Our take on Mobile World Congress 2010

There was a trade show going on in Barcelona – did you know that? Or did you just think Mobile World Congress was five days and nights of cocktail parties. We actually it is both. During the day, Mobile World Congress this year put in a grown up face and decided to do some work and companies actually figured out they can do some business there. Some of the same ridiculous nonsense went on -all the big names had big announcements and hogged the spotlight, the increasing convergence of celebrity and tech, obsessed mobile geeks spewing industry stats and glares if you aren’t using an iPhone. But if you were someone with a brain and dug past all of the shiny stuff, you would have seen that the real news was tucked away in several places including the country Pavilions, the Augmented Reality Showcase and App Pavilions  – where innovation was percolating. The AR show illustrated that there is more than one company out there with good AR ideas, the App Pavilion gave us one place to look at a variety of apps not only for fun but that help the planet and the Pavilions were a great place to see country by country innovation. The best things we saw were these companies:

• Powerkiss – A Finnish start up led by a Maija Itkonen who decided that cables and wires really suck so she decided what better way to charge your mobile device than to build a device in to furniture. We call this lifestyle mobile tech and we love it. Ciara Byne of Venturebeat had the chance to talk to them at MWC and reported their plans here. And Maija has agreed to a TattleTech Hot seat so look for that coming up soon.
• Alcosystems –  We have covered them before in the top 5 start ups to watch, but in reality, they are beyond where normal web 2.0 start ups are. This a lifestyle and health mobile device that we think will really affect many people around the world. Monitor your own blood alcohol content -the uses are far reaching. Mobile Health is new business in Mobile technology, read here for more.
• Myfc - More innovation out of Sweden, and this time along the lines of green tech – a portable fuel cell to be used in current and emerging markets like Africa. Mike Butcher, TechCrunch Europe did a great interview with the CEO at MWC about the fuel cells and their uses. This is the space to watch – emerging markets and renewable energy sources for the mobile market.
• TAT – also known at the Astonishing Tribe. The design mobile user interfaces but blend aesthetics and technology together – like mobile face detection and recognition with PolarRose’s FaceLib. Very cool stuff – pushing the envelope to more intuitive UIs including aesthetic augmented reality.
• PuddingMedia – Sure a mobile ad network but completely focused on APAC. We think SUPER smart because this is where the next wave of the whole mobile revolution is coming from. Check them out, they are very nice people and focused on creating and delivering this platform in a very specific way to this market.
• WidespaceMobile – Also an ad network, but much like PuddingMedia, have been intensely targeted on the Scandinavian market and mastering that market. Talk to them, they don’t care that Google bought AdMob, they think its good for them and their numbers show it and their revenue too. They have the good fortune of working with Ericsson IPX which essentially lets them focus on the sale behind the click and maximizing where that ad its make the most revenue.

On the down side, the media coverage still focused on the big names only (shall we say big advertisers?) and in a feeding frienzy around their favorite topics related to the big boys -they were totally oblivious to other innovative companies that were floating around. Not one single media outlet covered the more than 10 country pavilions which was a shame because sometimes the best ideas start small with the exception of the Show daily which covered the Sweden Pavilion. Despite all of that, it was one of the best MWC that I have attended in the past 13 years. Yes, that was lucky 13.

–JLH

Tags: Alcosystems, App Pavilion, Augmented reality, Mobile World Congress, MyFC, Powerkiss, TAT, TechCrunch UK, VentureBeat

Five start ups to watch in 2010, according to us

We get around quite a bit and when we venture out of our IPTV/Telecommunications cave and into the start up cave, we are always amazed by the degree of innovation we see in both worlds. It is a different type of innovation but you can see an agenda brewing in both markets.

We recently were in Dusseldorf (European Venture Summit) and London (TechCrunch Christmas Crunch) and realized we finally saw some true innovation – for us this means a couple of things. It means that 1) we can and will use it in our daily lives even if we didn’t /dont work/live in a tech bubble  2) that the technology or service will help change behaviour, ours and the world around us and 3) it just appealed to us as humans.

Without further ado or ridiculous narrative, here are our five start ups to watch for 2010.

1. Flinc – a real-time ride sharing system enabling spontaneous short rides in suburban areas. It is navigation software connected to mobile phones enables the user to find a car within a few minutes. We really like it and for so many reasons. It is not just because we think the two founders, Michael and Benjamin (ok so Benjamin makes us blush a little, there is nothing wrong with that) channel the best characteristics of entrepreneurs we have seen in 15 years, or because they want to build a sustainable business and change people’s mobile/driving behavior but because it makes sense. People didn’t like Zip Car for that matter when it came on the market and Christopher Colombus had one heck of hard time getting that extra ship. So we think its time for a change. Save gas, share rides, use technology to make a better planet. Just do it.

2. mmatcher -  We are all about how local can you go and this start up out of Slovenia we think is going to nail it on the head. The core team is amazing  – the perfect blend of technical and business acumen – plus their ability to make a true one page executive summary is amazing. They are methodical and have a secret algorithm that will even make Google envious. Look for them as they make their way out into the marketplace.

3. NimBuzz – They have a ton of venture funding but that is not the point – the point is that they are useful and practical and we love them. Free calls, chat and messaging on your mobile phone or from your computer. Hello? How can this not be a great thing. Launched recently in the US, we expect great things from our favorite regularly and frequently used application, even my mom and and dad could use this.

4. Ubervu - Big fan, huge fan of the startup from Romania (now London) led by the brilliant and charming Dragos Llinca. Why? Cause again, it makes sense. Tracking and following conversations around the web is like trying to nail jelly to a tree and this company solves that problem. And why is it a problem? Because we should all keep up with ourselves in cyberspace, plus it puts all of that chatter into context and gives it meaning. Meaning is good.

5. Alcosystems - Living in Europe now, specifically France at the moment, it is evident they are serious about drinking and driving. Yea I am a product of the early 80s so that term was barely in existence in the US at the time, but when you are driving here and its 13:30 in the afternoon and the Gendarme pulls you over and makes you blow air into a tube, you are pretty darned glad you didn’t stop for lunch and throw back a couple of Vin du Pays. This is why we think Alcosystems (you can also see them as they debut at MWC in Barcelona in the Sweden Pavilion (Hall 2, stand 2 F13) is a great idea.  Alcohol is the third largest risk factor for illnesses and accidents and this mobile device will help you self monitor your own blood alcohol content and let you know if its safe to drive or you should just stay put and drink some more. Viva la France.

-JLH

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Tags: Alcosystems, flinc, mmatcher, Nimbuzz, Ubervu