Open The Dialogue

A Truce Between Google and China?

China has renewed Google’s ICP license. This is the rights that are needed to host a site on it’s own domain. After a struggle, the government and Google were able to come to an agreement. it’s still  unclear whether Google will be responsible for full hosting or if they will be redirecting some of the hosting duties to the Hong Kong servers.

Conde Nast Traveller Joins the iPhone App Movement

Conde Nast seems to be adapting to the use of digital media with several of their publications. Wired has been released on the iPad and different fashion-related iPhone applications have been put out by Vogue. Most recently Conde Nast Traveller has released an application that provides “City Guides” for four cities: Barcelona, New York, Paris and Rome. Each city is a separate application and they cost $9.99 each.

Ford Works with RIM to Curb Texting-While-Driving Violations

Ford Motor Company is preparing updates to its SYNC Technology that will include audible text messaging. RIM will be implementing their MAP (Message Access Profile) on new BlackBerry devices. This means the first users of this technology will be BlackBerry users.

LeBron James Gains over 100K Followers in 7 Hours

The basketball superstar has been in the news often these past few weeks as speculation as to his next move flew. He ultimately decided to go to the Miami Heat but during the flurry of coverage, the NBA star joined Twitter as @KingJames and gained over 150,000 followers in less than 8 hours.

Recently I had the chance to interview John Paris, Director, Mobile Products of Time Inc. Interactive.  John’s had an interesting path in to mobile.  He started as a CNN radio anchor before becoming fascinated by mobile’s potential in 1999.  John has led the development and design of all the original CNN mobile services and is top mobile content producer.  He thinks that the iPod has changed the mobile world forever and shared with me his four keys to a successful mobile app.

1. Personalize Your Content-   Mobile devices are very personal.  It’s a small screen and the sessions are short. So personalize the app and focus on what the person wants.
2. Localization-  Mobile apps are use away from the office and away from the home.  People are more likely to need the info at these times, so make sure to leverage location-based services.
3. Community- Community can be the most dominate tool in networking today.  Allowing people to plan activities near where they are out and about can be a huge asset for your application.
4. Interactivity- Handheld communication devices like mobile phones are more inclined to interact with brands and people.   Allowing your application to comment, share or vote can provide a valuable consumer experience for your brand.

Thanks, John!

What are some of the best features in your favorite apps?