An Internet Evolution reader poll last week inadvertently questioned whether we're using the mobile Web to its fullest potential. As it turns out, we're not.
When asked, "What's your main use of the mobile Web," here's how our readers responded:
And the winner is... messaging -- the most basic technology in the history of the World (Wide Web)! Three cheers for innovation!
Of course, with text, IM, email, and social networking, messaging is the most pervasive function on the mobile phone, so this makes sense. However, the second largest group of poll takers were those who said they don't use the mobile Web -- not one bit!
So what gives? Is the mobile Web not advanced enough to interest users in anything but basic services? Or were all the mobile-savvy IE readers in some sort of a food coma last week when we had this poll up?
"Cellular operators do a terrible job of
after-sales customer education, so it's not surprising that users don't take
more advantage of data features," says IE's household (seriously, we keep him in the pantry) wireless junkie, Alan Reiter, president of Wireless Internet & Mobile Computing. "Also,
it's still too difficult to figure out many capabilities -- and tiny screens combined
with keypad-only text entry don't make for a pleasant data experience."
However, says Reiter, this is only a temporary state of emergency. "To give the cellular operators a tiny bit of
leeway, location and banking services are relatively new in the U.S., but I
believe location will be used extensively within the next two years."
You are right about AIM. it has some structural issues that limit it for mobile devices. It is a power hog, which is why my Windows Mobile device tells me me to shut it off, not to run it all the time (which is, of course, the whole Idea of IM) I find it stable, I do not know why it crashes on your blackberry.
This will stablize. AOL is about to go the way of Netscape, Sun and so forth. Someone will scoop up the AOL subscriber base and morph them over somehow. Microsoft and Yahoo have viable systems, and they may be unified one way or the other sooner, not later, and probably for $30 a share or less.
But SMS is soooo nice. It really works. It works cross vendor, cross network. It works on all the phones. With a few more apps like Twitter it could really be the basis for something good.
Mobile mail on the Blckberry, at least, is nice. I guess sooner or later the patent will expire and real mail will come to all the phones.
Aside from email and SMS, I'm not thrilled with mobile messaging applications. My AIM application on my BlackBerry works maybe half of the time. And when I do get it up and running, there's a significant delay in sent/received messages. I'm also not impressed by the Facebook application or mobile MySpace site. Part of the problem is certainly the device -- I have the BlackBerry Pearl which I'd like to crush with a baseball bat. But that's a separate issue.
I'm curious to know how many of those who said they use "messaging" the most are talking about email and SMS and how many are using other chat applications.
I remember once, long ago, before the turn of the century, when Apple was re-inventing itself, it found out that it had morphed from a desktop publishing company to - - -a desktop publishing company.
Messaging is pretty good, and I think it is far from fully explored yet. I just used a SMTP service called 2pad@2pad.com for photo sharing. Much easier than say a good site like Flkr. I would like to see similar exdtentions for SMS. Why should I have to set up an account and password yada yada just to store and share photos. Point, click, share. That is what we all want and it should not be hard to get there from a messaging base.
All pother applications should think of what people are using, and build on it. Right now, that is messaging. Twitter has done it, More should.
I think the biggest drawbacks to the Mobile Web is the lack of an adequate hardware client and pervasive WiMax. Last year perhaps saw the first introduction of products that I would call reasonably useful...the ASUS eee and Everex Cloudbook and also the beginning of Clearwire mobile broadband. All those tiny handsets with chicklet keyboards just didn't do the trick, nor having laptops that weigh like a cinder block and have 2 hours of battery life. The eee and cloudbook are just the beginning...we need devices that can run as long as cell phones or longer and weight just as much, but still have a 7" screen and full keyboard.
So, yes, there is great potential, but to me, 2007 is Year One for mobile Internet.
It would be interesting if the analysis had looked into how the survey would have looked like if it were in an Asian country like Japan or South Korea or in developing economies where the mobile has the highest penetration and this fact is acting as a catalyst in making the mobile and no doubt the mobile web a strategic tool to reach millions of people in a way that no other medium can.
Good points Mashka and Syamant. I agree that the next step for mobile Web should be to get it to work better before we spruce it up with special services and features.
Pain in the hands could be a problem, but if the mobile Web were more affordable and better quality, and we had better devices, I'm not sure physical pain would stop Internet addicts from at least using the mobile Web to check email.
Also... re: "One other interesting number in this survey was how many people use their phones to read the news. Huh. Who knew?" Really? Meanwhile, I thought it was interesting how few people are reading news -- particularly in comparison to those watching video or not using the mobile Web at all. Huh. Weeeiiirrrddd.
I don't believe I've ever written that location services aren't taking off because people are afraid of privacy and security. I've written that people should be concerned and understand the ramifications of location, but not that they should completely stop using or stop considering any location-type of app. Certainly some people are concerned, but that's not the reason for the lack of use.
One reason, as I noted, is location services are relatively new. They are just beginning to be marketed. It takes time, even for the most popular applications, for people to begin using them. And, as I noted, cellular operators typically do a terrible job (at least in the U.S.) of ongoing customer education.
Also, we'll see many more applications where location might not be the primary reason for the app, but will be a useful addition. For example, this is just the beginning of cellular GPS navigation services -- whose primary raison d'etre is to find, duh, a location -- that incorporate databases to overlay maps with locations of ATMs, restaurants, etc. Also just beginning is the development of social networking services that incorporate location and we'll see location as a "normal" part of these services.
It is interesting that video is the No. 2 most used application in the poll. It's an application I've written about and believe will be extremely successful, even though there are many naysayers.
With many mobile wireless subscriptions, free messaging is included in the plan; but you have to add at least 5 dollars to use the internet feature on your phone. I suspect then that, the 25% percent-never use category include those who don't find it necessary to spend additional money for a feature that they might not really profit in. In my case I do subscribe for the additional web access feature, but being most of the times before my laptop, I barely use my cell phone to access the web and I think that it is just a waste of money to give away 5 dollars each month for a feature that I don't really use. Also, not many people find it convenient to browse the web with their phones. and the main reasons are the ergonomics issues of the mobile devices ( screen, keypad ect..).
Will the mobile web access catch up in the future? I'm not really sure. The traditinal use of cellphone ( call and messaging) is so embedded in our mind and culture that we first think of mobile phones in that way. And not everybody is a wireless mobile savvy like Alan Reiter.
The way I see it is that it won't be just some certain features but a combination of all useful features of the Mobile Web that will make it more attractive and popular in the near future. If most of the things we can do with the Web (the old fashion way) can be done simply and easily enough with a mobile device that we can carrry around with us, the usage of Mobile Web will certainly soar. It's not just checking emails or banking on the go, but also things like getting info when you need it right away (googling), getting direction on an online map, or even quick language translating. It's a matter of time before cellular companies come up with technology that will improve user interface (beyond just a phone keypad). Functionality is there, but simplicity is as critical. I think speech recognition tech will play a major role in this... we won't just be talking on the phone but we will also be "talking to the phone" as well.
Apart from the issues with tiny screens/keypads and awareness that may explain why currently many don't bother using Mobile Web, I think another valid reason that should not be overlooked is that the cost is still relatively high for majority of users. e.g. At&t's data features cost ranging from $15 to $60 per month on top of the wireless service fee. Perhaps, many people are not ready to spend extra money for the Internet on the phone or don't think that the price is worth it when they already have Internet access at home or office.
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