Mobile isn't always about getting in and getting out quickly. Craig Etheridge, VP Mobile Ad Sales, Gannett Digital/USA Today, says the company looks closely at time spent and engagement with its
mobile properties as a measure of success. In particular, it looks at whether people are spending at least 3 to 5 minutes reading USA Today or other publications in mobile. Because Gannett wants users
to spend more time with its properties, "we have to make sure we're delivering a good experience," he said. USA Today's iPad edition was created with HTML5.
When it comes to advertising, he
says its too early to develop ad standards for tablets, especially for rich media, because it would be too limiting to creation of new types of units tailored to the format. Dan Hickey of Meredith
Interactive and Scott Drake of CNBC Digital both look forward to the time when app development will become a less costly and more efficient process with the spread of the HTML5 standard, effectively
blurring the line between apps and the mobile Web. "If we assume connectivity will be ubiquitous in a year or two, then the concept of an app will morph a bit," said Hickey. "It won't take 25 minutes
to download an app and it will be instantly ready when turned on."