Mobile doing more good than you might have thought

We've been tweeting an interesting story on CNN about using mobile to crowdsource micro-tasks in voluntary work. (Surely you're already following us? Thinktank_Int ) It's far from the only 'good' that mobile is doing, though.  While for us in the developed world, mobiles have helped make life easier, for many in the developing world they have provided much more than convenience. 

Often what seems to us to be simple applications can make a massive difference. A vast number of people who have very little can use mobiles to check which market gives them the best price for produce before they decide where to go to sell, find work and so on. In markets including the Philippines and Kenya, mobile is the most convenient way to send money for many people. 

Closer to home, mobile devices can make a significant difference to people with disabilities. Devices like the Nokia Communicator and BlackBerries, for example, often proved transformational for the deaf or hard of hearing.

These are just a few general examples - there are many, many more. The surprising thing, perhaps, is how little we actually hear about these from the mobile industry - especially since consumers are increasingly keen on companies that are genuinely doing good.