In this article by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo at PBS’s Mediashift, most smartphones are classified as not very smart. One of the culprits according to her are media companies that aren’t stepping up to the plate to create content that is compatible with the over 70 million smartphones sold last year. Her hope is that the iPhone is the answer to all her woes with its ability to bring rich content right off the web. However, we need to make sure that the content we produce can reach these cellphone viewers, which outnumber web users worldwide. In many countries cellphones are the only form of electronic communication people have. Understanding this need and responding to it means we can reach many more people than we currently do. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Why My Smartphone Is Dumb About the Net
by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

So why is this so hard? I’m surely not the only one who has felt this level of frustration. With about 70 million smartphones sold last year and even more regular cell phones boasting the ability to access the web, I’m guessing I’ve got more than a few brothers-in-arms in this battle. The question that bugs me the most is why media companies aren’t quicker to rectify this problem. Surely they have something to gain by making our lives easier; if nothing else, they would gain loyalty to their brands for not making us cringe when we hear the word “mobile” after their names. I think all parties — carriers, media companies and phone manufacturers — can bear part of the blame, but in general they could greatly improve their respective products by making ease of use the No. 1 priority. - more