source - IABUK.net
The best the mobile internet currently offers
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
The mobile internet is finally taking off and while it’s still slim pickings for great content, some gems are starting to shine through. The IAB's programme manager, Jack Wallington, has listed the sites and downloadable tools he feels are currently some of the best available for your mobile. Interestingly enough, the best offerings are mobile counterparts of desktop offerings and they’re all free to use.
What is it? A downloadable application that then loads maps and directions from the internet.
Why so special? It is a showcase for usefulness on the move. No matter where you are, you now have a map of your area and the ability to see directions from A to B. So you should theoretically never get lost again!
Best version? Any mobile version is ace and fast loading. The better your phone though, the more options are made available by the technology. For instance, the iPhone’s GPS offers you a mini TomTom style travel guide.
Advertising? If your company site is set-up to appear in Google Maps, your company will appear on the mobile version too.
What is it? Kizoom.mobi is a mobile site that is linked to the UK’s live train information. It allows you to look up train departures, arrivals and all other journey information from changes to delays and even cancellations.
Why so special? It’s useful, fast and simple! Anyone that travels by train should bookmark this site ready for travel info and that inevitable delay. It uses live information so you’ll be more up-to-date than the train drivers themselves in terms of your arrival times.
Best version? All are great and fast loading. iPhone version is slightly easier to navigate.
Advertising? Click-to-call links to local taxi firms. This could be expanded to display and other useful local information.
What is it? Social networking sites on the move! Now you can access stripped down versions of Facebook, MySpace and other social networks wherever you are.
Why so special? The world loves socialising online and mobile versions of social networks allow us to communicate anywhere. As the likes of Facebook are used for updating people on our current activities, whereabouts and plans for the weekend, an actual need for mobile networking has been created.
Best version? Again, they’re all good! Obviously the better the phone, the better the options but no matter the phone you have you can still get the best of the networks. They’re fast loading and carry all of the essential info you’ll need.
Advertising? Strangely enough, none of the networking sites have advertising on their mobile sites yet. There are obvious opportunities here though such as branding on display ads and directing traffic through links.
What is it? A downloadable application for the iPhone that allows you to create a list, add items and then check them off.
Why so special? Zenbe is special because it’s so basic yet so handy. You can share your lists with friends and family so that they can add items and check them off. It’s also available online as a website so you can work with your lists from your desk too. The desktop version has far more options so there is lots of room for new features in the near future.
Best version? It’s only available on the iPhone at the moment, which is a big limitation if you want to use the shared lists feature. Hopefully this will be addressed soon.
Advertising? None yet, but potential for product offers and display ads.
What is it? It’s your personal or work email on your phone. Arguably email could be number one on this list but fear of accessing work email in the middle of the night knocks it down a peg or two!
Why so special? It’s nothing new, Blackberries have offered email on phones for years, but it’s still fab. It means you never need to worry about missing important emails and, with the introduction of calendars, important meetings. Mobile email lets you read, reply and delete emails. The latest phones let you view Word, PDF, Excel, Powerpoint and other types of documents too. Pretty nifty.
Best version? Any form of smart phone offers great email access but you can still read them on normal phones too.
Advertising? Email marketing can be carried out on mobile phones too. The high end phones will render HTML emails, but for maximum accessibility, as with desktop computers, use plain text.
Finally, don’t forget the IAB has a mobile website too with useful contact information, industry news, stats and more: mobile.iabuk.net
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
The mobile internet is finally taking off and while it’s still slim pickings for great content, some gems are starting to shine through. The IAB's programme manager, Jack Wallington, has listed the sites and downloadable tools he feels are currently some of the best available for your mobile. Interestingly enough, the best offerings are mobile counterparts of desktop offerings and they’re all free to use.
1. Google Maps
Why so special? It is a showcase for usefulness on the move. No matter where you are, you now have a map of your area and the ability to see directions from A to B. So you should theoretically never get lost again!
Best version? Any mobile version is ace and fast loading. The better your phone though, the more options are made available by the technology. For instance, the iPhone’s GPS offers you a mini TomTom style travel guide.
Advertising? If your company site is set-up to appear in Google Maps, your company will appear on the mobile version too.
2. Kizoom.mobi
Why so special? It’s useful, fast and simple! Anyone that travels by train should bookmark this site ready for travel info and that inevitable delay. It uses live information so you’ll be more up-to-date than the train drivers themselves in terms of your arrival times.
Best version? All are great and fast loading. iPhone version is slightly easier to navigate.
Advertising? Click-to-call links to local taxi firms. This could be expanded to display and other useful local information.
3. Facebook and MySpace
Why so special? The world loves socialising online and mobile versions of social networks allow us to communicate anywhere. As the likes of Facebook are used for updating people on our current activities, whereabouts and plans for the weekend, an actual need for mobile networking has been created.
Best version? Again, they’re all good! Obviously the better the phone, the better the options but no matter the phone you have you can still get the best of the networks. They’re fast loading and carry all of the essential info you’ll need.
Advertising? Strangely enough, none of the networking sites have advertising on their mobile sites yet. There are obvious opportunities here though such as branding on display ads and directing traffic through links.
4. Zenbe lists
Why so special? Zenbe is special because it’s so basic yet so handy. You can share your lists with friends and family so that they can add items and check them off. It’s also available online as a website so you can work with your lists from your desk too. The desktop version has far more options so there is lots of room for new features in the near future.
Best version? It’s only available on the iPhone at the moment, which is a big limitation if you want to use the shared lists feature. Hopefully this will be addressed soon.
Advertising? None yet, but potential for product offers and display ads.
5. Email
Why so special? It’s nothing new, Blackberries have offered email on phones for years, but it’s still fab. It means you never need to worry about missing important emails and, with the introduction of calendars, important meetings. Mobile email lets you read, reply and delete emails. The latest phones let you view Word, PDF, Excel, Powerpoint and other types of documents too. Pretty nifty.
Best version? Any form of smart phone offers great email access but you can still read them on normal phones too.
Advertising? Email marketing can be carried out on mobile phones too. The high end phones will render HTML emails, but for maximum accessibility, as with desktop computers, use plain text.
Other notable mobile sites
- Amazon has a fantastic mobile site that will allow you to compare product prices and reviews while you’re out shopping or even buy the products using your existing account.
- All of the search engines including Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google now have quick, usable mobile equivalents.
- The mobile operators have a wealth of content on their own portals.
- BBC is upping the stakes with a mobile version of their website plus a mobile version of iPlayer for the iPhone. The iPlayer only really works when connected to WiFi though, so it’s not truly mobile just yet.
Finally, don’t forget the IAB has a mobile website too with useful contact information, industry news, stats and more: mobile.iabuk.net
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