 The Web and mobile phone technologies that we use today are constantly evolving. If we compare how we used our phone four years ago with today's use then the next four years should be very interesting. Mobile phones are incorporating more and more of the functionality that we come to expect from computers. Mobility is the key. People have busier lives and want more information and functionality "on the go". All the signs show that this will only increase in the future.
The term "Mobile Web 2.0" has been used to describe the future of web/phone technology and we will see the emphasis put on pushing information/data onto the Internet whilst enabling the user to extract more information/data they require. This can obviously be already done but the ease in which it can be done will improve exponentially. Users will become "Empowered".
Many major companies have seen the rapidly growing demand for advanced web access via mobile phones and now provide a mobile version of their site. This will increase to downloadable applications and features that can be used in real time. The current generation of phones (e.g. IPhone 3G, Blackberry Storm, Nokia N96 and the Samsung M8800 Pixon etc) all offer the latest multimedia features that combine the web with the phone.
The main barrier to Mobile Web 2.0 is the lack of industry standards in mobile phones and the incompatibility of those phones with web applications/formats. Web applications have developed over time but you still get web users trying to access pages that are not compatible with their computer. Now try and do this from a phones that use completely different technologies altogether. Mobile phone technologies will change and you will probably see the emergence of two or three leading architectures. Once this happens then they can concentrate on Internet compatibility issues.
The barriers facing Mobile Web 2.0 will be similar to those of today. As the overall technologies standardise then the barriers will come in the form of usability issues and tradeoffs in handset features (screen size etc):
- The screen size: The bigger the screen the bigger the phone and yet the smaller the screen the less usable space there is for the user. This trade-off will be an everlasting issue that will come down to a user’s preference.
- Navigation: Touch screens have found themselves at the navigation system of choice but Joysticks/Flicker buttons have been found to be more user friendly and quicker to use. This will become a user preference.
- Web technologies (Flash/JavaScript/Cookies): These basic web functions will become a standard in all handsets.
- Speed: Broadband connections on a computer are much quicker than on mobile phones (as a rule) and phones can often have signal/connection issues that often make it slower. The difference in phone/pc web access will probably not be an issue within four years.
Mobile Web 2.0 will change the future of e-commerce by becoming very user orientated. As the bandwidth of phones improve so will the marrying of rich video/data/audio from the web to the mobile phone screen. Users will be enticed into downloading/accessing different applications/features. Tools and applications will become easier and more and more will be offered through deals with phone operators. Mobile advertising is growing by the day and we could one day see it being the primary source of advertising as it can be user/location specific.
The convergence of web and phone technologies will have a big impact on the press industry. With the combination of better camera phones and the ability to upload videos to the web, this will mean a mass coverage of news. News will appear more and more in the real time. It will no longer come from reporters with a camera crew but from individuals that are there in that moment. Members of the public will become the reporters and will combine with the newsreader to create "breaking stories". This will combine the best of the old with best of the new.
The media industry will be shaken up in the form of new content. The average person will have greater access to better cameras (probably on their phone) and so will be able to create more original/relevant material. The industry could be split between user generated video and produced content. Videos will be easier to make and will be made from more re-life situations. The editors of this material will become more important because they will have to sort out "the wheat from the chaf".
Social networking will grow in size but will remain similar in its features. It will bring more people together and will probably be all location based. You will be able to locate your friend via their mobile phone, e.g. your phone will let you know if a friend is within a mile radius.
Most of these issues I have described above only effect the western world but the convergence of web and mobile phone technologies will help the poorer nations as well. If we take Africa as an example then the average person does not have the access to a computer with a broadband connection. Africa has a varied supply of resources and different levels of development throughout. The mobile phone industry is growing in Africa and now over 1/3 of the population has access to a mobile phone. Schemes such as the National Farmers Information System (NAFIS) integrate the web and telephony applications. There is a voice information service that provides farmers with daily info in English and Kiswahili at either the cost of phone call or going online. "Tradenet" has been set up linking farmers and suppliers throughout Africa. It is access via the phone or the internet and lets users know of any offers to buy and sell goods, market prices, gives users SMS alerts and market reports.
In summary, the future of web and mobile phone technologies is bright and intertwined. As one develops, the other will have to evolve to accommodate. The main differences between now and 2012 will be the speed of connections/downloads and the number of applications available to users. Different types of handsets will come and go but the platforms that underpin them will enable users to be more independent through the use of mobile real time media.
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