I read this article recently about Apple's new iPhone and the response it received when it was revealed to a crowd in Japan. "…barely a ripple" was the description, and a fitting one too. Reading about how much more advanced mobile technology is in Japan compared to here in North America makes me think about what I can expect (or hope) to happen in the coming years…a mobile boom in North America?

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-japanphone11jan11,0,6424968.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Contrary to what my introductory paragraph might lead you to believe, this post is NOT about the iPhone. The iPhone is simply what brought me to this conclusion…that given the recent trends of Flash Player penetration coupled with the rising popularity of Flash Lite in mobile devices, I am expecting to see some sort of mobile boom happening in the near future. We are already seeing this as people are starting to download music more on their phones, keep up-to-date with e-mails, send pictures, IM, and even watch TV. Starting with Adobe's partnering with Verizon to support Flash Lite on their mobile devices, other companies have followed suit, such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson. The trend is set and I think it's on a good path.

Charles

^*Update: I've come to find out that the article on www.latimes.com has been "archived" and you have to pay to get the full text of the article (wtf?). Well, the Internet has come through yet again in the quest for open-information…I've found the article (the text at least) on www.mobileburn.com. And juuuust in case, I cached it here too.