Mobile Monday London

Ok, admittedly that’s a song title from the rather marvellous Rumours by Fleetwood Mac which I’m listening to as I write this, but it also describes where we’re at with location based services. LBS seems to be the new black, it was big news at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year and there seem to be various location based apps cropping up out of the iphone woodwork. But it’s not all rosy in the location based world. Sure, we can use pretty maps on our phones but what else is out there and does anyone actually care?

That’s why I was particularly interested to read Stuart Dredge’s article recently in Mobile Entertainment magazine where he dispels some myths of mobile entertainment (and arguably the rest of the mobile world too and number 9 particularly resonated with me:

"Location-based technology is intrinsically exciting for consumers...

No it's not. The phrase "location-based technology" intrinsically puts most people who aren't in the mobile industry to sleep. And they look equally unimpressed if you promise them their phone can guide them to the nearest cashpoint.

That was the big selling point of the early days of LBS, until the industry realised that even half-cut consumers can womble their way to the nearest bank machine under their own steam. Now the buzz is around social location, and mashing up your handset's GPS with social media and Web 2.0 services.

The problem is that this is all still technology-led. The assumption that everyone wants to track their friends - and especially that they regularly go out in town with no specific plans in mind of who to meet or where to go - is unproven at best. As is the idea that people want to geotag all their photos and videos and share them with the world, all the time.

The next year or two will see some really smart, desirable mobile services launch that use location. But it's the ones that are actually based on stuff people want to do that will succeed.

It's more about great, desirable services that happen to have location elements in the mix.”

So that’s exactly what we’re going to take a look at on 12th October. Stuart Dredge has kindly agreed to chair the session for us where we’ll find out what services out there, challenging how we position and market them, how much location matters (or not), and what customers really want or need. We reckon it’ll be a lively debate kindly supported by Skyhook Wireless and GetJar. We have some great panellists lined up for you which we’ll be announcing in a few days. And we’ll have some demos for your delectation. We’re also still interested to find out which LBS apps and services you use and why so do keep contributing to the email thread on the topic.

What: Go your own way? A fresh look at location based services.

When: 12th October 2009 – 6pm for a prompt 6.30pm start.

Where: CBI at Centrepoint

Register and RSVP here

Photo credit Smiling_Da_Vinci on flickr.Used under Creative Commons licence.

Labels: applications, events, lbs, location based services, mobile, mobilemedia

 

Graham from Learning Without Frontiers has been in touch to tell us about the conference he’s organising – The Handheld Learning Conference 2009. It’s in its fifth year (so nearly as old as Mobile Monday London then!) and features a wide variety of speakers (including some famous names) and 1500 or so delegates and will be held at The Brewery at The Barbican from Oct 5 – 7. More details on the conference and speakers later on in this post.

Anyway, there’s a couple of reasons Graham has been in touch. The first is obviously to promote the event (which looks rather good I have to say) and offer Mobile Monday London members a 15% discount off the list price – the early bird  price is just £375 (valid until 25th September) and the late booking price is £425. So 15% off those prices is not to be sniffed at. To take advantage of the discount, please use code momohhl09 on the registration page.

Not only that, there’s a free element to the event. Yes, we all like free! The first day of the event, Monday 5th October, is open to the general public and is free to enter. So that means anyone with a passing interest in mobile learning related stuff will get a chance to sample the exhibition and some free seminars as well. And not only that, there’s going to be a party and awards ceremony that night, hosted by The Gadget Show’s very own Jason Bradbury, which us MoMoLo’ers are all invited to to hang out at, especially it being a Monday evening ‘n all. Turn up from 7pm and the jollity will be going on until 10.30pm. I imagine there’ll be a few familiar faces there, mine included!

So here’s a little bit more about the conference lifted from their website to give you a flavour of what’s on offer…

The Handheld Learning Conference is the world’s leading event about learning using mobile and inexpensive access technologies, attended by more than 1,500 international delegates.

Lead speakers for 2009 include:

• Ray Kurzweil, Inventor and Futurist
• Zenna Atkins, Chairman, Ofsted
• Malcolm McLaren, Artist
• James Paul Gee, Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies at Arizona State University
• David Braben, Founder & Chairman, Frontier
• Professor Elizabeth Hayes, Arizona State University
• John Davitt, International Learning Advocate, NewTools.org
• Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, CEO and Co-Founder of Tinker.it
• Tim Brighouse, Former Commissioner for London Schools
• Donald Clark, e-Learning Expert
• David Cavallo, Chief Learning Architect, MIT OLPC
• Tim Rylands, Teacher & Innovator

With many others soon to be announced.

Now in its fifth year the event has become the largest of it’s kind; bringing together thought leaders, innovators, practitioners, developers, policy and decision makers from the education, technology and entertainment sectors.

Over 3 stimulating days this group will demonstrate, debate and explore how mobile technologies such as phones, entertainment devices, GPS locators, and netbooks can be deployed to enable transformational improvements in learning across schools, home, further education, training and business.

This year’s theme is "Creativity, Innovation, Inclusion & Transformation" recognising that 2009 is the European year of creativity and innovation, and the value these elements have to learning, whilst identifying that real transformation will only occur following universal inclusion e.g. Home Access.

As always the conference will stage an excellent mix of inspirational talks from leading thinkers and practitioners, lively interactive debates, learners and practitioner showcases, special interest breakouts, networking and social sessions, plus an exhibition featuring the principle industry leaders.

Labels: applications, Awards, conference, devices, education, events, learning, networking

After a short hiatus, we’re glad to be supporting Over The Air again this year. It’s a veritable 34-hour mobile fest starting on Friday 25th September at 9am at Imperial College, London. Proceedings close at 7pm on Saturday 26th September.

“Over the Air is a grass-roots mobile developer event that is completely unique in the mobile industry events calendar – it is free to attend, is hands-on in the style of hackdays and barcamps, covers the cutting edge of current mobile development (as opposed to glossy future-speak or sales-pitches), and features bean bags, a big party and an overnight sleep-over. There will also be a competition at the end of the event for the best categories of applications created during the event, with many great prizes.

This year’s programme is currently being put together, but will once again feature technical presentations, tutorials, workshops, and break-out rooms. Expect topics such as Open Source, Java, Symbian (Series-60), Mobile Web, Mobile Ajax, Android, Mobile Linux, iPhone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, etc. If you would like to run a session at Over the Air, please take moment to fill in our session suggestion form ( http://bit.ly/ota2009session ). (I believe there may be a couple of slots left if you’re quick - ed.) The sessions will be 55 minutes in length and while the focus of the event is on mobile development, we are also accepting sessions on user experience and design and we are putting together some sessions on mobile art including (hopefully) a mobile film festival.”

This year’s sponsors are Betavine, Lonely Planet, OMTP, Forum Nokia, Yahoo! Developer Network.

There are still places left so do sign up and join the fun with fellow mobilists from the UK, Spain and beyond.

Labels: events

The Digital Communications Knowledge Transfer Network in association with Mobile Monday London presents 'How to finance your business in a credit crunch'. Doors open at 6pm for a 6.30pm start on Monday 20th April. There will be short presentations and a panel session representing all aspects of the financial value chain from VC through Angel Investor to Entrepreneurs and more. We also have a few surprises up our sleeve to stimulate the debate.

We’re in a credit crunch but that doesn't mean that you can't still be successful in these challenging times. This is your chance to get your finance questions answered. We aim to answer questions relevant to businesses at all stages in their growth, from start-up to grown-up. This is your chance to find out:

Is it impossible to get finance right now? What are the options open to a mobile business? Should I move my business to the US to have better chance of finance? What's the reality when you sell to a corporate? What are the Government sponsored opportunities available? What are investors looking for right now? How do I make sure that my valuation isn't diluted? Are banks really able to help? How long will the credit crunch last? What is value in this day and age? Is there still money to be made in the mobile industry and if so in which sectors? Which corporates and network operators are investing in smaller businesses? Are competitions and grants worth the effort? Is a merger or acquisition more hassle than it's worth?

It should be a lively panel and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions and contribute to the discussion. Some of our experts in the room will also be running surgery sessions during the networking that follows. Here you will be able to get more in-depth advice on a one-to-one basis, discuss your specific next steps and, based on your business needs, find out which programmes and pathways are worth pursuing

Please go to http://alpha.mobilemonday.org.uk to register.

Membership of the Digital Communications KTN is free, and all attendees are encouraged to register as members at www.dcktn.org.uk

The Logistics

Date: Monday 20 April 2009

Time: Doors open at 18:00 for a prompt start at 18:30

Venue:CBI at Centrepoint

Agenda

18:00 Doors open

18:30 Presentations - from DCKTN, Numeritas, Gateway2Investment, Vodafone Mobile Clicks

19:00 Panel session and discussion - Benjamin Ellis, Redcatco; Pamir Gelenbe, Newton More Partners; Rose Lewis, Pembridge Partners LLP; Carl Uminski, IMW; Chris Padfield, London Business Angels and London Seed Capital;

20:00 Surgery sessions open and networking. Surgeries from Pembridge Partners, Vodafone Mobile Clicks, London Seed Capital, Numeritas and DCKTN.

22:00 Doors close

Food and drinks will be served at the event courtesy of the Digital Communications KTN.
We will be confirming our venue, speakers, panellists and surgery sessions shortly.

The Digital Communications Knowledge Transfer Network has been established by an industry-led group of leading players, with funding from the Technology Strategy Board. We seek to bring competitive advantage to the UK by promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing between the users and providers of Digital Communications, and helping to drive innovation in the sector.

Labels: events, finance, mobilemonday, momolondon

Thanks to all who participated in the last Mobile Monday London event, talking about what Mobile Operators are doing to support developers and innovation. Thanks especially to our sponsors, O2 Litmus and Vodafone!

Labels: dotMobi, events, mno, mobile, mobilemonday, momolondon, o2, operator, symbian, Vodafone

 

  

 

 

Mobile Monday London in association with UK Trade & Investment present the Future of Mobile Lunch at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona

– Wednesday 18^th February 2009 at Restaurant Oleum –

We are living in an age of digital convergence. Not only that, but our creative and technology industries are also converging. So what does this mean? What are our mobile customers up to? Who are they and what do they want in their mobile future? What kind of businesses will succeed in this new climate? What services, devices and infrastructure are needed to create this future? And how do we support this future commercially in terms of resources and business models? And is the UK the hotbed of creative and technology talent that we like to think it is?

Exploring these key themes over a relaxed lunch at Restaurant Oleum are some key industry players who, between them, have many decades of business experience across the creative, marketing and mobile industries. Lord Davies of Abersoch, Minister of State for Trade & Investment will open the proceedings and then we’ll follow with a panel session. Our panellists are

• Dr Walter Tuttlebee from the Mobile Virtual Centre of Excellence who has recently been working on comprehensive research on how to support the 2020 Mobile Vision. Walter is the nearest thing we have to a crystal ball for the mobile industry.
• Alistair Hill of comScore M:Metrics who knows who our mobile customers are and what they’re up to across Europe. The emerging trends happening right now should help us plan for the near future at least.
• Jennifer Grenz, VP of Marketing at Shozu will be sharing her insights into customer behaviour, marketing and working within a company that crosses the gap between creative and technology industries.
• Pamir Gelenbe, a partner with Newton More Venture Capital and Private Equity and co-founder of mobile marketing company, Flytxt. Pamir knows where the money is and where it’s going, and maybe even how to get it. He might just be worth listening to.

The event is proudly supported by UKTI, who have been invaluable in their support to both the Mobile Monday London community and to British business in general. They are one of our unsung industry heroes and we’re thrilled to be working with them on this very special lunch event.

There are just 80 places available at this lunch and we wouldn’t want you to miss out so be sure to RSVP promptly. 50 places will be made available to Mobile Monday members globally via local Mobile Monday chapters.

The Details

Location: Restaurant Oleum, C. Mirador Del Palau Nacional (MNAC Palau Nacional, Montjuic) 08004 Barcelona [Google map link]

Time: Doors open at 12:45pm for a prompt 1pm start.

Panel session: 1pm until 2pm, which will be followed by networking

*Lunch and drinks will be served during the event courtesy of UKTI*

RSVP to Helen Keegan, Mobile Monday London, helen@mobilemonday.org.uk by 9am Friday 13th February please.

 

About UK Trade & Investment

UK Trade & Investment is the Government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. Our range of expert services are tailored to maximising the international success of individual businesses. UK Trade & Investment also helps overseas companies bring high quality foreign direct investment, including R&D, to the UK’s open economy – acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business. UK Trade & Investment offers expertise and contacts through a network of international practitioners throughout the UK and in British Embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world.

For further information please visit http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk

Ph: +44 (0)20 7215 8000

About Mobile Monday London

Mobile Monday London is a community of around 3,000 individuals, primarily in London, with a common interest in mobile communications in general and mobile data in particular. We now reach beyond the mobile industry specifically and cross over into media, marketing and web 2.0 where there is also an interest in things mobile. Mobile Monday London is part of a grass roots network of Mobile Monday chapters globally. We've been operating since November 2005 and organise free monthly topically themed events of interest to our mobile community and beyond, detailed at our Web site http://www.mobilemonday.org.uk.

 

Labels: 3gsm, events, mobilemonday, momolondon, mwc, ukti

Yes, it's true. Both Swedish Beers and Mobile Monday London have their birthdays round about now - 7 years and 3 years respectively. And to celebrate, we're joining forces and having a big bash combining the best of both events in one big night out on Monday 10th November.

So the format's going to be a little bit different, but we hope you will still enjoy it immensely. So what's in store then...?

The Mobile Monday bit:

Well we have Tim Green, editor of Mobile Entertainment Magazine who is going to be our host with the most on the evening. And he's going to be interviewing four mobile industry celebrities for our delectation, talking about the year just gone and the year ahead and the odd anecdote or three in a chat show stylee. Our esteemed guests are Dr Mike Short from O2, Russell Buckley from Admob, Bill Thompson, a regular from the BBC's Digital Planet plus a mystery guest. There will be time for questions from the audience too.

We will have the MIReview Show joining us too and in the spirit of the evening, they will be presenting and filming some of their show LIVE on stage. (If you don't know them already, think Top Gear but about mobile technology instead of cars.). And we're still hopeful for a surprise or two.

This will all be happening at the CBI at Centrepoint (Tottenham Court Road tube) - Doors opening at 6pm for a 6.30pm start. Don't be late, otherwise you'll miss the Mobile Monday Chat Show as it will only be on for about an hour to an hour and half.

The Swedish Beers bit

Then once the show's a wrap as they say in TV land, we'll move on straight away to Bar 101 (it's underneath Centrepoint at the back) to join the Swedish Beers crew and enjoy some free beer, random chat and general good cheer courtesy of our very generous sponsors - The Future of Mobile and MX Telecom.



There's no formality at Swedish Beers, just turn up, be friendly, drink beer (or soft drinks), chew the fat, talk about mobile stuff (or not) and generally enjoy the vibe. To claim your free drink, you'll need to find one of the generous sponsors, one of the Swedish Beers crew or one of the Mobile Monday organisers to claim your beer token. Without the token, it's a pay bar. But it's open until late, so we can talk mobile nonsense until the wee hours if you like.

RSVP

If you'd like to come to the Mobile Monday Chat Show, please RSVP here by 'adding record' with your name and company details. No RSVP required for Swedish Beers. You don't have to come to both parts of the evening, but it would be fun if you did. The more the merrier as they say and both venues can hold a lot of us mobile types. So spread the word!

See you Monday 10th November in celebratory mode.

Labels: events, mireview, mixer, mobile networking, mobilemonday, networking, smstextnews, swedishbeers