The UN communications chief has estimated that by the end of 2008, 61% of the world’s population will be using mobile phones – an equivalent of about 4 billion people. Thanks to low cost, better infrastructure, and the human need to connect, mobile phones outnumber personal computers by a mile. We don’t only use them to call, we also text, take photos, play music, watch videos, and even access the Internet – albeit crudely. Several tech evangelists have predicted that the mobile web will be the next great frontier, but as industry players know, that’s easier said than done.
InternetNews reports that in a session at the Interop trade show in New York, Mozilla, Opera, ACCESS and Bitstream came together to discuss what it should be like and the barriers to an ubiquitous mobile web. On the one hand, there are those who advocate having the same browsing experience on the mobile phone as with the desktop. On the other, some want to look at their inherent differences and offer a unique experience.
Kiyo Oishi of ACCESS Systems thinks that a dominant screen size is not likely to emerge in the handset market, saying, “There will always be three or four screen sizes and that is a challenge of the mobile industry.” And, though having a mobile phone is very common, having one with a decent browser is not. Lacking in mobile browser maturity, the panelists agreed that its important for the industry to come up with standards, similar to what desktop browsers went through.
Additionally, because screen real estate is so precious in handsets, browsing should be kept as simple as possible. “Less is more, especially in a mobile environment,” according to Anna Chagnon, CEO of Bitstream. “Have really good features but don’t get overly complicated in the UI or what users will do with it.” Opera, for its part, suggested that mobile synchronization capabilities and developer support are also crucial.
The success of the iPhone and the debut of Google’s Android have revitalized interest in mobile browsing. Now, its up the industry as a whole to sustain the momentum.
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