future: apple-controlled mobile browsing

Imagine that iPhone 2.0 attains the kind of market penetration currently enjoyed by the iPod music player. ... We will have sleep-walked into a different world. How come? Because whereas the personal computer is an open, user-configurable device, the iPhone is a decidedly closed one. Nothing runs on it other than software approved by Apple. This is not because the iPhone is incapable of running complex software: on the contrary, it is, in fact, a powerful Unix computer. But users who treat it as such - for example, by installing 'unofficial' software on it - run the risk of having their device 'bricked' [disabled] the next time they synchronise it with the iTunes software on their PCs.

Of course anyone can write programs for the iPhone with the aid of Apple's (free) Systems Developers Kit. But the only way they can get them installed will be via Apple's 'App Store'. And nothing will get into the store unless it's been approved by Apple.

If Apple's strategy succeeds, an increasing proportion of internet users will access through a gateway entirely controlled by a single company.

From guardian.

Challenges & Drivers for Mobile web 2.0 applications

This whitepaper categorizes mobile web 2.0 applications by three verbs - share, collaborate, exploit. For example, in location-based services, users share their location with others, collaborate with those narby and exploit local knowledge.

Challenges
* Telcos control the distribution channel and content on it.
-> It's impossible for small start-ups and developers to innovate
* Flat-rate data pricing undermines revenues
* Don't exist performance analytics for advertisers

Drivers
* Offer new ways to deliver ads
* Anywhere/anytime accessibility of mobile phones
* Convergence of mobile & web worlds
* Flat-rate pricing (cheaper and more transparent for customers)
* If operators' portals will be open --> each operator can search beyond its portal

Mobile Cultures

It is tempting to look at Japan (and Tokyo in particular) as a vision of the future for other countries or cities. ... However, there are more fundamental aspects of a society that cannot be disentangled from their attitudes and integration of technology.

Firstly, Tokyo is all about public transport. Trains run at minute intervals and are packed. Public transport is prime info-snacking space.

Secondly, population density in Tokyo results, obviously, in small accommodations. One consequence of this is that people, and young people in particular, spend a lot of time outside". More.

Branding Yourself With A Blog

" Certainly personal branding isn't a new concept, but the future of personal branding could be in at your fingertips with a blog. One of the first steps in creating a brand for yourself is to make your blog visible. Post meaningful entries, comment on your industry's top blogs, or simply gain a regular readership. Visibility creates opportunities" says Schawbel, a social media specialist at EMC Corporation. He believes that when you brand yourself, the competition becomes irrelevant. "The goal of personal branding is to be recruited based on your brand, not applying for jobs," Schawbel says. "