We're heading deeper into the Autumn, and since our last Miscellany we've been tracking the declining temperatures, the falling leaves and attending the varied crop of mobile conferences that are a feature of this time of year. But before you put your conference shoes away for the Winter there are are couple more yet to come, keeping the best for last, perhaps? See below.
In this miscellany: First a mention of our recent events; next a reference to our 7th birthday party; then a late fruiting (don't pick till first frosts) conference you might be interested in, The Guardian Mobile Business Summit, especially the discount and compo. Finally, a note on the passing of analogue TV and Ceefax.
HTML vs Native
Seems like an age ago, but it's only just over a month since the 24th Sept, when we held our annual debate on this topic - themed with reference to fine dining vs. fast food. I must have been hungry when I wrote the promo. Really sorry if you couldn't make it on the list for that, it was packed, but I'm happy to say that folks seemed to find it entertaining and informative, not least thanks to Ewan MacLeod - @ew4n of Mobile Industry Review - who was such an excellent chair.
Many thanks also to our panellists and wonderful event sponsors, KeyNote Device Anywhere - http://www.keynotedeviceanywhere.com/ - they've got a foot in both camps, so didn't mind which way the debate went. In the event, it went to Native this year, much to my own sadness - check out the report from the event on the blog: http://www.mobilemonday.org.uk/2012/09/html5-vs-native-fast-food-vs-fine-dining.html and do check out the solutions that DeviceAnywhere provides, not matter which side of the fence you are on.
MWC Stand Competition
On Monday this week, 29th October, we held the final of the annual competition for a place on the UK stand at Mobile World Congress, and the lucky and meritorious winners who get a free space in a prime location and lots of other support besides are as follows, good luck to them and commiserations to the worthy losers!
The winners were:
51degrees.mobi - http://www.51degrees.mobi
PixelPin - http://pixelpin.co.uk
Aseptika - http://activ8ourlives.com
MagicSolver - http://magicsolver.com
We'll publish a round up from that event shortly.
MoMoLo will be Seven
Also around this time of year it is Mobile Monday London's birthday. We'll be seven this year and this will be our 78th event, which is supported by our lovely annual sponsors, BlackBerry. This will be on the Monday 26th November.
As organisers, in addition to being a fun-loving bunch (well Julia and Nisha are, not me - "Fun? No fear") we're also quite reflective and are anxious to move the MoMoLo story on. You might remember that earlier this year we carried out a survey to see what you like, what you want more of, what you want less of and so on. Hopefully you'll have noticed some of the things we are doing differently in response to that. Anyway, here's the immediate point, someone suggested that we do an unPanel. And we think that's a brilliant suggestion.
You may know how I always go on about our panel sessions being a conversation between the panel and the floor. I mean we're always very careful to get the leading thinkers on our panels, and we're always very grateful for them giving up their time to be on them, but ultimately we, the community, are also very well informed and have lots to say for ourselves which is worth listening to (well, with some exceptions, we know who you are :-))
So here's the idea. We kick things off with four volunteers as panellists, and they open the discussion. At periodic intervals the panellists rotate back into and out of the audience. So, the idea is that you bring topics that you think are noteworthy, amusing or educational (especially from the last year), you are prepared to talk about them, for just a minute, you are prepared to defend your well-founded or ludicrous view, you are prepared to comment on what you predict or what you wish for in the coming year. Yup, this is about a true conversation to, for, by, with and from the community.
Ideas for topics? Want to speak? Come on, you know you do! Let us know by contacting us at contact@mobilemonday.org.uk, and tweet us at @momolondon, using hashtags #unpanel and #momolo - but also, read on, because Tweets Means Prizes!
We'll open registration soon, with due regard to the value of Just-in-Time techniques. Once again big thanks to annual sponsors BlackBerry for supporting this.
Guardian Mobile Business Summit - Discount and Compo
I did say that the biggest fruit fall last, didn't I? I didn't? Well I'm saying it now. The Guardian Mobile Business Summit is one of the major events on the annual mobile calendar. It's on Monday 19th November and it's taking place a stone's throw from St Paul's Cathedral. I know you wouldn't take me literally, but just in case, don't throw any stones, will you? Check out the information at bit.ly/QBXgUq and registration page at http://mobile-business-summit.eventbrite.com/ - I just did and I noticed on the map that not only is it close by St Paul's but it is also nearby the wonderfully named church of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe. I kid you not.
Getting to the point here, eventually. The lovely people at The Guardian have given us some tickets that you could win, for free (that's repetition for emphasis, not tautology). This is what you have to do: tweet us @momolondon, with the most exciting or notable mobile thing in the last year using the hashtag #GdnMobileBiz. Winners announced late this Friday.
If you are not one of the lucky winners of that competition you can claim your 20% discount at http://mobile-business-summit.eventbrite.com/ using code MBSMOMO.
BLN Making it Mobile
Here's what they say:
The MiM mission is for every participant to leave with at least one actionable idea to implement in their business and the contacts to make it happen. BLN have run MiM twice, and it has sold out twice, and the consistently excellent feedback from delegates show it succeeds in helping executives improve their businesses.
Mobile Memento
Just last week the last UK analogue TV transmitters were turned off and Ceefax has gone with it. Or has it? For those of you who are nostalgic for the pixellated fonts and blobby graphics, just check out the Ceefax weather here - http://www.ceefax.tv/txtmaster.php?page=401 (Update: oh dear, that seems to have gone away :-( ) - aww, and to think this was the height of technological sophistication.
I suppose it's in keeping with the Autumnal feeling to mourn its passing, but then again, we have the new Spring of 4G to look forward to, reusing the same spectrum freed up by analogue TV. EE launched its 4G service yesterday (on existing spectrum) and the auction for the old analogue TV spectrum will be with us "real soon now" apparently.
It strikes me that we haven't really paid much attention to spectrum at Mobile Monday London. The renewal of 3G licenses passed without discussion, for example. Seems odd that our community has so little to say about something that is so fundamental to it. Perhaps this is something that we'd like to take up as a theme in our November birthday event, mentioned above. Do let us know if you're keen to raise a topic, be on the initial panel, or join in somehow - contact@mobilemonday.org.uk and Tweet us!
Till then, enjoy being on GMT, Halloween, Bonfire Night and your new iPad mini or copy of Windows 8, whichever way you roll.
Jo
