Hiding The Mobile Internet at MobHappy: "Second, operators should focus on adding value to users’ internet experiences by recognizing that mobile browsing is different than browsing from a computer and add to (not replace) the open access with more customized services and sites for users that want them. It should be an additive strategy that takes full browsing capability as a starting point, then builds on top of it, not a plan that throws the Internet that people know and love out the window, then opens up tiny holes to let only particular content through."

Sounds very sensible to me. Context of use is different for mobile, but there's a wealth of stuff out there already which folks are used to consuming through their mobiles. It seems reasonable to supplement this (typically free-to-access) information with billed, mobile-specific services.

Mmm. Much-needed coffee, sunshine, a 2.5 hour drive to Cambridge and back, and then a summery weekend :)

FP client I-Cue wins Red Herring award: "I-Cue, the London-Based publisher of books-on-mobile, has been awarded The Red Herring 100 Europe award, which acknowledges the year's top 100 new companies for innovation and technology"

More here.

Rant against 3D: "3-D isn’t an interface paradigm. 3-D isn’t a world model. 3-D isn’t the missing ingredient. 3-D isn’t an inherently better representation for every purpose. 3-D is an attribute, like the color blue. Any time you read or hear about how great 3-D is and how it’s going to change everything about computers and services, substitute the word blue for 3-D"

Hear, hear. My favourite recent example of this was a guy at a recent mobile games event I attended, talking about mobile games his company had been producing. He proffered the handy statistic that 3D games sold the same amount as 2D games, but cost about twice as much to produce.

So... err.... why bother doing them then?

Along with 3D I'd also put the word "interactive" into the box of magical pixie dust words that get sprinkled onto crap in an attempt to make it interesting and appealing. Interactivity in and of itself isn't a priori a good thing. I think the video and film production industry might be learning this lesson, when balancing production costs for truly interactive narratives against the payback for doing them well.

Who is Randi Mooney?