About Mobility

I stumbled upon an interesting article that while I’m not surprised by its findings, it is relevant to recent discussions on personalization and critical mass with respect to advanced mobile software.

According to a survey by Harris Interactive, nearly 60% of Americans (questioned) feel uneasy about the use of personal information and past activity (digital footprint) for content personalization.

“There’s a creepy factor and a fear of the unknown that people don’t want to deal with,” said Michelle Warren, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group in London, Ontario.
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Nearly 60 percent of 2,513 people in the United States questioned in a Harris Interactive poll said they were uneasy when Web sites use information about personal online activity to tailor advertisements or content.

Yes, this is expected. That is the big challenge ahead us when dealing with People and Data…

One thing is a truism; for everything to work, from Google to advanced personalization, a level of trust must exist; trust that our solutions are not sharing personal identifiable information, won’t be used for spamming, won’t be used for evil things. That is the most important premise of all, for all of this to work.

60% of Americans feeling uneasy is still a large number. As Michael at eZee says: I bet they are asking the questions the wrong way; of course people will say they don’t like to be tracked, but that is not the question to ask; instead, the questions to ask have to be more tangible, such as specific things they would get in return, in exchange of personal identifiable information, or activity information… yes, all assuming the information is safeguarded, and not shared. We all do it today, with Google, credit cards usage, and social networks.

The article follows:

“Free search engines or social networking sites are encoded on web user’s DNA, and one way to defend behavioral marketing is to sweeten its benefits to users,” Westin said in an interview.

Yes, correctomundo! People will give permission to capture and/or use personal information, in exchange for something back that is of value.

Also from the report, and expected, is the following about “the younger generation”:

“The survey showed that younger users are more comfortable with the customized web content, with people aged 18-43 leading the pack.”

At the end of the day, to reap the benefits of personalization there is no other way but to combine people and data, to mine such personal information. It’s all a matter of time…

Related to this see:

• On Data-mining, identity, digital footprint, and social context
• EU urges search sites to dump personal info
• EU strikes a blow against data hoarding

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[Via ZDNet ITFacts]
[Image credit: Fitbuff]

For those who would like to learn about the SymbianOS, the operating system that powers the advanced handsets from Nokia, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson, Austin-based Xenient will be offering a SymbianOS Bootcamp here in Austin, TX on May 5 - 9. It is a 5-day intense Bootcamp that will cover SymbianOS from the ground up.

For more information email info732@xenient.com.

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If there is a person who truly gets mobility today, and where it is (or should be) headed to, that is Tomi T. Ahonen, best-seller author, lecturer and consultant, who together with Alan Moore, maintains the blog Communities Dominate Brands. Another such individual, visionary is Andreas S. Weigend, of People & Data.

Tomi recently wrote a very interesting and accurate piece titled Datamining our identity, digital footprint, and social context, where he covers the three core concepts of identity, digital footprint, and social context; concepts that I relate to, as those are at the center of what we do at eZee inc.

At some point I will be writing more about these concepts but today I’ll say that Tomi is right on the spot, on the next steps forward in mobile. The concepts that he covers are not new, concepts that many of us have been preaching for a long time, but the difference today is that finally, all the right factors are converging — see Reasons Why The Mobile/Wireless Usage Boom Is Underway.

From context (which includes the social context), to understanding behavior, to accurately predict and personalize content, to the ability to influence behavior, I call this People-centric mobile computing, these concepts are not limited to advertising and marketing. Due to the nature of mobility itself, and the mobile handsets’ characteristics and how they are used for communication and information access (as opposed to laptops and desktops), the ability to quickly bring the right information using the right format through the right channels, will continue to play a strong role in the quest to maximize the use and capabilities of mobile devices. And eventually this type of advanced experience will be expected, and will be commoditized. But today, while navigating the waters of network and device restrictions and limitations, and limited but growing adoption, we are learning and working on how to deliver this kind of advanced experience.

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According to Sanjay Jha, chief operating officer of Qualcomm’s chipset division QCT:

“Google wants fragmentation in the industry [and] is putting a lot of resources behind Linux”.

Well, yes, sure, adding new platforms results on a more fragmented mobile space; from the developer’s perspective, yet another platform to support. (BTW, Sanjay, this also happened when Qualcomm introduced BREW, years ago).

But Google has introduced Android simply because why pay for or comply to “licenses” when you don’t have to, in this case to Java ME technology owners, from Sun to other, and because it gives them control of what the Android platform is, and because they can dictate its evolution, roadmap, and distribution.

There are two real “threats” to Java ME: 1) mobile web, and 2) Android. Mobile web I put on a different category, and I’m not going to regurgitate the benefits of mobile web vs. native, but Android is a different story; it is a direct competitor to Java ME and MSA, it uses the Java programming language that so many are used to, and like (from the application perspective, who cares about bytecodes?). And it uses Linux below it as the OS.

So Android not only drives fragmentation, but also has the potential of grabbing a large chunk from the Local applications space, from Java ME, to BREW, MSFT, Nokia, Apple and so on.

But this is going to take a while… Maybe; see Android to invade Japan! (Andrea’s Mobile Porfolio blog).

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Image Source Fox news

Ajit Jaokar wrote an interesting piece titled Personalization is not a substitute for critical mass - from Zagme to Blyk, where he shares his views on Personalization with respect to critical mass; a good read.

Let me add my views on this important topic…

Personalization (the use of context for content-tailoring purposes) is kind of orthogonal to “critical mass”. Thus, personalization can’t be a substitute to critical mass. Yet, personalization is a tool that can be used as an enabler to help reach the goal of adoption, acceptance, and eventually “critical mass”.

Critical mass is the main goal, and will always be the main goal, regardless of the tools or techniques used to get there. Critical mass is relative to the particular target. Reaching critical mass depends on many factors, and in the case of mobility, a key factor is “mobile handset usage”. Fortunately, a boom on the usage of mobile/wireless is underway; see Reasons Why The Mobile/Wireless Usage Boom Is Underway.

Back to context, if properly leveraged/applied to the particular “vertical of interest”, which can be challenging and broad, and whomever does it right, the use of context means an advantage over others, and again, a tool towards adoption, critical mass.

As Russell Buckley wrote very well at ForumOxford:

“It’s still going to be primarily about Reach. But within that, we’ll have increasingly better targeting, contextualisation and personalisation”.

Here Russell touches on three main concepts: 1) Reach, 2) Target, and 3) Contextualisation and Personalisation

And he is right on spot.

For the purpose of completeness, I will reorder the above concepts a bit, and add to it:

It is about Targeting, Reaching and the Interactions, the use of Context for Content-Personalization, Measuring and Discovering, and Optimizing. All of these as the tool-set to help attract, provide useful/relevant information, and maximize the interactions (and thus maximize adoption, and eventually critical mass).

Now, the shameless plug: this is what eZee inc., my startup, is all about.

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The Motorola Dyna-Tac, 1973. Specs: 9 x 5 x 1.75 inches, 2.5 pounds, 35 minutes of talk time.

While not fully consumed, a transformation that started more than 30 years ago is underway. It has been a slow and painful path while the market matures, but it is happening. This transformation is resulting on the initial phase of a true Mobile/Wireless Usage Boom.

But what is different today than let’s say, five years ago? Why is this boom happening now?

The answer lies on the true convergence or intersection of three factors, as illustrated next:

…where the following factors are finally converging:

• The Mobile Lifestyle: The mobile handset is the most personal gadget ever. If our handsets could talk, we would be in trouble. We carry it all the time; for communication, for entertainment, for business. For commerce. Thousands of text messages per month. Photos. Video. Music. Talk. Share. The threshold between personal and business mobile handsets is disappearing; even for handsets that are company-issued, people (not their manager) want to choose. The benefits are clear.
• Advanced Handsets: Mobile handsets are so powerful. More and more capabilities and usefulness. More and more functional and network convergence. Advanced hardware. Advanced software. But cheaper.
• The Networks: Faster networks. More networks. The networks carriers are opening up; they have no choice. Better interoperability between network carriers; roaming, billing. More affordable over time. Flat-rates.

The result of the above intersection, which is mainly driven by the mobile lifestyle, goes beyond usage boom, and is about critical mass. That is the true indicator of the market being ready.

Coincidentally, Ajit wrote a piece related to “critical mass”; see Personalization is not a substitute for critical mass - from Zagme to Blyk.

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[Source of Dyna-Tac image: Motorola]

It’s all over the web, that according to a report filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, Citigroup is working on Citi-branded NFC mobile phone…

The clash has begun: network carriers vs. financial institutions…

And it is great to see someone actually getting serious beyond pure trials. Enough trials! Let’s get real, go to market… Deploying, seeding the market is what is needed to promote adoption.

Next phase on the NFC and related mobile payment battlefield: who is going to own the subscriber; the carrier (via the SIM card), the financial institution, or whom?

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Below is very interesting data according to CTIA as of December 31, 2007.

Impressive U.S. subscriber growth!

If we assume 20% of 2007 subs have data plans (which I think it is a “realistic” number, still inflated number for the U.S.), that would put mobile phone users that use their mobile handset beyond voice (i.e. data plans, mobile web, rich-connected local applications) at around 51 million.

Source: CTIA’s Semi-Annual Wireless Industry Survey (PDF).

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When I started eZee, to survive pay the bills, I helped (consulted for) other startups with their products. One of those companies was Edioma. And today I was pleasantly surprised to see in the news the software I wrote for them, Edigo, an application that has the potential to help break the communication barrier millions of Spanish-speaking Latinos face.

“A major communications breakthrough is being launched in Austin - and will soon be available on most cell phones.”

See the news article and video Phone program helps break communication barriers where you will see Edigo in action, and Larry Upton, CEO and founder of Edioma, talking about it. Edigo is a Java ME application that helps people translate frequently used phrases; “Everything from on the job site, to house cleaning, to lawn care, going to the bank, in the emergency room”.

Why a local application you may ask? Because the targeted demographic is not an early adopter, which means no data plans, and a highly responsive and media-rich graphical experience was desired. The application though will leverage connectivity, if available, to download assets over-the-air. The application also includes an RSS reader, embedded ads, and a simple yet very pleasant user interface, resulting in a great user experience.

“So it feels really good to have developed something that’s both commercially viable but is also going to have a bigger, kind of more encompassing empowerment approach for the disenfranchised,” said Upton.

Yes, well said Larry! Ditto.

You can see other related news at the Edioma news page.

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(P.S. There is no relation between the Ortiz in the article/video and me. LOL)

Michael is presenting (today) at TSSJS!

eZee inc. developer Michael Yuan is giving a technical presentation at the TheServerSide Java Symposium (TSSJS) this week in Las Vegas. TSSJS is a premier developer conference that focuses on enterprise Java technologies. Michael will be there to present the advanced mobile web application framework pioneered by eZee. In addition to the full length presentation, Michael will also sit on the expert panel for next generation web applications in TSSJS.

Way to go Michael!

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UIQ continues to push forward, with its latest version UIQ 3.3. UIQ 3.3 based on Symbian OS v 9.3, includes support for Java MSA platform (JSR 248), as well as a number of Opera-browser goodies, and new messaging-oriented additions.

From their annoucement:

• Focus on enhanced support for operator acceptance - UIQ enables phone manufacturers to meet the requirements of several major telecom operators. The features added into this release allow UIQ 3.3 based phones to target a broad audience.
• A new version of Opera 9 - Includes an extensively enhanced version of Opera browser (9.5) with an improved user experience of browsing on the mobile phone including faster page loads, a new layout engine and a new intuitive user interface including page overview and panning. It also includes a Widget Manager making it possible to see, run, download and remove widgets on the phone.
• A widget dashboard - The new version of the Opera browser also includes a Widget Manager, making it possible to see, run, download and remove widgets on the phone.
• Contains a fullset Java JSR 248 - This Mobile Service Architecture is the emerging standard for mobile devices running J2ME and CLDC allowing developers to create a wide range of media-capable applications.
• A full-feature unified messaging suite - Contains improvements in SMS and MMS such as a unified message composer allowing for the intuitive creation of SMS and MMS, Voice messaging and rich text messaging.

On February of 2008, Sony Ericsson completed the acquisition of UIQ Technology.

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Earlier this month, M:Metrics released some interesting numbers on Mobile Content Consumption: iPhone, Smartphone and Total Market for January 2008:

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Earlier today William Volk shared a link to the article Motorola insider tells all about the fall of a technology icon, a letter by Numair Faraz, who was Geoffrey Frost a personal adviser during his days as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Motorola.

A great, touching, honest letter by Numair.

I know many at Motorola, many very bright folks, very committed to the success of the company; even after all these months of debacle. Very much with their hands “tied”; have tried, for years, but not listened to. Too bad. Sooner or later, time takes care of things…

This is business, not pleasure. Time to cut, cut many from the company. Cut the ones with the wrong vision, the ones without the passion, the ego-maniacs, and the ones with personal agendas. The executive management must make the decision, starting with a new management team. Again, business is business. Time to make the right, tough decisions. For the Company.

And many of the folks with the right vision and experience, and (with the Motorola) culture, already are in Motorola, right now. With Numair being one, having the guts to tell it as it is. Those folks must be identified, and be given the task. And a new leader, the right leader, who is in touch with the realities of the industry must be found. And those folks should be rewarded.

Is the Motorola split a good or a bad thing? It all depends on how you like to see the glass, as half empty or full. Perhaps for the Mobility Division it is a good thing. Radical changes can turn into great opportunities, if properly embraced, and in this particular case, it very much is an opportunity for the Handset Division to become laser-focused, and to get rid of legacy baggage.

Time will tell.

And I say again, that I won’t be surprised, if Dell acquires the Motorola handset division… But I really hope that never happens.

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For those attending CTIA 2008, Debi Jones (aka Mobile Jones), who runs the US efforts for GoMo News, is producing GoMo News on Wheels! at CTIA 2008.

Debi will be producing LIVE content from CTIA using her N95 over Sprint’s EVDO network at 1MBs+ uplink. Live she will be interviewing folks including MTV and MTV Choose or Lose, Sony Pictures, FB, and Chetan Sharma, Buzzd, as well as a number of startups.

Below are a couple of URLs related to this:

• http://www.gomonews.com/gomo-revs-up-ctia-in-las-vegas/
• http://www.gomonews.com/gomo-news-on-wheels-update/
• http://www.gomonews.com/gomo-news-at-ctia-on-wheels/

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My friend Rudy De Waele has published a revised presentation on Mobile 2.0. It’s a great summary, check it out below.

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