I'm thrilled with the variety and caliber of this year's interviews.

]]> It’s that time of the year again! This year marks the third consecutive year that I have been commissioned by Netsize, a global mobile commerce and communications enabler, to write the Netsize Guide. This comprehensive mobile industry almanac recounts the year’s milestones in mobile and looks ahead to the future of mobile. A special focus this year is the impact of mobile on verticals such as healthcare and retail, and the outlook for Augmented Reality (through interviews with GeoVector CEO John Ellenby and Layar Co-Founder Maarten Lens-FitzGerald).

I’m thrilled with the variety and caliber of this year’s interviews.

In addition to a slew of important country data and key stats (thanks to partner Informa Telecoms & Media), the guide will showcase a who’s who of industry executives and experts. Companies included this year include (in no special order): Sony Ericsson, GetJar, Telefónica, SFR, Flirtomatic, Nokia Advertising, PayPal, Scanbuy, NearbyNow and EmFinders, a path-breaking new health technology that works directly with 9-1-1 and law enforcement officials in the U.S. to immediately locate individuals with Alzheimer’s who have wandered.

Could such services pave the way for a range of new emergency services and patient care models? You’ll have to wait until the Netsize Guide is released at Mobile World Congress.

In the meantime, Alexander Vlasblom, Netsize Marketing & Communications Director, and I have picked out some great quotes and teasers to share. I’ll list a few in this post to start. But you can get the inside track by following our Twitter feed (@NetsizeGuide), where I will post the best of the book on a regular basis.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Here are some eye-opening statements that have come through in my edit of the 15+ C-Level interviews to date.

“It’s early days, but I predict 75 to 80 percent of these app stores are going to fail over the next 24 months. The numbers are going to be high because there’s a lot of hype around app stores, which has got a lot of players excited about getting into apps without knowing what is involved and the time and resources needed.”

Patrick Mork, Vice President Marketing, GetJar

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“Many developers are starting to re-think. Do they go for big, with the probability of being discovered very low, or do they go for a lower volume with a much higher probability of being discovered. The developer community is split.”

Christopher David, Head of Developer and Partner Engagement, Sony Ericsson

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“In my view, there is a high likelihood that things will swing back to a browser-based environment over the next two or three years. Good mobile browsers are already capable of doing quite a lot of things that you can do in an app, so the world will probably swing back to a browser experience because users won’t be able to tell the difference.”

Mark Curtis, CEO, Flirtomatic

And that’s just a taste!
Alexander and I have also worked out an editorial schedule to release a steady stream of content in the New Year, including podcasts, “uncut” Q&A interviews and guest columns, so check back or follow us on Twitter.

Obviously, I will have my head down to complete the Netsize Guide before the holidays. So look for some great guest content including a column on the business imperative for recommendation and personalization from Xiam Managing Director Colm Healy, a column on visual recognition from Kooaba founder Herbert Bay and a podcast with Nimbuzz Head of Communications Tobias Kemper.

It’s all good!

Disclaimer: Netsize is an MSG supporter.