tag:,2008:/2 2008-07-04T10:57:29Z Wireless mobility - Innovation - Digital convergence - mobile web 2.0 Movable Type 3.32 tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.990 2008-07-04T10:54:12Z 2008-07-04T10:57:29Z

Happy Fouth of July to our friends in America .. Image source: http://bluerulzz.blogspot.com/2007/07/happy-fourth-of-july-2007.html...

Happy Fouth of July to our friends in America .. Image source: http://bluerulzz.blogspot.com/2007/07/happy-fourth-of-july-2007.html]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.989 2008-07-03T17:41:12Z 2008-07-03T18:29:57Z

This promotion was the first for me .. And a token of appreciation - I thought I should encourage Betty Mills. At the Supernova 2008 event, the Betty Mills company had free breakfast and snacks .. In return for...

This promotion was the first for me .. And a token of appreciation - I thought I should encourage Betty Mills. At the Supernova 2008 event, the Betty Mills company had free breakfast and snacks .. In return for any bloggers in the conference blogging about them .. For all my conference attending, this is a first - so I thought I should thank them for their excellent food with good variety(always important for someone like me with some allergies ..) ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.988 2008-07-03T01:22:13Z 2008-07-03T01:53:43Z

I am working on some ideas for my course at Oxford University next week about Web 2.0 and user generated content .. And here is one .. It is motivated by two articles: Firstly, a business model for Web 2.0...

Web 2.0 fails to produce cash and secondly - this great article from the MIT technology review articulates the problem brilliantly .. The problem Synergies between advertisements and social networking / web 2.0 are yet to be found .. As facebook found out much to it’s dismay with it’s Beacon program – that advertising on social networks is not easy .. and I summarise the problem from the MIT technology review article .. Yes, sites have impressive user numbers .. Ning has 267,787 sites, Bebo sees 22 million visitors a month, Club Penguin sees five million, LinkedIn gets nearly five million unique visits. Facebook saw 33.9 million unique U.S. visitors in January 2008, and MySpace saw nearly 72 million unique visitors in the same month. However .. getting revenue is a problem .. although facebook is valued at $15 billion dollars, it is still likely to lose money and Google has been unable to monetise it’s $900 million investment in MySpace . CPMs on social networks are also a problem .. Facebook sets a minimum CPM of $0.15 for its "social ads," and the MySpace banner ad rate stands at a CPM of less than $2. The problem has four facets: a) Unsuitable metrics – CPM may not be the best indicator of social network analysis b) Attention(rather lack thereof) c) Privacy and d) Content These problems are well known and well discussed in the above article .. for instance – unlike with Google – users do not go to social networks with a specific intent. Hence they are not very receptive to advertisements and are in any case distracted by a wide variety of communication tools(such as microblogging). Privacy is also an issue as facebook found out recently and so is the content(i.e. user generated content may not be always suitable for advertising and it is necessary to have at least a moderation function – if not more for it) The solution? Traditional approaches have been based on targeting but targeting alone is not enough since it hits only a small target but ignores the wider audience(long tail). One idea I am exploring is as follows . It is based on the following concepts a) Social networks by their nature can be segmented over the long tail – this idea is explored in the concept of the Long tail is chunky b) The profile on social networks is one dimensional – it can be enhanced in many ways for instance by including social(relationship/network/social graph), behavioural(incorporating roles) and demographic profiling(traditional segmentation) Such a rich/multidimensional/dynamic profile(I call it dynamic since it depends on social relationships and changes over time) – actually maps well over the segmented long tail. So, the end result would be still to advertise against the profile but such an advertisement will incorporate a lot more than the static profile .. it will include an element of the user’s digital footprint(hence their intent) which is dynamic This still leaves the problem of metrics .. but mapping a rich, dynamic profile to a segmented long tail may lead to advertisements that may reflect the user’s social intent (just like Google captures the transactional intent) .. and hence provide higher revenues – and consequently a business model for Web 2.0 by making the advertisement model profitable Thoughts? ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.987 2008-07-02T21:41:23Z 2008-07-02T21:45:40Z

Like many of my blogs, this one comes out of extrapolating a conversation – in this case, two separate conversations – and I have extended ideas from these conversations. It is a bit of a gedankenexperiment So .. Here we...

gedankenexperiment So .. Here we go .. Thoughts welcome .. Inspite of many optimistic (non SMS) data projections year on year from around 2000 – Operators missed them all. They tried WAP, they tried MVNOs, they tried all sorts of bundles .. And notably although flatrate was a key driver to increased data .. Flat rate alone was not enough .. Something else was needed .. And suddenly .. in 2007 or thereabouts .. they started hitting data projections ., and what was the cause? Ironically, there were two (seemingly mutually contradictory developments) that have led to the uptake of Mobile data … The first(which everyone is focussing on) is the Smartphone/ iPhone .. i.e. rich device(and by that I mean Nokia N95, iPhone, Android and others collectively) .. these developments have created a device which is valued by the customer –considering the buzz around the iPhone, and Nokia being rated as the best ‘Operator’ in a survey .. :) However, there is a second(almost directly contradictory) story here .. The biggest cause of uptake of Mobile data is HSDPA (mobile broadband) .. and like SMS – no expert/consultant/guru predicted this – with the possible exception of Dean Bubley in my view The success of HSDPA has some unique characteristics a) The ‘device’ is absent – and in fact – it fades away into the SIM to a ‘bare bones’ data service(no more than a SIM) b) Because the device is absent .. the Operator brand is strongest – which suits the operators c) We don’t have to worry about interoperabity, interconnectivity etc. It is a simple service that works .. and people are prepared to pay a premium for it Admittedly, it is an access layer technology and not a service layer technology .. How do we extend this access layer technology to the services layer? Potentially .. by extending the only common element i.e. the SIM This is not unexpected since both the device(and also the SIM) are at the edge of the network .. and ironically, one would say that if intelligence shifts to the edge of the network, then the intelligent SIM is a way to go if we want to extend one of the few mobile data successes beyond the access layer. And ironically, the SIM is becoming intelligent through a technology called SCWS which I have been following for some time now The SIM started off as a means to identify the subscriber to the network, but it could take on a much bigger role as an enabler of mobile services .. especially if the precedence of HSDPA is something to go by – and SIM being the only network element in that configuration(which also functions as the client element) This is the opposite of the ‘smart client’ model .. and in computer science terms may be viewed as a thin client service .. analogous to the ideas from Citrix So, what I am saying is .. the success of HSDPA could ironically lead to a set of thin client devices – powered by the SIM .. Thoughts? ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.986 2008-07-02T12:25:50Z 2008-07-02T12:33:24Z

In relation to the previous blog on GSMA 3rd Party Access initiative - API enabing the network operator, as per comments by Graham Trickey (Technical Director GSMA), the URL to register is HERE https://gsma.securespsite.com/access/entry...

GSMA 3rd Party Access initiative - API enabing the network operator, as per comments by Graham Trickey (Technical Director GSMA), the URL to register is HERE https://gsma.securespsite.com/access/entry]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.985 2008-07-01T20:47:41Z 2008-07-01T20:49:09Z

virtualisation on a mobile handset sounds an interesting development .. thoughts?...

virtualisation on a mobile handset sounds an interesting development .. thoughts? ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.984 2008-07-01T19:49:14Z 2008-07-02T12:20:02Z

I have long talked about Operators allowing third party access to network APIs. This ‘holy grail’ for developers has come closer one step with the GSMA 3rd Party Access (Access) initiative which aims to identify and provide means for...

I have long talked about Operators allowing third party access to network APIs. This ‘holy grail’ for developers has come closer one step with the GSMA 3rd Party Access (Access) initiative which aims to identify and provide means for 3rd parties to more effectively and efficiently utilise operator network and service capabilities I think this is truly a positive step and Kevin Smith (Vodafone)/GSMA & Graham Trickey (Technical Director GSMA) have been kind enough to keep me updated about this initiative. I think this is a positive step and I fully endorse it(just as I have historically supported other pragmatic Operator led initiatives like Vodafone Betavine. So, if you are interested please comment here but also join the initiative via the link(coming soon) In this context, 3rd parties are Web content and service providers, namely Websites and client applications that access services over HTTP. The goal is to stimulate innovation; facilitate development and deployment; and increase portability between operators. This will improve the mobile Web user experience, and hence benefit users, operators and providers. GSMA 3rd Party Access (Access) initiative is a project run by the GSMA, supported by 10 operators with a global footprint, aims to deliver ‘sandbox’ APIs in 2008 and live implementations in 2009. The project is being run as an open Web beta, with collaboration encouraged from Web developers, network vendors, operators and aggregators. This will ensure relevance and quality of the APIs. The project will reuse parts of existing standards, documented in a way so as to be more easily used by Web developers. An SDK featuring tests, tutorials and a Wiki will be available. As well as facilitating technical portability of applications/web content, the project aims to simplify the sign-up process for smaller developers working with operators. This initiative benefits all parties and benefits include: a) Reducing fragmentation : Multiple proprietary APIs means only 3rd parties with sufficient resources can develop and maintain integrated applications. This creates a barrier to entry for smaller, innovative players and wastes resources at the larger 3rd parties. b) Avoids operator dis-intermediation: A closed set of fragmented APIs has led to 3rd party frustration. As such any ‘workaround’ API that offers near-equivalent functionality is attractive to 3rd parties. Users and developers will find a way to apply services via mobile even if it means disintermediating the operator. c) Open API in line with Mobile Web 2.0 : A common API implemented by all operators reduces the barrier to entry for mobile Web content and services. Less 3rd party time and resources are spent integrating, so more can be spent on innovating. 3rd parties benefit if time to market is reduced and new services can be launched across multiple operators through a single codebase. d) Can complement operator developer portals : These portals aim to produce compelling applications, which is also the goal of the common API. The operator dev portals may choose to offer proprietary APIs on top of the GSMA core set, in order to differentiate their network e) Third party access: The API allows a 3rd party to invoke a method and get a standard response from participating operators. The API must be exposed over HTTP(s), but beyond that the implementation is not prescribed: it is up to the operator to integrate into their existing gateway for network and SDP enablers. The Access API can co-exist with Proprietary APIs for incumbent partners f) Possibility of long tail applications: Operators cannot easily predict Web innovations …but by providing a common API, we can encourage them on the mobile Web. By reducing the barrier to 3rd party entry we reach out to The Long Tail of customers desiring niche services And finally .. I like this analogy with the crown jewels from the GSMA .. The APIs provide a unique customer relationship (identity, activity, billing)… …but like the real Crown Jewels, they can create revenue by being securely and publicly exposed. Hide them away, and people will go elsewhere…. Only joint commitment will ensure success and avoid fragmentation To conclude .. The benefit to Web Developers increases as more operators per territory adopt the API…The value to operators increases as more Web developers let us know what they want from a common API…. meaning the value of the mobile Web grows. Please register at the project portal to contribute requirements to the APIs: Update: As per comment from Graham Trickey below Please note that the URL for the 3rd Party Access Portal is HERE ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.983 2008-07-01T11:54:46Z 2008-07-01T12:16:33Z

Here is something I am thinking of – triggered by the latest issue of Fortune magazine The question I am asking here is: If the online advertising business model is expected to double in two years from $40 billion to...

If the online advertising business model is expected to double in two years from $40 billion to $80 billion .. How can some of the revenue from the Web advertising extend to the Mobile domain? On one hand, as per fortune magazine Ballmer et al. believe that online advertising is the business where its greatest potential revenue and profit growth lie. So far only about $40 billion of the world's $500 billion in ad spending has moved online. But Ballmer expects the Internet portion to be $80 billion in just two years. While total worldwide spending on business technology is much bigger, around $1.6 trillion, it isn't growing nearly so fast. And more from the Guardian .. Besieged US newspaper journalists face final deadline In the first three months of this year, print advertising sales by American newspapers charted their biggest drop since records began in 1971. And it was the eighth quarterly drop in a row. Advertisers spent $8.43bn on newspaper ads in the first three months of 2008, a 14 per cent decline on the same period last year, according to the Newspaper Association of America. The appalling state of the US economy is largely to blame this time around, as property and recruitment ads - the newspaper industry's bread and butter - are surplus to requirements in a downturn. On the other hand, the mobile data industry laments that the ad agencies don’t seem to be getting it when it comes to mobile advertising (What matters for mobile advertising) However, there is a third perspective .. I mentioned in a recent blog iphone vs. Symbian vs. Android vs. Limo vs. Ovi : We cannot compare an ecosystem with an operating system The opportunity in making Web services(this includes content accessed from RSS feeds, email, IM etc) usable on mobile is huge – technologically this is similar to mobile SAAS - but in business model terms – it needs the advertising business model to make it work - simply because there is no other revenue model that can work. Why? Because the information is available mostly for free on the Web(or we have services like email which are also free on the Web). It is not possible to charge a premium for this service just because it is ‘mobile’(A lesson which many in the mobile industry doggedly refuse to accept!). You see the same problems with companies that try to monetise mobile widgets. Instead, the service becomes free and ad funded. And the question we have to ask ourselves is If the online advertising business model is expected to double in two years from $40 billion to $80 billion .. How can some of the revenue from the Web advertising extend to the Mobile domain? The answer, as I see it, is to take a unified view – of the Web and the Mobile Web together. And in this case, the Web is the driver(not mobile). (I once said that you should not think of Mobile Web 2.0 – rather you should think of Web Mobile 2.0 i.e. the Web is the stronger part. – that did NOT go well in an audience of telecoms execs :) ) However, if we look at the Web and the Mobile Web holistically, then it all makes a lot of sense a) A unified view of the Web and the Mobile Web lends critical mass which the mobile lacks due to fragmentation b) The services originating from the Web can be subsidised by advertising on mobile devices c) The advertising is targeted / personalised within the context of the critical mass(this is important since I don’t believe that personalization on it’s own will work and critical mass is a pre-requisite to personalization ) So, to conclude a) Advertising on the Web is expected to take off substantially over the next two years b) By viewing the Web and the Mobile Web holistically – we could capture some of that new advertising revenue on to mobile devices c) Specifically, services that are present on the Web can be accessed on mobile devices through subsidization by the ad model – this includes content accessed from RSS feeds, email, IM etc(and I think only the ad model will work for these because people will not pay on the mobile for content which is free on the web) d) We can thus balance both critical mass and personalization Thoughts? ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.982 2008-07-01T10:57:23Z 2008-07-01T11:02:09Z

I am speaking at the next mashup event on Enterprise 2.0. You can learn about Mashup events through the mashup events website. If you are interested in Enterprise 2.0, I look forward to meeting you at this event...

mashup event on Enterprise 2.0. You can learn about Mashup events through the mashup events website. If you are interested in Enterprise 2.0, I look forward to meeting you at this event ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.981 2008-06-30T17:33:59Z 2008-06-30T17:36:46Z

Carnival of the mobilists No 130 is at Andrew Grill's blog . Well worth reading as usual...

Andrew Grill's blog . Well worth reading as usual ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.980 2008-06-30T12:45:01Z 2008-06-30T12:50:53Z

Good white paper from Xtract about advertising and social intelligence. Link is HERE The latest MIT Technology Review also talks about challenges of advertising in social media and about new solutions to really monetize communities....

HERE The latest MIT Technology Review also talks about challenges of advertising in social media and about new solutions to really monetize communities. ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.979 2008-06-28T15:17:44Z 2008-06-28T15:24:59Z

I have recommended Paul Golding’s books in the past – and his new book Next generation wireless applications is also highly recommended. Very few people can write a book of 600 pages on this topic .. and Paul is certainly...

Paul Golding’s books in the past – and his new book Next generation wireless applications is also highly recommended. Very few people can write a book of 600 pages on this topic .. and Paul is certainly one of those. It covers considerable technical depth and with an emphasis on new technologies like Mobile TV, coverage of both Mobile Web and Java applications development(including MIDP 3.0), emphasis on IMS, network elements including wimax, HSDPA etc I have used the first version of this book as a reference book – and the same goes with this version. The book is oriented to the relatively novice reader to orientate themselves in the mobile applications landscape in terms of technologies. It is also primarily oriented from the Operator perspective with chapters like 'Becoming an Operator 2.0'. In doing so, it is one of the few books that span the Internet and the telecoms technologies The book is overwhelmingly about IP-related technologies used across the mobile-data network end-to-end. There are generally two-levels of books 1. About mobile applications themselves from the industry trends, concepts and paradigms perspective 2. Technical books about software (e.g. developer books) or networks Paul’s book is a systems level book somewhere between these two levels. It is based on the diagram of the ecosystem in the form of concentric rings (below) and the book then proceeds to cover the technologies in each layer extensively in 600 pages ... I would have no hesitation in recommending this book and I hope you like it as well. ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.978 2008-06-28T09:12:53Z 2008-06-28T09:17:59Z

Any views on Trusted flash? Is anyone using in? My first impressions - it is content centric - so if it is only content then its media, movies etc etc .. this will face customer resistance .. Secure apps are...

Trusted flash? Is anyone using in? My first impressions - it is content centric - so if it is only content then its media, movies etc etc .. this will face customer resistance .. Secure apps are more interesting(NFC for example) than secure content(which is more of interest to media companies) From the link above .. TrustedFlash™ Security Technology Platform Create. Protect. Enjoy. A N Y W H E R E™ The TrustedFlash platform, powered by TrustedFlash security technology, signals a new world of premium, digital content mobility using flash memory where protection and seamless portability go hand in hand. The TrustedFlash Forum gathers together leading companies within the mobile community who recognize the value to themselves and to users of a thriving ecosystem to support this platform. The TrustedFlash platform is based on data-centric, rather than device-centric, security. This unique approach lets users access all of their data whether premium content, applications or service-related on any of their TrustedFlash-enabled devices. Now users can enjoy their music, videos, global positioning system (GPS) applications, games, mobile TV and e-Commerce applications on any of their TrustedFlash-enabled MP3/MP4 players, handsets, GPS stations and portable media players (PMP). A secure, multi-vendor environment gives them the freedom to download their data of choice from multiple providers, instead of only from a single provider. Now users can access all of their premium content/services on any of their mobile handsets within the operator’s network. TrustedFlash security technology is at the heart of the TrustedFlash security platform. It securely stores sensitive digital data and applications on flash media, extending the trusted environment to include Secure Digital (SD™) cards, microSD™ cards, high-capacity SIM cards, USB flash drives and embedded flash drives. Built on international standards for cryptography and authentication, TrustedFlash security technology supports a variety of digital rights management (DRM) formats. It is comprised of these basic building blocks: * Secure key session: random key encryption during data routing to/from the TrustedFlash-enabled device, multiple secure sessions, multiple simultaneous applications. * Content encryption: TrustedFlash internal hidden keys, state-of-the-art cryptographic processor (RNG, AES, DES, 3DES, SHA1 Hash, PKI, key pair generation), on-the-fly encryption/decryption, advanced PKI and Trusted Time System. * Multiple partitions: secure and public with on-the-fly dynamic allocation, hidden partition visible only to authenticated application, full integrity between discrete partitions. * Secure storage modes o TrustedFlash Playback: only authorized application can read the TrustedFlash encrypted content. o DRM agnostic card: rights objects (ROs) are encrypted with TrustedFlash security keys and stored with the associated content in TrustedFlash-enabled device. o TrustedFlash Playback + DRM: encrypted content and RO are encrypted internally with TrustedFlash security keys. * Secure execution environment: customized card applications, install/uninstall/browse card applications, standard card applications such as one time password (OTP), multiple DRM scheme support, conditional access system (CAS), secure interoperable personal video recorder (PVR), preloaded secure content. * Scalable platform, storage and security: Secure memory platform that can be extended with more storage and applications, choice of multiple protection levels that can be implemented per content/application. Contact us for further information: info@trustedflashforum.com View Frequently Asked Questions about the TrustedFlash security technology and platform. ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.977 2008-06-27T21:55:32Z 2008-06-28T09:32:37Z

The big news of this week was the open sourcing of the Symbian operating system. Having now had some time to think of this .. here are some more thoughts about this rather unexpected but seminal opengardens development APPLES AND...

open sourcing of the Symbian operating system. Having now had some time to think of this .. here are some more thoughts about this rather unexpected but seminal opengardens development APPLES AND ORANGES The title of this blog shows how often people compare the proverbial apples and oranges. It is not possible to compare Symbian vs. Android; or Symbian vs. iPhone .. because it is not possible to mix operating systems with ecosystems iPhone, Ovi and Android are ecosystems. In contrast, Symbian and Limo are operating systems or Operating system consortia. Thus, iPhone vs. Android vs. Ovi is a valid comparison(three ecosystems) as is Limo vs. Symbian(two operating systems) .. but NOT Android vs. Limo(an ecosystem vs. and operating system) .. and (not yet) Android vs. Symbian By including the iPhone in this mix, you can see that I value the ecosystem vs. the operating system – and that is correct. If anything, the Symbian announcement shows conclusively that the mobile operating system is a commodity .. even when Symbian has shipped 150 million devices with annual revenue of £195 million, at £210 million – the Nokia deal values Symbian at only two times the revenue. Now, let us consider the question of Open source .. OPEN SOURCE Open source conjures up images of geeks working late into the night for altruistic reasons and for peer recognition .. Indeed that’s one component of the story – and it is also the motivation behind the original success of Linux on the PC. However, there is another angle here .. companies are getting into the Open source play in a big way – i.e. creating code and then open sourcing it under specific open source licences(the license itself matters a lot and for a greater discussion of this issue see the blog Open source vs. Open Standards – complementing or competing? There are many prominent examples of this approach .. Apple(and then Nokia) with Webkit, IBM with Apache, IBM(subsequently) with Linux And why will companies give away code for free .. Because everyone benefits if we have interoperable systems(i.e. no one driver for the code base) BUT at the same time – we will find that competitive advantage can be maintained depending on which open source license you adopt(see the link Open source vs. Open Standards – complementing or competing? above to see how Android exploits this idea brilliantly) However, when it comes to Open source on mobile devices, we have yet another factor which comes into play i.e. the BOM(Bill of material) of the device. Software can play a part in reducing the Bill of materials (i.e. the combined hardware and software cost) – especially if it is modularised. This was the original reason why Linux was ported to mobile devices and also explains the rise of specialist Linux integration vendors like windriver Thus, there are two audiences – developers and device manufacturers. It is debatable how many developers will benefit from an open source Symbian(or will toil through the night contributing code to it). The real question is – how many NEW device manufacturers will take up Symbian as an Operating system. IMPACT ON THE MARKETPLACE I believe that the biggest impact of this announcement will be on LIMO since it directly correlates to Symbain(in contrast to Android which is an ecosystem). Indeed LIPS(another Linux consortium) has folded up after this announcement into LIMO and interestingly Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi dismisses LiMo as a major factor and calls it a PR machine. Symbian is tested. It is now open source. It is familiar to developers. It is a safer bet if you want a pure OS. The Jury is out – but the real question is – how many more device manufacturers will take up Symbian as an Operating system? How modularised is it for an OEM vendor(say from Taiwan) to take up and deploy? Etc etc. In the blog Crossing the chasm with Android , I said that the key benefit of Android will be the emergence of new entrants into the devices market. In that sense, the Symbian announcement is good because it will allow more players to enter the devices space. Even then, we need to see more from Nokia. Symbian is not yet an ecosystem (like Android or even Ovi). It is merely an operating system. MOBILE DEVICES AS A COMMODITY Ultimately, not just the operating systems but the device itself may become commoditised. This is ironic since devices will become even more important - both for customers and for brands. However, they will also become cheaper, commoditised and modularised. Of all the companies, Nokia knows this best and for a year now Nokia has been busy reinventing itself as an Internet company – a truly far sighted vision that is paying off big time now. For the same reason Ovi is more relevant than Symbian / LiMo foundation and one to watch over time. Indeed I see many more devices(from many more vendors) who will enter this space. Interestingly, the LIMO foundation press release about the Symbian announcement says We welcome the formation of Symbian Foundation as it follows behind the pioneering direction of LiMo Foundation which recognizes that the industry must coalesce on far fewer handset OS’s in order that innovation can be unblocked and far better propositions brought to consumers. I disagree with this. I actually don’t think we are coalescing around fewer devices. Instead I see MANY more devices which will be launched and that’s a good thing. The most common question developers ask is: How do I get this service on to phones? With many new entrants, the possibility of getting a service on a phone increases. At the moment, there are really only four device manufacturers(Samsung LG Nokia and Sony Ericsson) + Motorola (with its status in balance). If we see many more device vendors, that is a good thing. Indeed 3D holograms from Infosys and the award winning Gemalto’s smart card web server(pdf) could be their own ‘devices’ i.e. if the device becomes cheap then we could model the device around a specific development(like SCWS) AND WHAT ABOUT ANDROID/GOOGLE? Contrary to media comparisons, I believe that Google is addressing a fundamentally different problem to most other people(including Nokia). It is addressing the problem of making Web services usable on mobile devices(mostly existing Google services like mail and maps). This needs advertising support simply because there is no other revenue model that can work. Why? Because the information is available mostly for free on the Web(or we have services like email which are also free on the Web). It is not possible to charge a premium for this service just because it is ‘mobile’(A lesson which many in the mobile industry doggedly refuse to accept!). (You see the same problems with companies that try to monetise mobile widgets). Instead, the service becomes free and ad funded. And Android has been designed from the ground up to achieve this goal(i.e. within every element of the stack) and has features like XMPP integrated into it XMPP (features which have no parallels in an integrated manner currently). And is modularised. This strategy will pay dividends depending on how many people are addicted to Google web apps(and I am!) and will want them on mobile devices – a trend I explored in a blog called Am I the only one who uses Gmail with Blackberry .. and what does it say for mobile apps .. SHOW ME THE MONEY? So, if the OS is free, the devices are free .. etc etc .. where is the money going to come from? The answer lies in understanding the behaviour of the PC/Web software industry. I come from a background of PeopleSoft(now Oracle corporation) prior to mobile – and Oracle continues to make lots of money – not from software but from services(more than half it’s revenue) and UBS analyst Heather Bellini calls Oracle a ‘profit machine’ I see the same trend on mobile devices. As devices and systems software becomes cheap(like on the PC) but ironically more complex, applications and services will drive most of the revenue. These could be advertising but also subscription services(including some form of tech support/ insurance etc) DR IRVING WLADAWSKY-BERGER THE UNSUNG HERO OF THE OPEN SOURCE MOVEMENT Let me conclude this article by mentioning the impact of Dr Irving Wladawsky-Berger - a great unsung hero in my view for Open source movement Dr. Irving Wladawsky-Berger of IBM has done more than anyone else to adopt the ideas of open source to companies – analogous to what Linus Torvalds did for Linux in the Operating system domain. Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting Dr Berger .. he has an infrequent but insightful blog HERE which I recommend you follow . Today, as a result of that vision from some corporate pioneers like Irving Wladawsky-Berger – we see a unique and a vibrant ecosystem – not dominated by a company, or by governments. Indeed, that’s the reason I have always said that the market will develop differently in Europe, North America and many other places in comparison to Japan and Korea and inspite of early advantages .. Europe and North America will be the leaders for Mobile applications that also span the Web. Here is a section from an interview with Irving which shows a pragmatic vision to open source – and over the years it has given rise to a whole ecosystem as we see today in the mobility space. >>> TG: Sun has committed to releasing all of its code as open source. Do you think IBM will do the same? IW-B: I don't think so, because I honestly don't think everybody wants to see all your code. Remember, the key to open source is not the ability to see the open software, it's the forming of a community around it that will participate in its development and its maintenance. You cannot go in your closet and look for old code and throw it out there and tell people to form a community around it. They may say, Irving, that's legacy code that we have zero interest in working on. We continue to open source quite a bit of code, but we are fairly selective, and we work very closely with communities to decide whether to open source or not. <<< Open source and open standards will lead the way – and may it so remain! We are seeing the fulfillment of a trend which began about a decade ago .. and it is proving very disruptive in the mobile domain - as Android and the Symbian announcement continue to demonstrate Also see Crossing the Chasm with Android Open source vs. Open Standards – complementing or competing? ]]> tag:opengardensblog.futuretext.com,2008://2.976 2008-06-26T22:10:25Z 2008-06-26T22:15:22Z

Why are kids’ stories so outdated? I have a five year old son who is VERY technology savvy (His second word was ‘Gagga’ – which turns out to be ‘Google’!!). I was reading Jack and the beanstalk to him...

Why are kids’ stories so outdated? I have a five year old son who is VERY technology savvy (His second word was ‘Gagga’ – which turns out to be ‘Google’!!). I was reading Jack and the beanstalk to him - and in it he encountered a harp . What is a harp? He wanted to know? I told him it is a musical instrument. I tried to elaborate. I said – ‘Music plays from it’ . He thought for a minute - and his face brightened as he asked Like the ipod? Well .. Yes .. I said. Of course he is very familiar with the ipod, but has no clue what a Harp is. After hunting for a harp for a long time .. he suggested that maybe we can find it on Google images? And there we found one! The point illustrates a key trend .. If anything needs a 2.0 version, it is fairy tales! The wording of Jack and the Beanstalk reads as follows! Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum!?? I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he 'live, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread. Just how do we explain this wording to a five year old? Who by the way happens to be an ‘Englishman’ at birth(unlike me who is a naturalised British citizen). Give me fairy tales about the iPod any day! Image source: http://blog.collectables-now.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/harp.jpg ]]>