As we move toward 2010, there is little question that mobile devices and smartphones will continue to have a huge impact on the market. Research firm Nielsen predicts that smartphones will dominate market share by the end of 2011, with the iPhone and Android-based phones taking the lead spots by a wide margin over traditional cell phones.
As devices mature, Wi-Fi connections become more ubiquitous, and 3G networks become more reliable, consumers will start looking for new ways to use their smartphones as replacements for other larger devices, such as PCs and TVs. One area that has been called out for growth is mobile video and TV, as well as streaming movies directly to a mobile device.
mSpot CEO and co-founder Daren Tsui made the case to me recently that full-length streaming movies will be important to consumers in 2010 because people want entertainment on the go and on demand. Research suggests that the adoption curve will be lead by young males 18- to 24-years-old and parents with young children looking to keep kids distracted.
Not surprisingly, mobile carriers are very supportive of mobile movies. According to Tsui, mSpot has been powering mobile movies on the Sprint wireless network for three years and is currently working with other carriers to bring the service to their user base. Realistically, carriers will always be happy about services they can offer and charge for, but the real question is if they could handle an influx of users sucking down huge amounts of bandwidth.
The obvious obstacle to be overcome is the strength of the data network. Streaming full-length movies to a phone is data-intensive, and therefore relies heavily on a strong, consistently reliable network. Assuming WiFi is available, this is a non-issue, but, as an example, AT&T's 3G network has struggled with the data usage of iPhone users and you can just imagine what will happen when millions of people start streaming movies.
Anecdotally, I can tell you that my wife and I bring an iPod Touch out with us to entertain my 2.5-year-old with various games and movies. Pocket-size mobile devices, iPod or otherwise, can be great learning tools as well as distractions when things are going sideways or when you just want to go to a restaurant and not chase a kid around. That said, my iPhone/AT&T network experience has been so spotty that I would likely opt to keep the content local, though in an ideal world new content could be downloaded in the background.
Assuming bandwidth is not an issue there are many possibilities for mobile content to take the place of traditional PCs or print media but in the near term mobile content will be only as good as its data connection.
Wireless network provider Meraki announced Tuesday that its Wi-Fi access point equipment has received USDA Rural Development Acceptance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
What this means is that municipalities and counties can qualify for stimulus funding to buy Meraki (and other vendors') products to bring broadband access to educational institutions and under-served areas of the U.S., including rural communities.
One could argue that there are more important things that can be brought to rural areas, but the government program is designed not only to stimulate the economy but also increase the use of technology across a user base that is under-served by technology.
A Wi-Fi cloud not only brings the Internet, but also education, entertainment, and low-cost communication through e-mail and voice over Internet Protocol.
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Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday that it will outfit its domestic aircraft with Wi-Fi over the next year.
(Credit:
Delta Air Lines)
The airline expects to have more than 330 aircraft complete by summer 2009. The full fleet agreement between Aircell and Delta will provide a consistent, convenient experience for customers traveling on the airline who wish to use the Gogo Internet service.
The Aircell Gogo service, which will be on the first planes this fall, will run $9.95 or $12.95 for trips under or over three hours, respectively, and will allow connection of any Wi-Fi device. It will be interesting to see what ports and applications they shut down--that is, Skype or other voice over Internet Protocol apps, and of course, porn.
Consider the idea of social networking or gaming across your plane. Kinda cool.
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