Dear  
 
Well we definitely jammed at CTIA!  The Jam sessions have been so well received for their ability to have all members of the mobile community come together to share information and even a few laughs. What had been missing was a way to capture the dynamism of the day, and the great information and ideas that were discussed. 

 

Hmmm what to do.  We decided to hire Visual Link to create a mural of the day - and it turned out to be way cooler than we expected!  Bigger and a lots of detail.    See below for a recap and links to photos and the mural.  The images in this message come directly from the mural, including the picture of me (not a bad likeness!).    
 
So how accurate is the mural to what was discussed and what is happening in the industry?  Let me know, or add your comments here.  We'd like to ensure the information and thoughts continue to evolve and we plan to try this again at another Jam session, and revisit this first mural next year for comparisons.

 

 
 
Other thoughts last month were definitely on the financial crisis and ponderings as to just how recession proof our industry is.  Granted it's an industry on a high growth curve, and our mobile phones have become a necessity rather than a luxury for most.  However, we'd be fools to think the crisis won't affect the wireless and mobile space.  Investors were already toning down their involvement because they haven't been confident in the business and revenue models for applications.  Even a few percentage points in the cost of money, will cut into everyone's margins.  
 
So for our developers and innovators out there - please focus on the fundamentals:
- spend time getting to know your customer, this isn't a time to make wild assumptions
- really study the competition, know how you are different and be able to articulate it, just saying you are different doesn't count
- make a plan and set some goals beyond a project plan for developing your application, and yes, things will change along the way, so an 'agile' approach to business planning is important too
- take time to connect with the ecosystem, the operators, the devices and other developers who can point you in the right direction
- look for easier ways to do things, there are a myriad of tools and resources out there
 
NEXT STOPS: 
Calgary and Edmonton this week:  I'm the dinner speaker to two groups of investors, who are wanting an overview on the mobile industry.  Of course I'm going to tell them it's hot!  Thanks to Terry Hughes from Redwood for setting me up for this one.

Smartphone Show, Oct 21/22 in London:   We are doing a Mini-Jam as part of the Devfest, and I'm moderating a session on runtimes.  I'll be in London that week and still have some time open for meetings.

Mobile2.0 event, November 3 in San Francisco:  Once again, WIP is teaming up with Mobile Mondays Silicon Valley, Barcelona and Helsinki for this  one-day event focusing on new Mobile Applications and Services, the Mobile Web and  Disruptive Mobile Innovation.  I've been asked to keynote a new feature this year: a "builder track" in the afternoon, that will focus on hands-on mobile development, user experience and design.
 
 
And Welcome to Sam Chan, a student we hired this month to support our WIPwiki.  If he contacts you to update your profile - do it!  

 

Best, Caroline  

 

Caroline Lewko, CEO and Founder
Wireless Industry Partnership (WIP)
The 'Connector' for the mobile and wireless industry