People want to do more with their mobile phone, focus of industry gathering

Finally consumer demand drives the delivery of broader software and services through the mobile phone. For years, the mobile industry has promised the value of services beyond voice and messaging. The WSJ published a brief article today about the shifting focus of the CTIA trade show this year to emphasize software and services for mobile phones over hardware. One interpretation is that with Global Economic slowdown handset replacement will slow, so the industry has to talk about something. The more positive interpretation is that people are clamoring to do more with their mobile as hardware, network, and interface have improved. People now have awareness and demand social networking connectivity, maps and location services, advanced productivity tools, and photo preservation and narrative services accessible from their mobile.

I'd argue Apple's greatest contribution to the mobile industry is expanding the expectations of mass consumers regarding what they should be able to accomplish with their mobile phone(in the U.S. Particularly). By educating consumers through mass consumer marketing Apple has shifted the expectations of the average consumer.

Mass market consumers starting to avoid stand-alone cameras

Why carry multiple consumer electronics devices when one will do? The mobile handset industry operated on this assumption for years. Today an article in WSJ features general consumers (not early adopters or "techies") experiencing the value of smartphones with 2 - 8 megapixel cameras. People don't need a dedicated camera when the camera on their phone achieves a certain level of quality.

"Why would you want to carry around so many devices? I have everything I need in one device," Mr. Vargas says, adding that he now hardly ever uses his stand-alone digital camera.

Earlier this month, he also took pictures of his baby son using the E71's camera and printed them at a local shop; he says his family couldn't tell the difference between those photos and ones taken on his Canon Inc. digital camera.

With a camera with them all the time and a compelling reason to do so (ibiograph and autobiography), people will expand their concept of what to record. Everyday, seemingly mundane experiences may prove ex post significant or at least a fun forgotten memory.

Photo albums abandoned because too difficult

Research from InfoTrends released in conjunction with the Photo Marketing Association show indicates that the market for preserving memories and photo books will grow from $910 million to $1.5 billion in 2013. But amazingly, 70-80% of people abandon the process of creating a photo book in the middle. The analysts chalk this abandonment rate up to inadequate web services and software for producing. While I agree with that assessment, the broader point remains that people want the enjoyment of photo and memory books but don’t want to undertake the time and work required to assemble the books.

Ibiograph (www.ibiograph.com) and its Day in the Life service solves the problem no matter the root cause. Customers of Ibiograph service simply take pictures with their camera phone and send them via picture message to mms@ibiograph.com and the Day in the Life service automatically assembles and produces a PDF photo book for the customer to download at their convenience.

Learning lessons from family stories

Interesting column from Sue Shellenbarger in the Wall Street Journal about the significance of family stories in developing children’s character and providing a bank of life lessons to draw on.

"An Emory University study of 65 families with children ages 14 to 16 found kids' ability to retell parents' stories was linked to a lower rate of depression and anxiety and less acting-out of frustration or anger, says Robyn Fivush, a psychology professor. Knowing family stories "helps children put their own experience in perspective," Dr. Fivush says."

The parents in the article were universally surprised by the degree to which their children absorbed and identified with the old family stories.

Understanding the ups and downs and perseverance of your own family history has greater impact than a more general history. Certainly some of the value highlighted in this article includes the bonding that happens from the shared, repetitive retelling of the stories. But the narratives themselves offer the guidance. Increasing the breadth of people with an autobiography and depth of the individual's autobiography will increase the reservoir of family stories available to tap.