We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Boston is one of the hottest places globally for mobile development. With Steve Jobs’ recent announcement of Apple’s new iPad and the release of Google’s Nexus One phone, Bostonians are seeing a shift in lifestyle and technology due to evolving mobile devices.
Perhaps sooner than we realize, we’ll depend entirely on our mobile devices; desktop computers and laptops will be a thing of the past. Or as Mobile Monday founder Matt Gross predicts “the term mobile will become obsolete.”
So why mobile and why Boston?
I sat down with Gross recently to get a better grasp of where Boston’s mobile scene has come and where it’s going.
Gross is a mobile pioneer — he was on the local scene before mobile meant the big money we associate it with today, and yes, before the iPod. (Shocker, I know. There was life before the iPhone.) He credits Boston for being so mobile-developed because of places like MIT and collaborators like the Google Android development team in Cambridge.
Gross has become the face of mobile in Boston because he recognized the opportunity for a more unified mobile community in the area and did something about it, bringing Mobile Monday (often abbreviated MoMo in online forums) to the area.
Four years ago, 60 people gathered for the first Mobile Monday Boston event he put together. Mobile Monday is global movement established in 2000 to create settings for members of the mobile sector to meet up, talk about ideas, and listen to presentations from established companies and industry leaders.
Past Mobile Monday Boston’s have included speakers from RIM, which manufacturs Blackberry phones, Gross’ employer uLocate, which created the Where mobile application, and SCVNGR, which lets users create scavenger hunts and then follow them with friends from their smartphones.
Gross has watched Mobile Monday explode recently.
“As Boston’s mobile scene expanded and the iPhone came out, [Mobile Monday] opened to a much larger audience and became a larger event,” Gross explains.
Mobile Monday’s next big event (other then the Mobile Monday meet up being held on March 8th) is the April 5th Mobile Camp. He hopes to attract developers, entrepreneurs, and business from all mobile platforms to the camp. The format of Mobile Camp is an “un-conference,” where attendees not only have to listen to speakers, but can create their own breakout sessions as well. This format fits perfectly with Mobile Monday’s discussion-based forums.
Gross made sure to tell me about the diverse group of people they’ve had show up for past Mobile Camp events. What can we expect? People fly to Boston from as far away as California and London in hopes of creating some mobile magic.
“There could be a guy who’s worked for ten years at Verizon sharing knowledge with a kid who’s building an iPhone app in his dorm,” says Gross.
So what are Gross’ plans for the future of Mobile Monday?
Mobile Monday plans to become more structured and partner with other MoMo chapters in different cities around the world. Gross hopes this will bring in fresh ideas and new talent. Gross is looking to co-brand more with other organizations, like MIT Mobile. It seems his original vision of better unifying the mobile development community in Boston is still intact.
Which Boston companies does Gross expect big things from this year?
He’s keeping an eye on Survey On The Spot, an iPhone application, mobile website, and online destination that allows users to share feedback and experience at restaurants. Gross believes in their solid team and unique placement in the industry. Gross also has high hopes for Pongr, Raizlabs, and Localytics.
The future is mobile and thanks to people like Matt Gross and events like Mobile Monday Boston, our city is well positioned to lead the way. It’s either go mobile, or go home. Literally.
What are your mobile predictions? What mobile companies are you expecting big things out of? Let us know in the comments.
Want to go mobile or at least learn more about it? Follow the Mobile Monday Blog, join the group on Facebook or search the Twitter hashtag #momo.
