Mobile Web 2.0

In the run up the Mobile Web 2.0 conference this September, I wanted to gather some thoughts from our top speakers to help give attendees a little preview of what other attendees are thinking. I spoke with Prof. Ed Candy (CTO 3 Group) on Wednesday, to get his views. Prof Candy of the advisory board for this event, and here is a quick summary of his thoughts on the conference and mobile web 2.0

Why is mobile web 2.0 even important at the moment for operators?
It is all part of the way society is moving. Things are moving towards 2.0 to meet user demands. People now need to use the internet (for work and life in general), the need their phone with them, and the spend time out and about. Mobile Web 2.0 will let them do what they need to do internet-wise wherever.

Will Mobile Web actually take-off, unlike WAP? (I ask this for those friends who cannot imagine eating up their social time in a bar by sending photos to their blog. Clearly they have never been to a truly appalling wedding/boat party).
Now, the technology is mature. There is excess processing power, and now browsers are high quality. In addition to this, we have HSDPA and 3G coverage is ubiquitous. Operators and Internet Providers are also now willing to invest in the capital to make this happen.

So what could hold it back?
Firstly the mobile world needs to “engage the internet” world in the same way as they have engaged the telephony world.
Secondly, user interface needs to be improved so 2.0 services are extremely simple so access, even “simpler than the PC.” When asked, he agreed this was part of the logic behind pre-installed applications. We need to reach the stage in terms of access where mobile web 2.0 “just is.” We devote so much of our emotional energy to our work and our family. We just don’t have extra discovery energy to spend on the mobile. So to make it work, we have to reach the ‘it just is’ stage.

Any thoughts for what you will be saying at the conference?
It is too early to say– much happens in 2 months. In general terms, embracing the internet world will be the direction of the talk.

I had expected the conference to be mainly a European affair–quite excited to see such early interest from the Asian side– from Korea, I think: http://blog.webservices.or.kr/?p=1521

From the conference perspective, it looks like things are headed in the right direction for enabling user adoption of Mobile Web 2.0. Reading about Vodafone UK’s flat-rate service’s comparative price it seems that Vodafone is far from T-mobile’s data price offer. Why is this, I wonder from a confernece researcher perspective? Does this show that operators are far from being dumb-pipes, and that there are differentiated services bundled into the extra flat-rate cost? Or more simply, perhaps it reflects a measure of uncertainty in the future of data-usage, and in the priority given to data rates when users choose their mobile operator service.

Ajit Jaokar’s talk in front of the European Parliament—and his write up in Social Computing Magazine mentioned the idea of creating politics and government related applications of Mobile/ Web 2.0. I wonder how important mobile politics applications are for creating a vibrant Mobile Web 2.0 ecosystem, as compared to ‘fun’ and enterprise Mobile Web 2.0 services. In fact, what sorts of application are being developed for mobile politics 2.0?

Of course, as Informa’s conference is Europe based, the EU’s interest in Mobile Web 2.0 is quite significant for us. One of the major points in Ajit’s write-up was that Europe has an advantage in Mobile Web 2.0, thanks to both its mobile expertise and its open standards. But if the ‘web mentality’ needs to apply to mobile for Mobile Web 2.0 to take off, how will that fusion of mobile and web worlds happen?

I have been talking to various web companies in recent days, trying to rope in the final few speakers for the event. My conversations have made me think again about business models, and how different players are planning to utilise mobility. Some big internet companies (sorry- this was part of my off the record research, so no names) are investing in start-ups to exploit mobility. Beyond creating a basic mobile-accessible website, these companies aren’t so concerned with fully embracing mobility themselves. But they do invest in Web 2.0 start-ups that are exploring the features of mobility more seriously. Does this suggest that it is 2.0 that will actually popularise web mobility, rather than 1.0?

Hi,
I’m Rosalind, and I’ll be administering this blog. I’m a conference researcher at Informa Telecoms and Media. I started exploring Mobile Web 2.0 about two months ago, calling up operators and communities to find out what they thought about the subject. Many thanks for those of you who talked with me! By now, the conference agenda and speaker lineup are fairly close to completion– check here blog for updates on speakers, topics on the agenda, and please feel free to write down any comments you have on the conference or related subjects.