When I first heard about Node.js, I may well have scoffed. I don’t tend to scoff a lot, but using JavaScript to run a server engine seemed a bit like circumnavigating the globe in a swan-shaped paddle boat.

Don’t get me wrong, I love JavaScript. I also love giant swan boats, but I know that they don’t travel well, and they don’t do well in high seas. At any rate, JavaScript is often the right tool for the right job when it comes to creating dynamic front-end interfaces when you don’t need a lot of power, like say on a mobile device. But running a server using Javascript seemed a grossly underpowered swan boat for this particular ocean. So I dug deeper and what I found was badass.

The mobile landscape, although an already booming industry, is still considered uncharted waters for many businesses looking to expand brand awareness. If integrating mobile is on your business’ radar, here are some notions to get you started building a strong strategy.

In his keynote at DrupalCon Chicago, Drupal founder Dries Buytaert said that if he had to build Drupal again from the ground up he would build it first for mobile devices and then support desktop users. In an amazingly short period of time, mobile devices have drastically shifted the online landscape to the point that in 2010 we crossed the threshold of over 50% of all Internet access is being done via handhelds of some sort .

Figuring out what’s best for your business in the ever-changing world of mobile content may mean making some smart decisions around whether your content should be delivered via a thick or thin client.

The thickness of a client refers to how much processing is done and how much data is stored on the client device versus the servers it interacts with. The more data and processing done, the thicker the client becomes. For example, take two different calendar applications.

Are you one of the many who proverbially turned the page by switching to a Kindle for reading this past year?

Well, by opening up the Kindle platform to third-party app developers, Amazon has made some significant efforts to remain competitive with Apple, its line of iPhones, and the much-rumored tablet that is supposedly just around the corner.

Imagine if you could hold your iPhone up to a building and it would tell you not only what is inside the building such as stores, restaurants, and so on, but also who is in the building and what they are saying.

What if it also gave you information on items inside the building that were on sale or what reservation times were free at your favorite restaurant? Well, an architecture firm in Tokyo has created a building in Tokyo that comes with its own iPhone app that puts all this information and more at your fingertips.