Carnival of the Mobilists #187

This week’s Carnival of the Mobilists is up at Mobilestance with some excellent entries on mobile and wireless as always.

This week’s carnival also features my post Netbooks lead the way on how we’ll be using our mobile phones in the near future

Netbooks lead the way on how we’ll be using our mobile phones in the near future

Netbooks are set to revolutionize the mega-trend “Cloud computing” sweeping the technology landscape.

Based on some findings released by ThinkFree based on a survey they conducted, Netbooks are mainly being used for for business, entertainment and communication. Another survey noted that Netbooks will be used as secondary devices. Let’s analyze how they’re being used in each of these categories.

Business

Primarily used for reviewing documents, spreadsheets, presentations and making minor edits, but not generally treating netbooks the primary machine for these applications.

My Opinion: As they are treated as secondary devices, I don’t expect people to pay for Microsoft Office. Thunderbird, Open Office etc are sufficient for simple email management and some word processing.

Entertainment

Browsing the web, listening to music and viewing/editing photos.

My Opinion: As browser and media player are anyway free, Picasa can easily be used for viewing and quick image editing and posting photos to the net.

Communication

Sending email, IM, making VOIP calls and creating blog posts.

Next Step

Since it’s not replacing the laptop, I think what’s basically missing
is a phone added to the mix. I don’t see why users will want to carry
mobile, netbook and laptop at the same time. I foresee a Nokia communicator type device with decent screen size and usable keypad to overtake the Netbook just like Smarphones overtook the PDA. The software being used will need to be adopted for this new phone, that said, software to do all the above already exists for mobiles, it just needs to be made more easy to use.

With larger screen size and better keyboard I don’t see a reason why we’ll not see Netbooks being phased out to give way for the next generation of mobile phones.

Is this thought too outlandish? What do you think?

Google’s Browser is targeted at Windows, not other browsers (LinkedIn Responses)

In a previous post, I had opined that Google’s Chrome is targeted at Windows, not IE. I had posted this question on LinkedIn to get a feel from people in the community and received several thought provoking insights. Here are some of the responses.

Chrome blurs the boundary between Browser and the OS

I think it’s a smart move from Google as we have started to expect from them. They have showed different ways of accomplishing things for end users. Combine chrome with Google Apps, gears and what have you – you indeed have started to blur the boundaries between OS and browser. How will this pan out will entirely depends on how well this is marketed and catches on with common man. One application I use heavily is Google notes – it’s a neat concept. [Architect iWay, BI, EAI, SOA, ESB and BPM at Information Builders]

Chrome is not aimed at Windows in particular, but it is aimed at Operating Systems in general. The idea might be to build a browser which is very reliable and very OS independent and can run heavy applications which Google or others might be offering in the future using the software as a service model. Once people get used to having all their applications online and stay connected around the clock, the operating system would be no longer of any relevance and companies like Google whose bread and butter comes from internet will flourish even more [Engineer at Hughes Systique]

When you say, “an entire marketplace spread between desktop, mobile and web,” I think you have nailed it, and I think that’s very different from browser vs. OS. I think the lines between the two will continue to blur in the coming years, and that marketplace you mention will be created. Chrome has taken us a big step in that direction, and others will continue to do so. I would encourage all to have a look at the Adaptive Path Aurora concept that imagines the web browser of 2018, and some of the other things that Mozilla is envisioning while we look at what Google has done. More competition in these areas will be a good thing, and the companies and organizations that attempt to move us toward this marketplace will learn from and push each other [eCommerce Marketing Coordinator at CareerBuilder.com]

Chrome is a step towards the “Cloud”

Many people share your opinion. Google is clearly focusing in the desktop concept: email, chat, documents, agenda, web browsing, blogging, etc… For those things to run, you only need a browser and an Internet connection (not active all the time thanks to Gears). 

So the next question is: what are the OS needed for (from and end user point of view)? They are needed to run apps… what happens if you can run apps without a so called OS? Would end user notice this? 

I think the answer is NO. If you relate this to low cost PCs… it seems it’s gonna be a huge market space for this. Of course pro users will still need OS+High Performance PCs for a long time… but Google has opened a new direction [Business Development Manager at Divisa iT]

I think probably you are correct. Slowly the OS might become necessary for memory intensive enterprise applications or for specialized applications. For other applications, they can move towards internet/saas and for them the browser becomes very important. [Technical Lead at HP Software]

We know how much capital Google has invested in “Cloud” capabilities (not sure which of the “xxaS” four-letter acronyms to reference any more). I think we should give credit to Google thinking well beyond the current dialogue about Cloud Computing, and with the capabilities proposed (but seemingly not yet there) for Chrome, I see this as setting the foundation for a new evolutionary step of end user computing. Viewed in this light, it’s not only an alternative to the O/S but also an alternative to the applications used on the desktop. 

Yes, I would think that Microsoft would be nervous about this, but not just as a threat to the IE roadmap. More progressive thinkers at Microsoft might identify an opportunity here, but one that would imply a significant shift of mindset.  [Senior IT/Business Consultant]

Chrome is not really targeted at OS

Google Chrome will be to the desktop what the hypervisor is to a server. Abstracting a platform away from a specific OS will allow Google to run applications whereever they want on any device and allow for that application to shift from device to device with no change or interruption of service. 

Google’s Chrome will allow “cloud” based applications to run on anything, anywhere, anytime. 
Computers still need an OS. Chrome cannot “boot” a computer. The OS is becoming far less relevant [ISV Manager at Canonical Ltd.]

While it has the potential to take over a few desktop applications, it won’t replace an entire OS. Web applications are still pretty new and have a lot of kinks to work out compared to their desktop counterparts. Plus, even with the addition of Google Gears, not every application will have offline support. This is a guarantee for every OS that Google Chrome can not provide. Google Chrome is definitely aimed at other browsers [Social Media Co-ordinator and Writer At ReadWriteWeb]

If Google is trying to target the OS, it’s approach is very oblique. I think that Google is going after a _desktop lite_ rather than a real OS. While Chrome Beta is released only on Windows, the background info says that versions for Mac and Linux are coming. 

Google clearly wants a platform that will integrate with and showcase their own apps. What they’ve included and left out of the Chrome beta is kind of interesting. For example, there is presently no way to permit pop-ups, and the only ways I’m familiar with to allow desktop-like drag and drop between windows (not frames) rely on AJAX. Many times these sites or browers apps also have popups [Manager of Product and Business Development at Aptara]

Chrome won’t replace the OS, but Google will create an OS and ship it with Chrome

I had a moment on understanding the recently. 
#Google are an advertising agency. 
#Advertising agency’s get paid to put adverts in front of as many people as possible. 
#People use services because of content and the public filters on the cost to get the content. (why pay to be advertised too) 

Now Google have released chrome, they now have a way to control how you see the content, monitor how effective the adverts are and get kudos unconsciously from the public for another free gift. 

My prediction. 
To increase the size of the market, Google will create a Linux/FreeBSD distribution that only comes with Chrome and X, No local applications, just Google and the Internet. They will give this away for free. In shops you will be able to pick up a Google OS disk, just boot off the DVD put in your Google user name / password and everything you want is there including all your files, pictures, videos, contacts and emails. As the OS and on-line applications are free, the low cost hardware vendors will be better able to compete world wide in the cost concious markets especially China and India. Suddenly a much larger market to show adverts to. [Infrastructure Manager at Computing Solutions Limited] 

 

Note: These are some of the responses I received. You can visit the original LinkedIn question to view all the responses.

Google’s Chrome is aimed at Windows, not IE

In my previous post I had talked about Microsoft finally coming up with a worthy reply to Firefox with IE 8. I guess I published that post a tad bit early because Google launched Chrome in the next 12 hours. So here’s a re-analysis of the landscape taking this crucial development into account.

Launching Chrome means Google’s given up on Firefox, they’re even using Webkit as a base and not Mozilla, I think we can safely count Firefox, Opera and Safari as side shows, in the long run, this will be between Google and Microsoft. I’m not going to go into the features or technicals, the web is plastered with those, I’ll analyze the long term impact this will have instead.

Google putting their hat in the ring means we’re in for a long haul, this is no longer about browser but about the an entire marketplace spread between desktop, mobile and web. With Chrome, Google’s taking a shot at Windows, not paltry Internet Explorer.

Back in 1997, during the heady days of Netscape Navigator, Marc Anderseen, Netscape’s co-founder said

The browser, could “reduce Windows to a set of poorly debugged device drivers.”

Google’s browser is posing the exact same threat that Marc Anderseen talked about, only Google’s a much more serious competitor. With their presence in Web and mobile and extending slowly to the Desktop, Google’s posing a serious threat at Microsoft’s core business model.

GigaOm sums up the direct threat to Windows

Google Chrome has faster JavaScript VM, better memory management, better Windows UI rendering, faster text layout and rendering,  and intelligent page navigation in comparison to other more widely adopted browsers. When combined with Google Gears technology, this is as close as you can get to replicating the desktop experience with web applications

In the not so far away future, we’re going to see a confluence between desktop, web and mobile and the slug-fest will be between players that have stakes in all three places (meaning Apple, Microsoft and Google). We’re going to see mobile-only players like Nokia and web-only ones like Yahoo reduced to a minority.

Now it all depends on how far Microsoft lets Google go with Android and Chrome before coming up with a response. I hope it’s not as long as they took in responding to Sun’s JAVA because this time around timing’s gonna count way more.

Mobile Wallet is “Near”

According to a recent survey, for 38% people, mobile has become more important than their wallets, no surprise then that the industry is working towards replacing the wallet with the mobile by integrating NFC (Near Field Communication) chips in the phone.

According to a new analysis from Juniper Research, NFC mobile payments market will exceed $75 billion globally by 2013, when 20% of all phones shipped will possess NFC capability. ABI Research claims that by 2010, more than 50% of mobile handsets – some 500 million units – will incorporate NFC capabilities.

Benefits to the user

NFC Touchpoint - Touch and Travel

The advantage of NFC integrated into the phone is it allows applications to be built on top of it, making it a true mobile wallet. This enables NFC to also be used for other purposes like access to public transport, your company or your car for that matter.

Forum Nokia describes the benefits of NFC for consumers

With just a point or a touch, NFC enables effortless use of the devices and gadgets we use daily. Here are some examples of what a user can do with an NFC mobile phone in an NFC-enabled environment:

• Download music or video from a smart poster.
• Exchange business cards with another phone.
• Pay bus or train fare.
• Print an image on a printer.
• Use a point-of-sale terminal to pay for a purchase, the same way as with a standard contactless credit card.
• Pair two Bluetooth devices.

A Usage Scenario

In response to a question on LinkedIn, Alvin Wong Kee Choong gave a wonderful scenario of how NFC coupled with LBS would simplify our daily life

Location: India
Scenario: Meeting a customer in an unfamiliar location
Transport: Delhi Metro
Phones: NFC enabled devices with GPS

Description:

• Key in address details on phone and click search
• Found address and selects transportation method, select Delhi Metro
• Calculates proximity to nearest station from current location and produces directions how to reach there
• Following instructions, reaches beginning train station
• Takes phone and makes quick purchase of newspaper to read from newsvendor or vending box secured and accessible via contactless reader, using NFC credit card application on phone
• Uses NFC phone to tap into station turnstile reader, using Delhi Metro card application in phone
• Reaches destination station, taps out with phone
• Passes by Starbucks smart poster on wall, quick tap of NFC phone, downloads mobile coupon
• Stops by Starbucks for purchase and uses mobile coupon for instant redemption of breakfast coffee at discount
• Checks phone location again, application recognises current location and with destination saved, maps out nearest path to reach customer meeting location
• Shakes hand with customer, taps customer NFC phone to exchange business card details

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pay-by-phone commerce coming closer
• Mobile Phones Equipped with Near Field Communications (NFC) to Generate $75bn worth of Payment Transactions Within 5 Years
• Nokia 6131 NFC: Can it give credit cards a run for their money?
• Taiwanese to use mobile phones for subway fares, shopping
• Mobiles to help drive contactless payments

Emerging Trends in the Mobile Web

In 2001, the phone could connect to the web via WAP. Limited content, reach, connectivity and speed issues marred the WAPscape. By 2008, Mobile Web use is growing faster than ever, as noted in this post by ReadWriteWeb, Wireless devices are everywhere these days. Wi-Fi hotspots are popping up in more places and aircards protrude from the laptops of the mobile workforce. 3G Mobile Broadband use also increased during 2007 with the average monthly data transfer rate up 25% over the course of the year, indicating that usage seems to rise with experience.

Desktop Class Browsers
With emergence of desktop class browsers(Skyfire, Opera Mobile 9.5, MiniMo) for mobiles, users can get a near PC browsing experience on their phones, this however, will be limited to high-end devices for now due to the high memory, processing power and bigger screen requirements.

OneWeb
W3C is working on OneWeb, it hopes that this new tool will help developers build websites that will work well on any device, be it a phone or a video-game console.

Mobile Widgets
Thanks to the availability of AJAX, Web platforms and web runtimes, service providers can provide easy to access and easy to use services. Browsing is out, engaging experiences are in, operators and OEMs are deploying mobile portals to make access to services easily available. All major players in the web space (and a plethora of small ones) are creating mobile widgets with customized content and services to reach out the users without them having to open a browser and link to the entire site.
m-portals and mobile widgets have the following benefits over the browser:

• Faster access
• Reduced clicks
• Integration with native phone Apps (Camera, Media Gallery etc)
• Rich and more engaging user experience
• Low latency
• Lower bandwidth requirement

Creators of mobile widgets need to use caution in what content/feature/service they offer because the mobile paradigm is very different from the desktop, as Paul Golding puts it “The bulk of web-based apps have been human-to-content (H2C). However, in the mobile world, the dominant paradigm is distinctly real-time voice and messaging, supporting a predominantly human-to-human (H2H) mode of interaction.”