Local players talk about exciting and challenging issues
Guess what Boston? We’re in line to be one of the first cities with 4G-network coverage for mobile devices.
On Tuesday, March 9, Xconomy held a forum called Mobile Madness-The New Future of Computing. I got the chance to sit in on the Executive Panel: New Gadgets, New Infrastructure, New Business Models. The panel included Walt Doyle, CEO of uLocate; Steve Krom, VP/GM of New England AT&T; Greg Raiz, CEO of Raizlabs; and Dan Olschwang, CEO of Jumptap.
The panel kicked off with an in-depth discussion of mobile networks, specifically, conversation about the how the technology powering your cell phone signal is improving. With 4G networks, we’ll get more wi-fi integration, bandwidth and speed. What does this mean for your cell phone? Faster application downloads and fewer calls dropped.
Faster downloads mean more applications.
In February of this year, TechCrunch reported 150,00 apps in Apple’s app store; there are thousands of other apps for the Palm, Android and Blackberry platforms. Greg Raiz of Raizlabs made a good point; in comparison to the number of websites that provide services like apps, there aren’t that many mobile applications yet. He predicts that, similar to when everyone had to have a business card or a website, soon everyone is going to need a personal mobile app. Early-adopter locals like Jeff Cutler and Steve Garfield already have their own personalized iPhone applications and soon you will too.
With the technology developing quickly, it remains important for every interested party to keep monetization strategies current.
According to Doyle, yesterday, his company uLocate — the maker of the WHERE mobile application (an app that let’s you search and see consumer recommendations based on your location) — launched Where Ads. Where Ads uses location-based technology to deliver ads relevant to a consumer’s whereabouts. Expect to see fewer banner ads with bad graphics, mobile wallpaper downloads and B.S. ringtones, and instead, look for more discounts and special offers based on your geography.
The panel agreed, the biggest challenge the mobile industry is facing is keeping monetization efforts on track with the technology.
Already, mobile carriers and app developers have it easier than those with websites because they can pinpoint a cell phone user’s location and quickly create relevant campaigns. Still, the technology is moving fast: devices are smarter and less expensive, network coverage is strengthening rapidly, and more applications are being added to their respective platform’s store daily. The proliferation of applications is akin to the proliferation of websites in that, with more “retail space” popping up every day, that “real estate” is losing value. Can advertisers keep up and find new and dynamic ways of reaching consumers?
What are your predictions for the future of mobile technology? Is location-based technology the answer? Let us know in the comments.
Tags: 4G Network, AT&T, Company News, iphone applications, Jumptap, Raizlabs, uLocate, Xconomy
