Uncool Mobility

iTunes goes DRM free

The big news out of Macworld today is Apple's decision to remove copy restrictions on iTunes content.

For consumers this will cement iTunes as the dominant music store and service/device ecosystem. For Apple competitors the basic requirements of content distribution have changed again making it even more difficult for Amazon, Microsoft, and especially Real to maintain relevancy in music.

From a mobile perspective this lends a big tailwind to the App Store and the iPhone in general amongst consumers who have a PC.

Garmin Confirms Android Handset

A sign of things to come in 2009: Service vendors ensuring an integrated experience by launching open-source (primarily Android) powered handsets.

Garmin Confirms Android Handset | Gadget Lab from Wired.com.

99 Cent iPhone Apps Not Significantly More Popular

99 Cent iPhone Apps Not Significantly More Popular.

This is a fantastic post because it offers commentary based on data. The data intrepretation can be argued--some good comments on this--but it's a great approach.

Context-sensitive advertising coming to SMS

Mobile social network brings adwords to SMS • The Register.

This is a trend to watch. Social Networking site Wadja has created an adwords-like model which "allows advertisers to sponsor specific words in text messages sent by members".

A service like this which depends upon context would have utility to end users, and therefore be more successful, if applied to a public/private format such as Twitter which incents search as a behavior.

Twitter, are you listening?

Web 2.0 implosion begins; FB Connect signals end of two social networking startups

As FaceBook starts its marketing & PR for Connect, smaller social networking startups (whose ability to post and read across SN platforms was a main differentiator) are folding. FB is aggressively moving to control the social addressbook / social graph and the plunging economy will aid its efforts.

"Facebook Connect--the service launched last spring that lets members log on to other Web sites using their Facebook profile--appears to be entering a new phase. The New York Times, in a big-picture story Sunday about the social network's plans to extend its reach across the Web, notes that the Facebook Connect service is gearing up for expansion: In the next few weeks, a number of prominent Web sites will weave this service into their pages, including those of the Discovery Channel and The San Francisco Chronicle, the social news site Digg, the genealogy network Geni, and the online video hub Hulu"

The reaction:

Pownce closed, team members are going to blogging provider SixApart

TruTap, a UK mobile social networking aggregator, lays off 80% of staff while looking for exit

Boston-based startup OnePIN's CallerXchange Social Address Book Getting Momentum

A startup out of Boston is having success selling white-label social networking services based on mobile device address books. I believe this startup is correct in identifying the address book as the battle ground for the next generation of mobile services.

OnePIN's CallerXchange Social Address Book Solution Gains Global Momentum - WebsiteGear News.

The challenge for OnePIN and similar companies will be to extend services deeply enough to provide revenue-generating value while FaceBook (with its Connect strategy) and established players rapidly add similar features.

Zumobi turns to App Store to resurrect app distribution--will search rule distribution?

This article compares search engine optimization efforts to marketing of applications on mobile app stores. Best quote: "it’s like the dreaded search-engine optimization for the Internet, where you do stuff to get recognized by Google and get listed higher in the rankings".

When users turn to search as a navigation aid it's a leading sign the existing UI is broken. I think it's hilarious that "doing stuff to get recognized" is the explanation of search engine optimization. Existing mobile application distribution is so horrendous that Apple's App Store is a shining light of usability in comparison and should be applauded.

This does raise a very interesting question: will search become the dominant UI of app stores and by extension rich mobile UIs? Android sure hopes so.

The Making Of An iPhone App | mocoNews.net.

Bloomberg: Downturn may force web 2.0 startups to generate revenue!

Shocking story in Bloomberg today, as web 2.0 media darlings are looking at being forced into...money making.

Prime example: "Twitter may charge companies for access to its users so it doesn't have to ask venture capitalists for more cash, said Williams, the company's chief executive officer."

Bloomberg.com: Technology.

Handset brands driving service uptake

Proof that handset brands help sell wireless plans - RCR Wireless News.

This article comments on a trend very noticeable in dealmaking over the past quarter, which is that device vendors are aggressively supporting demand generation and playing a larger role in service launches.

BlackBerry launching Application Center?

Exclusive: First Look at the BlackBerry Application Center! | CrackBerry.com.

The blogs are lighting up with this report showing an app center to come from Blackberry. From the conversations I had with RIM people at CTIA Wireless (things they wouldn't say or answer) I'd guess this is legit and coming two quarter faster than I had thought.

If this report has it right RIM is continuing a very friendly operator go-to-market with the app store serving operator-hosted apps. It will be interesting to see how this can keep up with Apple's store. Developers have been whining like crazy over Apple's policies, wait until they try certifying and releasing apps on a Verizon or similar!