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The Web icon’s CEO on the mobile computing revolution, the future of newspapers, and privacy in the digital age.
For the last 30 or so hours self-described Apple fanboy MG Siegler has put his iPhone 4 aside ( Jason Kincaid and Greg Kumparak held him down while two interns broke his Kung Fu grip ) to give Motorola’s Droid 2 a proper test drive. The verdict? A definite step above the HTC EVO 4G . If you read MG’s review of the EVO back in May, you know he gave HTC’s bundle of joy a merciless, swift kick to the head. Thus, saying Siegler prefers the Droid 2 to the EVO, probably doesn’t say very much. To get a more nuanced review, we enlisted MobileCrunch editor, Greg Kumparak to go one-on-one with MG. Click above for their full review of the Droid 2 and a discussion on Google Voice Actions , the Android ecosystem and yes, those rampant Verizon rumors. CrunchBase Information MG Siegler Greg Kumparak iPhone Google Apple Information provided by CrunchBase
Any frequent reader of ReadWriteWeb should know that mobility is one of the most significant trends we’ve been tracking. One thing we haven’t discussed much in the realm of mobile, however, is how startups and entrepreneurs can take advantage and prepare themselves for a venture into mobile. Today I spoke with Steve Eisenberg , a business development consultant for MRN Digital Media, and he was kind enough to share some insights that startups may find valuable before diving into the mobile market head-first. Sponsor Planning Makes Perfect The theme that came up over and over again during my discussion with Eisenberg was that of preparation and planning. This trend in our chat makes sense coming from a business development consultant, but it is a valuable cornerstone for creating a successful business. “For startups, some have to do a better job of putting together a management team. Part of growing down the road for funding is about having a track record and experience,” says Eisenberg. He adds that some small companies are often caught off guard by rapid growth and aren’t prepared to staff up or acquire technical resources to scale. Preparing for unexpected growth, he says, requires both foresight and contingency plans. The first step toward achieving this is to setup a solid advisory board – one that will provide valuable advice and set quarterly growth milestones to track progress, adds Eisenberg. Another step in planning for rapid growth and usage is to ensure your apps are battle tested. Eisenberg suggests using a service like Mob4Hire , which will launch its army of mobile users at your app to test it for bugs and endurance while also providing analysis of the usage. The Times They Are a-Changin’ Startups entering the mobile space not only have to plan for rapid growth, but also for the equally fast changing nature of the industry itself. As I mentioned in an article earlier this summer, some – Eisenberg included – believe applications on mobile devices are moving away from native platforms toward web-based development. “The point is ubiquity across as many platforms as possible,” says Eisenberg. “The ability to publish once and distribute across multiple platforms makes it easier for whoever wants the app developed. I think that’s something that people should consider.” Serve the Underserved The other considerations are the common misconceptions about the state of mobile market. While Apple certainly has the largest marketing budget, Eisenberg reminds us that Android , RIM and others are still significant slices of the sector. Additionally, while smartphones have been growing in popularity, the amount of mobile users with standard phones with far lower functionality is still massively more common – especially within specific demographic sectors. “There can still be creative things done with SMS or pictures,” Eisenberg points out. “You could send some a picture of a barcode and it could be scanned at the register. Some can support QR codes as well. I think we will start seeing more instant coupons that are more valuable to a consumer than a basic advertisement.” Startups sometimes forget that even small companies (sometimes especially small companies) need to plan carefully for their growth. Whatever your target, and whatever your business, planning is never a bad idea. For more resources surrounding mobile business development, be sure check out Eisenberg’s work-in-progress site that will soon be the home to a community of business professionals in the mobile sector. Discuss
During a recent family vacation in Boston and New York City, my mother was perplexed by my obsession with photographing every plate of food I had during the trip. I did this not just to remember the delicious meals I enjoyed (clam chowder was the best of all), but also to participate in the location-based food-porn fun that is Foodspotting . The service, which collects photos of food its users take while eating out, has announced today its very first brand partnership with Zagat Survey to share photos and restaurant guides across both sites. Sponsor Zagat is no stranger to location-based marketing. In February of this year, the popular restaurant rating site teamed up with Foursquare to provide special “Foodie” badges as well as on-the-fly reviews to users of the mobile location-based service. Earlier this week, we noted that Zagat has the largest brand presence on Foursquare with over 51,000 friends. With this new partnership, Zagat’s restaurant guides will be enhanced by syndicating images taken by Foodspotting’s community, and the latter will benefit from specially curated Zagat guides. The guides, like the others on the service, provide a list of dishes to try in a certain area or under a certain genre. Foodspotting users can unlock a unique Zagat badge by spotting all of the various items in the sponsored guides. “In our most recent New York City survey, 85% of respondents said that they look at a restaurant’s menu before going,” says Nina Zagat, co-founder of Zagat Survey. “By providing users with Foodspotting photos on their mobile devices, we’ll be giving them a chance to actually see the food as well. ” Significant partnerships like these are further evidence of the growing popularity of location-based marketing. Zagat is a clear leader in this space now with a large Foursquare following and a new partnership that lets them leverage Foodspotting’s growing collection of images. No terms were released, but it seems that this partnership should go a long way for both brands. Discuss
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