SAN FRANCISCO-- Mobile software vendors and content providers at this week's CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference here plan not just to bring new products to mobile users but also make them easier to find.
Awkward and slow user interfaces are still stumbling blocks on the way to greater consumer adoption of mobile data, at least in the U.S., according to industry analysts. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association's show, which runs from Tuesday through Thursday in San Francisco, will see the introduction of new approaches for bringing users together with content and applications.
"It really is the needle in the haystack," NPD Group analyst Clint Wheelock said of finding mobile content and services.
The problem has grown worse with the proliferation of content on mobile networks, analysts said. Consumers won't flock to mobile content and data services as long as finding them involves negotiating a long series of browser pages, said Mark Donovan, an analyst at M:Metrics, on a conference call with press last Thursday. For example, Verizon Wireless offers more than 500 mobile content titles, including games, he said. For users, finding the one thing they're looking for can be frustrating without a good user interface, he said.
The good news is that mobile content and applications, along with delivery systems, are maturing, analysts said.
"Technology has finally improved enough that [operators] can finally offer new services without those new services feeling like a novelty that isn't really ready for most consumers," said Albert Lin, analyst at American Technology Research. Examples include ringtones and video, both of which are now good enough for many consumers, Lin said.
Simpler Downloads
At the show, two software vendors are set to unveil new versions of their delivery platforms and are promising users fewer keystrokes and faster results.
Action Engine will unveil and demonstrate version 4.0 of its Mobile Application Platform (MAP). Along with having a new user interface and significantly smaller memory requirements, the new version takes MAP beyond smart phones to compatibility with Java-enabled phones, according to the company. Action Engine sells MAP to service providers as a platform for subscribers to access content such as news, weather, sports scores and driving directions.
Handmark is set to introduce version 2.0 of Pocket Express, a bundle of wireless services for smart phones and wireless PDAs. It has a new user interface with faster access to all services from its opening page, according to a Doug Edwards, co-founder and executive vice president of Handmark.
The new version of Pocket Express also benefits from two new relationships: Handmark has signed on with The Associated Press as a news content partner, which Edwards said will provide more up-to-date sports scores and other enhancements. Also, location-based technology company Telcontar will help Handmark provide more accurate and easy-to-read digital maps, Edwards said. In addition, Pocket Express 2.0 has location-based capabilities that can be used on phones equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) hardware. Among other things, those users will be able to get listings of nearby businesses without having to tell the service provider where they are, Edwards said.
Handmark 2.0 is available now for PalmOS, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile Pocket PC, and Smartphone devices, as well as Java-enabled phones. It costs $6.99 per month or $69.90 yearly. Users can buy it from Handmark's Web site or in select stores; users of Sprint Nextel PCS Vision phones can buy it directly on the handsets. The new version is available free to all current Pocket Express subscribers.
Vendors Collaborate
Other delivery methods attendees will see at the show will include voice-activated ringtone selection and carriers sending content in response to simple text messages, M:Metrics' Donovan said.
In another move to help bring appealing mobile products to consumers, Motorola will announce it is bringing in partner July Systems to improve the way games are sold on phones. July will work with Global Applications Management Architecture (GAMA), Motorola's upcoming system for mediation and billing between content providers and mobile operators, said Ashok Narasimhan, founder and CEO of July Systems.
The collaboration will lead to new ways to present games to potential customers, he said. There could be options to rent the game for a day, try it before buying, or purchase it as part of a themed package with a ringtone and wallpaper, he said. In addition, based on a profile of the user, the operator could highlight on the phone the games they are likely to buy, Narasimhan said.
The combined technologies will save mobile operators and game developers from having to code each game for particular presentation and sales methods, according to Narasimhan. GAMA is in trials at several mobile operators today, said Poonacha Machaiah, a senior director of seamless mobility services at Motorola.
One trend that bodes well for U.S. mobile customers is that carriers are opening up their "walled gardens" of proprietary content so that subscribers can download third-party offerings, analysts said.
Valista is set to roll out a system that will let mobile operators offer and sell content and services from both inside and outside their own portals. With the OffersPlus system, operators will be able to give their subscribers access to more products by letting them buy directly from content providers. The software also will let operators package different kinds of content and services in ways that will appeal to their customers, the company said in a statement.
Downloads Jump
Despite the growing selection of mobile content and services, U.S. consumers are still predominantly choosing to purchase messaging and personalization products, such as ringtones and wallpaper, according to M:Metrics, which surveys about 10,000 users each month, Donovan said. One trend on the rise right now is sharing pictures from camera phones, uploading them to online photo sites, and using them in mobile picture Web logs, Donovan said.
In July, the company estimates, 17.5 million users downloaded a ringtone, 7 million downloaded graphics, and about 6.2 million downloaded a game.
However, the use of mobile music and video are on the rise, Donovan said. More than 11 percent of phones shipped in July had video capability, and he expects to see significant growth in that area over the next 18 months--though video is still far from being a mainstream use of mobile phones, he said.
Cell phones are also starting to help consumers use credit cards more safely. At the show, mBlox a mobile payment and transmission company, will discuss a relationship with MasterCard in which it is adding SMS capability to the giant credit card issuer's antifraud system.
Today, when MasterCard detects transactions that it thinks may involve a stolen credit card or number, its customer service representatives call the cardholder to check whether the purchase was legitimate, said Jay Emmet, mBlox president, Americas. In the future, mBlox will let MasterCard use its global network to send text messages to customers' cell phones in the case of a suspect purchase. An SMS can be sent for a fraction of the cost of a phone call, allowing MasterCard and its card-issuing bank partners to check on more transactions if they choose, Emmet said. In addition, an SMS is more likely to reach a customer who can then reply that the transaction is legitimate or call MasterCard, he said.
MBlox has relationships with about 190 mobile operators worldwide, Emmet said. The service is being offered now to MasterCard issuing banks in Europe, and MasterCard plans to extend it to North America, the Asia-Pacific region and South Asia, Middle East and Africa by the end of this year, according to a joint statement by the companies.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20050928/tc_pcworld/122743;_ylt=Ateo.5uD1jPHoPknlDxfI_AjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Awkward and slow user interfaces are still stumbling blocks on the way to greater consumer adoption of mobile data, at least in the U.S., according to industry analysts. The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association's show, which runs from Tuesday through Thursday in San Francisco, will see the introduction of new approaches for bringing users together with content and applications.
"It really is the needle in the haystack," NPD Group analyst Clint Wheelock said of finding mobile content and services.
The problem has grown worse with the proliferation of content on mobile networks, analysts said. Consumers won't flock to mobile content and data services as long as finding them involves negotiating a long series of browser pages, said Mark Donovan, an analyst at M:Metrics, on a conference call with press last Thursday. For example, Verizon Wireless offers more than 500 mobile content titles, including games, he said. For users, finding the one thing they're looking for can be frustrating without a good user interface, he said.
The good news is that mobile content and applications, along with delivery systems, are maturing, analysts said.
"Technology has finally improved enough that [operators] can finally offer new services without those new services feeling like a novelty that isn't really ready for most consumers," said Albert Lin, analyst at American Technology Research. Examples include ringtones and video, both of which are now good enough for many consumers, Lin said.
Simpler Downloads
At the show, two software vendors are set to unveil new versions of their delivery platforms and are promising users fewer keystrokes and faster results.
Action Engine will unveil and demonstrate version 4.0 of its Mobile Application Platform (MAP). Along with having a new user interface and significantly smaller memory requirements, the new version takes MAP beyond smart phones to compatibility with Java-enabled phones, according to the company. Action Engine sells MAP to service providers as a platform for subscribers to access content such as news, weather, sports scores and driving directions.
Handmark is set to introduce version 2.0 of Pocket Express, a bundle of wireless services for smart phones and wireless PDAs. It has a new user interface with faster access to all services from its opening page, according to a Doug Edwards, co-founder and executive vice president of Handmark.
The new version of Pocket Express also benefits from two new relationships: Handmark has signed on with The Associated Press as a news content partner, which Edwards said will provide more up-to-date sports scores and other enhancements. Also, location-based technology company Telcontar will help Handmark provide more accurate and easy-to-read digital maps, Edwards said. In addition, Pocket Express 2.0 has location-based capabilities that can be used on phones equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) hardware. Among other things, those users will be able to get listings of nearby businesses without having to tell the service provider where they are, Edwards said.
Handmark 2.0 is available now for PalmOS, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile Pocket PC, and Smartphone devices, as well as Java-enabled phones. It costs $6.99 per month or $69.90 yearly. Users can buy it from Handmark's Web site or in select stores; users of Sprint Nextel PCS Vision phones can buy it directly on the handsets. The new version is available free to all current Pocket Express subscribers.
Vendors Collaborate
Other delivery methods attendees will see at the show will include voice-activated ringtone selection and carriers sending content in response to simple text messages, M:Metrics' Donovan said.
In another move to help bring appealing mobile products to consumers, Motorola will announce it is bringing in partner July Systems to improve the way games are sold on phones. July will work with Global Applications Management Architecture (GAMA), Motorola's upcoming system for mediation and billing between content providers and mobile operators, said Ashok Narasimhan, founder and CEO of July Systems.
The collaboration will lead to new ways to present games to potential customers, he said. There could be options to rent the game for a day, try it before buying, or purchase it as part of a themed package with a ringtone and wallpaper, he said. In addition, based on a profile of the user, the operator could highlight on the phone the games they are likely to buy, Narasimhan said.
The combined technologies will save mobile operators and game developers from having to code each game for particular presentation and sales methods, according to Narasimhan. GAMA is in trials at several mobile operators today, said Poonacha Machaiah, a senior director of seamless mobility services at Motorola.
One trend that bodes well for U.S. mobile customers is that carriers are opening up their "walled gardens" of proprietary content so that subscribers can download third-party offerings, analysts said.
Valista is set to roll out a system that will let mobile operators offer and sell content and services from both inside and outside their own portals. With the OffersPlus system, operators will be able to give their subscribers access to more products by letting them buy directly from content providers. The software also will let operators package different kinds of content and services in ways that will appeal to their customers, the company said in a statement.
Downloads Jump
Despite the growing selection of mobile content and services, U.S. consumers are still predominantly choosing to purchase messaging and personalization products, such as ringtones and wallpaper, according to M:Metrics, which surveys about 10,000 users each month, Donovan said. One trend on the rise right now is sharing pictures from camera phones, uploading them to online photo sites, and using them in mobile picture Web logs, Donovan said.
In July, the company estimates, 17.5 million users downloaded a ringtone, 7 million downloaded graphics, and about 6.2 million downloaded a game.
However, the use of mobile music and video are on the rise, Donovan said. More than 11 percent of phones shipped in July had video capability, and he expects to see significant growth in that area over the next 18 months--though video is still far from being a mainstream use of mobile phones, he said.
Cell phones are also starting to help consumers use credit cards more safely. At the show, mBlox a mobile payment and transmission company, will discuss a relationship with MasterCard in which it is adding SMS capability to the giant credit card issuer's antifraud system.
Today, when MasterCard detects transactions that it thinks may involve a stolen credit card or number, its customer service representatives call the cardholder to check whether the purchase was legitimate, said Jay Emmet, mBlox president, Americas. In the future, mBlox will let MasterCard use its global network to send text messages to customers' cell phones in the case of a suspect purchase. An SMS can be sent for a fraction of the cost of a phone call, allowing MasterCard and its card-issuing bank partners to check on more transactions if they choose, Emmet said. In addition, an SMS is more likely to reach a customer who can then reply that the transaction is legitimate or call MasterCard, he said.
MBlox has relationships with about 190 mobile operators worldwide, Emmet said. The service is being offered now to MasterCard issuing banks in Europe, and MasterCard plans to extend it to North America, the Asia-Pacific region and South Asia, Middle East and Africa by the end of this year, according to a joint statement by the companies.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20050928/tc_pcworld/122743;_ylt=Ateo.5uD1jPHoPknlDxfI_AjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
