We’re in the process of putting together a database of content for a mobile phone software product we’re working on.  What’s interesting about this category of applications i.e. “database-based” apps, is that it’s not the quality of the programming that’s the most important differentiator amongst competitors; rather, it’s the content that’s most important.

That’s not to say that software quality isn’t important – it is.  But, there’s no doubt about it.  Content is king.  And truly understanding the category and ensuring you have genuinely fabulous content isn’t a trivial undertaking.  Knowledge (or, dare I say it, wisdom) isn’t something that is necessarily soluble in cash; this is a good thing from a business point of view, because it creates barriers to entry and builds value.

It’s also good for the customer. I’m a firm believer that, in this new era of the Internet, quality (at the right price) has never been more important in any kind of product; forums and blogs are major influences on peoples’ decisions to buy products, and these provide a level of information that has hitherto been impossible for consumers to access.  And I think this will be increasingly seen to be true for mobile phone software.