Supporting advertisers

So the latest topic of endless hype within the wireless industry seems to be ad-supported content and services. Ad-supported mobile social networking, ad-supported games, ad-supported muni Wi-Fi-the list goes on and on. I wish I could get an ad-supported assistant to sort everything out.
But it does look like advertising in wireless is going to become reality, in one way or another, eventually. Already, some companies are toeing into the market for ad-supported stuff: Virgin Mobile USA customers can watch ads to get free airtime; Greystripe offers more than 100 free Java games thanks to advertising money; and EarthLink and Google are building an ad-supported Wi-Fi network for San Francisco. So yes, the advertising industry is already dating the wireless industry, and it looks like they could go steady.
On one hand I’m very excited about ad-supported wireless; indeed, advertising supports a number of notable media. The whole TV phenomena wouldn’t have gone anywhere had it not been for commercials, and the same thing is true for most radio stations (although, thankfully, NPR bucks this trend). And where would the Internet be without advertising? Search giant Google owes much of its $146 billion market capitalization to advertisers willing to use the company’s Adsense program. Even your very own RCR Wireless News relies heavily on advertisers’ money.
But does ad support make sense in the mobile world? I like the idea of ad-supported games, although many of the free games available from Greystripe’s Gamejump Internet site are. let’s say. not of the highest quality. I also like the idea of other ad-supported content like WAP sites and video services.
But when it comes to communications, I get a little nervous. After all, I use my phone to say in touch with everyone who is important to me-my wife, my parents and my friends. I even use it to evade enemies like Dan Meyer.
See, a cellphone is pretty important, especially during emergencies. Imagine having to listen to a car commercial while trying to dial up a tow truck when you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere on I-40. It’s simply not a situation I want from a cellphone.
But perhaps I’m being too grumpy about the whole thing? After all, NASCAR racers are plastered with ads, and they seem like a pretty successful bunch.