SMS as a query-based "mobile internet"
As I've written before, the cell phone is the computer for majority of world's people. Google's new set of SMS services for Africa follows this idea in an interesting way:
...mobile applications which will allow people to access information, via SMS, on a diverse number of topics including health and agriculture tips, news, local weather, sports, and more. The suite also includes Google Trader, a SMS-based “marketplace” application that helps buyers and sellers find each other. People can find, "sell" or "buy" any type of product or service, from used cars and mobile phones to crops, livestock and jobs.
This brings my earlier "solving the logistics of mamona" post to mind.
Now, how about making maemo support SMS? That would be another step to turning our tablets into universal communicators.
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The World's Internet Tablet?
GigaOM has a very interesting article on the new N810 internet tablet, and how it will be relevant for the developing world:
The Cell phone is the Computer
A BBC article is reporting how cell phones have become ubiquitous in the developing world, and how they instead of "regular" computers will be the communications, learning and business platform in many of those regions. If I had told you ten years ago that by the end of 2007 there would be an international network of wirelessly-connected computers throughout the...