1.3 The Search for Killer Mobile Applications
The value of mobile commerce is ultimately realized through successful applications. A popular application can jump-start the technology adoption process and make a lot of profit for its inventor. The search for mobile "killer applications" has started from the beginning days of mobile commerce. In this section, we will discuss application ideas and trends.
1.3.1 Mobile Entertainment
The most mature consumer markets for mobile commerce are in the Asia-Pacific region and Northern/Western Europe. In those markets, mobile entertainment applications are hugely successful. A good example is Japan's DoCoMo. However, in the United States, mobile entertainment has yet to take off. U.S. consumers are less subject to crowded public transportation systems and have easy access to superior wired voice and data networks. The individualistic culture of the U.S. society makes community and messagingbased games less attractive to American consumers. Mobile entertainment might never be a killer application in the United States.However, mobile entertainment represents only a small part of the consumer commerce. Mobile commerce's application is much broader than personal entertainment.
1.3.2 From Toys to Tools
Although mobile entertainment can grow huge businesses, it provides nonessential toys to consumers. Enterprise mobile applications that enable essential business tools are more likely to be killer applications for future mobile commerce. For example, mobile games allow travelers to kill time when waiting in long lines in airports. In contrast, a mobile ticketing and scheduling application allows travelers to go directly to gates and avoid the lines altogether.According to a study released by the IDC, the number of mobile workers in the United States will reach 105 million by year 2006. That is almost twothirds of the total U.S. work force. Those mobile workers perform complex and essential tasks. Their workflows must be fully integrated into the IT infrastructure through enterprise mobility solutions.In reality, enterprise mobile applications are quickly gaining momentum, especially in the United States. Although the public wireless network in the United States is not as advanced as many Asian and European countries, U.S. companies have seen the value of enterprise mobile applications and have invested a lot of money to build high-speed corporate wireless networks using technologies such as WiFi. The leading mobile commerce applications in the United States are not games but business applications.
1.3.3 The Enterprise Mobility Eco-system
The mobile commerce revolution goes much deeper than a single killer application. It is about the freedom of information access. For example, mobile workers can access email and synchronize with calendar applications; securely read and write company files and databases; get price and inventory quotes from live application servers; and respond to customer service requests anytime, anywhere. Mobile enterprise applications change the ways consumers, employees, and companies conduct their businesses.Enterprise mobility will become a driving force behind the mobile commerce revolution and form an eco-system nobody can live without. This collection of killer mobile business tools and applications provides great opportunities for businesses and developers. |
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