Illinois Technology Association’s Mobile Visionary Roundtable Event to Explore How We Can Apply What Already Works in Japan in Our Mobile Market. Meets November 18, 2009 at 8:30am.

The Mobile Visionary Roundtable at the Illinois Technology Association (ITA) welcomes virtual guest speaker, Christopher Billich. Christopher is the Senior Vice President of Research & Strategy at Infinita, Tokyo, Japan. Chris speaks often throughout the world on mobile innovation. He will review the trends he is seeing as a widely respected mobile industry thought leader and researcher. Chris will be answering the question, “How can we apply what already works in Japan in our mobile market?”

Japan has 100 million users of advanced third-generation smartphones, twice the number used in the United States. Japan’s at the forefront of mobile thought leadership ranging from mobile wallets to mobile TV with built-in shopping. New technologies, devices and services are being developed to further empower our mobile lives. Chris will share his views on where this exciting new market is headed.

Insightful mobile industry education will be followed by themed mobile “20/20″ breakout sessions and networking to share best practices in mobile marketing, technology and application development.

In this roundtable, participants will:

• Understand why 9 in 10 Japanese use the Mobile Internet
• See how mobile phones are being used as digital wallets, TVs, health
  monitoring devices – and how they can even help to keep your shoes dry
• Discover how operators, handset manufacturers and content providers
  cooperate to create value
• Learn how mobile advertising became a 1 billion dollar industry
• Find out which players are pushing the boundaries of the medium
• Understand what lessons all of this holds for other markets

This event takes place in downtown Chicago on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, 8:30am-11:00am. Register for the event here.

New members are always welcome to attend free-of-charge and ITA roundtables are available to the general Chicagoland business community. Roundtable events are held in downtown Chicago, across from the Sears Tower (now named the Willis Tower) at 200 S Wacker Dr, 15th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606.

Additional forthcoming Mobile Visionary roundtable mobile topics include:

• Mobile Marketing Plans
• Best Practices in Apps Development
• The Future of Mobile
• Business Enterprise Applications
• Mobile Monetization
• Global Considerations in Mobile
• Platform Comparisons (iPhone vs. Android vs. Pre, etc.)

About the speaker, Christopher Billich
Christopher is the Senior Vice President of Research & Strategy at Infinita, Tokyo, Japan

Christopher’s research helps to answer the question, “How can we apply what already works in Japan in our mobile market?” Infinita works with clients across Europe, Asia and the US, including companies like Orange, Qualcomm, DoCoMo.com and IBM. Christopher’s perspective is one from a mobile mature market and his areas of focus include mobile commerce, mobile advertising and NFC contactless payments. Prior to joining Infinita, his assignments as a consultant included Vodafone D2 Germany, BenQ Mobile and Deutsche Telekom.

About The Mobile Visionary Roundtable
The Mobile Visionary Roundtable offers a forum for ITA members to engage in active networking and interactive, high-gain, topical discussions regarding mobile marketing and technology. The monthly Mobile Visionary Roundtables feature mobile expert guest speakers, including mobile strategists, marketers and developers from around the world.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the Chairs:

Tim Cascio (773) 793-6209
Tim.Cascio@GSMarketingGroup.com

Raymond J. Reinhardt (312) 924-1681
Raymond@Cuddlephish.com

About the Illinois Technology Association
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) represents the interests of a diverse membership of more than 550 companies in Illinois that create, deploy and utilize information technology as a core part of their organization. By connecting members with industry peers and participants, providing the latest strategic information, market research and critical market insight and by promoting key thought leaders to raise visibility and gain a greater market awareness and presence, ITA is focused on building and developing the Illinois technology community through collaboration. Additional information is available at http://www.illinoistech.org

Top 10 Olympic-sized Advances in Mobile Technology for the 2016 Summer Olympics

Take a look at some of my predictions for mobile and related technology to be used at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. 

1. Multi-user Mobile Video Conferencing 
   Most mobile devices will include a second video camera on the front side (currently, all iPhones have only one video camera located on the backside of the device). The video camera detects and follows your face to facilitate video conferencing. Phones capture at full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution video, include 10x Optical/20x Digital Zoom and capture still digital photos at 16+ megapixels. Buying separate video and digital cameras will no longer make sense for recreational users. The high resolutions will enable moderated user video uploads to the Olympic jumbo video screens.

   

2. Real-time voice translation
   A Google mobile translation application will enable international visitors to communicate with one another using discrete Bluetooth headsets.
3. Transportation
   Mobile contactless payments will be used to access public transportation systems. Augmented reality technology will communicate arrival times and capacity information for buses and trains.
4. Section-led Cheers
   A new cheering experience will be coordinated by section as directed by mobile devices.
5. Real-time Broadcasts
   Real-time broadcasts of Olympic events will be available on mobile devices and users will be able to select from among multiple camera angles. Pause, rewind and zoom will be common features.
6. Mobile Trivia Contests
   Compete with other fans during event intermissions for a chance to win prizes and Olympic merchandise. Scoring is based on speed and accuracy in response to trivia questions regarding athletes and the Olympic games.
7. Augmented Reality
   Augmented reality will become a mature technology and include convenient, fashionable eyewear that communicates with your mobile device. Athletes and gear will be equipped with nearly weightless and transparent microchips that transmit speed, location and identity. Voice commands will provide quick access to athlete stats, profiles and video content.
8. Made-to-order fashion from your phone
   Mobile ordering what he/she’s currently wearing (microchip tagged athletes and/or fashion models in your augmented reality view) in your size. Onsite sizing booths will automatically calculate your exact measurements and create a digital you. Try it on digitally before buying. Change color, size and mix and match tops/bottoms.
9. Mobile Advertising Content
   Free teaser content will be transmitted wirelessly (interactive apps, coupons, videos, ringtones, wallpapers, branded games, pictures and other digital assets) to individual mobile devices based on proximity to events, demographics (age, gender, income, credit profile, home country, native language, marital status, etc.) and lifestyle (interests, past buying behavior, music preferences, etc.)
10. Digital Billboard Advertising Content
    After assessing the demographic and lifestyle traits of the crowd within viewing range of the digital billboards, the billboards will display suitable content.

What are your predictions?

Feel free to reach out if you have mobile app development needs or require assistance with your mobile marketing strategy and execution. Your comments are most welcome. You can leave comments below. Tim Cascio can be reached at 773-793-6209.