THE THIRD EYE
VC David Beisel of Genuine VC has an interesting post titled "Opportunities for the Third 
Screen", on how increasing number of cell phones have second and third screens and how they're potentially prime real estate for monetization by ads and offers. Specifically, David says:
"Motorola was talking about its plan to release new dynamic idle-screen technology, called Screen3, by year’s end. The technology, “essentially pushes Internet information to a mobile phone's main screen. Thus, users can get news updates or the latest weather forecasts with just a glance at their phones, without having to open sluggish WAP browsers or other applications.”
The challenge is not how to exploit the opportunity when it presents itself, but how to make sure consumers are not alienated by an overwhelming amount of "buy me"/"click here" type of offers.
Incidentally, this is something that may be an opportunity and issue soon for laptops and 
PDAs as well. Microsoft next version of its flagship OS, Windows Vista will support secondary screens, envisioned mostly to be on the outside of a laptop to provide say information from Outlook at a quick glance, without having to fire up the laptop (picture via Gizmodo).
This feature has already been envisioned for the budding handtop PC category, typified 
by Paul Allen's FlipstartPC.
It's external screen resembles something you'd seen on a cell phone today.
All these pieces of real estate will be prime for additional monetization if consumers seem to tolerate and like it.
Obviously, the volumes are going to much more economically interesting on cell phones than laptops and PDAs. But they're all places we're likely to see second and third screens.
Indian Hindu mythology speaks of the third eye being the "eye of higher perception", originating with Lord Shiva. Hopefully we're wise enough to use our artificial third screens for similar higher purposes.
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