The mobile glass is half full

The people who develop mobile applications and websites used to only think about the limitations of the mobile device. Small screen. No proper keyboard. No mouse.

Today, mobile developers and marketers have woken up to the idea that the mobile handset is not a disabled device, it’s a differently-abled device.

Just think of the things a mobile handset can do that a PC can’t. It can make calls by clicking a link. It can take photos and videos. It can send email, text, photo and video messages. It can determine it’s own location. It can make micropayments. It’s a music and video player. A calendar. A web browser.

None of these capabilities is in itself a killer. But taken together, they make the mobile device an incredibly powerful tool for marketing, community-building and deepening relationships with customers.

The mobile-only zone

Extending this idea, there are also certain types of experience that are only relevant to a mobile user – places where a desktop website just can’t go.

Think about a star-gazing application. Or a piste map site for skiers. Or a mobile guide to great walks. Sure, you could develop a .com website to do these things, but wouldn’t a .mobi be infinitely more useful and appropriate?

Zagat.mobi is the classic example. You can’t brink your desk to a restaurant. You wouldn’t go without your phone. The Zagat folks have given a lot of thought to utility and usability and have created what is without doubt the definitive way of using their resources. Better than the books. Better than the website.

Another example for marketers doing integrated campaigns: which is the best call-to-action for an outdoor ad: a .com site that the audience has to remember until they get home or a .mobi site they have in their pocket?

As our recent e-Book shows (Ten Mistakes in Mobile Web Marketing – INTERNAL LINK), the marketing world is rapidly emerging from ‘dotcom thinking’ when it comes to the mobile web. There are hundreds of great mobile experiences that exploit the special capabilities of the mobile device while addressing the unique needs of the mobile user.

These are exciting times. The bandwidth is here. The devices are ready. It’s time for some dotmobi thinking.