Welcome to Carnvial of Mobilists #119. What’s amazing about this week’s offerings is that they themselves are a reflection of mobile’s push to data and multimedia in 2008. Handset companies, former handset companies, Internet companies, new entrants and social networking giants are all involved in mashups of services. And this CoM is a mashup of various media types to capture it all and bring to you. A photographic collage, video, audio and even the old school written article converge in the CoM to bring together the best thinking, talking and writing about mobility around the world.

From China, Anina of 360fashion.net and 360fashion.tv, delivers a video recorded with a Nokia 7900 which features a discussion with a Chinese fashion booker on the usefulness and utility of Anina’s own mobile game for girls called, Dress Up Anina. Some will be aware of Anina’s efforts through her 360fashion network to mashup the fashion and mobile industries. And if you’re not, you should be.

From the UK, Rafe Blandford of All About Symbian, creates his media mashup of a visual commentary of CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas.

Andrew Gill of blog.andrewgill.com introduces us to a mashup of Facebook and LBS which allows tracking of friends and family including wayward spouses. Channeling Dr. Suess: Oh! The Places We Will Go! The service is made available by UK mobile operator O2.

Vero Pepperrell of Taptology brings more news of O2 which reveals that 3G isn’t necessarily about speed for this operator. Read this one as “trust but verify” might be the best advice for those who think the iPhone’s Edge radio doesn’t meet their demands for 3G speed, especially those in the UK.

Ajit Jaokar of Open Gardens talks about his mashup of Gmail with Blackberry. This article asks a very simple direct question, but it’s hinting something bigger.

Kiran Bellubbi of Small Doses reflects on last week’s attendance at OvertheAir mobile development camp and champions the browser as platform for mobile devices. Let’s repeat together….iPhone, iPhone, iPhone.

Matt Radford of AllAboutiPhone discusses the iPhone’s Over-the-air (OTA) syncing opportunities and possible roadmap through an analysis of recent announcements from Apple along with it’s other properties. Interesting assessment of what syncing could mean for enterprises and for Apple.

James Cooper of mjelly delivers a comprehensive recap of this month’s Mobile Monday, London discussion on mobile user experience. The enthusiasm James has for the topic is palpable and contagious.

Dean Bubley of Distruptive Analysis takes on the disruptive possibilities of m-commerce for brick and mortal retail. Leading with the impact of Amazon on traditional retail, Bubley extrapolates the potential for m-commerce and how traditional retail can deliver unique value in the face of additional price and convenience competition.

James Whatley, aka Whatleydude of SMSTextNews,  advocates replacement of standard device OS user interface with the Facebook interface.  During the Mobile Messaging 2.0 led Roundtable at CTIA 2008, the group I led took on the topic of user experience.  After a discussion of consumer research results on user desire for integrated social networks from Jonathon Steuer, vp, consumer strategist at iconoculture, Facebook, and Helio’s MySpace interface, then the natural next step was expanding the concept to User-defined UI.  Or more correctly expressed….use case defined UI.  Some examples discussed included media creators, sports enthusiasts, and social network addicts.  Take a look as James recounts the discussion.

From the cyber bridge between the UK and US, Chetan Sharma of AORTA delivers the Mobile Data State of the Union for 2008 and the US market. Sharma continues his on target analysis of the mobile industry combining quantitative measures with enlightened commentary which extends beyond the common narrative into the reality of the US mobile market.

From the cyber bridge between Germany and the US, Peggy Anne Salz of MSearchGroove (MSG)connects the dots of Qualcomm’s seemingly disjointed services strategy and roadmap. The article features an extensive discussion with Qualcomm’s Herbert Vanhove, Vice President & General Manager, Qualcomm Internet Services, Europe, with Salz’s own analysis of the meaning and opportunity for Qualcomm’s service M&A activity.

From the US, C. Enrique Ortiz of About Mobility defines the drivers of the wireless/mobile usage boom. Ortiz draws out the factors that are converging to move mobile usage to a critical mass.

Jamie Wells of Mobilestance zeros in on the glut of mobile advertising inventory and mobile publishers engage in experimentation with multiple sales partners. Wells offers some advice for big brands and publishers.

Barbara Ballard of Little Springs Design uses her love of basketball national champions, Kansas University, as a metaphor for success in mobile application design. Ballard answers the question of where the challenge is won.

Judy Breck of Smartmobs features to an article from the New York Time Magazine on the travels and intelligence gathering of Nokia’s Jan Chipchase. With the ubiquity of the cell phone comes opportunities beyond sales of games and dating applications. Breck’s headline says it best, “Can the Cell Phone Help End Global Poverty?”

And finally we come to my pick discussion this week on the mobile industry via audio: Vizard and Gillmor on the Mobile Shakeout from Mike Vizard and Steve Gillmor. Featuring an in depth discussion of Intel’s new Atom chip, these technology industry veterans lead us down the twists and turns of the path to what’s happening next in mobile development. Of course, it wouldn’t be Gillmor without discussion of the iPhone. What do the recent product shortages mean?

From a photo essay to video, to audio and even the written word the Carnvial of Mobilists continues to feature the best thinking on and from the mobile industry. There’s a feast of information available as the CoM continues to grow and incorporate new voices along side long-time contributors. It is a reflection of the industry as a whole. I’m confident that all audiences will find value in the variety of perspectives and commentary featured this week, and would encourage everyone to follow the CoM next week at its new host location, Skydeck’s blog.

If you have articles, videos, audio or photo commentary on any and all things mobile, visit the officialCarnival of Mobilists site and join to have your voice featured in a future CoM. And better yet, if you would like to host the best source for thinking on mobility anywhere on the web check out the instructions to volunteer as a host.

Enjoy Carnival of the Mobilists #119. I certainly have.