What a Difference a Day Makes!

I didn't need Dinah Washington to remind me that in "24 little hours" I went from leading-edge cool yesterday to has-been this morning, thanks to the release of the eagerly awaited new 3G iPhone. Luckily the new iPhone 2.0 operating system, also available today, works on old phones like mine and adds significant functionality even to the "vintage" models. The excitement is so high that many people looking to upgrade old phones haven't been able to connect to the iTunes store where the software is available.

After trying unsuccessfully for about an hour I started searching for options and came across a Macworld article that provides a link you can use to download the software directly, then you "restore" your iPhone to the new settings. It's a bit complex; be sure to read through the comments for specific instructions. I had to restore twice--not sure if that's part of the process or if there was just a glitch, but in any case it worked for me and I've been exploring some of the third-party applications on offer in the new App Store.

There are a number of mobile media apps--for now, most free to download and without advertising. The NY Times and Associated Press both offer iPhone-specific news apps. They're both useful; the one from the Times has a more polished interface while AP's offering allows you to set a location (no automatic detection) for local news. Bloomberg has a very nice financially oriented news app. There are several location-based apps that seem ready to plug into location-based advertising. The Google app also collects location up-front; can mobile ads be far behind? I like NowLocal's concept: they automatically detect your location and provide the latest news in your vicinity. Another interesting app is a citizen journalism effort from Fox News, UReport, which encourages iPhone owners to send breaking news photos directly to the local Fox outlet. And there's a personalizable mobile portal from Pocket Express. In all there are over a dozen apps so far in the App Store's News category.

There are more than a dozen radio-related apps. For example, AOL radio (which is free) brings 150 CBS radio stations and more to your iPhone. There are many audio apps, for example, Jott for iPhone, which promises voice-to-text (speak to the phone and it stores your message as a text memo) as well as a host of "talking phrasebooks" that range from free to about $10. On the content creation side, for bloggers who use TypePad there's a handy app with that service. NewsGator has a free RSS reader, NewsNetWire, or you can buy iRSS for $5, but I prefer my generic mobile reader from PressDisplay. There are a number of video apps as well.

For long-form reading you can download an e-reader, with options ranging from free to $10, or directly buy classic (copyright free) novels for a dollar or two apiece.

The only app I've noticed so far that integrates advertising is the free version of Twitterrific, a third-party Twitter client. If you don't like ads you can pay $10 for essentially the same service ad-free.

I'm only beginning to crack the surface...you can guess how I'll spend the weekend! But it's already clear that the iPhone software development kit has provided a huge boost to mobile media. The utility is here now; more coherent monetization won't be far behind. Many applications are free today in order to judge unfettered demand and determine the optimal business strategy: sales (low demand) or advertising (high demand). Keep an eye on: how things that are free now get monetized; how ads are integrated into the experience; and how audio and location are integrated with content and services. The fun is just starting!