Evolution Of The Mobile

Ecosystem

iRetroPhone

The Brick Era: Motorola DynaTAC

• Bell Labs proposed the idea of a cellular network in 1947

• Japan launched first (analog) network in 1979; Nordic network launched in 1981

• First handheld mobile phone in the US debuted in 1983; Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, cost $4K ($8,762 today)

The Flip Phone

• Motorola MicroTAC introduced in 1989; GSM-compatible (2G) and TDMA/Dual-Mode introduced in 1994

• Reportedly inspired by Star Trek

• Pocket-sized

Candy Bar 2G (digital) network launched in Finland in

1991 included SMS

Smart Phones:Nokia 9000 Communicator, 1996

Smart Phones: Palm Treo 180,

2002

Smart Phones: Nokia 6650 (3G),

2002

Smart Phones: RIM

BlackBerry 58102002

Smart Phones: Motorola Razr V3, 2004

Smart Phones: Apple iPhone,

2007

The Touch Era Is Born

Some Data Points

• March 2008: 85% iPhone users access news & info v 13.1% all mobile users and 58% all smart phone users

• More than 2,000 mobile applications in less than 1 year

• More than 10,000 mobile applications downloaded w/in 6 months of 3GS (June 2009)

The Mobile Ecosystem

• Operators and Networks• Devices• Operating Systems• Application Frameworks• Applications

Operators & Networks

1. China Mobile, >500M subscribers2. Vodafone, >340M subscribers3. Telefonica, >265M subscribers4. America Movil, >182M subscribers5. Telenor, >164M subscribers […]• Verizon (45% Vodafone), >92M subscribers• AT&T, >85M subscribers

Devices

• More than 4.6 billion cellphones• More than 6-in-10 people have cellphones

44.3

19.4

15.4

9.6

6.84.4

Percent, 1st Qtr 2010

SymbianRIMAppleAndroidWindowsOther

Operating Systems Global

Market Share

Application Frameworks

• Often Run On Top of OS• Types:– S60, Symbian– Java-J2ME, basis for RIM– Cocoa Touch, Apple– Android SDK– Adobe Flash Lite– Windows

Applications

• Frameworks are standardized; devices are not

• Device variables include– Version supported– Screen size– Processor power– Graphics capabilities– Number and orientation of buttons

Web As Alternative?

• Web browser as solution to variability versus developing for a platform, such as iPhone or Android

• But each version of a device may have a different browser and/or a different version

• Operators set these requirements• Problem: device fragmentation

Types : SMS

• Most basic: SMS– Send keyword (“health”) to a shortcode

(“12345”) and get something in return

Types: Mobile Web App

• Mobile Web Apps– Basic HTML, CSS, Javascript– Challenge to support multiple devices– Logical extension of web apps– Alters views in place rather than loading new

pages

Types : “Native Apps”

• Created and compiled for each platform• Best-in-class user experience• Cannot be easily ported to other devices– An exception: games are relatively easy to port

AP

BBC

NPR

Positioning Mobile

• Seventh mass medium - Tomi Ahonen– Printing– Audio Recording– Cinema– Radio– TV– Internet

Positioning Mobile

• First personal mass medium• First always-on mass medium• First always-carried mass medium• First mass medium where individuals can be

identified• First mass medium to facilitate the “creative

impulse”

Source: Mobile Design and Development (p39) and http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2007/02/mobile_the_7th_.html

Developing A Strategy

• Local government: mass transit, community participation, feedback on public works projects, interaction with city council, info about parks and recreation

• Health: access to patient records, access to public health info, first aid tips, nutrition labels, recipes, fitness tips

Context

• Most mobile tasks are short• Most mobile tasks are undertaken “in

between” something else … waiting in line, riding the bus, walking between meetings

Genres : Utilities

• Simple; short, task-based scenarios• Minimal set up• Examples– Weather– Calculator– Clock– Stopwatch– ESPN Score Center

Genres : Productivity

• Structured, complex• Accelerators, shortcuts• Examples– Amazon– Facebook– RedBox– Wordpress– Yelp

Genres : Immersive

• Full screen, entertainment, specialized tasks

• Examples– BingMusic– Kindle– Ocarina– SkyVoyager– YouTube

Tips : Linking To Apps

• Find developer site (Google, Bing)• Android Market (not all available)– Congress, Sunlight Labs

• WindowsPhone Marketplace– AP Mobile

• iTunes store (not straightforward)– iTunes Link Maker FAQ– iTunes Link Maker

iTunes Link Maker Example

Comparing Links

• iPhone– http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/irentmovie-netfl

ix-manager/id312286988?mt=8&uo=4– http://www.oxycode.com/

• Android– http://www.android.com/market/#app=com.sunlightlabs.android.congress

– http://sunlightlabs.com/

• WindowsPhone– http://marketplace.windowsphone.com/details.aspx?appId=45d17172-e089-4a2e-8e58-46a0806322ec&retURL=/categories.aspx?categoryId=50073

Tips : Screen Captures

• iPhone: press “home” and “power” buttons simultaneously

• Android: Need to install Screenshot

• Nokia:Need to install a screenshot app

• Windows Phone:Need to install a screenshot app

Credits

• Kathy E. Gill, @kegill– http://wiredpen.com/– http://faculty.washington.edu/

• Creative Commons: non-commercial, attribution, share-and-share-alike– Historical device images copyright respective

owners, used here via Fair Use Doctrine– iPhone app images made using my device