mobile devices in Japan and Africa

“In Japan, I noticed pretty quickly that the mobile devices were being used for far more than what we experience here in the states. The development process for applications made for mobile devices is somewhat simplified as some of the necessary software and support is more standardized on mobile phones. One byproduct of this is a greater interest and adoption rate for mobile applications than for web applications. Mobile applications and the surrounding culture is more like the states’ web 2.0 culture when it comes down to usage, investment and ability to monetize.”

Source: Video Roundup: Kristen Nicole Goes to Tokyo, Sees Dual iPhone App

Africa’s situation is probably closer to Japan than the US. At this stage, more advanced handsets are just now appearing and people are experimenting more and more with innovative use of mobiles. The de facto application on African mobiles is SMS. Photo and music sharing seems to becoming more common.