Internet + Mobile Internet = Love

As we now here an increasing buzz about the Mobile Internet, and an ever building hype, it's easy to forget about the role of the fixed Internet. What does mobile really mean? Isn't it all about accessing information and services wherever you are? That of course also means sometimes using devices that are connected to a fixed line (e.g. at home). There will always be a gap between the available bandwidth for a connection that uses a fixed access and one that uses wireless. Spectrum and airtime will, in the foreseeable future, be a limited and scarce resource. The ones that have paid good money for the rights to transmit over the air are also going to be keen on getting their money back. So, users are likely to pay a premium for bits that are sent over the air as opposed through a fixed line. A stationary Internet access device (say, a PC) has other advantages as well, with a large screen and extensive input devices (mouse and keyboard). Thus, even though we get great new possibilities with the Mobile Internet, we will see some applications that we rather use on the fixed line. What I wanted to discuss here is how the applications that will be made for the fixed Internet will interact with the mobile world.

As usual, we see the early adopters in the entertainment and gaming industry when it comes to using the Internet to its full potential (although I'm certain that we will not see the FULL potential in many years yet). We see games like Ultima Online and the new Star Wars game, where thousands of players are gathering in something that is a mix of a game a community (divided into several sub-communities). The worlds are constantly alive and moving ahead, even when you are not playing. This creates an interesting feeling of missing our when you are not in there. It's easy to see how this could be extended into involving people when they are on the move as well. Picofun has already embraced this with their Picofun soccer. In that game you buy and sell players using your WAP-phone, and matches are played on a regular basis. You can then check in anytime to see how your team is doing. With the advent of GPRS you are likely to get streamed updates from these kinds of games. Say that your mobile vibrates when your team has played, or if the coach of your opponent wants to chat.

Now imagine how we merge these two concepts, the online world and the instant access of the Mobile Internet. There might be a game where thousands of players are fighting in a flight simulator world. You could then subscribe to something that delivers streaming updates of who has been shot down and by whom. These indications will lead players to look up high score charts and player info, thus increasing usage and traffic. These simple information services can easily be implemented using WAP. Going one step further, the guy riding on a bus can interact with the online game using a GPRS-enabled PDA: When getting streamed scores from the game, he can use his stylus to scribble hand written messages on the PDAb to his friends. In that way, one of them who is sitting at home with his PC gets a teasing message on his screen after having crashed four times in 10 minutes.

This also extends to non-computer games and other applications. A soccer game might be on, but not everybody can/want to be at the site of the action or by a TV. Some just want to get a vibrating alert whenever someone scores. Then it's optional to download a full screen, color clip of the goal. Perhaps one member of a party does so and shows it to his/her friends. It is then possible to send the clip on to all of them via Bluetooth. In Europe we have already started to see this behavior, with people sending pictures via SMS to each other. If someone gets one, then soon everyone else in the room wants it sent to them. It will be interesting to see which other communities that will be added next. Perhaps some of the chat rooms where people get important information. If you are interested in investing in the Asian market, and are following such a chat, you might want to be alerted when certain key contributors are in the room. You could then use your phone or PDA to follow the discussions. Again, this is the kind of behavior that strongly drives the usage of other services and voice calls, making it very good business for the operator (putting the application developer in a nice seat). It is likely that the mobile phone will grow even stronger as the device that we hold closest to us. If it grows into giving us better experiences with friends and family and our other communities, it will be even more important for us. Building communities and strengthening the experiences of doing things together will be an increasingly strong driver for applications of the Mobile Internet.

Now we are really getting somewhere, as we see the online communities expanding into the Mobile Internet. Some high-end applications are just better suited to be used with a high end PC, but the fun does not stop there. The members of the communities can stay in touch and keep the online world alive, even when they are away from home. This builds stronger bonds between them, and makes the applications very addictive.

Don't hesitate to drop me a line with suggestions and comments (responses may be slow sometimes, though, due to the huge amount of incoming mails). If you are in the process of developing wireless applications, make sure to sign up as a member at http://www.mobileapplicationsinitiative.com/, (membership is free and open to anyone, not just the ones currently developing wireless applications). You can also drop in at one of the Ericsson MAI test labs for tests in a wireless environment and feedback on how to optimize for wireless.

About the author: Christoffer Andersson is Head of Technology for the Ericsson Mobile Applications Initiative, working in the Berkeley lab. In this position he and his global team helps application developers test their applications in wireless environments and to understand wireless networks and the Mobile Internet. His column focuses on wireless technologies and their impact on application development. Christoffer can be reached at christoffer@wirelessdevnet.com.