It's amazing how a simple addition can make a mobile device so much more effective. I've had a Blackberry for a while, but the addition of WI-FI has fundamentally changed how I use the device. The new T-Mobile Blackberry 8320 has a large screen and WI-FI. By hooking the device up to my home wireless network I've gained very fast Internet browsing that's always available. With a full keyboard on the 8320, it's easy to query a search engine or browse the web. The big negative is that the Blackberry browser still isn't very good. We can only hope that RIM will invest more energy into improving their browser now that it's more practical to use it.
Similarly, my new AT&T LG CU500V cell phone uses the new 3G UMTS network for data. While it's not as fast as WI-FI, it's fast enough for full motion video and much faster web browsing everywhere I go in the Chicago area. What the device lacks is a full keyboard and a large screen.
The truly game changing device will have a large screen, full keyboard, fully capable browser, GPS, good audio/video capabilities and very fast unlimited network access. Let's call this the NextGen device. (Note: The Apple Iphone is close to fitting the description, but still lacks the keyboard and full-time fast network access. It has WI-FI, but is still on AT&T's older and slower data network.)
How does this change the future?
With a NextGen device, it's possible to browse the web anytime, anywhere, with a rich media experience. Imagine a world in which all the knowledge of the web is instantly available to anyone at any time.
In a NextGen world, you'll check the news on your mobile device and expect that the stories are updated 30 minutes later when you check again...
In a NextGen world, when you see the sky darken, you access the weather on the device and see real-time animated radar and satellite maps of the approaching thunderstorm. Your device knows where you are, so you shouldn't even need to enter your location the way you do today. You'll expect the maps to be current to the minute, not just what was happening 15 minutes ago. (Hint: Accuweather and Weather.com haven't figured out the need for mobile applets. When they do, they should be charging a premium to make the information real-time for mobile devices.)
When you are out and about and get hungry, it will be easy to explore your options wherever you are. Your NextGen device knows where you are, so it will be easy to search for restaurants that meet your criteria within a radius around where you are. (Hint: Zagat should be partnering with a mapping vendor like Google Maps to make this a reality today.)
In a NextGen world, when you want to know what the hours for a business are, you don't call information and call the business, you just Google the business. (Hint: If your business doesn't have a web site that explains that you do, how to find you and what your hours are, your late to the game. Big companies need to make sure that a location based search finds their franchises. e.g. glenview, mcdonalds address.)
In a NextGen world, you can be standing in a physical store and reading product reviews and comparing prices online. (Hint: If physical retailers still aren't worried about competing with online retailers, look out...)
In a NextGen world, email and instant messaging is immediately accessible wherever you are. When you combine Instant Messaging presence with a NextGen device and a social networking site like Facebook, your friends and family may always know where you are and what you're doing. (Some people are already doing this with services like Twitter...)
Imagine the millions of silly arguments about trivia and not so trivial items that could be immediately resolved by pulling out a NextGen device and doing a search. Of course most of those people will just find new things to argue about... (Hint: Search needs to get smarter and web sites need to be better organized to make it easier to find content.)
In a NextGen world travelers have all the information they need available fast and easy. Check flight status in real-time, change flights, book a hotel or bed and breakfast, make a restaurant reservation, get directions to the restaurant, check the hours of the museum or the price of the subway.
What should you do to plan for this future...
Mobile consumers will expect information to be fast, easy and real time. Mobile consumers will expect to be able to do everything they do today over the phone or over a PC on a NextGen device with a 2 inch screen. If you have a restaurant, make sure you have a web site and if you take reservations, make sure you do it online and on mobile devices. Even the smaller hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts should be bookable online and on mobile devices. News sites need to rethink how fast they need to get updates online when consumers start to expect real time updates to stories with audio and video on their mobile devices. Start thinking about how your web site looks on mobile browsers and how it will be used differently by mobile consumers. Think about how to integrate your information with GPS and mapping to increase its value to your customers. If your business model is inherently valuable to mobile consumers (e.g. Zagat, Accuweather, etc.) consider creating applets for mobile devices and charging for premium content and services.
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2 comments:
Good observations, Kevin. Things are changing fast, but not fast enough in US. Practically every phone in Korea and Japan streams video today. One of my customers, in Japan, implemented coupon acceptance system from the mobile phone. It is sent to customer's phone and then remotely applied at a restaurant. Customer doesn't do anything except for showing up, no clipping, no collecting. Simple and rewarding for both the customer and the store.
Thanks for the feedback. I'd love to be able to do something like what you describe in the states. I receive weekly book store coupons from Borders and Barnes and Noble. I've never been able to get the Google Gmail Blackberry applet to display the coupon images. I've often wondered whether the sales clerks would scan the barcode on the Blackberry screen at the point of sale if I was able to display the coupon image. This seems like an enhancement opportunity for the Gmail applet.
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