411Sync CEO Anurag Nigam on the "community portal approach" to mobile apps

It won't be impossible, but nor will it be easy for startups that want to build mobile platforms and services to differentiate themselves, given how many are out there. And let's not forget about incumbents like Google and Yahoo.

411Sync founder Anurag Nigam explains how his company lets mobile Web users create categories of content, based on keywords, that they want downloaded onto their handsets. Those categories are based on popular keywords, such as "sports scores," Nigam says.

Users can then share those categories with their friends and begin to build a mobile Web experience Nigam calls a "community portal approach."

The company's WAP-based software breaks up Web pages into smaller chunks that makes it easier to view on a handset screen. That's different from some of its start-up rivals who use SMS technology.

You can see Nigam's Vator.tv pitch here.