S WORLD

App (or not?) debate continues over at PSFK. Jeff Swystun, Chief Communications Officer for DDB Worldwide, suggests we are at an amazing pivot point where all channels of communication are valid – What, Who and the best Way, the questions for marketers?

Mobile Commerce is real, just ask Ebay and Amazon – Carl Martin at Redweb – points out the principles and argues that apps can segment and isolate – ‘look into the mobile web before taking the application route’.

Firefox Windows Mobile fire goes out – Tam Hanna – believes customers will now be left in the rain and frustrated as Mozilla puts their Windows Mobile development on hold. The Opera door opens.

HEADLESS

Herding chickens (or Cats?) – Declan Lonergan from the Yankee Group, accuses the mobile operators of being in danger of neglecting traditional services and alienation of profitable customers.

Whose mistake? Yours! – Mark Bridge of TheFoncast – argues; just admit the mistake is your own. Don’t blame the manufacturer or network operator!

LEARNING & DIALOGUE

The educating power of mobile Judy Breck gives an insight to how mobile offers individual kids the unrestricted opportunity to learn – Handschooling.

Spill the berries – unintended consequences – Russell Buckley at Mobhappy, following his visit to ArabNet; provides an interesting anecdotal insight into why BlackBerry maybe booming in the Middle East, and a lucrative premium grey market.

HELP IN HAND

Fortunately there is a solution – Dennis Bournique of wapreview.com. Highlights the trials and tribulations of the Android G1 and Magic [limited RAM] and gives guidance on making the most of a compromised device.

Hope you agree that there is some great content this week. Please keep your submissions coming in; email – Carnival of the Mobilists

Next Monday head over to Mobsessed for the next instalment of the Carnival of the Mobilists from Carl Martin.

ABOUT

Carnival of the Mobilists – the weekly line-up of top-notch mobile blogging from experts and mobile passionatas — the Carnival exposes you to the very best posts of the previous week, all written about mobile and gathered together in a central place. You can read the summary on the host’s site and click on any story that catches your eye. Each week, it’ll be hosted at a different site, so you can visit the Carnival and experience both new writers about mobile, as well as all your old favourites.

Martin Wilson – has been involved in digital media for over 14 years, during which time he gained a wealth of experience in the fixed line and mobile Internet, and a deep understanding of the local space. In January 2008, Martin established Indigo 102, an independent consultancy, to assist organisations (including digital advertising agencies, directory publishers, media owners and online service providers) take their brands – and value propositions – mobile. In this role Martin has supported the development and launch of mass market mobile services across three continents. You can contact Martin directly (martin@indigo102.com) and follow on Twitter (@indigo102). 

Image by foreversouls 

Welcome to the 210^th edition of the Carnival of the Mobilists. This week it is the turn of Martin Wilson from Indigo102 to provide his take on a week in mobile. 

With only a week to go until the biggest event of the mobile calendar there seems to be no shortage of goings-on in our exciting industry. A common theme this week seems to be the opinion that the key to success in mobile is going back to basics – and getting the right skills, people and partners to deliver.

Here are some of the week’s highlights – we hope you enjoy the read.

The week got off to a flyer when well known industry contributor Tomi Ahonen posted his controversial summary of Mobile market share of 2009 at Communities Dominate Brands.  Numbers were backed up in a release from Strategy Analytics, which suggested that Smartphone sales in Q4 2009 had grown 30% year-on-year to reach a record 53m units.

The gadget war seems to be firmly on, with new devices and features seemingly emerging by the hour.  A throng of announcements is due in the coming week, although Generation Y’er Emma Vernon dismisses the Apple iPad for not fulfilling the basics. Which does beg the question – how ‘Smart’ do we really need our Smartphone?

The Back to basics theme is echoed by Redweb mobile strategist Carl Martin, as he urges the industry to slow down and return to the core values of marketing. “Train up and skill-up in mobile” – is the cry from top digital dog and mobile evangelist Tom Eslinger, from Saatchi and Saatchi. In an interview with mobiThinking, Eslinger strongly advocates the need to recruit people who understand mobile as it becomes firmly placed on the agenda of the top creative agencies.

Mobile marketing is certainly going mainstream for those not on the bandwagon and over at Mobile Marketing Watch, Return on investment (ROI) and education [or a lack of] are cited as reasons for hesitancy. The opportunity is certainly there as Tomi Ahonen posts a mind boggling array of statistics in his renowned annual view of the mobile industry. Over at Mobile Ecosystem we get the announcement from the GSMA and Comscore for the Mobile Media Metrics and with it some encouraging statistics for UK mobile internet activity.

In an candid interview with industry veteran Francisco Kattan, from Alcatel Lucent, WIP’s Caroline Lewko talks about the changing shape of the mobile development and asks “Are there too many go to market options for developers?”. Kattan gives his views and demonstrates how Alcatel Lucent is firmly focused on supporting developers.

The Microsoft mobile debate, or speculation, continued to rumble the rhetorical question – ‘but do we really care? – Of course we do!  Speculation is rife and we all want to see what Microsoft is intending to do as it scrambles to recover its position in mobile.  Suddenly, in the next breath Techcrunch reports the revealing of Sony Ericsson’s Aspen and WinMo 6.5.3. Mark Bridge of The Fonecast subsequently wades in with his own X-Files style conspiracy theory.

“Location” is the topic for Ajit Jaokar of Open Gardens, who praises Nokia for going back to grass roots and believes Nokia is setting the agenda as an industry leader once again. Praise continues for Nokia as Dennis Bournique, at Wap Review, gives his views on the N900 and describes how he believes it represents the next generation of mobile browsing.

Partnerships have always been a key component of the mobile ecosystem, with the operators playing a major part. The Ad networks have largely chosen to go it alone. Mark Westling of Sigma argues that engaging operators into the advertising platform has its advantages and the potential to deliver far greater returns.

Over at MSearchGroove, leading industry commentator, Peggy Ann Salz offers a headline overview of the recent M-days event in Munich – trends from Christian Lindholm, of Fjord, mobile operators embrace ad-funded models from Kerstin Trikalitis, of Out There Media, and insight to Eastern European mobile operators and leading content owners on the problems they face and progress they have made.

Mobile is clearly already presenting some real returns.

Companies succeeding in mobile are those players that have recognised the gaps in their knowledge of new media and have brought in professionals that do (even better if these professionals are themselves digital natives with an instinctive grasp of mobile and its impact on every aspect of our daily lives). What it will take for Traditional players to succeed in The NEW NEW Media world.

Organisations need to stop thinking of mobile as a technology and understand it is a utility. The mobile device has evolved into a multifunctional tool. It is our social organiser, our information resource, our boredom filler. Basically, it supports our lives.  As a marketing medium mobile is only set to grow in value. Providers that get the basics right and forge partnerships that allow them to unlock the potential of mobile, monetise their digital assets and deliver features that add value to our lives will be well-equipped to compete against rivals and win. Guiding organisations in defining and developing a mobile presence is a core part of the work at Indigo 102.

I always suggest that the importance of the basics can never be overstated.

There is some great content in this week’s Carnival. It wasn’t easy picking this week’s best posts but there can be only one winner in each category. I’m giving the award for Best post by a Carnival newcomer to Emma Vernon for her post on how the iPad fails to excite Generation Y.  Post of the week honors go to Carl Martin at Redweb for his cry for ‘Back to basics’.

Next Monday head over to Communities Dominate Brands for the next installment of the Carnival of the Mobilists.

Images by foreversouls and from Cobrasoft at Stock.xchng