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As a follow on from our interview with John Goodall on Friday we asked John about the future of mobile Internet. Before helping to found mobile RSS pioneer LiteFeeds, John Goodall studied Physics and Mathematics at York University in Toronto, and worked for companies such as Macys, Quantum Dot and Webpost.

What changes need to be made so the mobile Internet is more ready for the consumer? Why haven’t they been yet?

Goodall: Consumers do not want to type URLs using a tiny keypad only to receive a slow website that doesn’t look good on a tiny screen. LiteFeeds tries to solve these issues by allowing users to subscribe to their favorite sites online and then receive the latest updates on those sites on their mobile with no configuration. Since LiteFeeds is powered by RSS, the content fits nicely on mobile screens consisting of headlines and summaries which are quick to download and navigate.

Do you believe that mobile applications will become more carrier-independent, just as websites are ISP-independent?

Goodall: I think this is inevitable if mobile Internet is to grow further. Consumers will not accept canned content forever. Many carriers are already open and there is huge pressure for others to follow. We are having success distributing our application on the open carriers since consumers actively seek us out.

What is LiteFeeds’ business model?

Goodall: We have a few business models available to us. We currently offer a white label service for publishers and carriers (branded mobile reader that syncs with their content). For the future we are exploring mobile advertising and advertising networks.

Do you work directly with content providers, or just mobile operators?

Goodall: We work with both content providers and mobile operators. Our latest service allows any publisher to mobilize their content via their RSS feeds. We offer a branded mobile reader that syncs with the publishers directory of RSS feeds and allows users to select their choice of feeds and stay updated on their mobile. This requires almost no integration with publishers since everything is exposed via RSS.

What are your future plans?

Goodall: We would like to work with publishers to mobilize their content via their RSS feeds. This requires no integration since all the content is already exposed via RSS. Mobilizing via RSS gives users the ability to pick and choose their custom content and browse it quickly and easily on their mobile.

Michael M.