More Moments in the Mobile Web

Thank you all for patiently awaiting the first mobile update of the year. If you follow the mobile space on any level, you undoubtedly know that there is always plenty happening. So without further ado, here’s a few of the more significant events as I see them.

Developing Mobile Content Just Got Easier

dotMobi has released a comprehensive low-to-no cost database of mobile handset information to assist developers in creating ‘device-aware’ content called DeviceAtlas. Potentially eliminating the need to wade through hundreds of different specs for mobile devices in order to develop mobile sites that work with each, this should not only help accelerate the development of the mobile web but help establish the mobile web as a stand alone entity rather than the disabled internet browser that it is primarily seen as today.

Mobile Search Continues to Grow

According to a recent report by eMarketer the jump in mobile searches performed during the second half of 2007 has caused the research company to increase its mobile search revenue forecast from $83 million in 2007 to $3.8 billion in 2012. Further establishing the mobile web as an ever growing mainstay in ecommerce, eMarketer has forecast spending on mobile advertising to grow from $34 million in 2007 to over $1.4 billion in 2012.

Mobile Goes Green

For a variety of reasons, including the ever increasing demand for mobile phone base stations, the challenges of delivering fuel to new, remote locations, and the desire to run base stations efficiently and in a more environmentally conscious way, there has been a lot of progress made recently in the development of green mobile phone base stations. In fact according to E-Commerce Times, pretty much every player in this field is working on different ways to meet these challenges – including Ericsson stations that run on a mix of wind and solar energy.

Mobile Music Downloads

Learning a thing or two from Microsoft’s Zune, several companies have added WiFi compatibility to their MP3 players allowing you to download new music on the go. Some of these include Apple’s newest iPod, the iPod touch, Archos’ 705 WiFi, Cowon Q5W and the Habier ibiza Rhapsody. You can research the pros and cons of each of these devices at Wired Magazine’s website.

And if you want to take your wireless experience a step further, you may want to look into the new wireless ear buds from Sennheiser.

As you know there is plenty more going on in the mobile space that I could talk about so as always please feel free to add to the conversation by posting a comment.