Cloudprint, a development from the Hewlett-Packard Labs, will make it possible to store and share [previously spooled] documents from your mobile phone. At face value any form of mobile computing seems like a practical solution – but the hidden agenda is not a shade of green – more black, cyan, magenta and yellow.

Generally speaking the service will be useful. Users will first “print” their documents to online servers, which in turn will release a document code to the user’s mobile device. The code can then be used at any time, from any Internet-enabled location, to retrieve the documents – saved as PDF files.

Great! I can hear the crys from Friends of the Earth – it will encourage a paperless environment and will help to cut down on energy consumption by avoiding unnecessary printing. Or will it?

Recent reports from the WSJ Online and the Times Online suggest that Google may position themselves as mobile middlemen – provisioning content discovery through a new search platform (similar to their desktop Product Search – formerly known as Froogle) as well as the mobile transaction itself in a ‘gateway style’ solution.

Personally I can’t see it. Facilitator of Mobile Web growth and capitilisation of ad placement yes, but Google – organisers of the world’s information – an insurance broker – nah!

Of course, the success of mobile contextual advertising is totally dependent on the mass adoption of the Mobile Web. And sure as eggs are eggs, Google is gearing up in every which way possible to make it happen. Having spent months working with content providers it is clearly evident that they are seeking to index as much content as possible and find new ways to engage the mobile audience – but IMO with one goal – to underpin their advertising model.