The explosion in cellphone usage during the 1990s and 2000s poses a major challenge and huge opportunity for media companies to get their content distributed to mobile devices.

While home computer ownership has been creeping up very slowly in recent years (approximately 70 to 75 percent of U.S. households have a computer), cellphone usage is nearly ubiquitous. But websites developed by news organizations display poorly on mobile devices, requiring new strategies for delivering stories and other content to cellphone users.

Media companies usually create mobile versions of their websites that are compatible with cellphone screens. Check out the mobile site for the New York Times and CNN's mobile page.

News organizations also provide news feeds for mobile devices that deliver stories via text messages. Here's the New York Times text messaging service.

Other companies such as foneshow work with media companies to deliver audio feeds of news stories to cellphones, which can be heard on older, less sophisticated devices.

Cellphones equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) technology provide another opportunity for news organizations to deliver stories and information to people based on their location. Thus feeds of information like restaurant reviews or stories on traffic problems could be tailored to where a person is at any given moment.

iPhones

Apple's introduction of the iPhone in June 2007 revolutionized the web browsing experience on a cellphone. The display and touch screen technology made web browsing easier, more functional and much more aesthetically pleasing.

With the introduction of the 3G version of the iPhone with GPS technology in July 2008, information could be delivered to an iPhone based on the user's location. See for example Apple's description of how to use the iPhone to get maps with GPS.

News organizations are developing applications for the iPhone that provide customized feeds of news stories. See for example the ABC News iPhone application.

iPods and Podcasts

Another Apple device that has exploded in popularity is the iPod. While this portable device is primarily used for downloading music, news organizations also are providing audio podcasts of news stories that can be downloaded via RSS onto an iPod.

See for example NPR's directory of podcasts.

Cellphones and User Generated Content

The flip side of delivering news to cellphone users is their ability to use photo and video cameras built into many of the devices to create and publish their own content, especially eye-witness accounts of news events. A classic case was the execution of Sadam Hussein captured on a cellphone video camera.

Readings and Resources:

Your Guide to the Mobile Web - MediaShift

Moving to Mobile - Newspaper Association of America

There’s an App for That. But a Revenue Stream?  - New York Times story on iPhone