Space. In Your Pocket.

I was sitting in the audience at the CanUX conference when I got the e-mail.  Someone from our Toronto office had sent out a note with a link to this prototype of an experimental iPhone Web application.  I was immediately delighted at both the idea and execution and couldn't  wait to get the thing running on my own iPhone.  My initial thought?  How cool.

But let me take a step back and offer up an insight as someone who loves their iPhone.  The iPhone was designed with "talkability" built right into it.  By this, I mean it's an extremely effective way to do "show and tell".  I'm always showing folks stuff on my iPhone—whether it be pulling up a video clip on You Tube and watching it with the boys—or showing photos to a friend.  Web applications on the iPhone have opened up a whole new world of both utility and delight.  I enjoy using the facebook version on my iPhone more than I do the full blown Web version. This is because it's simpler and more importantly—I'm in "recreational" mode when I'm mobile.  So I'm more prone to exploration using my iPhone and a connection to the Web.

That's why I think the "Pocket Planet Gazer" is so neat.  I pulled it up when sitting on the couch with my 7-year-old and instantly, learning about the planets became interactive, casual and fun.  And I felt like I was doing something which brought us closer.  This is what marketing should be.  Stuff that actually makes life just a little better.

You can check out the iPhone application for yourself here:
www.criticalmass.com/exploration

You can also see that actual application from CM's newly designed site at criticalmass.com. (currently in Beta).  Check it out and unleash 7-year-old in you.  :-)