Digital Design Blog

The Mobile Millennium

Long heralded as the next wave of technology innovation, mobile services and mobile marketing platforms are finally poised to break out in almost every region of the world. In the U.S., Apple’s iPhone may finally provide the tipping point as developers and media and entertainment companies rush to create an array of engaging Web applications for consumers on the go.

This will be a far cry from the short message service (SMS), also known as “texting” services that have dominated mobile marketing to date. Now, mobile portals will become critical. Ditto for mobile display advertising; as well as the ultimate panacea of combining outdoor billboards/interactive installations and city lights with mobile devices and services.

But, be assured, this is just the beginning.

We are entering the mobile millennium where just about everybody will use the mobile phone in a completely different way than it is currently used. Like all other forms of social media, mobile phones are rapidly becoming more personalized and attention-grabbing.

First, the mobile phone will be the essential life tool; not simply a communication device, but a device that combines your diary, your planner, and your entertainment and information platforms. And, of course, last but not least�a status gadget that tells the world how cool you are.

Secondly, the paradigm of “talk to me” will change. We have been seeing a major shift from “speaking” to “watching” in mobile phones. Historically, this type of interaction is unheard of for any technical device. And have you heard that the Sony Walkman is becoming a WalkieTalkie?

In the past, we have seen that success is not driven by technology alone but by matching technology with user needs. For example, allowing users the non-intrusive possibility to send messages to one another without needing to talk (SMS) or personalize a device with your own individualized sound note (ringtones).

Here�s our shortcut to the mobile millennium�all based around user needs:

1.Exchanging Information
The old SMS is still the most successful messaging tool out there. Although multimedia messaging service (MMS) has not yet lived up to expectations, we strongly believe in technology that enables users to share and communicate�not only via text, but videos, images, locations, audio, music, file sharing and applications.

Exchanging information on-the-go where and when you want is key. Here are our predictions:

- The rise of community and social networks into the mobile sphere
- New mobile triggered “life blogs” and “social network for the street” (i.e. http://www.aka-aki.com)
- Messaging applications that combine the options of uploading photos, and of streaming of videos- it is a bit like “SMS gone wild” (Eric Schmidt, Google)

2. Accessibility
Accessing information or technology via mobile devices is often an awkward experience — fumbling with small keypads, typing SMS to get information, etc. This is a major nuisance obviously, but one that is rapidly being resolved. The next generation of mobile technologies will provide more and more convenient ways to access information via mobile phones.

- 2D codes are the most convenient way to access any information on mobile phones. There are several different codes, the so called QR code being the most popular one. How does it work? The user must just focus the mobile phone�s camera onto the code and is then directed to the information behind the code  –  which could be a mobile Web site, the automatic initiation of an SMS or a download of coupons. It is a bit like James Bond — focus, wait for green signal, go for it. (See Avenue A | Razorfish�s Smartpox http://www.smartpox.com)
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC)�Beware of abbreviations, but these two, you may want to remember. To put it simply: both technologies allow you to connect your mobile phone with another tech device in order to transfer secure data between the phones. This could be the new way to swap data and pay via mobile phones — as the Japanese are already doing.

3. Location-Based Services
For the past half a decade, we�ve heard it year after year, Location-Based Services (LBS) are coming. We really want to believe in it because the use case is so awe-inspiring: imagine being able to get only the data on your phone that is relevant for your geographical position. LBS has been delayed mainly because consumers also want convenience and content.

The tipping point for LBS (no really, this time it is true) is a global positioning system (GPS): embedded in the phone is a GPS chip that automatically locates position — simply and securely.

Content is finally here, with yellow page directories, shopping portals, cinema listings, mapping and route planners and city guides all moving to mobile. Also, social networks (like Dodgeball) and security services for children are possible LBS features. Virtual tagging (leaving virtual tags, la Google maps, related to streets, bars, shops, etc on a map) accessed from mobile phones will be the next huge step.

4. Usability of Services
As he has done so often in the past, Steve Jobs has, more or less, moved the usability on mobile phones to the next level. The iPhone is certainly not the last word, but after years of lists of links, small fonts and awkward usage, we see technology that will help to make mobile phones more easy to use and, ultimately enjoyable.

For those without an iPhone, Macromedia�s Flash-lite is new software to make content, portals and surfaces more lively and easier to use. Also, there will be new usability concepts with motion sensing technology, such as that used in Nintendo�s Wii, where one can navigate with the movement of the phone, or more succinctly, a flick of the wrist.

5. Customization / Personalization
The mobile phone is often heralded as the most personal device ever created. However, personalization was restricted to just ringtones and screensavers (and your address book, of course).

Now, with mobile widgets, users can configure their mobile phone with content snippets they choose from a Web page. Search can be customized to the owner�s habits, needs, and location (see above). The next wave of this is all about applications to customize the phone. We will also see enhanced mobile content and entertainment features like backgrounds that change with room temperature or time�from snowfall at night to sun at midday.

However, customization and personalization goes even deeper for marketers: it extends to advertising on the phone and combines mobile banner messages with the usage patterns of users and their environment.

So, what does this all mean? Ubiquity. In the near future, the lines between usage and geography (home, office, city, country, etc.) will begin to blur. And the way that we think about interacting with others — including what we define as being “present” will change as well.Simply put, with an always-on data connection our “presence” becomes an abstract feature and, with that, the rise of total ubiquity.

by Joachim Bader and Stefan Mohr, Pocketframes of NEUE DIGITALE