My wife loves to read magazines and books every night after work. I love to read articles on my iPhone. The problem is that when you’re reading a magazine or a book, it’s obvious what you’re doing. When I’m “reading” my iPhone, in her eyes, I’m working. Yes, some of them are articles, news and blog posts about work, but many other times they are not. I can’t think of too many other reasons currently why I’d like an iPad, which is being announced by Apple tomorrow.

Note: I have $.50 riding on the fact that it’s called an iPad and plan on using my winnings to pay for half of a bus ride on MUNI.

There has been a lot of talk around the office about what this and other e-readers will do for the publishing industry and we’ve signed up to get our Kindle Devloper’s Kit, but based on some of the recent news and talks that happened at ALA Midwinter recently, it got me thinking again about libraries and how e-readers and specifically the iPad will change or not change libraries.

Here’s what I’ve determined: Outside of the discussions going on about mobile technologies in libraries, I don’t think it will change it too much. The iPad will offer some great new graphic interfaces where buttons will be bigger, browsing experiences will be more tactile (as the iPhone and other mobile phones do), but e-readers and libraries becoming more mobile-friendly will play into the fact that an iPad will just be a bigger version of the iPhone. Obviously at this point I haven’t seen one, so I’ll update if I’m wrong, but I can’t help myself in thinking people will be holding up the iPad to their ears as a silly joke, looking like they’re talking on an iPhone.

So we’re back to mobile. Do I think libraries should start spending money and resources to develop iPad Apps? Absolutely not. In fact, we don’t think libraries should spend money and resources on iPhone Apps. If you need some great reasons, Michelle Kraft (AKA the Krafty Librarian) just wrote a great piece called “Stop the App Madness” and Jason Griffey’s proclamation of 2010 being the Death of the App is actually something we’ve talked about a lot over here. And while it’s great to see these things talked about in the library community, we’ve noticed that Google is betting on the mobile web, plus some research stating that the cloud will replace mobile apps (and their stores) in the next five years.

All of this said, I’m looking forward to seeing how the iPad and e-readers “change” libraries, but only time will tell. In the meantime, I’m really looking forward to seeing what it looks like and ultimately what it does, other than to let my wife know I’m reading and not answering work emails.

Web-Based Software and Managed Interactive Mobile Solutions for Event Management, Organizers and Exhibitors

San Francisco, CA December 14, 2009 — Mosio, an award winning mobile technologies company providing messaging and mobile web solutions for businesses and organizations, today announced the launch of Show360 Mobile, a suite of interactive mobile solutions for the conference and event industries.

Show360 combines hosted, on-demand mobile messaging software and managed services, enabling show organizers and exhibitors to maximize the interactive mobile experiences for attendees while they are on-the-go, regardless of phone type.

Conference attendance is down considerably in 2009. Corporate travel restrictions are forcing attendees and exhibitors to look for cost-effective, manageable ways to get the most out of their show budgets and informational experiences. Mobile technologies provide a proven method of increasing attendee engagement and satisfaction, as well as decreasing expenses for exhibitors and event producers.

“Building on over 3 decades of events experience, the Mosio team set out to create Show360 with two goals: Offer cost-effective mobile technologies that are easy for businesses and organizations to implement; and make mobile services available to as many attendees as possible,” says Noel Chandler, Co-Founder and CEO of Mosio.

“Most of the current mobile information services operate on rented hardware or require attendees to download an application to a smart phone. This alienates a massive amount of event-goers eager to access mobile information. Show360 utilizes text messaging and the mobile web to reach more attendees and exhibitors no matter where they are,” adds Chandler.

Show360 Mobile enables show management and organizers to:

• Interact live with exhibitors and attendees via mobile text messaging. Mosio’s web-based technology can be used as a simple way for attendees to get general event information or for Q&A at breakout sessions and speaker panels.
• Collect real-time feedback and comments from exhibitors and attendees.
• Offer quick conference and event information, accessible to on-the-go attendees without mobile application development costs.
• Take part in the social media conversation and trending by efficiently posting attendee comments and feedback to Twitter and Facebook during and after the event.

Mosio’s Show360 enables exhibitors to:

• Generate sales leads and send marketing materials in real-time through Mocardsâ„¢, Mosio’s mobile alternative to printed documents, presentations and collateral.
• Create mobile marketing and text messaging programs to drive customer interaction on their mobile devices during and after the conference.
• Reduce expenses via a direct response technology on devices attendees always have with them: mobile phones.

More Show360 advantages:

• Dynamic mobile marketing opportunities for sponsors provide an additional source of revenue and put brands, products and services in the pockets and purses of all attendees.
• The technologies provide a green alternative for printed materials and reduce post-event waste caused by outdated marketing collateral

Mosio provides clients with a single technology vendor to manage all mobile event solutions. The on-demand mobile messaging platform is available via monthly subscription with a limited 14-day trial account. Managed services are built on Mosio’s web-based platform, tailored to meet specific client needs and goals.

For information about Show360′s mobile solutions for events and conferences, visit:
http://www.mosio.com/biz/show360

About Mosio
Mosio is a mobile software and solutions company providing messaging and mobile web solutions for businesses and organizations. Mosio helps clients connect with customers on-the-go, using their mobile presence as a competitive advantage to increase sales and brand loyalty, both on and offline.

More than 250 organizations have implemented Mosio’s mobile technologies, including event-specific solutions for: Novian Health, Information Today, American Library Association, Performance Pricing, Entertainment Technology Center, Movember Foundation, GoldMail.

Info: http://www.mosio.com

Mosio Featured in inGEN Magazine’s “Movers and Shakers” Issue, November 2009

Who doesn’t love a little recognition? We’ll take it. This month Mosio is featured in inGEN Magazine along with some great local entrepreneurs, including Aaron Patzer (Mint.com), Chip Conley (Joi de Vivre Hotels), Ted Rheingold (Dogster.com) and Bijan Mirashi (Xoopit).

Page 42.