The Mobile Internet - does it exist?

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.brighthand.com/article/Failure_and_Future_of_Mobile_Content">http://www.brighthand.com/article/Failure_and_Future_of_Mobile_Content</a><br /><br />Andy had a very good thought this morning on <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3793">the mobile internet</a>, and I largely agree with him. But in some ways, there is a mobile internet. No, it isn't inside some carrier's or ISP's walled garden, but it is in the content we get. Fire up My Yahoo on your Pocket PC and prepare to wait and scroll. I have been making pretty heavy use of the MSN mobile pages on my iPAQ. They give tons of information that is formatted quite well for mobile devices. I know the internet is not the same as the web, but for mobile users, there are really only three things that matter - email, messaging and the web. The latter is the one that is sorely lacking on your PDA or smartphone and that is the big one most people associate with the internet.<br /><br />So for me, the mobile internet is the internet on my mobile device, and to work, it must be aware it is not on a 17" screen, and that is mobile content. Ted Ladd at Brighthand has written an article on what has gone wrong with mobile content in the past and where he sees it going in the future. He also tackles some of the myths surrounding the lack of or failure of some of the mobile content.<br /><br />As a short aside, Brighthand launched its new site today and one of the goals was more content. Given they have three new articles on the front page, I would say Ed Hardy, the new Editor-in-Chief, formerly of Palm InfoCenter, is well on his way to fulfilling that promise.

[marlof]

This is not the same as a "mobile internet". It's just that content should be able to be viewed on different viewers. Old, new, big, small. Change in presentation, not in content.

[Ed Hansberry]

This is not the same as a "mobile internet". It's just that content should be able to be viewed on different viewers. Old, new, big, small. Change in presentation, not in content.
That is sort of my point though. The content is the internet to most people. No one cares about the bits and tubes behind it. And if the content doesn't exist for non-desktops, the internet doesn't either. The only thing we have now is IM and email. I'd say less than 1% of the internet is really formatted for a mobile device and a huge chunk isn't available. Just try www.3com.com as an example. :(

[scottmag]

That is sort of my point though. The content is the internet to most people.

I'm from the Content is King school. From back in the days when Prodigy and AOL were competitors and Mosaic was shaking things up. Aaaahhhhh, that takes me back. Although I embraced email and instant messaging and realized that the Net was a great communication and collaboration tool, I'm still a content junkie.



No one cares about the bits and tubes behind it.


As someone with several Cisco certifications and a day job designing and selling networks, I think about the technical aspect of the Internet a lot. But you're right, it's not about the "bits and tubes." It's about the content and the communication facilitated by the network. The Internet is more the shared "language" of TCP/IP than it is a single physical structure. And for the average user it's about getting what you want when you want it. We're a ways from adding "on whatever device you want" to that statement though.

Scott

[don dre]

thw killer app for me, other than email, would be live365 streamed tp me. a real radio alternative. in addition to that, be able to synch mazingo from the train.

[heliod]

I quite agree with Ed in this discussion.

I mean, people only go into the Web for the content. If content is not adapted for mobile needs, do not expect a boost in the use.

Adaptation of the content for mobile devices does not include only formatting; it includes also changing the content for adequate performance, and sometimes the changes have to be painful.

Helio

[that_kid]

Live 365 has a streaming app for the pocketpc. I was using it for over a year now(funny how it's still in beta) but now it won't run on my 3970. You can find the player on their download page, if not PM me and i'll send it to you. And to stay on topic I would really enjoy more streaming media for mobile devices. I would like to be able to watch the news on my pda when i'm not near a tv, or listen to some streaming music while I'm out somewhere. Sites like www.feedroom.com would be nice if it had pda support. Show me the content.