Carnival of the Mobilists 121
The 121st Carnival of the Mobilists is now up at 3-Lib. Solid entries this week from the mobile/mobile web sphere.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreMonday, April 28, 2008
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Ah-lo ;)
So far this is turning into one of those mental-working weeks. I've got a lot on the mind, but finally feel refreshed enough to deal with a few things. Looking forward to a few things though as the week continues...
Going to check out a poetry spot in Charlotte tonite. There are two that go on on Tuesday nights, but this one already feels like it has a Love Jones vibe to it. I'll be enjoying this one for sure.
Then there is an event called Fusion Fridays going on at World Worship Center on this Friday night. I need to make a panel for events like these on the side of the page. This one would be really solid. Even got a call today asking me to have two poems ready instead of one. The last time around I did a piece called Shades. Totally off the top of my head and the Spirit of God. But it was very well received and so I've been asked to come back and bless folks again. Looking forward to that.
Ironically enough, the last time I went someplace and I was a featured poet, I met the woman who is now my ex. Hopefully, I can be a bit less ancy this time around.
There was a new Nokia Internet Tablet announced today. Called the N810 Internet Tablet WiMax Edition (mouthful), it not only does WiFi, but also a new technology called WiMax. Folks in Baltimore, DC, and Chicago will get a taste of this via Sprint in a few months. WiMax is like WiFi, except its range is 2-3 miles, instead of a few hundred feet. This device could be a boon for college students as well as ministers who stay on the go and a laptop is too heavy to continue to tote along.
The Carnival of the Mobilits is up at mobilestance.com. I'm not featured in this one, but there's a ton to read. Something that tends to happen from reading the Carnival is that I get some websites to read that I normally wouldn't. This keeps reading and learning fresh for me. And considering that I'm already one of those off the beaten path, this is good.
Lastly, heard thru Jaiku today about a situation that was happening at Ville. Kinda neat to hear about things via Jaiku. Social networks are good for that kind of thing (hence my voicemail message, hehehe). But seriously, applications and services that provide some type of presence notification, in addition to a solid community of folks online and offline can be a really communication bridge in a time of emergencies. I was able to call a few folks to just check in and make sure that they were doing alright. And in the end, all was fine.
After chatting with my friend Amanda last night, I'm encouraged to get back into writing up my study of "Father, forgive them..." that I have still sitting in draft mode. Should be good once I get it done, and definitely short and to the point too.
Something of a day, and its not over yet. Keep me in prayer as I am sure more is to come.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, events, MMM, mobility
Read MoreFriday, March 28, 2008
Carnival Of The Mobilists #116
The Carnival Of The Mobilists #116 is up at Situational Marketing. The edition features several articles including the one posted here last week (The MEX Manifesto Thu Christian Lenses). I'm personally very happy that MMM has made it into the Carnival again, and hopefully there's more that we can add in terms of perspective to mobile device and community engagement.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, MMM
Read MoreWednesday, March 19, 2008
Carnival of the Mobilists #115
This week's Carnival of the Mobilists is back with a new host and a ton of content. I'm setting this post 2 days in advance and still won't get thru it before this hits my site live. Yes, the Carnival is that thick this week. Read this week's entries at andrewgrill.com.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreWednesday, March 12, 2008
Carnival of the Mobilists #114
I always enjoy the Carnival of the Mobilists. Besides leading me around the net towards some new sites, I get to engage with several leaders in mobile and mobile web. Personally, I've learned a lot just from reading these posts, and I'd suspect that if you take a read into the Carnival of the Mobilists #114 that you would as well.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreWednesday, February 27, 2008
CotM #112
The 112th Carnival of the Mobilisits is up at Taptology. Check it out. And if you are interested in a solid option for doing web searches over your mobile device, they provide a solid and very neat service as well.
I urge you to at least take a look at the beginning of their post as it highlights some unethical practices going on. As I spoke before, security is very important and something that we should all take into consideration more and more as mobility and personal tech become more the lifestyle than the option.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, mobility
Read MoreWednesday, February 06, 2008
Carnival of the Mobilists 109
The 109th Carnival of the Mobilists is now up at Wap Review with a ton of articles this day before Super Tuesday. Weird how the entire world seems to be looking at Super Tuesday with a lot of interest. I wonder how much mobile browsers will come into play in terms of how many will be keeping track of things. Well, if the browsers aren't up to par, will it even matter?
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreThursday, January 31, 2008
Suppose They Fixed the Web Browser, Then What?
Since the iPhone made its introduction, a high complaint leveled at mobile devices has been in the quality of the web browser. Opera Mini and others have tried to address this, but when it comes down to it, users of the mobile internet have to ask a very important question, when the browser is fixed, then what? In my latest editorial at Brighthand I open the can that answering this question brings, and its not at all a simple answer. Here is a snippet of that editorial:
...One thing mobile browsing will have to address more than desktop browsing ever has is the importance of what and how things are displayed. No one wants to have to scroll through three Flash banners before even seeing the page title. Mobile browsers will have to address the "what" to display question after they have gotten past the point of just being able to display it.On a mobile browser we download pages and read them, but we also do things with the content. Either we read about an event and want to know more, or search for a restaurant and want to call and make a reservation. Mobile browsers will have to address our ability to associate content with other content. If you will, it will have to be able to read meaning into what we are looking at, and provide a means for us to relate it to our world around us...
Read the entire editorial at Brighthand.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, mobile, mobility
Read MoreFriday, January 18, 2008
Carnival of the Mobilists 106
The 106th version of the Carnival of the Mobilists is now up at Xellular Identity. Outside of the usual gamut of solid mobile views from around the mobile industry, there's also a splash of pink to liven the reading. Enjoy.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreMonday, November 12, 2007
Carnival of the Mobilists #99
The 99th Carnival of the Mobilists is now up at Ubiquitous Thoughts.
Of particular interest is the section talking about mobiles and education. Having explored this topic myself in times past (yes, that article is really old), I find it really neat that devices and educators are readying the change in paradigm of learning tools and the ability to acquire and parse knowledge.
Of particular interest is the section talking about mobiles and education. Having explored this topic myself in times past (yes, that article is really old), I find it really neat that devices and educators are readying the change in paradigm of learning tools and the ability to acquire and parse knowledge.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreTuesday, October 30, 2007
Why Am I A Carnie
I was talking with my bro today about being in the Carnival of the Mobilists again and had encouraged him to check and see if there are any carnivals in or near the subject he blogs on. Besides making for some fun writing and reading material. Carnivals help to get one's blog a bit more exposure.
In light of that, I had to sit back and ask myself what my reasons were for being in the Carnival of the Mobilists. Sure, I love the exposure, and it certainely is humbling to be considered worthy reading material amongst several more popular and influential bloggers and mobile workers. But I dig. I just had to dig as to why.
Part of it is the enjoyment of the show. I enjoy the idea of putting together a writing piece that is solid enough for someone else to read. Even moreso when that someone else is an industry observer, or someone who might just be starting out on understanding what mobile is. So, in effect, I like that attention.
But I also like the attention that has to be paid towards not writing the same thing. Not writing on the major news, but looking at it from a different perspective. Sure, MMM gives me an avenue at times to write and dream of what can be, but I am wary of taking them too far all at once. Here, on my personal site, I can push the envelope a lot. And even in being right or wrong, its a chance to put on display a bit of what I've learned.
Many of the regular carnies, C. Enrique Ortiz for example, has such a sold background and experience that I cannot help but to want to see what happens when my views are rubbed against his or another's. The chance in just seeing something different is just out there for the taking. If you will, I am as much a show performer as much as I am an audience member.
I'm considering throwing my hat into being a host one of these weeks. I am not even sure that I can do the Carnival of the Mobilists justice if I did. If anything, I'd at least have to make a specific site skin and let that play for a few weeks while people check in and out. But beyond that, I want to do it for more than just the exposure. I'd like to challenge convention just a bit. And in doing so set the world towards a show unbelievable.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, commentary, mobility
Read MoreSunday, October 28, 2007
97th Carnival of the Mobilists
The Carnival of the Mobilists is a weekly roundup of thoughts and opinions from around the mobile tech/web world. This week marks the 97th Carnival and I've been included into this week's roundup. I'd tell you which post of mine was included, but its better to read the entire Carnival and then go from there.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreTuesday, October 23, 2007
A Relevant Web/Mobile 2.0
I have a problem. I am at the front of the edge of tech according to the slew of people that I interact with. And for that reason, I always have the hardest time in convincing them to try something new. More or less, they want to wait until "all the bugs are worked out" or until "it does something they are used to." And as much as I want to get mad at them for this point of view, it reveals something that is for all intents and purposes the case with just about anything - if its not relevant enough, then its not getting used.For example, in 2000 when I purchased my first PDA, there were people who were very much amazed at what could be done with it. From calendaring, to starting my college papers, to a few Bibles and references, I pretty much had my gamut of use covered. And when people saw these things in action they were as well. But like a little child watching something shiny, it is only relevant until something else comes along to take that attention. For many people, PDAs just were not something relevant.
Then 2-3 years later, these people started to look into getting a PDA. Either because something wasn't working for them, or they were finally ready to take a chance. For some chunk of reasons, PDAs became something relevant enough to consider. And I cannot be mad at people for being late to the party, but it was revealing.
When I look at how I am using web/mobile 2.0 technology and trends, I am again using and pushing my use further than some other people are around me. I'd love to be using a presence-enabled address book instead of that same static, hard to navigate mess that the address book is now. I'd like to be able to use Google Docs or Buzzword for my word processing, and have that sync nicely to my Treo and desktop for editing on those when the bigger screen or mobility is needed. There are many things that I'd like to do. But if I venture out there and do them, I am met with the same people all the time. A small group of folks who constantly push for doing more, but its the same group. We've caught onto how it is relevant for us (or too much so), but others are so far behind in that aspect that its a lonely place to be.
I really do sit and ask myself if whether it is worth it to continue to push how I want to use things like blogging, mobile, and web. Or, if I should wait until these things are relevant to those people that I'd most want to enjoy them with? Should I push with using the N95 as my only computer, even it if means that I will have a compromised yet more accessible means of making fun out of the web? Or should I sit on using a RAZR because that is where others are comfy? And where VZW service runs best? (sarcasm, I am on AT&T)
I do understand the pull of doing something new as some methods of doing work and socializing come about and am willing to try what might help me do it better regardless of the opinion of others. Its a relevant point in my life to make sure that for whatever tech does, that I am not managed by it but that I manage it. But I also understand that others won't understand that unless they can see the relavancy in their lives as well. And that is where I see a lot of the web/mobile 2.0 movement failing. There are a ton of services and applications out there. But very little that has made Joe and Suzie Consumer run out and try it.
Which, if you think about it, is a shame. Because this post would be better served as a bridge towards helping to get people off the fence, than one that speaks to the choir who've already jumped.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, commentary, mobility
Read MoreThursday, October 18, 2007
Carnival of the Mobilists #95
I didn't even realize that it was a CotM this week. That's what I get for being too bogged down. Personally, I'll have to wait till the weekend to read the suite of articles in this week's run, but that shouldn't stop you any. Check out the action at The Smartphones Show.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreFriday, September 21, 2007
When Web 2.0 Goes Mobile, Things Can Change
In my latest editorial at Brighthand, I speak on Web 2.0 and how it can make its way onto mobile devices as something that creates new opportunities for mobile use, rather than just something that simply funnels the "big screen web" into the smaller screen.Here is a snippet:
Whatever the definition you want to take, its clear that information is being brokered across several devices, via a web browser, in order to connect and make people productive in ways that are more seamless than paper and file cabinets could ever have been.Read the entire posting at Brighthand.
And yet, what has been missing in all of this rush to be social, collaborate, and work from the network is how to scale applications and services so that mobile devices -- smartphones, PDAs, and smaller Tablet PCs -- can best take advantage of them with their limited hardware but personal connections.
Article also featured in the 92nd Carnival of the Mobilsits.
UPDATE: This article was inspired by a posting at IntoMobile.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, commentary, mobile
Read MoreMonday, August 13, 2007
Carnival of the Mobilists #86
Wow, I didn't expect to make it into this week's Carnival of the Mobilists. I emailed my entry late and fully expected that it would be posted next week. Thanks MobHappy for including me in with the rest of established regulars this week.The article that gets extra attention this week is the one that I recently wrote called Social Networks as Mobile Device Enablers
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreSaturday, August 11, 2007
Social Networks as a Mobile Device Enabler
If you think about it, this makes more sense than much else the websphere has been pushing towards us in terms of what is new and needed in terms of the technology, tools, and services that we cannot seem to live without. While it seems like a new social network website/service pops up every day (probably a few dozen really), most of these go unnoticed except in the small cases where they solve an issue that an existing social network is experiencing (such as people moving to Jaiku because Twitter is too "loud").What is really missed in all of this, in my opinion, is the fact that as social beings we need to be social -- meaning that we thrive when we interact with one another -- many of these services while pushed as a way to interact just foster virtual interaction. It is a means of interacting that happens on the very loose level peripheral of what we read and can interpret, rather than what we live and experience together.
Now don't get me wrong, I think that social networks are a great thing. And without some of them, the web would have never become a lively place again after the bubble burst. I do think that if social networks were placed right, as a precursor to the actual meeting and living together of shared experiences, that we would get more out of them, and probably see less of the burn out that has happened to many of those involved within major social networks.
This has happened with some social networks. Dating sites, Craigslist, and many others are the kids of social networks that go past the virtual handshake into a meeting and experiencing some aspect of life together. I feel as though this could be done even moreso across the web if mobile devices were used as part of the handshake that makes meeting one another fun.
The Mobile Component
Mobile devices are pretty much with you all the time, especially phones. Phones, for example, are quick to come out when people meet each other. Either there is the exchanging of phone numbers, or the taking of a picture that is sent out, or the sending/receiving of a SMS. Already living within our social interactions, mobile devices facilitate our innate ability to interact with one another, and extend that beyond the temporal to an attachment that we can reconnect at [nearly] anytime.
It's in this light that I think that social networks could actually improve into being worthwhile services. When a social network can get past the place of just engaging the connected tool to facilitating a live interaction, then we have a software service that would take the handshake metaphor appropriately into the 21st century. Mobile devices are already here as the handshake, and so the question is, what are social networks doing to get you off the computer, and get you in front of one another?
Contact-Based Services
There are two types of services that social networks essentially attempt to connect users with. The most common of which is contact-based service. A simple example of the contact-based service is the address book found on nearly any mobile device. Interaction is based on a direct line to the contact. From that direct line, voice, text, multimedia, and meeting-events occur.
For the most part, we use contact-based services without even thinking about it. We call people in our address book, beam business cards back and forth, SMS and MMS to capture and share moments, and so on. However, contact-based services in and of themselves are very two dimensional. They happen just point to point with little space to share meta-data for more dynamic groupings and contacts.
Location-Based Services
Location-based services are somewhat new, but mostly familiar. If you have ever used an apartment guide, then you are familiar with a location-based service. This is essentially a service that is offered in a given area and can be "attached to" by connectivity tools such as GPS, Wi-Fi hotspots, and software such as dynamic maps and travel guides.
A common use of location based services is the use of downloadable maps to see areas of interest when touring an unfamiliar place. Besides getting just the information of where and what the item is, oftentimes, other services, such as comparisons of levels of service, can be downloaded. Much like contact-based services, action happens point to point. However, there are more points, and the additional layer of technology (GPS, Wi-Fi, etc.) gives a third dimension to engaging with people and places.
Presence Services
Here is where I see mobile devices and social networks being able to take all of the above described elements and create something that is compelling enough to make us get out there and engage with one another. Presence services tie in the point-to-point interaction found in contact-based services with the dynamic information of location-based services, and adds the next level of presence, or in laymen’s terms, "what is near me right now that I would be most interested in and who can join me?" This is the "holy grail" of sorts in terms of social networking, and something that can only happen when mobile devices and social networks work together seamlessly and with as little distraction to the user as possible.
An example of a successful presence service would be Loopt. Featured on Boost Mobile and Sprint handsets, Loopt is a technology that takes the idea of an instant messenger buddy list, and adds the dimensions of location proximity and multimedia sharing to allow users to create a virtual community that overlays their real world. One feature Loopt offers is the ability to send a text message to all your contacts in a predetermined area. So for example, I can go to a book fair, and upon getting there send a text message to everyone in my contact list within three miles saying that I'd like to get together for jazz and tea later. They get the message, as well as a map view showing my approximate location, and then can contact me back with suggestions for a place to go that is nearby to all.
The part that I would add here that would make this a complete mobile social network is the aspect of the eatery also having a contact presence and one can SMS the eatery that 'x' number of people are coming and would like to reserve a table. Upon sending the text, all who are going would receive a menu so they can take a glance before hand. Each would also receive directions from where they are at that time to the eatery as a MMS message.
Right now, presence services are very close to being a reality for most any connected mobile device user. However, I still see the social network space as something that has yet to fully embrace mobile devices. Part of that is because the mobile device world is an incredibly fragmented piece of work. From carriers to operating systems to devices, there are just too many points to connect to make this happen. The other part of that is so many of these social networks are based on the kind of Web 2.0 technologies that require more hardware and software than most will want to pay for, before additional service fees.
I do think that all the pieces are there. And that it would be something that is mutually beneficial for carriers and customers. The key is for everyone to see that we all just want to meet one another and keep in contact in those moments in between. After that, let our social nature just take its course.
Update: this piece has been included in the 86th Carnival of the Mobilists
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, commentary, mobile
Read MoreTuesday, July 03, 2007
Carnival of the Mobilists #80
The Carnival of the Mobilists #80 is up with some new content and views from around the mobile-themed blogsphere. Take a read and see what all is here or coming down the pipe.
Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists
Read MoreTuesday, June 19, 2007
Carnival of the Mobilists #78
I know that I talk about the Carnival of the Mobilists on and off a bit, but this week I get to chat a bit because I am featured in this week's version, talking about the iPhone article. Check out the rest of the Carnival at Symbian Guru.Labels: Carnival of the Mobilists, mobile
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MMM/Inner-Linked
Visit Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM) to learn and explore about the intersection of faith and mobile technology.
Visit Inner-Linked to learn how I can help you or your church/organization better utilize mobile technology and web resources.
Antoine
RJ
Wright
http://antoinerjwright.com
a.r.j.wright@gmail.com
Charlotte,
NC,
28212
USA
a.r.j.wright@gmail.com
Mobile: +1-717-201-4917
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