I attended an interesting presentation yesterday on the future of Mobile at Portland State University. The event was put on by the Software Association of Oregon (SAO). Jason Grigsby from Cloud Four and Steve Romero from Critical Path Software did a good job at articulating the enormous growth in Mobile computing. They also offered some insite into planning, sustaining and implementing mobile strategies.

So what did I get out of this hour long event? Here were my key notes.

1. Mobile computing is ramping up faster than desktop internet ever did
2. 4 billion phones on the planet
3. SMS revenue was $100 Billion last year
4. Throwaway apps were discussed
   1. This relates to the cost of development vs. how you price the app in the market
   2. $.99 apps for example may be for entertainment purposes and quickly disgarded, while apps priced higher may be used for longer term
5. Currently their is no control over getting your iphone app featured in the app store
6. 20% growth in Mobile economy during recession
7. Consider your entire mobile strategy
   1. Building an app for the iphone or other devices is not a marketing strategy
8. Know your demographics and their mobile devices. Enterprise market vs emerging markets.
9. Build you app to keep them coming back
10. Situational relevance (example: travelocity app alerts user to approriate content based on time app is launched)
11. Opportunity based messaging (example: home depot based deals based on inventory and interests)
12. Don't forget a technology roadmap for mobile based web services and infrastrucutre
13. Set a high bar for usability and experience excellence. This can be the difference in apps that are approved, purchased and used through Apple.

Much of my attention the last few years has focused on social media strategies. While I understand this focus and it's importance, I feel like the true value of mobile computing has snuck past me. I own an iphone, purchase apps, use SMS, use MMS, take photos, tweet, email and surf. Most of my social communication comes from my iphone.  What I learned today; Think Mobile. Then Social.