Are we making it too complex for marketers to adopt mobile advertising? asks Laura Marriott, Mobile Marketing Consultant, during a panel on the platform wars. I do not need a panel of experts to answer that question. Yes. Yes. Yes. Forget the multiple programming codes and languages. Forget the hundreds of handset options and handful of operating systems. Carriers, in the past, have not wanted to cooperate for the good of the industry and the benefit of consumers. In 1999 and early 2000 I worked in marketing for PairGain Technologies, which was acquired by ADC Telecommunications. At that time, …

Alexandre Mars asks the smart question of Mark Kvamme, who had previously stated his affinity for the Palm Pixie. Knowing Kvamme's a VC -- and that VC are stellar sales people -- Mars asks Kvamme, "Did you invest in Palm?" The answer is no, but still, carrying the flag for the Pixie is a bold move in a room full of iPhone dorks.

That’s what Sequoia’s Mark Kvamme would like to see. Because until that happens, nobody is going to win the mobile platform war, certainly not Apple. Noting that the iPhone sucks as a phone, a comment that elicited the first real applause of the day at OMMA Global in San Francisco, Kvamme said he’s probably the only guy in the room still using a Palm Pixsy. He uses it, he says, because he can actually hold a phone signal. And the developer or hardware company who can come up with a smart “phone” that can actually be used as a …

Mark Kvamme, Partner, Sequoia Capital has a Palm Pixie. Why? WHy on earth would someone have a Palm Pixie? Because, he says, "The iPhone is a terrible phone." When the audience stopped applauding, he didn't really explain why he had a Palm Pixie (since that was really only a reason not to have an iPhone).

That’s what Montgomery & Co. managing partner James Min was signing on this morning’s “Platform Wars” panel discussion about the prospects for mobile media advertising and marketing. He doesn’t think it’s such a hot “brand” advertising play. At least not yet. But he thinks the real value may be in consumer promotion and direct response types of marketing. “How many of you people in this room, have physically used a coupon” recently, Min asked, prompting a smattering of hands projected in the air, including mine. “About 20%,” he estimated. He then asked how many of the OMMA Global attendees would …

When approaching mobile "You need to forget your web education" says Alexandre Mars CEO Phonevalley & Head of Mobile Publicis Groupe. Apps can be cool but they're gimmicky, he says. "It's hard to vote against Apple as the winner in this space," says Tom Bedecarre, CEO, AKQA. It's been instrumental in having clients see what marketing can do beyond just placing an ad. But it's too early for Apple to run a victory lap, he says. Speed of impact and scale is what clients are looking for. Less than one percent of budgets are put into …

Mobile will prompt marketers to accelerate adoption of local search, display ads and paid search, according to James Min, managing partner of Montgomery and Company. During the OMMA Global conference in San Franscisco Wednesday, he said everyone talks about billions of handsets and great penetration, but the great opportunity will become attracting new dollars into the marketing funnel, not just circulating the old cash.

The one thing people cannot live without is broadband access, according to Mark Kvamme, partner at Sequoia Capital. Broadband overtook furniture and floor covering for the top hierarchy of consumer needs. Amen.