Will newspapers go mobile?

Websites are trying to reinvent themselves by going mobile. Corporations are trying to reinvent themselves by going mobile. Advertisers are trying to reinvent themselves by going mobile. Banks are trying to reinvent themselves by going mobile. What’s next on the list? Newspapers, they say.

When you look at the current scenario, it looks like an obvious transition for newspapers. The circulation is declining by the day as people are more and more getting used to the content available on the internet and the mobile phone. In this case, newspapers hardly have a choice.

Fortunately, the bigwigs of the newspaper world have realized the need for this transition. Already, we have seen Associated Content launch its mobile portal and I have no doubt it will be followed by other news networks. The writing is on the wall. With 3.3 billion active users, mobile market is the biggest market there is. Realizing this, U.S. mobile carriers have invested an astonishing $40 billion to retool themselves according to the new mobile age.

Currently, more than 30% of mobile users surf the internet on their mobile phone. The number is rapidly rising as new mobile users these days mostly go for web enabled mobile phones. With this being the case, newspapers have to find a way to get into the mobile phone at any cost.

The newspaper, fortunately, is almost tailor made for a medium like mobile phone. The specialty of newspapers lies in their ability to provide local content, which is exactly what mobile users want. The more local your data is, the better it will be for the users, since most of them use their mobile phone to find out local information like weather, local events, and so on. So, the transition will be seamless, so to speak. When newspapers go mobile, it will also mean a huge opportunity for mobile advertisers to be able to display highly targeted ads along with the local news content.

What needs to be done – this everyone seems to know. When will it get done? That’s the question. Don’t you agree?

Categories: All things mobile phones, Mobile Web.

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CNET Networks decides to go mobile

CNET Networks in the U.K. has decided to make its move into the mobile world and it has started quite well by mobilizing two of its famous sites – cnet.co.uk and gamespot.co.uk. From now on, you can access both these sites any time you want, if you have an internet enabled mobile phone.

You will be able to access tons of content from both these sites, including but not limited to news and gadget reviews. CNET Network currently has around 10 million users and it hopes to reach out to them even more effectively through these mobile sites. CNET has joined hands with Nokia’s mobile portal and operator 3 to widen its prospects in the mobile world. The mobile sites of CNET will be managed by MoMac.

This announcement from CNET could not have come at a better time, as mobile industry right now is growing at a fast pace. CNET Network said that the time is ripe for experimenting with mobile content and since U.K. is considered one of the biggest markets for mobile internet, it just makes it even better. The main reason behind this move, according to CNET, is to provide value-added service to its current users and to attract more tech-savvy users who look for information on the move, right on their mobile phone.

CNET has also announced that it will come up with the mobile version of three of its sites – silicon.com, zdnet.com, and SmartPlanet.

I think this is a great move from CNET. Coming at a time when the habit of surfing the web on mobile phones is on the rise, this move might enable CNET to grab a large market share when the market grows further.

Categories: All things mobile phones.

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Free mobile web games from AOL

Seems like ad funded mobile games are the fad of the season. AOL has planned to offer free, ad funded mobile games for its customers. A US firm named Cellufun will offer its games through AOL’s mobile portal. These are not the usual Java games that you usually get, but mobile web games.

You can enjoy some popular games like Space Wars, Ice Fishing, and most importantly Call of the Pharaoh, which won the award for the best mobile game in Mobile World Congress last month. Adverts will be placed within the games and this will be done by Third Screen Media, the mobile advertising subsidiary of AOL. Cellufun has already got five million unique players a month accessing its games, which is a significant feat.

The main news, however, is not that. There is a game called The Mobile Ring, which is basically a boxing game with a twist. The twist is, it’s politically themed. So, you can actually fulfill your fantasy of beating the hell out of Hillary Clinton or Obama. Actually, a lot of people have that fantasy I guess. Apparently the game has been played a whopping two million times in just four months.

So, what are you waiting for? Go here and kick some ass.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Games, Mobile Web.

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