Daring British mobile phone users can now compete in a nationwide search for the new face of 2004 by simply snapping and submitting a picture of themselves using their MMS camera phone. One male and one female winner will be awarded modelling contracts with Premier Model Management, in conjunction with the Daily Star and Samsung.
I love the idea of a dedicated, pocketable web-browsing device that connects to the net through my bluetooth enabled mobile. But why in the blue blazes are they squeezing the keyboard into so little of the apparently available space? What a waste :-(
Tom's blog also points to an interesting Register article from today about gaming on mobile phones.
Mobile gaming substitutes micro-moments of boredom for entertainment; you don't need to be wired to a console and TV and now you can be part of a wider community. Local communications is a useful addition to the gaming experience, if not directly to the operators' coffers. However, they should realise that mobile data applications of all types will have a greater impact on the bottom line if they foster all aspects of substitution, community and mobility rather than just price and raw technology.
Next step, MMS and picture messaging?"
I've actually stopped playing games on my Nokia 3650 because I found it caused me serious eye strain. Pity though as I would definitely be more interested in playing games on my mobile than on a console, for precisely the reason mentioned in the article - it allows you to alleviate micro-moments of boredom.
Tom Hume nails it more succintly than I think I've ever seen -
"Look at the companies whose products inspire evangelism in their customers: Apple, Palm, Nokia, Sony.
Look at who invests heavily in interfaces and design. Coincidence? I don't think so. Interfaces are where you meet your customers."
Absolutely spot on. More of my friends have Nokias than another make. In fact I don't know if any of them have anything other than a Nokia,... honestly! And all 5 members of my immediate family who have mobiles also have Nokias. Wow, I never actually realized that until Tom's post made me think about it. That's amazing!
