I think Mowser rocks. It is simple, seems to use the right approach to context adaptation, and man, it’s fast — just check the Mowser version of Techmeme Top 100.
I am not sure though about the business model that Russell is going after; Russ wrote:
Mowser is focused on a very simple goal: Help small to medium sized publishers go mobile with a self-serve content adaption service. The business model is equally as simple: As publishers use Mowser, they include a link back to the home page which advertises the service to other publishers, and attracts mobile users via direct clicks and search engines. The Mowser home page can then be monetized as a portal for mobile content via advertising, sales, etc.
The problem is the ‘etc’ part and, of course, the rest of the details. But the core of the service and offering is solid, I think.
The monetization must occur right there, when the page is rendered — people won’t go back to the main Mowser portal; but I could be wrong. Or monetization must occur via services or up-sales available to registered publishers. Or maybe is by monetizing a specific part of the workflow (beyond adaptation). Or an SDK? Probably not. Or support for AJAX or a Java ME version! (I’m joking). Dunno, I haven’t sat down to really think about this, but I’m sure Russ has been going through many combinations and permutations.
In any case, I totally believe that Russ has a nugget here with Mowser, and that he eventually will figure out the right model… the model will continue to evolve; that is all fine. One day the light bulb will go off and he will say “but of course!”. Keep it up Russ…
ceo