Hi List,
I'd like to ask for some input from people on this list. I have been asked to comment on a paper written by a research group within my company (KPMG Consulting).
It's a brief (5 pages) and not very well thought-through piece (if you ask me) on the future standard for mobile Internet/m-commerce. Conclusions in short: Both WAP and i-mode are proprietary technologies and will have limited success. Only when HTML is the worldwide standard, giving users their anticipated unrestricted WWW Internet experience, will the mobile Internet succeed.
The author does not really grasp the mobile Internet experience (as supposed to fixed Internet). In fact, this discussion (eg. are consumers even likely to would want the unrestricted WWW Internet experience on their mobiles?) is completely absent.
As for the technical and design limitations of this scenario, I'd like to hear some comments from content developers and others from this list. Is the HTML browser a realistic option at this point? (or anytime soon? ever?). Isn't the c-HTML browser already sort of the mobile version of the HTML browser? Here are a few odd quotes from the paper that could help get you started:
a.. "[using the HTML browser] application developers are relieved from coding issues, as the display on the mobile device will mirror the one on the desktop".
b.. "WAP's main competitor, DoCoMo's i-mode, is also a licensed technology that is being offered to a select few. To date, it has targeted very large, powerful, vendors based predominantly in the US" (this one, I can't make much sense of...)
c.. Due to its low bandwidth requirements and the existing infrastructure, WAP is likely to remain as the lower cost option. For user requirements where only simple functionality and text based output is needed, WAP may deliver more value relative to cost compared to mobile HTML browsers.
d.. "This new infrastructure [GPRS & 3G] will enable the complete Internet to be delivered over wireless means"
e.. While applications that are country or organization specific may still be utilized, it's likely to prevent a complete 'open and mobile' experience for users who anticipate unrestricted access as per their WWW Internet experiences.
I would appreciate any comments on the mobile HTML scenario. Unfortunately, I don't have a URL for this paper, but I can send the PDF file to anyone who would like to read it (only 5 pages, so it's a quick read). Alternatively, maybe the list administrator could put it in the directory if I sent it to him (?)
Cheers,
Daniel Helmer
Consultant, Communications & Content
KPMG Consulting
dhelmer@kpmg.com.au
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Received on Sun Mar 4 14:28:44 2001