SDForum's Virtual Worlds Go Mobile -- overview

Remember I went off to the SDForum Virtual Worlds Go Mobile conference recently? I had a super time there — and moderated one of the panels toward the end of the day. Well, I talked with Jennifer Lankford, one of the people behind the event and asked her if she’d fancy writing an overview of the day. She did! And here it is.

– – –

We’ve come a long way in wireless technology over the past few years. It seems like just yesterday I was using a bulky black beeper for all my mobile communications… and today I couldn’t imagine not having my cell on me at all times. Now that I’ve upgraded to the iPhone, god forbid not having instant access to email, the Internet and Google Maps! Just the thought of it makes me a little nervous.

At the SDForum ‘Virtual Worlds Go Mobile” forum on February 26, today’s wireless successes were dwarfed by images of tomorrow’s possibilities. We’re talking actual engagement in Second Life-like virtual worlds on your phone, interactive mobile gaming with top-notch graphics, mobile social networking, mobile payments and purchasing power, and onscreen, animated avatars that fetch your voicemail from the corner of a virtual room. Oddly enough, these are already popular current mobile offerings in Europe, Japan and Korea. It seems the materialization of mobile innovation for the US lives not only in the future, but across the ocean, as well. But who’s to blame? As the conversation progressed into the final ‘Paths to the Future” panel that Ewan moderated, our archaic and inhibiting mobile carriers in this country emerged as highly suspicious characters, and not too surprisingly.

On the bright side, this forum was chalk full of innovative companies doing amazing things to make mobile virtual worlds, and everything this broad term encompasses, a reality. Soon mobile users in the US will be interacting with one another in all sorts of colorful, interactive ways, some of which we can only just begin to imagine.

Here’s an overview of the market shakers from the event:

* Smith Micro: A leading developer and marketer of software solutions and services for the wireless market, the company has expanded its consumer division to include popular graphics solutions like Poser and Anime Studio, and has a wide array of enabling wireless technologies in its stable. This graphics software is already used in video games and movies today. Combined with its knack for wireless, Smith Micro brings together a promising combo of offerings for the future of mobile virtual worlds.

* Nokia: With its service Point & Find, people can find out more about an object – even purchase it – by simply scanning it with the phone’s camera. Its name and details show up on your screen!

* SKTelecom: Joe Jasin has already witnessed a major shift in mobile connectivity in Korea and China. SK Telecom already has already made mobile payments, mobile music downloading and virtual worlds the norm throughout both countries.

* Vollee: Vollee streams real-time PC games to 3G mobile handsets. They’ve even launched a beta version of Second Life for your cell phone.

* MBlox: MBlox is doing big things with mobile transactions. Soon we’ll be able to pay for anything and everything through our cell phones – even our morning coffee.

* Veepers: Why listen to just a voicemail? With Veepers, an image of your friend, or a monkey for that matter, will recite it for you as an animated avatar or photo on your phone’s screen.

* Gemini Mobile Technologies: Gemini is making waves in multimedia messaging. Their customizable eXplo offering allows operators and content providers to create story, community and discovery-based mobile virtual worlds.

* WiFi Army: Wifi Army is like laser tag with your phone. With the camera acting as the barrel of the gun, shoot your opponents in a game of virtual battle. Junior high-school teachers will just love this one, I’m sure.

Of course, money makes the world go ‘round, and it doesn’t discriminate between real and virtual. Speakers from Velocity Interactive Group, Rustic Canyon, Scale Venture Partners and Accel answered our questions around what types of companies in this space catch their eye for making investments.

SDForum once again brought together some of the best and brightest minds and companies in Silicon Valley. The virtual world is a big one to explore with unlimited possibilities for innovation, new technologies, investments opportunities and new consumer experiences, and some of the folks in that room on Tuesday will be major contributors to the future of interactive wireless experience.

– – –

Thanks for taking the time to write that overview Jennifer. I’ll hopefully see you at the next mobile-related SDForum event!