Carnival of the Mobilists #245

Tego Interactive is once again honored to host the Carnival of the Mobilists, the monthly roundup of the Web’s best blogging on mobile and wireless.

We encourage you to check out this month’s line-up – and we invite you to explore our own newly designed website, a destination from which we will also be sharing our own how-to tips and advice on a variety of topics in the mobile industry ranging from mobile commerce and retail to mobile video. Watch this space for in-depth blog posts and a series of “CheatSheets” that map out how companies can harness mobile to achieve their business objectives.

And be sure to follow the COM on Twitter (@TheMobilists) to find out what’s happening within the COM.

First, a huge round of thanks to all the Mobilists who participated in this month’s COM. After a review of the submissions this is the list of posts that made the final line-up. The quality and variety of this month’s posts made it tough to decide our pick of the month, but we include this at the end of the post along with an honorable mention for a veteran Mobilist who has consistently contributed valuable posts and insights to the community.

For those of you tracking technology and developments around mobile platforms, check out Dennis Bournique’s look into the rumor that Nokia is planning to launch an Intel-based MeeGo handset next week at MWC. He doesn’t buy it and his analysis may well convince you too.

• Antoine RJ Wright expresses his frustration with US mobile consumers and the marketing that is spoon-fed them by the “Mobile Elite” who blindly believe that market is innovative and beneficial to the consumer. Antoine clearly expresses that he believes neither to be true. Take a look at Pardon Our Ignorance in Mobile, We’re Just Different and empathize with his pain.
• As only he can, Tomi Ahonen give us a thorough mobile strategy guide for CEOs and other senior executives at Fortune 500 sized corporations, written with a focus on U.S. management style.
• Plan an efficient networking schedule using Eric Chan’s handy 2011 GSMA MWC Party List over at mobileslate.com Eric invites you to add your event/party/happening to his growing list!
• Get your hands on two new guides from Andy Favell and the team at mobiThinking. The first is a guide to mobile research written by Dr Liz Nelson and Dr Lorenz Gräf. The second is a guide to mobile barcodes written by Laura Marriott. Both are excellent resources to download.
• Mark Bridge at thefonecast.com predicts success for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Not everyone agrees but Mark may win you over with his outline of how the RIM PlayBook separates itself nicely from the iPad and Galaxy Tablets, and why the BlackBerry PlayBook will be a bigger success than many people expect.
• Ram Krishnan at Movik Networks – who looks at the growth of WiFi supported devices and the strategic value from an operators perspective – posed the question: “Have femtocells become obsolete?” Check out his post Femtocells – Are They Still Relevant for Data? and decide for yourself.
• Jamie Wells’ WikiMobiDex Insights Report at Wikimobidex points us to an analysis of mobile marketing industry mergers, acquisitions, key product launches, strategic partnerships, and other significant initiatives in mobile. A special feature is his Company to Watch category that identifies the companies driving these trends (and impacting mobile marketing at all levels).
• Read the article and get the download from Chetan Sharma who’s 2011 Mobile Predictions Survey Results provides insight into key mobile trends from experts leading mobile companies across the value chain and around the world.
• Our submission to the COM is our new white paper Real Goods, Real Commerce & Real Results: The positive future for mobile operator billing platforms. In it we examine the evolution of consumer attitudes toward mobile commerce and identify the payment mechanisms that will allow companies and merchants to satisfy customer requirements. Interestingly, mobile operator billing is an attractive (and lucrative) option now that many of the technology and attitude hurdles have been removed.
• Finally, Peggy Anne Salz over at MSearchGroove has stepped up coverage of mobile codes, mobile health and mobile giving — thanks to the site’s new writer Cynthia Artin. This month’s submission to the COM is Five From Five, a new series that showcases top innovators in barcodes and their top 2011 trends. The surprise conclusion: barcodes are going to be big in the enterprise and the concept of connected retail — bringing together mobile codes on packaging and across multi-media such as video — is a development poised to transform how we shop.

Our pick of the month: Antoine RJ Wright wins our vote (and admiration) for his straight-forward, no-nonsense attempt to grapple with a key issue. This industry is in need of a reality check, and Antoine expertly kicks off this conversation.

Our honorable mention goes to Chetan Sharma who must be congratulated for his survey and – more importantly – for collecting (and synthesizing) the views of mobile industry experts and influencers.

Everyone is welcome to participate, so continue to spread the word among your colleagues. It would be great to see more voices from developing markets and verticals (health, education, social impact), because that is surely where the action will be in 2011.

Meantime, if you would like to contribute material to future Carnivals, please submit your best blogging to the COM (to the attention of Peggy Anne Salz, our coordinator and “keeper of the tents”).

Next month’s COM will be hosted by Eric Chan over at MobileSlate on February 21st. Keep an eye out.