Faster and faster - Carnival of the Mobilists 5 - Week 46

Welcome to Carnival of the Mobilists #5
Week 46, 2005

The carnival is rapidly gaining speed and momentum and going ever faster and faster - and this is a good thing! One of the great things about this is that there are a growing number of submissions every week. Please take a minute to complete the survey on how you would like to see the Carnival grow! Now - on with the carnival!

This weeks entries to the Carnival!

Kicking off this weeks entries is David Taylor from his new Mobile Marketing Magazine blog - writing about all things Cool in the UK and specifically how Sony Ericsson is connecting with the 18-35 year old market and their idea of what is cool. Read more at Mobile? That's Cool.

And if that's not enough cool for you - the Mobile Diva herself wants to talk about the Attack of the Series 60 phones from Nokia - giving you insight into all the latest and greatest features and a slice of Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First?"

So, you know all these cool people we've been talking about with their way cool phones, SmartMobs likes to talk about the next social revolution and how mobile phones can play a part in that. This week SmartMobs directs us to a really insightful white paper called A Democracy of Groups. Read more here.

Exploring the growing number of WAP sites and providing the added value of a rating system for both content and usability - WAP Review takes a look at the latest in local news coverage via WAP "Local TV News on your phone". Great screen shots of the application as well as a bit of forward looking insight into where the application might go (streaming video?).

Should Walmart be afraid of Google? - the Pondering Primate weighs in on this discussion of two very large gorillas in different - but potentially overlapping markets. ( a pun I couldn't pass up) Taking the discussion directly to the mobile the Pondering Primate opines, "The 'next Google' is an application for mobile information that uses the physical world."

Russell over at MobHappy writes this week about the Bluetooth File Sharing Tsunami - or lack there of. There is a great discussion in the comments already regarding watermarking and DRM and how that relates to the sharing of digital content via Bluetooth. Maybe you should join in! Russell also references the Nokia Cool Zone service and their recent partnership with EMI with the bFree music download service. Nokia Cool Zone, by-the-by, is a great example of Bluetooth marketing done in compliance with opt-in marketing best practices.

Now I've always been told to stay away from dark alleys and scary neighborhoods - but Ajit seems to be perfectly comfortable taking a stroll Inside the Mind of the Mobile Operator. Seriously though, Ajit offers some great insights into things we should consider when we're working with, partnering with - or even competing against the mobile network operators.

Now I'm not sure why we don't have more articles on this - because I think it's pretty big news - but C. Enrique Ortiz' writes this week on Google's Local App - Is this Mobility 2.0? Ok - and a late entrant to this week - Oliver at Mobile-Weblog has a few furter tests and further impressions of the Google Local app.

But what Oliver really wants to talk about is how carriers (Europeans will call them operators) are missing the mark by advertising the wrong thing. Some might title his post - "It's the content, stupid." - but he says Verizon May Have "The Network" but the Customer Cares About Content

iRadioWaves tracked Motorola's dive into the mobile music market with its Wi-Fi enabled, car stereo compatible, mobile music subscription service, iRadio. Most recently, Mike wrote about Motorola's newly launched Get Heard Network, observing that the program accomplishes two important feats: Motorola is simultaneously constructing a passionate, word-of-mouth marketing force along with a content-generating community. He also provides a highlight summary of a recent interview with Dave Ulmer about Motorola iRadio.

Over at imodestrategy.com they're feeling pleased with their prediction of October 2004: "[we] suspect that MS will try to finally capture ground in China where most of its previous battles have been fought and lost. This being the case it will have to announce an industry-shaping partnership with either Nokia, or Motorola or one of the dominate local handset makers." with the news that Qiao Xing Universal Telephone (XING) announced that it has partnered with Microsoft to launch a new pocket PC mobile phone. Qiao Xing is one of China's largest manufacturers and distributors of telecommunications products with a retail distribution network of more than 5,000 stores. Read the entire blog entry here.

For those loyal Bluetooth marketing and technology junkies - be sure to read my own post this week on how Coke is using Bluetooth for vending machines and what marketers could learn from Inspired Broadcast Networks and their Urban Digital Vending solution in my post: Urban Digital Vending - Bluetooth done well.

And finally - in the Obituary Section for today's Carnival - Alan Moore writes about the death of an old style communications medium in Requiem for a Phone Booth.


This week the carnival prize for best blog entry goes to:

Rudy De Waele from M-Trends!

This week Rudy provides a detailed look at Mobile Social Software (MoSoSo). "I thought it might be interesting to give people an overview of the companies, projects and the applications in the Mobile Social Software (MoSoSo) area now that hybrid phones will hit the international market soon.

The entry covers more than just traditional mobile including Bluetooth ( a favorite topic of mine) Wi-Fi and more. There are plenty of references to both studies and software companies both in the US and across Europe making it more than just a blog entry - but practically a white paper on it's own. Way to go Rudy. Read the complete blog entry here.

Next Week!

Next Week - Look for the Carnival of the Mobilists to be hosted at the Pondering Primate! Be sure to submit your entry for next weeks Carnival of the Mobilists by e-mail to mobilists (at) googlemail.com or you can use the online submission form. Next weeks entry deadline is 16-Nov at 9PM PST. -- Go on... send something! You know you want to!


Contributors for this week (Blog Roll)


Walter Adamson from imodestrategy.com
Dennis at WapReview
Howard at SmartMobs
Mike B at iRadioWaves
Vangorilla at the Pondering Primate
Darla Mack - the Mobile Diva at her personal blog
Alan Moore from Communities Dominate
Russell Buckley from MobHappy
Rudy De Waele over at M-Trends
C. Enrique Orit'z at his personal blog
Ajit from Open Gardens
David Taylor at Mobile Marketing Magazine
Oliver from Mobile Weblog
And me... Troy at Consumer Preference formerly SpamToGo