Mobile Innovation on the Move in New England

Did you know that in New England alone there are more than 200 mobile technology companies? Last year, various companies included in this figure received more than $500 million in funding from VCs. These are just a few of the stats used to kick off yesterday’s Xconomy Forum, “The Future of Mobile Innovation in New England.”

While Massachusetts is well-known for being a high tech hot spot, I didn’t realize how much ground the area is gaining in the region. During one of the three panels presented at the event, CEOs from local mobile companies such as vlingo, MocoSpace, Skyhook Wireless, and Enterprise Mobile discussed the current mobile technology climate. These execs noted that there has recently been a shift in mobile technology specifically to the U.S. as well as London. Mobile technology is becoming the norm more and more each day as consumers rely on its ever-changing and evolving technology.

In conjunction with these technologies various smart phones were discussed including the iPhone, which now has more than 30,000 applications available. Having not bought a smart phone yet, this was just astounding to me. I had no idea that there was such a vast array of capabilities currently available!

Along these lines, a unique aspect of the event included a handful of “mobile bursts” which featured 2-minute demos from various local mobile companies including Bitstream, Pongr, uLocate, Jumptap and VMware. These really showcased the technology and definitely piqued the audience’s interest.

Overall, this was both an informative and interesting Xconomy event! …And you may soon see me with the next version of the iPhone…