Session: Mobile Web 2.0 by Nick Jones

Mobile Web 2.0 by Nick Jones
Observations by: Ed Vazquez

Overview: Mobile Web 2.0 Principles: Business principles, cultural behaviors, technology and architecture, interaction principles. Web 2.0 and Mobile Web 2.0 are similar, but have unique challenges and considerations. The prerequisites for Mobile Web 2.0 - a 3G network AND a 3G handset. 3G is penetrating faster in the US (EV-DO and WCDMA) (95%) than in Western Europe (WCDMA) (70%) because of greater legacy system assets in the US - an exciting opportunity for US enterprise application development architects given that the US network may get stronger, faster.

Interesting Nick Jones Assertions (all assertions paraphrased):

'WiMax is a niche technology and have very limited consumption because there aren't any networks and there won't be any good wi-max enabled devices.' - Nick Jones

'The mobile web is a HUGE business opportunity over the next several years as many devices will go mobile and connect to other devices.' - Nick Jones

'The next big thing in the next five years is mobile phone screen projectors and larger screens (rollout screens) that will increase the working areas of those working on mobile phones.' - Nick Jones

'Your mobile application platform should not be built around Blackberry devices as it's a niche business-to-employee web application platform. The iPhones will actually surpass Blackberry sales this next year, to give it perspective and excels around business-to-consumer" web applications. The Blackberry is insignificant in the mobile web application 2.0 discussion' - Nick Jones

Core Nick Jones Thoughts and Assertions:

3 Kinds of Mobile Phones:
1. Smartphones and PDAs (high technology factor / low fashion factor)
2. Enhanced Phones (basic technology factor / high fasion)
3. Basic Phones.
Other "intelligent" wireless devices (widget enabled devices; texting; browsing internet devices that enable snippets of information via mobile networks (wi-fi).
Ed's Thoughts: In the near future, differentiating between mobile "phones" and mobile "devices" will be understood, widely, as irrelevant. There will simply be devices with mobile capabilities. We need to look at all business critical devices in terms of how they could help or enhance a mobile device network.

3 Major Challenges to the Mobile Web:
1. How does the URL get onto the device? (bluetooth, sms, mobiel email, IM containing URLs)
2. User Interaction - no mouse and every click loses users (speech recognition, contextual awareness, location, tilt sensors, gesture)
3. Content and Rendering on a small screen
Evolution of the Mobile Social Web: Mobile Web Social Systems will result in location based social networking.

Mobile Web through 2012:

• Emergence of "snap" interactions - an increase in transient interactions via mobile devices.
• Many inconsistent platforms.
• Many architectures and variants.
• Network Performance constraints.
• Operators want to be in the value chain.

Ed's thoughts: The first realized value of the mobile web will be in social networking. People want to find people for personal reasons. A functional analysis of those behaviors could lead to some serious opportunities for businesses in marketing efforts and contextual awareness with mobile devices. I'm sure many of these transactions will be "snap" and location or event driven. Finding a way to enable those apps on existing SOA and app infrastructure stacks will be the real challenge. Figuring out how private that data is will be another. Determining how ethical it is to track everyone is an entirely other consideration not addressed here.

• Mobile Web may have some advantages around low TCO, ease of implementing basic security, and rapid mobile application development opportunities. Ed's Thoughts: This is pure speculation. Show a business case, delivery timeline, and resource list for a single web-a
  
  
• First phase mobile applications should be simple and very achievable with current technologies (now through 2010). Second generation mobile applications (2010 - ?) will leverage services / legacy api's and new device technologies to result in rich user experiences and increased mobile application capabilities. Ed's Thoughts: I think the real opportunity will be moving enterprise applications to mobile devices for mobile work forces over the next 4 years. There are plenty of sales force, marketing, and operational support teams out there that need mobile device applications to improve productivity in the workforce. Once the enterprise realizes what they could have ... or finds an architect that can show how it can be delivered cost-effectively, that enterprise could create an entire secondary brand around its mobile application delivery platform capabilities.
  
  
• BBC, eBay, Yahoo (already working on second generation mobile web efforts), and Bango are already using the mobile web in 2008. Ed's Thoughts: Yep.
  
  
• Monetizing the mobile web could be challenging as business models around subscriptions, advertising, transactions, revenue sharing models, and fees are still being analyzed and defined. Ed's Thoughts: People still haven't figured out how to monetize SOA and services. Outside of SMS Text messaging for voting on American Idol, there aren't a lot of million dollar business models built around mobile web applications, yet. That said, I firmly believe that contextual applications will be built and rely on mobile devices for input and "awareness" - the days of building enterprise applications without mobile application awareness are numbered. Mobile application support and capabilities will need to be considered with every enterprise app dev effort within the next three years.
  

• Site to check out: Flock - mobile social networking in a browser.
  
  
• Important technologies required in the portfolio: thin client mobile application servers (Volantis, MobileAware), Content Authoring Tools (Flash, Silverlight, etc), Handset Emulators (Yospace), Browser Emulators (Opera, Nokia, Openwave), Mobile VPN / Optimizers.
  
  
• Important services required in the portfolio: hosted testing, site validation, authoring guidelineins, hosted aadaptation servers, buseinss support services, open source (WIRFL), partner APIs and services.
  
  
• Key thin-client Mobile Software, Platforms, and Vendors: Access, Nokia, Openwave, Microsoft, Opera, Adobe, Google, Apple.
  
  
• Sybase and Volantis are excellent opportunities to thin client mobile application servers. Volantis has even open sourced part of its application server. Pursue hosted versions rather than deploying fully (for cost reasons).
  
  
• Be very careful using AJAX on mobile applications - high latency on mobile networks.
  
  
• .mobi domains can be registered for mobile domains - but .mobi domains aren't required for mobile applications. very low consumption for .mobi domain names. You may only need to look at them to cyber-squat on domain names.
  

Ed's Thoughts & Summary:
This was, by far, the most exciting session I've attended, so far at the Gartner conference. Ok, I'll admit that I am a strong believer in the opportunities in front of the enterprise to own the third screen (mobile phone devices). Most of the current application development efforts revolve around the second screen (computers) and the first screen (tv) is emerging as a player in application development, but will probably be enabled first and foremost by mobile devices (see the third screen).

I think the ceiling is unlimited in mobile application design and delivery and it's the wide, wide West right now. While most folks are busy depating WOA and SOA and WS* and REST, I'd encourage the forward thinkers to take their middleware lessons to the forefront of enterprise application development on mobile platforms. This was a great foundation and framing of many things to come in mobile web application development.