In the past I have been an advocate of having a WAP site built with clear navigation and easy path to mobile based conversion.  Simplifying the user journey is such a way made mobile Internet consumption a much more pleasant experience and from a business perspective would encourage conversion also.  But since getting my iPhone and realising how usable the Internet can be made on a mobile device I am starting to think we may have seen the end of WAP sites.

Apart from some initial SEO misgivings (Mobile SEO – Stuck in the Past!) I can’t see many reasons why a business would now choose to invest in a WAP site when the future is quite clearly full browser capabilities through mobile handsets.  There is still half an argument for building a specific WAP site based around commonly used mobile functions (such as a simplified interface for balance checking on a bank site for example) but I’m sure there is a simpler way of achieving this than building and maintaining a seperate WAP site.

And its not just WAP sites we are talking here, any technology built specifically for WAP ca[abilities is at risk, including the advertising channels.  There is little or no need for a seperate channel for mobile advertising when users are consuming standard Internet through their handsets.  The wise thing for publishers and networks is to follow Google’s lead and allow advertisers to opt in and out fo mobile traffic, but continue to use the same ads and format.

It may be too soon to say for sure if this is the way things are going to go, but I know id be sweating if I owned a mobile advertising business.  I’d be looking for a way to earn my crust in the new, and much improved, future of mobile Internet.

Google have announced that their Google maps tool will now be available on mobile handsets along with location pinpointing effectively making it a GPRS tool. The mobile version of maps will be able to pinpoint your location along with providing real time traffic reports, directions to a specified location, integrated search results (this is where the money is made!), and satellite imagery of a location. Depending on its usability this could be a big step forward for maps as it actually brings a bit more use and functionality to the product. It could be especially useful in central London when trying to navigate the capital on foot. It could also be the start of Google’s entry into the Sat Nav market with a little more advancement in the technology and the appropriate handset. Full details

Yahoo also announced today that the Panama platform (the latest incarnation of the advertising center) is to become integrated with mobile devices from January onwards, according to an article in NMA. This is another development in Yahoo’s aim to become a major player in the mobile advertising market and should allow them to pitch the integrated platform approach to advertisers. From an advertiser perspective if the platform truly does allow you to create and manage mobile campaigns it will significantly increase availability of this channel and enable more companies to begin trials.  I am predicting mobile to become more widespread in 2009 with more and more of the big brands embracing it as part of their digital strategy.  This means that publishers and agencies need to be preparing themselves so that they are in a position to make the most of it when it takes off.  This is exactly what Yahoo are doing with this launch.

I was shown some interesting stats on the highest search volume terms on the web and on mobile, the main difference being the number of adult keywords showing in the list for mobile search.  Porn, sex and free porn all featured in the mobile list but not in the web list.  Also in the mobile list were ebay, msn, messenger, yahoo, facebook, myspace leading me to believe people were actually using the search function to save them typing the web address into the address bar and also making me question whether there is a market for any form of product searches in mobile at all.  The only ones which appeared in the list were those relating directly to mobile phones, ringtones, wallpapers, pictures.

According to articles I posted over 3 months ago 2007 was the year for adoption and 2008 the year for growth.  Its doesn’t appear to be working that way right now with the only real adopters being the adult sector and the mobile sector.  One person I spoke to about it referred to the current situation being like the early days of the internet, slow loading pages, little measurability and low reach.  With the rapid advances in mobile technology surely at least two of these problems will be resolved in the next 6 months but that still leaves advertisers the task of finding a suitable way of utilising mobile internet for their means.  At present they are pretty limited and with many sites not having a WAP portal and more often than not purchases will be impossible.  Will mobile marketing ever truly materialise? Ill reserve judgement on that for the time being as things move fast in this industry and the next big break through could be just around the corner, but for now, I remain skeptical.

According to a study by cellular news a large number of Britains are using their mobiles in the office toilets to access the internet in a bid to bypass company rules on internet usage. The study goes on to say that more than 25% of the UK’s workforce is deprived of web access in some way and are turning to mobile handsets to get past the legislation.

Maybe this could be the catalyst for the mobile internet revolution!!!