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News 2009-03-20 Mobile Developers Clash on Mobile Future MOBILE EDITION March 2009 The first Mobile Developer Live: Silicon Valley, held Feb. 26, 2009 at Keynote Systems, brought together more than 150 mobile Web developers and thought leaders – live and online — from Silicon Valley and around the world to discuss today’s mobile best practices and tomorrow’s challenges in an informative networking event. Participating companies included CBS Sports, Cellfire, iLoop Mobile, Mobile Distillery, MobileAppLoader, Nokia, Yahoo!, Nokia, VeriSign, and Verizon Wireless. Conversations were invigorating – to say the least – as the issues and opportunities of working on the mobile Web were commented upon – and argued about – by those who are on the leading edge of mobile Web development and the future of on-device applications and use of the cloud. In the first panel session titled: “Tools Techniques, Design Options”, host Manny Gonzalez from Keynote asked panelists Michael Ahearn, iLoop, Slawomir Ligier, VeriSign, and Aiman Abedi, Keynote, questions about growth limitations and design challenges in the mobile Web market. Here are some excerpts. User Experience is Key to Growth There was general agreement that if the user experience is poor, then the motivation to use the service is just not there. Panelists were hopeful that continuing improvements in performance and usability, as well as better pricing policies by service providers will lead to greater adoption. Ahearn noted that, “Speed of the network connection and handsets that can actually display a good user experience have been part of the historical problem. If a non-technology person can use the device, then it is ready for wide spread adoption. … so far, the ease-of-use has not been there on a large scale.” Abedi agreed: “As advancements in handset technology have increased, we see a simultaneous increase in the level of functionality and sophistication that can be offered on those devices.” Ligier pointed to a larger problem in terms of casual users: “… the price of a carrier data plan served as a barrier to adoption for many casual mobile users. How many non-technology people will buy a data plan in order to do internet browsing on their mobile device? Typically the cost of a mobile data plan can match what you pay for your home internet connection.” Strategic Development: Smart Phones vs. Broadly Adapted Content Smart phones are leading the market for tightly integrated mobile applications – encouraging power users to adopt the technology, and thus grow demand; however, this same trend causes serious challenges for developers. Gonzalez asked how the panel chose which devices to target, given the explosion of different handset models, and if it was important to create content that was compatible with the widest variety of devices. VeriSign has a two-pronged approach to determine target devices to support. According to Ligier, “We go through a market analysis process, try to determine the top handsets offered by the operator networks during a specific time frame, and focus our efforts on supporting those devices.” “The company targets a special segment of smart devices ” he continued, “since advanced, early-adopters usually select high end devices for their personal use.” Ligier also observed that there are really two segments to content creation. Mobile internet is complex enough, but “downloadable applications have a whole new set of complexities in terms of specific device support as well as problems in delivering the content to the handset.” Ahearn was blunt: “Everyone is looking for the silver-bullet, but there is no silver-bullet. You need to design the right interface for the right use and objective.” He indicated the dilemma that developers face: “Selecting just one target technology, for example an iPhone app, only allows you to market to a subset of the potential consumer base. An iPhone app has a limited number of users but allows you to create a very compelling experience. Something like a generic mobile internet site can reach a wider audience, but the richness of the experience is capped by limitations of that limited browsing experience.” Abedi agreed with Ahearn: “Ideally you would want to create content that is compatible with as many mobile devices as possible. Ultimately you may have to decide to offer content for a subset of devices, but having the proper design mindset toward compatibility will give you the most options in terms of the market segment you can address.” Unless or until the market settles to a few dominating designs, developers will need to have clear strategic goals and then determine how to serve the broadest possible audience based on the goals. Tune in for the MDL Experience The February 26 event was the first of a series of Mobile Developer Live events sponsored by Keynote. If you missed it, you can hear/see the event at Keynote Webcast Center. For information on future events, watch for announcements in this newsletter or be the first to find out on Twitter (KeynoteSystem). |
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