Rethinking AOL Mobile: Could Bebo Have An Impact?

It's fair to say that AOL's mobile services are pretty much off the radar when compared with competitors Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO). Until today, I've never even visited AOL's WAP Web site to see what's shaking. The answer? It's a nice portal, but there's not a whole lot going on. Could AOL's acquisition of Bebo change that?

It looks nice, I'll give at least that to AOL's WAP portal. Graphically, it is more rich than Google's. But it's no more usable. It offers the same hodgepodge of access to news, e-mail, movie times, picture management, and other content that are found on Google and Yahoo's mobile portals.

Last fall, AOL revamped its site (I have no idea what it looked like before the re-design) and hinted that it was looking to expand its mobile offerings. The AOL MyMobile portal is still under construction, though, and no release date is available. It's been nearly six months. AOL, can you get us a progress report, please?

Google and Yahoo, conversely, have made their mobile ambitions crystal clear. Google adds new mobile features and functions almost daily. And Yahoo launched the third iteration of its Go! for mobile platform in January at CES. They both have a growing amount of stickiness with mobile users. Neither has a big social networking tie-in, however, and that's where Bebo might be able to make a difference.

Bebo may not be bringing a whole lot of revenue (and pretty much zero profits) to the table, but social networks are all the rage these days. The mobile versions thereof are gaining more and more traction among users. The social network aspect could be what sets AOL's mobile plans apart from Yahoo and Google.

According to All Things Digital's Kara Swisher, Bebo has a "very experienced exec who has been running it." Bebo's president Joanna Shields might have the Web-savvy know-how that AOL needs to turn its own Web and mobile properties around. But given Bebo's lack of penetration here in the United States, that might take a while. (It's mostly popular in the U.K., Ireland, and New Zealand).

Moco News reports that "Bebo ... has been busy in the mobile space, striking deals with operators to carry its service. In February, it partnered with social network technology provider Intercasting to put Bebo on its Anthem platform giving the social net's users a better way to share content and photographs on their mobiles."

Meanwhile, Facebook and MySpace already have vast numbers of users who access their accounts from standard PCs and mobile phones alike. What's more, they have big deals with wireless network operators (such as AT&T (NYSE: T)) that give them noticeable presence on carrier decks. The only presence from AOL that I am aware of on any mobile decks are its IM and e-mail products. Perhaps offering its own social network can give it more visibility. The trick is getting people to actually sign up to such a network.

I know I tired of MySpace after about 18 months of use. Is Bebo strong or different enough to convince people to give up the social networks they've been using for years? Or will it recruit younger users who haven't yet chosen from the competition? To answer that, I think we'll need to ask Joanna Shields and her new bosses at AOL.