The Guardian app differentiates itself by charging to download it. A whopping great £2.39, which is the same as nine Daily Stars. And it doesn’t even have much in the way of topless lovelies either.

Executive summary: it’s brilliant.

The Guardian, and their developers 2ergo, have understood that mobile applications aren’t simply about slapping the existing website onto an iPhone and making the font a bit smaller.

It is a complete newspaper in your pocket. I spent much of last night attracting worried eyes as I laughed like a lunatic at Charlie Brooker’s column.  UK news, world news, comment, culture, sport, business, media, life and style… they are all there. Most newspaper web sites and applications are bland. They refuse to differente themselves from the really-unfair-because-they-get-the-license-fee BBC site by using what makes them special – insight, analysis and opinion. Lesson 1: a cut down size does not mean you have to have cut down content.

Impressively the app includes interlinking of information. An article about Barak Obama’s speech on climate change connects through to articles on the environment, climate change, world news and Barak Obama. The background to the story, and sometimes differing opinions, are right there. You can also see other articles by the same author. Lesson 2: Computers are pretty good at linking information together. Duh!

The app also seamlessly blends in audio content. Wake up to the soothing tones of the Guardian’s news briefing while soaping in the shower. Go to sleep with David Cameron outlining his policy on climate change. Lesson 3: The iPhone is not paper. You can do things like this.

If you’re the sort who ignores the protestations at Copenhagen and insists on flying, the application has an offline mode. I hear it is also quite handy on the Tube, so environmentalists and sweaty armpitted businessmen can enjoy it too. You can customise the layout of the app, pushing content you love to the front, which is ideal given the amount of content updated daily. Lesson 4: Think how people might use it.

The application integrates with Facebook and email. Lesson 5: We live in a connected world, and you can only do your brand good by allowing sharing. How do you do that with a rigid paywall?

The only thing currently lacking is user generated comments, although it is sometimes debatable whether they really add much value. And, as one reviewer noted, you can’t do the crossword.

There are further lessons for Mr Murdoch, who wants to make people pay for access to his newspapers online. We will pay for something in which we see value. We are not a nation of spongers as his comments inevitably suggest. The paid Guardian application is number 1 for news on the iPhone, and I actually feel a little guilty because it is a one off fee, rather than a subscription. The Times mobile web site offers cut down content and does nothing to take advantage of the capabilities. We iPhone users love having a powerful information and communication tool in our pocket. If News International steps up and takes advantage of that, we will happily put our hand in our pocket.

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The framework is location aware, offering visitors to a destination an opportunity to find nearby attractions, activities, events, accommodation, special offers, weather…. virtually anything that we can find data for.

It’s all systems go!

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It takes the hassle out of finding a Tesco in an unfamilar town by locating and offering directions to the nearest store. Great stuff.

But they’ve gone further. Tesco’s stores are different sizes and have different layouts. So if you urgently need a bottle of wine or a pack of Andrex the app will tell you whether they have it, whether it is on special offer and exactly where to find it.

I can find What Car? magazine in my local Tesco in Aisle 01 on the RIGHT side at the first unit, then 5th shelf up from the floor. Apparently.

The app will let you know if Tesco have a particular brand, saving a journey if they don’t.

We’re continuing to research and develop iPhone applications – currently for Tourism and soon for Screen and Media. Tesco’s app isn’t the coolest or flashest we’ve seen, but it’s one of only a few which seem genuinely centred around where a customer will find value.

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Travelers young and old are increasingly using mobile devices for flight notification, check in, and seat selection, and are also willing to accept advertising with free travel applications.

These findings and more were revealed in a global mobile survey of travelers, conducted by Sabre Travel Network, the world’s leading provider of high-performance solutions for the travel industry. More…

My own experience on this: a few weeks ago I was on a break in Blackpool (don’t ask…) and after visiting a religious site at Ladywell (again, don’t ask…) it was time for a coffee. Not knowing the area I wasn’t aware of any cafe’s or coffee shops close by but with my much enjoyed iPhone in hand, I was able to find nearby coffee shops/restaurants using the Qype application.

My iPhone showed the Haighton Manor which was only 1 mile away from my location and not only gave it the location of the hotel, a description and a picture it also gave me reviews from people who had used the hotel before! We had a lovely coffee and as it happened we liked the hotel so much we decided to dine and stay there too!

As you will read in the article of HotelMarketing I’m not the only mobile “nutter” looking for things to do, see and visit via a mobile device. In the article it states that

Travelers show a strong adoption for using their mobile phone to gain timely and relevant information, like destination information.

That’s why our team is working so hard on the development of a new iPhone app aimed at providing visitors up to date destination information. To be released soon……

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Open Brolly, co-owner of 4TM, already has applications in development and is expected to release the first of these in the next few weeks. For 4TM it means that applications can be created which reach visitors while they are in-destination and without their laptop or an Internet connection. The applications are developed to work even when there is no mobile signal available, such as in remote areas or when using an iPod rather than an iPhone. The applications will include a mechanism for visitors to provide feedback to destinations or companies.

For more information, please contact david@4tm-services.com.

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To get the update, connect your phone to your PC / Mac running iTunes and click on ‘Check for Updates”.

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