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
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
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
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
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