(Blog-Off II Entry) Crystal Ball to the American Mobile Future

I got started creating for mobile in the early 2000's. Post Y2K in the US our cellphones were cheap or free, the plans were expensive and most phones didn't have cameras. At the time I was beginning to take up karate. My teacher was from Kyoto. As a group, 22 of us would fly to Japan and train for 10 days leading up to testing. We stayed and practiced in a 1200 year-old temple called Shigisan in Nara. Cherry blossoms fell on us as we did Tai Chi in the gardens. We sparred in front of ancient steps and tested on hallowed ground. It was quite an experience.

In the middle of our trip we went to Kyoto to take a break from the four workout a day routine. One kid, Daniel, was hurting for McDonald's in a big way. We had nothing but seaweed and noodles to eat for days, so some of the first Japanese culture I assimilated was a cheeseburger.

As a group we hopped on a train to see other parts of the city. At one stop, two Japanese businessmen walked in from opposite sides of the train with their chins down pounding away on their cellphones. The collision was epic, they made coconut sounds with their heads as I was watching. They picked up their phones, bowed and apologized. There was a hesitation… then they both started tapping the keys with amazing dexterity. I was amazed. 

Hand held games had been around a long time, but this was different. One guy was playing a game and the other was text messaging. To give perspective, this was before the Gulf War. We would watch the first bombs drop watching a little TV at the temple the following year.

My cellphone at the time was a Nokia 3650. It had a color screen, camera and a round dial. It was American cool in 2001. Compared to what these guys dropped I was using a chisel and a tablet.  As a cartoonist / entrepreneur I assessed my skills and the state of mobile in the US. Wallpapers for phones were starting to happen, so I sought out representation. I was referred to a company in Michigan called Wireless Developer and soon I was in the mobile wallpaper space. My specialty was hip-hop and sports. Biatch sold over 100,000 times though T-Mobile.

As an entertainer I saw mobile as a new canvas.  Newspaper syndication was near impossible, TV deals were tough. People had big interest in mobile and the screen would someday be color, interactive and the size of a panel cartoon.

This is a good 5 years before the iPhone hit the market. That is my focus today. If we look to the East and Europe, it is a crystal ball to the American mobile future.

 

Animator / Producer Mike Browne is an artist first, Mac geek second.  His work has appeared in numerous venues including newspapers, magazines, TV, big screen, video games and now almost exclusively on the mobile phone and the web.

As an illustration (pardon the pun) of the quality of his work, one of his wallpaper designs had over 100,000 downloads on AT&T 1st quarter 2005. His new animated iPhone App, "Beat the Boss" will hit the App Store early January 2010.  

His blog is at: http://mike-browne.blogspot.com/

Comments

[Mike Browne]

Wayne,

Thanks man, how goes the writing?

[Mike Browne]

Darlene,

I'm glad you got to enjoy Japan like I did. I had great times and look forward to going back. I really enjoy your blogs.

[Mike Browne]

Don,

You are funny.

[Mike Browne]

Skah,

Huh?

[Mike Browne]

Robin,

Thanks for the encouragement. I hope you like the game.

[Mike Browne]

Paul,

The boss will be waiting for you. By kicking his butt you will contributing to your own superiority. I'll let you know when it's out.

Mike

[Mike Browne]

Scromp,

I don't think mobile culture makes America lag behind. It may just be gravity or more like an echo. It was interesting to keep note of mobile 4 years in a row. I definitely saw a pattern. It is a tough transition to go from wired to wireless as well. Financially it is a huge gamble for large telcos to choose their technology. I remember when Syquest drives were the rage.

Excellent question.

[Mike Browne]

Shoulder,

Beat the Employee sounds like a good game. I knew I'd step on some Boss's toes. I have gotten endorsements from the following associations:

NBA - National Boss Assault
BBS - Boss Beaters Society
OJ/DP - Office jerks that deserve punishment
ETSK - Employees that study karate
MWAM - Mad women angry men
ESPS - Employees scared of pink slips
POW - People of of work

[Shoulder Lady]

As the offical West Coast representative of Bosses of America, I feel compelled to inform you that we are working on an app to Beat the Employee. Kisses! :-)))

[Scromp]

Do you think that it's our car culture that has prevented the adoption of mobile? Or the fact that our wired line infrastructure is better? These are 2 theories that I hear about when people are discussing the US lag in mobile technology and applications.

[Ian Harth]

Very interesting perspective I enjoyed it.
Love to hear more.

keep it up!

Harkeem

[Robin]

Mike,

Just fantastic. "Beat the Boss" seems like it may be a bit more fun taken out of the digital world, but inside cyberspace it seems like it's going to be pretty stellar.

[SKAH]

So this Japanese business man walks up to an american, asks for his cell number and texts him a wise saying. It read: "According to Confusious, He who eat too many prune, sit on toilet for many moon." The American texted him back: LOL

[Paul]

Those Japanese are always good at making little things. Maybe it's because their country is so small? Anyways, good story and I'm really looking forward to beating the boss, especially since nobody looks at me like I'm a boss even though I think I am.

[AXL]

Mike,

Your comment about the business men is funny. Everytime I go to Japan, the texting gets faster and the phones get smaller. Everyone is texting so fast when they are in the company of their friends that they seem to ignore that they are physically sitting next to their other friends.
Glad you put that last photo in and NOT the one that happened in Japan.

[Mike]

Tim,

We are definitely on the same wavelength.

[mike@bigredshoes.com]

It seems as though I have touched on a little digital nostalgia. Man things are moving fast.

[Don Priess]

Nice blog. It's amazing that in our world that 8 years is now ancient history when it comes to technology. I am the boss so I can't wait to beat myself...wait a minute.

[Tina Martin]

The game is great - I got to try it out while it was still in the creation phase. I was so ammused by not only the concept of getting to beat the crap out of someone that pays you, but also just by the sheer enjoyment of the game. If I personally owned an iPhone the game would be on it.

[Darlene Sabella]

This is awesome and reminded me of the exact same experiance. When I was in Japen for three weeks I was getting sick of Kobe steaks and seaweed, when we went to Hong Kong, I was so excited to see McDonalds. LOL how funny...I really loved your story, and you are so right about watching these countries, as they do set a big example of the future trends.

[Tony Quetal]

Mike, very interesting post. Nice history lesson regarding cellulars. I too will play "Beat the Boss", however, I disagree with the previous replies, for I am obviously THE boss!

[Emily Betton]

Rather curious! I`ve always felt that Eastern Civilization is head and shoulders more above us in skill...Thanks for the great post!

[Debi Martin]

Great history lesson! And I remember your adventures in Japan after you broke that wood. Ouch!

[mike@bigredshoes.com]

Thanks Jay for the Palin reference. She is my favorite politician who's not a politician.

[Jay Thorn]

I remember "Biatch"...and the Sarah Palin parody was awesome(www.funnyordie.com). Can't wait for beat the boss!

[Barbara Browne]

Great blog! I'll be looking for "Beat the Boss". I've got a few in my past that are good candidates.

[Ron Hudson]

非常に芸術家であるMike!
Great article! Can't wait to "Beat The Boss" on my iPhone! How about making a "Beat The Tiger" app for your next great idea!

[Connie Tash]

You never cease to amaze me! Can't wait to play best the boss!

[Leslie Deamer]

Interesting. Can't wait until "Beat the Boss" comes out but, wait, I AM a boss! I better watch out....

[Jordan, Osu]

Great article and you reminded me of my trips to Japan. Besides looking at technology for the future we should look at some of the East customs like bowing to each other instead of handshaking. By bowing to each other maybe we can lower the risk of transmitting germs. Good luck!

[Christina Jorgensen]

Wish I was around to brainstorm with you about Biatch!?! You never fail to amuse and amaze. Can't wait to read more of your blogs. I know "Beat the Boss" will be a huge success! (:

[Tim]

Mike,

I remember PRIME-CO phones, beepers and the DynaTAC. No really I don't remember the DynaTAC but can you imagine being in that era? I love my super high technical phone and you enlighten me to buy the new Droid :). Great post and keep up the good work, I can not wait to read more of your posts.

Tim

[Tim Cascio]

You're right! Japan's benefiting from a number of factors that obstruct rapid progress here in the US. We're very iPhone centric and campaigns aren't yet as integrated into full marketing plans as seen in Japan. Christopher Billich, an expert in mobile in Japan gave an incredible presentation at our Mobile Visionary Roundtable in Chicago. Here's his deck:
http://www.box.net/japan

[Chaz DeSimone]

Thanks for such an interesting mini-history of the cellphone abroad. Very amusing. Glad you had forethought and brought your idea to market. Heard about "Beat the Boss." Sounds interesting, except I'm the boss! Good luck. You deserve it.

[Wayne L. Wilson]

Excellent article! Thanks for posting it.