The future of Mobile Web depends on mobile devices, not websites, apps.

A few weeks ago, Facebook announced that it saw a 200% growth in users accessing its mobile site, m.facebook.com. The amount of users to the site had jumped from 5 million last year, to 15 million users so far in 2008.

The jump in users was buoyed by a recent change on Facebook which allowed members to comment on other members’ status messages from their mobile phone.  And that change resulted in more than 1 million mobile posts in the first 24 hours of its availability.

However, despite this huge jump in users and the success of Facebook mobile, the overall progress of the mobile web does not depend so much on the quality of social-networking websites or mobile applications, but on the devices that they’ll be displayed on.  True adoption of the mobile web will have to appeal to the masses, not just to early-adopters, technophiles, and teenagers.  And that means quick accessibility to the internet, desktop-class web browsing, and intuitive navigation.

You may wonder, “What’s the explanation for such a dramatic rise in traffic on mobile sites then?” and the answer is that this kind of dramatic growth is to be expected; over the last several years cell phone companies have been offering more and more features, and they’ve been successful in slowly blurring the line between mobile phones, digital cameras, GPS devices, and iPods, and with that our expectations have grown.

Even though accessing the internet through your phone has become easier over time, we’re still a few years away from the do-it-all device.  And without the right device, the growth will eventually peak and progress will trickle forward.  Ultimately, adoption of the mobile web by the masses will only occur when a mobile device can be a sufficient replacement of the laptop computer.

Real Jesus Phone still a few Years Away
We’ve been moving towards that reality of a perfect phone for the past decade; each new phone model offers just a little bit more in terms of features.  With each offering, we inch closer towards

We’ve made jumps in progress for sure; the bar was raised several levels with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.  Sleek, intuitive, a touch screen, and a loyal following pushed the iPhone ahead of the pack, and has been the device closest to bringing the convergence of a mobile phone, an integrated media player, GPS mapping, digital camera, and internet access all together on a one portable device.

However, even with the “Jesus Phone,” as it’s been referred to, and other advanced smartphones like the Blackberry, we’re limited by service provider.  And though the iPhone  and still seem to be a few years away from finding the common ground between a device like the iphone and a laptop.

Computers heading the same direction
It hasn’t just been mobile phone companies recognizing the importance of a fully-featured, ultra-portable, and intuitive device is the way of the future, laptop-manufacturers are certainly trending that direction also.

In the last decade, we’ve gone from bulky laptops to personal portables to ultra-portables to netbooks, each phase would introduce a new baseline for screen size (smaller), base (thinner), and weight (lighter).

Whether it’s the cell phone or laptop that gets there first, it won’t likely be just one device that will push us into this new era, but several devices of varying dimensions with different screen sizes to match our personal preferences.   (.i.e I think a laptop screen size larger than 13.3 begins to sacrifice portability)

But make no mistake, despite our different preferences, this device(s) will not only have to successfully make phone calls, but take quality photos (5MP+), provide pinpoint and accurate navigation (GPS), play music, display movies comfortably, and most importantly- access broadband-speed internet and display websites that are easy to navigate, both mobile and normal-resolutions, from anywhere in the world.

And until that happens the one device that blends all those features into one portable, intuitive device, we’ll have separate devices - a cell phone in the jean pocket, a digital camera in our shirt pocket, an Mp3 player in our jacket, a GPS in our car, and a laptop in our backpack.

Until that one omnipotent device is introduced, then the mobile web will have to wait on cell carriers, or laptop manufacturers, whomever gets there first.

Marketing a Presidential Candidate Online

Here at Geary, we like to cap off each week with an Innovation Session – an informal meeting with food, drinks and a presentation from the front lines of interactive marketing.

Last Friday, we chose to explore the various ways that Barack Obama and John McCain are marketing themselves online — with a particular focus on Web 2.0 strategies.

We tried to keep the presentation non-partisan, but it was difficult because Obama has made aggressive social media efforts his trademark. He has an active presence on MySpace, Facebook, and niche social networks such as Faithbase and BlackPlanet; active accounts on Twitter and YouTube; text message updates; an active social network at my.barackobama.com; and much more. McCain also has a social network on his main domain and presences on the big social networking sites, but his presence on Twitter and niche social networks is bare-bones compared to Obama’s, and he does not have a text messaging program.

We hypothesized that Obama’s aggressive efforts are primarily a function of the citizens he’s trying to reach — young people and first-time voters, as well as independent voters who spend time on niche online communities. We’re guessing that Obama has found that online efforts are a cost-effective way to reach new, disaffected and undecided voters — and he has the deep pockets to back up these efforts.

Here are some fun facts about each candidates’ online efforts:

• My.barackobama.com, Obama’s in-house social networking platform, is run by Chris Hughes, one of the co-founders of Facebook.
• Obama’s various websites get about 20 million visitors a month, compared to 4 million a month for McCain-affiliated sites.McCain is much more active in paid search advertising than Obama. At one point, McCain was bidding on 226 keywords, compared to only 174 by Obama.
• Obama ran 17 negative paid search ads, while McCain ran only three – the opposite of their general strategies, where McCain’s advertising ran much more negative than Obama’s.
• At present, Obama’s infomercial has 1.6 million views on YouTube. This is significant reach, but it’s dwarfed by the 33.55 million people who watched the infomercial on TV.

To learn more about this topic, you can view the full PowerPoint presentation.

I also recommend “Obama’s Wide Web” from the Washington Post and this article from MediaPost, which gives details about the candidates’ paid search strategies.

3G iPhone Should Take Google Maps to the Next Level

A report today by GigaOm States that a GPS contract has been locked down between Apple and Broadcom.  With rumors circulating about when the 3G iPhone will actually make into the hands of consumers flying around, the only thing we really know for sure is that the new phone will have GPS. The article says that earlier comments by Apple reps claim that Google Map usage on earlier generation phones is very high. The new GPS feature will likely tie in the two technologies, so users will be able to know exactly where they are in relation to searched destinations.

It will be interesting to see how Apple prices the new phone in light of their price cut after the launch of the first gen. iPhone.  As usual Steve Jobs and team have us pretty much in the dark, but if the rumor mill is right, there might be a new iPhone within the next month.

The Long and Short of Mobile Video

by Andreas Roell CEO Geary Interactive

For mobile video, the time is now.

Nielsen Mobile reports 2007 saw a 198 percent increase in mobile video revenue, and a 155 percent increase in mobile video subscribers. While impressive, the company also reports that this is only a 3.6 percent share of the entire mobile market. eMarketer projects mobile television subscribers alone will number 462 million by 2012. With better video delivery platforms, faster connections, and flat-rate mobile video plans, are we finally ready for mobile video?

To adequately answer this question, it’s imperative to investigate what’s required for a pleasant mobile video experience.

Mobile devices are everywhere; they’re in pockets and purses across the world. But when a user is experiencing downtime (en route, on-hold, waiting in line) it becomes obvious that cell phones are simply not entertaining. No one ever casually scrolls through their contacts to kill time, or changes their display settings when they have nothing better to do. That’s not entertainment. This downtime is when mobile video can easily fit into peoples’ lives.

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 Article published on March 4 by ClickZ

Google Phone OS - Free always wins

Well, it’s official! Google finally admitted they are working on an Operating System or “software stack” for mobile phones. While this is not Google phone per se, it will power a large number of different phones from Samsung, HTC, Motorola and LG. The question is whether this will make significant inroads into the territory of Windows mobile, Palm, and Blackberry as well as grow the overall mobile computing market.

US consumers are remiss to pay for anything when they can get it for free. Many consumers will withstand a barrage of untargeted ads just to get a $5 Starbucks card or a chance to win an ipod. They certainly will be enthusiastic about getting something free when the ads are much more targeted and even relevant to them. So, be prepared for Google to replace Windows Mobile or the Palm OS on most devices. It could easily be a category killer. The only possible exception would be for RIM and the addicted loyalists they have created.

So, expect Google’s stock to continue to increase while Search marketers celebrate the chance to dominate mobile advertising…

When the voices start talking back!

The LA times printed an interesting article that talks about a new Microsoft Live Search service offering that will allow users of windows based mobile phones to perform searches via voice commands. The two most challenging limitations with mobile phone applications are the size of the screen and the input options. Adding voice and speech recognition to mobile search seems to be a great solution to the input problem. Although, I remain highly skeptical of how well it can work after viewing this demo. Regardless of how well it works, kudos to Microsoft for trying to one up Google with some new cutting edge search services.

Google Mobile to Show AdWords Ads

Google has announced that it will soon begin showing AdWords ads on its Google Mobile Search page results. Formatted for mobile devices, however, only ads with landing pages that can be seen on the tiny screen will be shown.

Google has implemented an “opt-out” feature, binding existing advertisers to be included in the mobile search unless they specifically configure their AdWords account to prevent it.

While many marketers and technology gurus are anticipating to this avenue of advertising, other users are finding that there is no place to hide from the burden of advertisements. What do you think?

The iPhone Price Cut: Is it Fair?

Wednesday, at the recent Apple’s “The Beat Goes On” event in San Francisco, Apple announced several things that were news worthy. The most controversial has to be the price drop of the 8GB Apple iPhone by $200 to $399 and the 4GB drop of $200 to $299. Now several of the “Early Adopters” to this technology are at a loss.

The price drop is also said to be a driving force to increase sales over the next 3 weeks to hit the previously stated goal of over 1 million phones by the end of September. Price cuts will also increase sales over the holiday season at which time several other devises will inevitably hit the market and increase competition for Apple.

With many people in an uproar regarding the drastic price adjustment, Apple CEO Steve Jobs apologized on the Apple website and is offering a $100 credit to those who spent $599. So that’s great, right? There’s a catch…the credit is good only for those who aren’t eligible for a rebate.

So, what do you think? Does being an early adopter come with a price?

iPhone Hacked

The iPhone has caused quite a craze since its June 29 launch, with everyone getting in line and online to purchase the cell phone that also functions as a mini-PC. However, AT&T is now facing a problem with the ability for people, such as 17-year-old George Hotz, to hack into the mobile device.

Hotz hacked his iPhone and unlocked it so that it could be used on a variety of cell phone networks, and then decided to turn around and sell it for a hefty return, including a new Nissan 350Z sports car and three new iPhones. Terry Daidone, owner of the cell phone refurbishing company, CertiCell, has not only agreed to purchase the hacked iPhone, but has also agreed to hire Hotz to teach CertiCell’s technicians how to unlock other kinds of cell phones.

Is this really a positive example being set? Hack a cell phone and get a car, three new phones and a job? Although the tech-savvy work executed by Hotz is impressive, I don’t expect AT&T or Apple would be too happy if the mastery behind the hacking was leaked.

Acuity Mobile Utilizes Spot Relevance

Acuity Mobile has created an EMAP (Embedded Mobile Advertising Platform) that can deliver relevant content to mobile users. The EMAP allows users to opt-in and control the content (advertising) they’ll see based on preferences, location and time. They have patented this EMAP; Spot Relevance.

Created in 2000, the software is exactly how we should be thinking about and delivering mobile content. As well, it is supported by any carrier or cell phone device. We have seen how other mobile content delivery networks, such as Amp’d, failed to cut it. Acuity, however, seems to have the right idea…It’s relevant to how a user will be searching and using for mobile content. Now, I would just like to see it?