Google clicks in for Mobile

During the past week Google made two significant splashes in the mobile arena. Their much heralded, bombing of middle America with Stealth fighters announced the landing of the “Droid” mobile device. Secondly, their acquisition of the leading U.S. mobile advertising company, Admob for $750M announced the full legitimacy of mobile advertising. When Google speaks, the [...]

Open Letter to Madison Avenue

This past week the New York Times had an article about the convergence of contextual advertising and Smart phones. The potential for highly targeted advertising including the use of GPS is a trend I have been discussing in this blog for over a year.
 
The interesting angle in the NY Times piece , “Is [...]

Cheers and Jeers for Mobile without Numbers

My article “The Future of Mobile – without numbers” created a large reaction.  I received a full inbox worth of cheers and jeers.  For those who cheered, I say “thanks.”
For those who jeered, I say, “Thank you very much!”  I have always believed that when people challenge your thinking and your logic, you have the [...]

The Future of Mobile – Without Phone Numbers

The most striking exchange at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was the give and take of jabs between Sol Trujillo , CEO of Telestra and Josh Silverman, CEO of Skype.
Sol represents the mobile business of the present and the past.   Josh is the future.
The rate of innovation and fundamental change in [...]

Mobile Application Stores Change the Game

For years the availability of applications on mobile devices was determined by a handful of executives at wireless companies. They choose what apps got the penthouse placement of being placed on the carriers’ mobile web portal. Placement on the “home-deck” was the Holy Grail for every business development executive.
In recent years, off-deck players have [...]

Note to the New CEO of Yahoo – Mobile desktop matters

What is your mobile homepage? And does it matter?
The exit of Jerry Yang from Yahoo got me thinking about the implications, if any, it would have for mobile.    In the desktop browser world, the fight for your homepage has been waging for years between Yahoo, Microsoft, Google, AOL, and anyone else who managed to hijack [...]