Great uses of Mobile

I've struggled with smartphone versus desktop Internet for a while, but now I'm seeing some great uses of mobile that truly address customer needs. My new favorite is a simple SMS txt service - CooCoo (266266) - offered by Metro North. You txt where you're going (for example, Grand Central or GCT to Larchmont), and it gives you the next four trains to that station (departure and arrival). When you're in New York and on the run, its a lot better than fiddling with a paper schedule. They now offer cross-street information through the same service. Now wouldn't it be cool to offer plane and Amtrak information in the same way? How about movie times (for example, Clearview Cinema, Mamaroneck and back comes the next two showings of each movie. Or do it by movie through Fandango by just inputting the movie).

Another good one is "Skip the Line", a trivia game created by Ask.com in conjunction with Six Flags (http://bit.ly/imaQAy). Game does just what you'd expect - you answer some trivia questions successfully, and you get to move up the line at a Six Flags ride. Great use of geolocation to solve a customer pain point. Of course, you have to have an iphone and download the app to play.

These two, plus seeing my daughter's friends obsessively "check in" via Foursquare to get local coupons and freebies, have made me a lot more bullish on mobile.