In the meantime, I’m catching up on my reading and planning coverage/features/podcasts for the next weeks. Top of the list is the Carnival of Mobilists (CoM), which is on this week at Xen Mendelsohn’s Xellular Identity. It’s a great line-up as always, but a few really merit a closer look.

My favorite (and Xen’s as well since it was her pick for the best post of the week) is a deep-dive from mobile consultant, author and esteemed colleague Tomi Ahonen. He expertly and eloquently outlines the advantages of mobile as a mass media (the 7^th Mass Media channel) and provides examples that make me wonder (as he does) why we don’t “think mobile” when we develop mobile content/apps/ads/etc…

To drive home this point he describes MTV, a content creator that truly “gets” it. When MTV shoots Jackass, for example, they do it with two separate camera crews. One focuses on producing a show for the TV screen, and the other films it for display and enjoyment on the mobile phone. Both crews shoot the same action, but they do it with the media in mind. Tomi’s conclusion: “This is the level of thinking we need. Don’t copy. Develop expressly for the 7th Mass Media.”

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Jason Spero, AdMob VP Marketing, pre-briefed me on the company’s new release analytics tool just prior to my last speaking engagement. I was excited because I could see this was not just another product announcement (and thus I decided not to report it as one).

It’s a tool that puts AdMob back in play and potentially one step ahead of rival vendors including Amethon Solutions, Google (which hasn’t yet launched a mobile analytics product!), Mobilytics, TigTags and Wapalizer. In fact, this worthwhile assessment via ClickZ concludes Bango is AdMob’s closest challenger, and I’m inclined to agree.

Or could it be the other way around?
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What the industry can do is match content recommendations with keywords. At least, that’s what I assumed when I began my study of mobile search/recommendation on the T-Mobile USA and Verizon portals. However, I am forced to conclude that the industry has a long way to go before it properly implements content recommendations. To be fair, the industry has to get search right first, (which it is currently struggling to do), but I believe the industry should tackle these issues in parallel as the technologies are intertwined and mutually beneficial.

In response to my earlier post Luni correctly pointed out that the searches were performed from within Verizon’s Vcast Music application. He stated that “for a better experience on a Verizon phone, subscribers (today) must download the “Get It Now Search” application, which will search not only the VCast Music catalog, but also the ringtones, ringback tones, wallpaper, games, and applications catalogs, all from a single search box.”

Curious to see if there would be a vast difference in the quality of the results I downloaded the Get It Now app to my handset and conducted mobile searches for a variety of content, the results of which I have documented in this post.

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Stuart is perhaps best known as Group Publishing Director, Moriana Media Group (MMG), the company that produces trade magazines including Wireless Business Review, Convergence World, Telecoms Europe, and Middle East and Africa Communications. (These magazines are all available in a digitized format, so I encourage you to visit the sites and explore the archives.)

Stuart, whose publishing career spans over a decade, has developed much more than a leading online destination; he has created a knowledge portal that expertly meets the needs of its community with a targeted mix of white papers, technical presen­tations, magazine articles, and webinars. MMG also develops and organizes leading industry events. Chief among these is the Convergence World Awards, which showcases the convergence of fixed and mobile communications, broadcasting and entertainment, and recognizes the innovations and achievements of the companies driving convergence forward.

I’m excited about what MSG and MMG can co-create, and I am also pleased to have an international team in place that can help advertisers address MSG’s growing audience of mobile operators, mobile professionals, and VCs. Since the re-launch in October, MSG has become the essential read for executives worldwide. The people count is impressive, but the engagement (10-minute visits on average) is a testament to the quality of analysis and the breadth of coverage MSG offers.

Naturally, our partnership will be instrumental in taking MSG to the next level. I look forward to introducing MMG readers to MSG content, and I hope for an exciting cross-pollination in the other direction.

Is mobile search a source of competitive advantage? Or is it merely a must-have navigation feature well on its way to becoming a commodity? (The scenario: Every service will need a search box - and any technology will do…) Well, the jury is out on this one for now. (I might add it was a topic of lively debate at Search Goes Mobile - over dinner and after-dinner grappa.) One conclusion I did reach: There is new interest in offering — even cultivating — a breadth of mobile search engines. For operators, mobile search is a new weapon in their competitive arsenal, and being the gateway to new search services is top item on their agenda. (More in follow-up coverage from SGM.)

In the meantime, a review of this week’s developments reveals a growing interest in mobile search. There are new names and new approaches, and you can count on coverage here and at AltSearchEngines. (I have sent out requests and will circle back as the companies file in.)

Indeed, I greatly look forward to a webinar/briefing next week with Veveo, a vertical mobile search engine provider. The company’s vTap application - available for Windows Mobile, Nokia N-series, and handsets from Samsung, Sanyo, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and LG - effectively lets users search video from the Web and then transcodes it into a format that will work with the player on the handset. MSG covered the company from the start and it’s encouraging to see the mainstream media catching on as well. If you want to read up on Veveo and its vTap offer in the meantime, then check out this column in BusinessWeek.

ZODIGO: Zodiac Interactive is in the news after grabbing headlines at DEMO 08, where the company also introduced Zodigo, a mobile content search and discovery engine for TVs and browsers. Earlier this week the company made the decision to spin off Zodigo into a new company, entirely focused on mobile content search, led by Matt Johnston, formerly Zodiac’s SVP of strategy and Zodigo’s CEO.

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Picture/image/camera search in all its forms is a hot topic, and you can count on me to come back with a deeper analysis of what was discussed and the potential impact on mobile search services. A personal favorite is MUFIN (Multi-Feature Indexing Network), which enables similarity searching for images. It gets even more interesting when you can put” for a variety of results in a variety of forms. I’m proud to report Pavel Zezula, a member of the faculty of the University of Brno and a passionate man who has spent 40 years looking at search problems and solutions, will give us the inside track on MUFIN in a Q&A following the conference.

Not that MSG follow-up coverage will be all theory (although I have to admit I am excited by this topic). I also had the pleasure to meet with telco executives who have all agreed to tell MSG about their mobile search pilots and plans. In short, MSG will also have some worthwhile “scoops” - so check back for exclusive Q&As that speak volumes about their current and future search ad advertising strategy.

Special highlights so far (the conference continues tomorrow) are Carlo Alberto Liccardi from Telecom Italia Lab, who will give us the inside track on a content and context (!) sharing platform that provides the basis for a photo/video sharing service set to launch this year.

It’s wonderful to attend a conference that will have a profound impact on the present and future focus of mobile search. Thanks to the organizers for inviting me to speak - and thanks to the academics and executives who have agreed to be featured in the coming days. Your support is an important confirmation of MSG’s blueprint and business model: To be a knowledge resource and thinking space for this industry.

Will the usual suspects (Google Yahoo, Microsoft, Ask) dominate mobile search? This summary post from AltSearchEngines (and the rousing success of its AltSearch Day) tells us it’s by no means a shoo-in. The site counts 227 alternative search engines in the online space. Sure, they may only have 1.7 percent market share, but the fact that there are so many of them speaks volumes about our increasing need for vertical search engines. (And then there is the novel idea of building a single federated search for alternative search that would most definitely give Google & Co a run for their money.)

A Long Tail of search engines is flourishing in the online space - will it be the same in mobile? And more importantly when can we expect it?

Common sense tells us the personal nature of the device and the variety of content types available create the perfect Petri dish for vertical mobile search. (Consider mobile music and mobile games search - two content-specific search services we can look for this year.) In line with MSG’s brief to track and analyze all the flavors of mobile search coming online, I have set up briefings with the vertical search companies I’m sure we’ll see more of soon. I also have an exciting mix of multimodal (visual/voice) search providers in the pipeline - so please check back regularly.

One company on my radar is Juice Wireless, which earlier this year took the wraps off its Mobile Video Search (MVS) service. As the video below shows, this free and first-of-its kind service allows anyone with a mobile phone (capable of viewing video) to search for videos (user-created content as well as professionally produced videos from brands and media companies) by texting keywords to the shortcode 84462 (in the U.S.). The search tool sends the user a reply with links to the requested content.

The MVS announcement got some media attention, but I missed a closer look at Juice Wireless strategy and some straight answers to some nuts and bolts questions. For example, what is the connection between mobile search and JuiceCaster - the company’s hugely successful social networking app/subscription service lets users upload/share pictures and videos directly from their camera phones to more than 20 online social networking and blogging sites (including MySpace, Facebook and Twitter)? More importantly, why does it make business/commercial sense?

I caught up with Nick, who was fortunately forthcoming with answers, stats and a status report on his wider plans to partner with media companies/brands and let them reserve keywords in a “Google AdWords-like model.”

Listen to the podcast. [11:37]

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I am looking forward to multiple mind-melds and meet-ups with super-cool attendees and speakers including Enrico Bagnasco, Head of Research and Trends, Telecom Italia; Usama Fayyad, Chief Data Officer and Executive VP, Yahoo; John Gage, Chief Researcher and Vice President of the Science Office, SUN Microsystems; David Maguire, Chief Scientist & Director, ESRI; Andrei Broder, Vice President of Computational Advertising, Yahoo Research; Hans-Christian Haugli, Senior Vice President and Head, Telenor R&I; Phyllis Reuther, CTO, MCN (a white label mobile search platform provider), and researchers and faculty from universities/institutes across Europe.

My sincere thanks to the organizers and to Geoffrey Canright, Senior Research Scientist, Telenor R&I, for inviting me to speak on my favorite topic - federated mobile search. Naturally, I will want to dedicate my complete time and attention to the event (I’m also not sure of the rules on live blogging), so I may chose to circle back with impressions and analysis when I return on May 1.

And while I am thanking the people who have made my day, and brought MSG a giant leap forward in the process, allow me to recognize Charles Knight once more. His site, AltSearchEngines, widely referred to as “the voice of alternative search” is the only destination of its kind and caliber. I am proud that Charles chose to feature my recent Q&A with Thumbplay as a guest post . Through email exchanges and now frequent phone calls Charles and I recognize we share a passion for search - in all its forms. We have therefore pledged to collaborate more closely to ensure our sites showcase the alternative mobile search solutions (and vendors) sure to have a profound impact on the space. If you would like to be considered, then please contact me.

Today I also had the opportunity to connect with Christian Hernandez Gallardo, Head of Distribution Partnerships, Google. Thanks to Anthony House at Google for setting up this private briefing on short notice.

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Andrew Grill, whom I highly regard for his ability to zero in on the key components of successful location-based services, literally provides us with a blueprint for a new way to deliver mobile advertising to consumers based on aggregated information. As he points out: User data, segmented by characteristics such as calling patterns (where we call and how often we call), direct (permission based) user profiling, and cellular location are three inputs that will help drive user acceptance of mobile advertising.

Another post that stands out comes from Ajit Jaokar, who reviews Cincinnati Bell’s strategy under the leadership of Jack Cassidy. His post also happens to be a perfect complement to this Q&A, which takes a closer look at the carrier’s on-device portal (ODP) launch and commitment to being the on-ramp to the open mobile Web. And speaking of the open mobile Web, this post from John Puterbaugh expertly explains the role of widgets in the larger scheme of things.

But the post I’d like to highlight comes from Dennis at WAP Review. He walks us through the issues around transcoding (reformatting PC sites for display on mobile devices) and updates us on the tie-up between Openwave and Sprint to overcome the downside of transcoding (namely, poor usability, broken links and a disruption in downloads). There’s good news to report and Dennis commends OpenWave, Sprint and InfoGin for “recognizing the value of off portal mobile publishers and content vendors” by adopting Rules for Responsible Reformatting: A Developer Manifesto, a document called that offers suggestions on how content reforming could/should/must work.

Dennis also summarizes a webcast hosted by Sprint and Openwave to discuss Openwave’s OpenWeb roadmap and larger questions around transcoding. In July, Sprint, in partnership with Motricity, will launch Mobile Internet 2.0, a new mobile portal enabling users to “customize their portal view to include only the content they want and will also suggest content to users based on links they have clicked in the past.” Once again - more (choice) is better, but open is best.

ADMOB: Regular readers will recall that MSG has consistently presented AdMob metrics and analysis. To create maximum value and benefit for the vibrant and growing MSG community, Jason Spero, AdMob VP Marketing, and I have agreed to work together to create a “briefing room”, offering readers a knowledge resource where they can view AdMob mobile advertising metrics as well as research exclusive to MSG. I am very excited about what our companies can co-create and thank AdMob for its generous support. As Jason put it, AdMob looks to MSG to supply quality analysis and answer the all-important “why” question behind breaking news. I am honored that MSG is that destination and pledge to maintain our high standard of quality for a long time to come. (MSG is just getting started!) Other companies interested in creating a “briefing room” with MSG should contact me directly - our ad sales team comes on board on May 1.)

In the March Metrics Report, we see several additions/improvements in AdMob’s network traffic classification, aimed at enabling advertisers to better target their audiences and plan campaigns. In line with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) definition of four standard screen sizes, AdMob not only serves different banner sizes to each of the four standard screen sizes; it has also added MMA screen size to the monthly report, providing a breakdown (on an worldwide and per country basis) of the traffic share of each of the MMA screen sizes.

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