Maybe this will be outdated thinking after WWDC next week where Apple unveils iPhone 4.0 and the opportunity for iPhone Native Apps, but for some reason I do not so….

As Smartphone penetration continues to grow and grow, developers are going nuts with all the different platforms.  Google has thrown more and more fuel in the fire by creating a platform of fragmentation with all the different Android Versions.

Was this on purpose? Well after the Google I/O conference it really feels like that is the plan….. Create as much confusion as possible so that everybody reverts back to the Web and HTML5

Now look at Apple.  Fighting like hell with Adobe over Flash. Making it even more difficult for developers to decide which way to go?  Should I build a application in Flash and not see the distribution or should I go with the iPhone App.  Well Google threw another wrench in the game by saying that they are fully supportive of Flash and let this platform thrive on Android;  “We are Open, Apple isn’t” .

So where does leave developers as the full HTML5 integration is still not on all devices browsers yet, but it is pretty clear that if you build a great version of a mobile site instead of an app in HTML5 you get all the benefits of the web and also a great user experience.   Look at what Google has done with Gmail ( one of their Flagship applications besides Search).

There are many tools for web developers to create mobile sites.  It is clear in my mind the ones that bring a consistent web experience to mobile that incorporate application development tools and enablers to replace making a separate application is where the market it going. Many of the mobile site builder companies lost focus by trying to become everything  ( incorporating ad servers, creating separate content management systems) but what a great mobile site builder company needs to do is to just create tools for developers that gives then the best integration of HTML5 and mobile specific enablers and applications ( such as maps, etc….).

What I find interesting is that Adobe is driving HTML5 more then anybody else, and with the lastest release of Dreamweaver CS5. Designers can simultaneously create one-website with multiple views.  What ever happened to the Openscreen Project? Just make it HTML5!

I have been watching the trends of Twitter Applications, Browsers and Platforms over the last couple of months and this type of segmentation and convergence had emerged.

First of all, what has excited me and what I have been waiting for over the last year has been an application that handles automatic translation.

Given the fact that I speak both Japanese and English and have business in both Asia and here in North America, I have wanted to build a consistent cross-border  following on twitter.  I found that with the existing Twitter platform, the only way to do this is with two-accounts.  With my existing account, when I tweet in Japanese, I loose followers.  When I tweet in English, I have a hard time growing Japanese followers.

I mentioned this concept to the Digital Garage folks last February when I was in Japan, but they all laughed.  About a year ago during a Breakfast in Vancouver, Jeff Pulver ( Founder of 140conf.com, serial entrepreneur and VOIP visionary)  and I had a lot of fun with this by cutting segments from Google translate into twitter to go back and forth between English and Twitter.  Even when Jeff started to Tweet in Hebrew, he saw how this took conversations to the next level and really touched individuals on the other end.  I can not stop thinking of the smile on his face when he said ” This is amazing”. So this is really the state of now when we see the auto-translation of different languages for different countries or multi-lingual translations.

When I saw the announcement in April by Hootsuite I felt like they were really listening to the customer; as there must had been lots others like me with the same predicament.  In my mind this is a big move by the Hootsuite folks in their attempt  at this and even though we have not yet seen this capability on Facebook,  MARK MY WORDS….. This is going to be one of the most important features for them with their 500M users in the coming months.  If they do not buy Hootsuite, then they will do this timeselves by the end of the year.

Given the fact I would like to Tweet in both English and Japanese simultaneously,  I really thought this would be a feature that Twitter would release to the market.  Given that Google is so strong in language tools, and Google has a terrific product ( Google Translate), I was pretty sure we would see this from our friends at Google first. Even thought this would get quickly integrated into Google Buzz so that it scaled.   English language schools  have grown from the cottage industry base to a core part of  Japanese society.  With the growth of iPhone and Android devices cross-border,  I am sure this type of feature is going to be more and more important.

What we have seen is that our friends in Vancouver ( Hootsuite) have really looked to market differentiation with these translation tools.  It only makes sense as Vancouver is one of those multilingual communities, and even here in Canada most people have adopted the two-language way ( English, French).

This is what the Hootsuite folks have to say:

Need more ways to socialize? Seeking zen-like efficiency? Start by updating HootSuite for iPhone to clear your mind and make your social media experience more enjoyable. This update adds full localization in four languages to go along with the recently-released translation tools. Both are designed to help marketers, socializers, and internationalists understand the vibe about their brand, industry, and interests from all over the globe. Additionally, the release includes a kit full of new tools to help you stay on top of multiple social streams — and share the best parts with remarkable efficiency.  All the features are available in both the Lite (no-cost) and Full ($2.99 USD) versions of HootSuite for iPhone.

This may be a risky strategy for Hootsuite as unless they can get clients on both sides of the pond ( meaning that in order to really use the multilingual features, but send and received need a Hootsuite client) Twitter will just copy and improve on this. When Twitter does release its interfaces to support multilingual capabilities, where will this leave Hootsuite?

Secondly, when it comes to integration we are seeing many companies bring in all the different feeds into there Applications. Fring just announced with much success their Video-Call capability for mobile, Seesmic continues to be “Switzerland” with all of the different Feed integrations.  I have just been waiting for them to make the product opensource or open API’s… as we have started to see more of with Tweetdeck and the Buzz API.

So where does this leave us?  As Twitter sits in the middle of it all, it makes me wonder if Twitter has just become a proprietary TCP/IP-like bit pipe?   They made the move to build there user experiences by buying the Application company Atebits most recently, but they are in a  good position being in the middle.

The wildcard in this evolution in my mind is now the Browser.   So lastly, I must say that the convergence that starts to get interesting is now what Plug-ins and what enablers we start to see in the browser as it also has become a standalone application in its own right. Opera released its application for the iPhone and in weeks we have seen Millions of downloads.  They have developed a widget framework that has been adapted by several of the carriers now to promote services, application and advertising revenue from the Widgets.  JIL ( Joint Innovation Lab – Softbank, Verizon, China Mobile and Vodafone) have actively been starting to promote the cross border opportunities with widgets through there entire network of devices as a core driver for developers, but the fact still remains that over 50% of developers are now focued on iPhone Applications.

Opera has positioned themselves very nicely in this Application game and it is going to be interesting what the next big moves are?  Will Opera be aquired as part of the JV of JIL? Will Facebook buy Opera? or will we see the integration of Twitter and all these applications into Opera?  or will we see Opera buy Hootsuite?

The fact remains that in the Application space there is a lot of convergence going on.  What we have not heard much of these days for advanced integrated apps is Google.  They did have their flagship Google I/O conference several weeks back and it is exciting to see that they are really driving HTML5.  As HTML5 expands this gets very interesting from the standpoint of Application convergence.  Where will this all go with HTML5 ( See my next post)

Click here

I do not know what to say.  Today was another day of sadness…. over 1.5months have passed and there is no great plan to stop this disaster. The Gulf as we know it has now changed forever in my lifetime.   I do not see all of us engaged to go down and help clean this up? We all sit and just ignor this?

My Feeling.

1) Put all executives of BP in Jail.

2) Bring in the military or any means to get this thing stopped.

3) Bring the community to bear to clean this up!

I am prepared to head down to the coast to help clean this up…. it is amazing that it is so low profile in our minds.

The press-release is below, but this is a true story of a  mobile music journalist to go Rock-Star!

I met Val Halla when she was doing some reporting for GoMo News for Canadian Music Week 2009.  It was the middle of the worst part of the economic storm, but Val was there to write about anything big and cool in the mobile music space that might be a spark of hope for the music industry….. I was so impressed by her, that we made her website mobile ( here is the blog-post back in March 09).   Since then I am no longer working with the Mobify team (  I do not think the site is still up), but I have a been a big believer as well that the “Mobile Moment” is a “Music and Venue Moment” tied to the anchor of an artist’s own mobile site…..where they can sell everything from content to unique goods at the Venue.

Not only have we kept close contact over the years and she has helped me in many ways with some of the Artists I have been involved with.

This is a proud day for us and the mobile marketing….music business and Val…. Good things happen to Good people… lets she if she goes mobile for this tour!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canadian Rocker Val Halla Recruited for 28 Dates on

Ted Nugent Tour After Texas Gig.

Saskatchewan Artist & Former Vancouver resident, Val Halla, will open up 28 dates of Ted Nugent’s “Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead Tour 2010” beginning June 16^th in Boston, and continuing through August 8^th in Wichita, KS.

Val Halla came to the attention of Nugent after performing a gig in Waco, Texas.  After hearing good things, Nugent asked Halla to sing on a demo for a song he was recording at a studio just outside of town.  Impressed by Halla, he called his management at Doc McGhee Entertainment (KISS, Darius Rucker), who then came out to see Halla perform in April in West Hollywood, CA.  Only two days later, Halla (who has served as her own manager & booking agent for the last 9 years) was asked to be the opening act on 28 dates of Nugent’s tour.

Halla is promoting her fourth album “No Place” which was just released in March 2010.  Her songwriting and guitar playing has won her coverage in both Guitar World Magazine, and Guitar Player Magazine and showcases this year at Canadian Music Week, SXSW, and the Florida Music Festival. The album features high profile players including Elliott Randall of Steely Dan, and Murray Pulver of Doc Walker.  A group of Austin, TX musicians will be backing Halla up on the Nugent tour.  The band is made up of three incredibly talented Berklee drop outs: guitarist Neal Davis, bassist Alex Ferreiro, and drummer Marty Higman.

To raise funds for tour support – Ted Nugent himself is signing “Texas flag” guitars that sponsors will receive for donating $500 or $1000, as well as other rewards packages for donations from $10 to $250 dollars. Val Halla has no record label to provide tour support, so this is a grass roots effort. Tour support is being raised through http://feedthemuse.net/valhalla

• Date                City/State                                           Venue
• June 16            Boston, MA                                        The House of Blues
• June 17            Providence, RI                                    Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
• June 18            Hampton Beach, NH                           Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
• June 19            Philadelphia. PA                                 Electric Factory
• June 20            New Haven, CT                                  Toad’s Place
• June 22            Clifton Park (Albany), NY                     Northern Lights
• June 23            Wantagh, NY                                      Mulcahy’s
• June 24             Jim Thorpe, PA                                  Penn’s Peak
• June 25             Fredericksburg, VA                            Celebrate Virginia Central Park
• June 26             North Myrtle Beach, SC                      The House of Blues
• June 27             Lake Buena Vista, FL (Orlando)          The House of Blues
• June 29             Fort Lauderdale, FL                            Revolution
• July 2              Fayetteville, AR                                   Arkansas Music Pavilion
• July 4              San Antonio, TX                                  Back Stage Live (Sunken Garden Theatre)
• July 5              Donna, TX                                          Donna Corn Maze Amphitheatre
• July 7              Ardmore, OK                                      Heritage Hall
• July 13             Fort Smith, AR                                   The Rib Room
• July 14             Nashville, TN                                     The Wildhorse Saloon
• July 18             Tulsa, OK                                          Cain’s ballroom
• July 20             Merrillville, IN                                     Star Plaza Theatre
• July 23             Clear Lake, IA                                    Surf Ballroom
• July 25             Sylvania, OH                                      Centennial Terrace
• July 27               Prestonburg, KY                                Mountain Arts Center
• July 28              Cleveland, OH                                   House Of Blues
• July 29             Columbus, OH                                   LC Outdoor Amphitheater
• July 30             Pittsburgh, PA                                   Amphitheatre at Station Square
• August 4          Chicago, IL                                        The House of Blues
• August 8          Park City (Whichita), KS                      Hartman Arena

For more information Contact Val Halla Music

at 615-573-5599 or info@valhallaonline.com

I guess you can say, it is about time! Kyocera launched at CTIA this last spring with their first entry into the America’s after waiting and seeing for many years…NT&T DoCoMo brought Android to the Japanese Market in April with the Sony Xperia and Softbank was soon to follow with their Android device.

From the walled gardens of the different marketplaces to the open platforms, the world has come alive for the cross-border opportunity again.  I am excited to see these high-end toys now entering the states to offer a unique variety to the same old stuff we have seen.  Japan was very strong in the consumer product space in the 80’s and early 90’s, but then it stopped. The re-emergence of the US industry in the consumer space with Palms, iPods and the flurry of electronics from the Korean’s and the Taiwanese seemed to be become the replacement.

So what will be different that will make us want to buy them?  It is not just a hardware game anymore, but a one-stop-shop for all kinds of services.  My feeling is that we will start to see followers to the Google-TV example that started with Sony for a complete array of interesting cross-media interactivity….. Will Hitachi bring back its household goods back with a twist on mobile:  Google-Refrigerator?  What about Casio and their cool G-shocks tied to the mobile device : Google-Watch? and even NEC  following Sony with the Google-TV series?  These are some of the areas where I think the Japanese can really accelerate the convergence of mobile and everything around us.

1) Cross-platform integration into the consumer electronics space

2) Unique uses of mobile wallet and integration between products

3) Cool, fun, innovative designs and market demo differentiation. Highest of High quality….

4) Enterprise products and services for small  and medium businesses

5) Access to the wonderful world of Japanese sourced content.

6) Unique integrations amoungst the Japanese suppliers themselves…. Wii?

7) Cross-Carrier cooperation ( i.e. JIL )

Deep rooted relationships between Japanese companies and Microsoft and Google

9) Heavy industry and mobile. ( Trains, Buses, Elevators, Escalators, Ticket machines all integrated to mobile)

10) ….. or just another Android, Windows mobile device?

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Techcrunch reported last year that NEC, Hitachi and Casio were in negotiations to merge their cell phone operations to become Japan’s second biggest manufacturer, following Sharp. And the new company, which is called NEC Casio Mobile Communications and was established on May 1, just yesterday announced ambitious expansion plans.

According to reports in various Japanese media, NEC Casio Mobile plans to ship a total of 12 million cell phones in fiscal 2012, up a whopping 60% of all handsets NEC, Hitachi and Casio together shipped in 2009 (the companies will merge their cell phone operations on June 1).

All of Japan’s eight (soon six) major cell phone makers are going through a slump currently, mainly due to a shrinking domestic market and rising development costs for advanced cell phones. In Japan, the new company wants to cooperate with all three national carriers (Docomo, KDDI au, and SoftBank Mobile).

In the US, NEC Casio Mobile is said to currently look into building business ties with Verizon and AT&T, according to reports. The company expects 4 million of those 12 million cell phones it plans to ship in 2012 to go to markets outside Japan.

This is another monumental release today. Mastercard announced its API to developers.  Carriers, mobile payment companies and online providers such as PayPal have all been driving toward the next generation of payment structures that would shape the mobile commerce world.  Japan has embraced bringing credit cards to mobile already in 2005, and now 5 years later we are seeing progress here in North America for this enabler that will lead to a seismic shift in how mobile and applications will evolve.  In the same breath, I saw a recruiting post for one of my favorite creative agencies CP+B looking for mobile developers.

This is the creative agency that rocked the world with some of the most disruptive CM’s such as ” The Kings Gone Crazy”, “Domino’s Pizza Crust has gone Cardboard” and many others….. and they represent American Express….

What is happening is that the media world is really shaping now around mobile. When the big creative agencies start to prioritize and the mobile commerce system is about to get in place are key indicators of all the different creative things we are going to see in not only the Top of the Funnel, but the Bottom of it as well.

Today was a very exciting day for me with mobile and the future of Brand Marketing and Commerce…

*************************************************************

In a press release this morning, MasterCard has announced that desktop and mobile developers will have access to an API from the credit card giant later this year. The company hopes that by opening its technology to developers, new and innovative e-commerce applications that leverage the MasterCard network will be created, potentially competing with the likes of Visa, PayPal and Square.

MasterCard Chief Innovation Officer Josh Peirez says the company is “excited about tapping into the ingenuity of software developers around the globe to help create the next generation of game-changing payment applications.” A newly launched portal – MasterCard Labs – will give developers access to APIs, SDKs, guides and forums for discussing and experimenting with the company’s technology.

The announcement comes at a time when the mobile-payments market has begun to heat up with competition between startups and large credit card providers. San Francisco-based startup Square has many people excited about its mobile application and dongle that allows credit cards to be scanned by various mobile devices; online payment staple PayPal recently teamed up with Bump Technologies to provide a mobile transaction service as well.

Visa also recently announced its own foray into the mobile payments market. Earlier this month, the MasterCard competitor teamed with DeviceFidelityto launch special cases for iPhones which would allow users to take advantage of Visa’s wireless and contact-less payment method, Visa payWave, straight from their phones.

But mobile payments is just one of the platforms MasterCard hopes developers will innovate on using its technology. The company says it has identified 20 other areas in which their APIs could be used, including payroll systems, social networking applications, eWallets, and online games. With the growing popularity of sites like Blippy, which allows users to automatically share their credit card purchases with their friends, MasterCard may be providing a valuable API to developers at a ripe moment for these kinds of platforms and services.

Many have been skeptical about these new services due to apparent security risks that come from mobile payment systems, but MasterCard is taking precautions to make sure their platform is not abused. According to its press release this morning, “all developers will be approved and registered by MasterCard to ensure that MasterCard payment and data services continue to be used appropriately and productively.”

Holiday Inn just launched a mobile solution for room keys going mobile.  I spent a considerable time today on Foursquare and although I have been overwhelmed by the grown, what I found disturbing was the lack of content for each of the places.  Companies like Yelp and other joined the bandwagon of “Check-in” but they come with considerable content. Unless the Foursquares of the world figure out a strategy to get users to post more tips and content, I just do not know how sustainable it will be.

With that said, the concept and leadership they created with the concept of “Check-in” and the database of places is clearly the next wave in location based services and mobile.  Seeing Holiday Inn take this initiative to further the entire process and build a complete engaging solution around the entire concept of ” Checking-in” without customers even going to the front desk is the usage case of mobile cross-media that is where mobile is powerful.

eCommerce and other conversion techniques exist for mobile, but the creativity of taking a brand and enabling a “full experience” that is truly convenient is where I like seeing mobile going.

At CTIA I stayed at the Hilton Hotel Convention center, and there were Foursquare banners all over the lobby to “Check-in”.  The vision was there as well and seeing Hotels and the travel industry now embracing mobile in its full form shows the power of the mobile device.

When I met the consumer reports team at the last CTIA, I enjoyed talking to them about the opportunities of bringing such a great brand to mobile.  Well they did, and here is the release of the ConsumerReports.org mobile strategy.

• Their focus is on the web, making the experience ubiquitous for all the different devices.
• You need to be a paid subscriber to ConsumerReports.org to get access to the publication, but  the key issue is that they did not raise there price for mobile. Any users that already have a subscription (~$29), also get mobile as part of the package.
• The product is perfect for on-the-go to see product ratings.

Here is the video of the product

With all the recent debate over fragmentation, it just made me look at this from an other angle. Could fragmentation be actually a good thing?  If we look at the mobile today there are about 4500 different devices that all have slightly different screen sizes and formats.  Even though they are all quite different when it comes to the device feature set, there is one area that is not fragmenting, but converging….  This has been around the browser.

With some of the recent advances in HTML5 and the lastest roadmap shared at the Google I/O conference, it makes one wonder if fragmentation was part of the master plan over at Google.  Let all the device manufacturers fight over there differences in features and functionality of the OS, but keep one thing consistent and moving forward…. the browser and the web.

With the release of Froyo ( Android 2.2), again there have been lots of complaints from partners like Sony-Ericsson and others.  However, what Google has shown is the convergence between online-mobile with the HTML5 feature set.

I am convinced that there is some kind of thinking and strategy around fragmentation driving users back to the browser and the growth of the Chrome Web-App storefront that will shortly converge with mobile.