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02 Aug 09
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The challenge for startups (and investors!) has been identifying opportunities that are "native" to the new platforms.
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By "native" we mean opportunities that simply did not exist previously and cannot exist without the phone
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Native opportunities are the ones that make use of unique capabilities of mobile platforms
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Location
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Proximity
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Touch
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Audio input
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Video input
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We don't know which native applications will emerge as ones that combine these unique capabilities and new behaviors into true breakout services, but here are some categories that we find interesting along with some of the challenges that they face:
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Location-based social networking
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whether these new networks will gain enough scale that they can compete effectively with the mobile offerings of existing social networks
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Gaming
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Shopping applications will likely be interesting
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Healthcare
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15 Jul 09
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That's exactly what our solution was designed for. It essentially a mobile app with an Open API. You can attach a sensor to the phone via Bluetooth, transmit that data to our app and then we send that data (you have complete privacy controls) to any web server. The way we do this is to take the meta data and add it to the outgoing HTTP headers. So now all you have to do is read the incoming data at the server. We even have a windows mobile version that you can now access any device side data using JavaScript all from within the mobile browser.
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That's exactly what our solution was designed for. It essentially a mobile app with an Open API. You can attach a sensor to the phone via Bluetooth, transmit that data to our app and then we send that data (you have complete privacy controls) to any web server. The way we do this is to take the meta data and add it to the outgoing HTTP headers. So now all you have to do is read the incoming data at the server. We even have a windows mobile version that you can now access any device side data using JavaScript all from within the mobile browser.
- 20 more annotations...
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The challenge for startups (and investors!) has been identifying opportunities that are "native" to the new platforms. By "native" we mean opportunities that simply did not exist previously and cannot exist without the phone. For instance, we would not consider delivering breaking news to a mobile a native opportunity, as a startup rarely has a better chance of being "CNN for mobile" than CNN does.
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We don't know which native applications will emerge as ones that combine these unique capabilities and new behaviors into true breakout services, but here are some categories that we find interesting along with some of the challenges that they face:
* Location-based social networking, such as Loopt, Brightkite and foursquare. The big question in this category is whether these new networks will gain enough scale that they can compete effectively with the mobile offerings of existing social networks, or if the mobile networks differentiation in value proposition will be insufficient to overcome the current gap in scale.
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* Shopping applications will likely be interesting and there has already been an early exit with SnapTell being acquired by Amazon. Most US-based mobile shopping applications simply supplement the real-world shopping experience with more information (barcode scan sending you to Google, BBB, Consumer Watch info, price comparison, etc...). This behavior contrasts with Asian markets where actual commerce/checkout via mobile is far more prevalent. We're interested in seeing if the unique capabilities of smartphones will accelerate mobile shopping all the way through checkout on the phone.
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There is a good chance that the truly breakthrough application category is not on this list. It will be obvious in hindsight but a lot harder to anticipate. If you are working on a native application, please tell us about it.
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However the mobile opportunity might not be as obviously mobile as the name suggests.
Over 50% of mobile data usage in Europe is actually in the user's own home - where there is a perfectly working laptop! Mobile is as much about "convenience" as it is about super, clever, out and about mobile usage. -
The breakout opportunities for mobile applications come from those applications that you choose to use on mobile - even if you are sat in front of your PC. In europe there are great examples of these in voice & SMS.
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In addition to the native categories you listed, I'm interested in the idea of my smart phone as an internet gateway for "dumb", cheap, bluetooth-enabled sensors and devices. The Nike+ iPhone app is an early example of this. It doesn't make sense today for your running shoes to be fully-featured, internet connected gadgets on their own. Instead, you have a cheap, dumb sensor in your shoe that simply transmits data to your phone, then your phone does the more complex work of getting that data onto the web and providing an interface for the experience. I can picture a ton of other businesses emerging from this idea of dumb sensors plus smart phones. I might wear a wristwatch that transmits my heart rate to the web. My car might send maintenance updates to the web via my phone's internet connection. Retail merchants might transmit data and offers to / from my phone when I walk into their stores. I see lots of business opportunities in this area.
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great point about using a mobile in your home. i got an iTouch to run my sonos and boxee remotes on and now i use it for web browsing, twitter, and a few other things that i could easily do from my laptop which is generally laying around nearby
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That's exactly what our solution was designed for. It essentially a mobile app with an Open API. You can attach a sensor to the phone via Bluetooth, transmit that data to our app and then we send that data (you have complete privacy controls) to any web server. The way we do this is to take the meta data and add it to the outgoing HTTP headers. So now all you have to do is read the incoming data at the server. We even have a windows mobile version that you can now access any device side data using JavaScript all from within the mobile browser.
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Great post. One key "native" functionality I think you forgot to mention was the fact that our mobile devices have access to our contact list. I know in my case my BlackBerry often times contains the most current set of contacts I have (I can't wait until they put Xobni on BB--should be similar to how Palm's WebOS can auto-detect details from Exchange, Facebook and LinkedIN).
It's the intersection of your media assets, location data, contacts list, audio/video/touch inputs and data connectivity that make the mobile device the ultimate "social tool". -
I'm a believer in the intersection of touch & ubiquitous connectivity as the combined killer-feature. It's not just about content consumption- you can do really amazing (rich, detailed, structured, intuitive) human-powered data capture on these devices.
At GameChanger we use the term "User Collected Data" to distinguish that from unstructured UGC. Things that used to require paper input, laptop tabulation, or heavy/expensive/complex recording equipment can now be accomplished on-location with one hand free. -
However the cell phone (mobile phone) is also notable as a notification and billing platform. Mobile platforms have been able to charge for content, where the web has failed miserably (pics, vids, music). Customers don't blink at the idea of paying to send a 140 character message, when email is free for almost unlimited characters.
Put it all together and you have viable business models in paid proximity notification.
Ronan
Locle.com -
I believe one of the key difference of the mobile web is context which can drive impulse behaviour. It is not necessarily a technical difference via fixed web ... but a mental one.
For example, you're at a concert and you want to share the moment with people that aren't there through twitter, pictures and video. Much less interesting the next day through your PC. You want to find your friends at the concert so you use location. You decide to buy a shirt and text a payment so you can just pick up your shirt after the show or have it delivered.
The point is context + impulse is a really big deal and if done right, can be a significant opportunity. At favequest, we're applying these concepts to the events market and are adding such capabilities to our platform. -
You have to get the customers "Me" data (Who, What and Where) information without requiring them to type in any data.
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Food for thought - it's important to keep in mind that mobile apps do not always require human involvement. The amount of interest in machine-2-machine applications is set to explode. These apps do not need a GUI/browser at all and can be based on net-connected CPUs running from within mobile assets such as trucks, ships, golf carts, etc etc. I expect to see some very interesting apps emerge from this space.
-
I believe one of the key difference of the mobile web is context which can drive impulse behaviour. It is not necessarily a technical difference via fixed web ... but a mental one.
For example, you're at a concert and you want to share the moment with people that aren't there through twitter, pictures and video. Much less interesting the next day through your PC. You want to find your friends at the concert so you use location. You decide to buy a shirt and text a payment so you can just pick up your shirt after the show or have it delivered.
The point is context + impulse is a really big deal and if done right, can be a significant opportunity. At favequest, we're applying these concepts to the events market and are adding such capabilities to our platform.
@isfan -
Mobile apps might be fine for the consumer (iPhone) but the Enterprise is a more complex beast. All they want is to leverage what they have and reduce the risk. The way to do that and ensure consistency across everything is the browser and web services.
The problem is simple - get the data off the phone and into the browser. Harder to solve than most think. -
i like what apple has done with the "locate my phone remotely" feature.
i think "lock down my phone remotely" may be even more important -
I can picture a ton of other businesses emerging from this idea of dumb sensors plus smart phones. I might wear a wristwatch that transmits my heart rate to the web. My car might send maintenance updates to the web via my phone's internet connection. Retail merchants might transmit data and offers to / from my phone when I walk into their stores. I see lots of business opportunities in this area.
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Let's not forget that very common feature on these data devices: the ability to make a phone call to a person (or machine in the case of many customer service operations these days).
So integrating native or web apps to the device's calling feature may seem pretty basic, but is also very easily overlooked. Note how few mobile apps display a phone number in a "prominently clickable" fashion.
Lots of businesses out there still want your phone call ahead of your anonymous data click. There will be some breakthrough apps that make the calling process integrate really well with the data features.
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30 Jun 09
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That's exactly what our solution was designed for. It essentially a mobile app with an Open API. You can attach a sensor to the phone via Bluetooth, transmit that data to our app and then we send that data (you have complete privacy controls) to any web server. The way we do this is to take the meta data and add it to the outgoing HTTP headers. So now all you have to do is read the incoming data at the server. We even have a windows mobile version that you can now access any device side data using JavaScript all from within the mobile browser.
-
That's exactly what our solution was designed for. It essentially a mobile app with an Open API. You can attach a sensor to the phone via Bluetooth, transmit that data to our app and then we send that data (you have complete privacy controls) to any web server. The way we do this is to take the meta data and add it to the outgoing HTTP headers. So now all you have to do is read the incoming data at the server. We even have a windows mobile version that you can now access any device side data using JavaScript all from within the mobile browser.
- 20 more annotations...
-
-
The challenge for startups (and investors!) has been identifying opportunities that are "native" to the new platforms. By "native" we mean opportunities that simply did not exist previously and cannot exist without the phone. For instance, we would not consider delivering breaking news to a mobile a native opportunity, as a startup rarely has a better chance of being "CNN for mobile" than CNN does.
-
We don't know which native applications will emerge as ones that combine these unique capabilities and new behaviors into true breakout services, but here are some categories that we find interesting along with some of the challenges that they face:
* Location-based social networking, such as Loopt, Brightkite and foursquare. The big question in this category is whether these new networks will gain enough scale that they can compete effectively with the mobile offerings of existing social networks, or if the mobile networks differentiation in value proposition will be insufficient to overcome the current gap in scale.
-
* Shopping applications will likely be interesting and there has already been an early exit with SnapTell being acquired by Amazon. Most US-based mobile shopping applications simply supplement the real-world shopping experience with more information (barcode scan sending you to Google, BBB, Consumer Watch info, price comparison, etc...). This behavior contrasts with Asian markets where actual commerce/checkout via mobile is far more prevalent. We're interested in seeing if the unique capabilities of smartphones will accelerate mobile shopping all the way through checkout on the phone.
-
There is a good chance that the truly breakthrough application category is not on this list. It will be obvious in hindsight but a lot harder to anticipate. If you are working on a native application, please tell us about it.
-
However the mobile opportunity might not be as obviously mobile as the name suggests.
Over 50% of mobile data usage in Europe is actually in the user's own home - where there is a perfectly working laptop! Mobile is as much about "convenience" as it is about super, clever, out and about mobile usage. -
The breakout opportunities for mobile applications come from those applications that you choose to use on mobile - even if you are sat in front of your PC. In europe there are great examples of these in voice & SMS.
-
In addition to the native categories you listed, I'm interested in the idea of my smart phone as an internet gateway for "dumb", cheap, bluetooth-enabled sensors and devices. The Nike+ iPhone app is an early example of this. It doesn't make sense today for your running shoes to be fully-featured, internet connected gadgets on their own. Instead, you have a cheap, dumb sensor in your shoe that simply transmits data to your phone, then your phone does the more complex work of getting that data onto the web and providing an interface for the experience. I can picture a ton of other businesses emerging from this idea of dumb sensors plus smart phones. I might wear a wristwatch that transmits my heart rate to the web. My car might send maintenance updates to the web via my phone's internet connection. Retail merchants might transmit data and offers to / from my phone when I walk into their stores. I see lots of business opportunities in this area.
-
great point about using a mobile in your home. i got an iTouch to run my sonos and boxee remotes on and now i use it for web browsing, twitter, and a few other things that i could easily do from my laptop which is generally laying around nearby
-
That's exactly what our solution was designed for. It essentially a mobile app with an Open API. You can attach a sensor to the phone via Bluetooth, transmit that data to our app and then we send that data (you have complete privacy controls) to any web server. The way we do this is to take the meta data and add it to the outgoing HTTP headers. So now all you have to do is read the incoming data at the server. We even have a windows mobile version that you can now access any device side data using JavaScript all from within the mobile browser.
-
Great post. One key "native" functionality I think you forgot to mention was the fact that our mobile devices have access to our contact list. I know in my case my BlackBerry often times contains the most current set of contacts I have (I can't wait until they put Xobni on BB--should be similar to how Palm's WebOS can auto-detect details from Exchange, Facebook and LinkedIN).
It's the intersection of your media assets, location data, contacts list, audio/video/touch inputs and data connectivity that make the mobile device the ultimate "social tool". -
I'm a believer in the intersection of touch & ubiquitous connectivity as the combined killer-feature. It's not just about content consumption- you can do really amazing (rich, detailed, structured, intuitive) human-powered data capture on these devices.
At GameChanger we use the term "User Collected Data" to distinguish that from unstructured UGC. Things that used to require paper input, laptop tabulation, or heavy/expensive/complex recording equipment can now be accomplished on-location with one hand free. -
However the cell phone (mobile phone) is also notable as a notification and billing platform. Mobile platforms have been able to charge for content, where the web has failed miserably (pics, vids, music). Customers don't blink at the idea of paying to send a 140 character message, when email is free for almost unlimited characters.
Put it all together and you have viable business models in paid proximity notification.
Ronan
Locle.com -
I believe one of the key difference of the mobile web is context which can drive impulse behaviour. It is not necessarily a technical difference via fixed web ... but a mental one.
For example, you're at a concert and you want to share the moment with people that aren't there through twitter, pictures and video. Much less interesting the next day through your PC. You want to find your friends at the concert so you use location. You decide to buy a shirt and text a payment so you can just pick up your shirt after the show or have it delivered.
The point is context + impulse is a really big deal and if done right, can be a significant opportunity. At favequest, we're applying these concepts to the events market and are adding such capabilities to our platform. -
You have to get the customers "Me" data (Who, What and Where) information without requiring them to type in any data.
-
Food for thought - it's important to keep in mind that mobile apps do not always require human involvement. The amount of interest in machine-2-machine applications is set to explode. These apps do not need a GUI/browser at all and can be based on net-connected CPUs running from within mobile assets such as trucks, ships, golf carts, etc etc. I expect to see some very interesting apps emerge from this space.
-
I believe one of the key difference of the mobile web is context which can drive impulse behaviour. It is not necessarily a technical difference via fixed web ... but a mental one.
For example, you're at a concert and you want to share the moment with people that aren't there through twitter, pictures and video. Much less interesting the next day through your PC. You want to find your friends at the concert so you use location. You decide to buy a shirt and text a payment so you can just pick up your shirt after the show or have it delivered.
The point is context + impulse is a really big deal and if done right, can be a significant opportunity. At favequest, we're applying these concepts to the events market and are adding such capabilities to our platform.
@isfan -
Mobile apps might be fine for the consumer (iPhone) but the Enterprise is a more complex beast. All they want is to leverage what they have and reduce the risk. The way to do that and ensure consistency across everything is the browser and web services.
The problem is simple - get the data off the phone and into the browser. Harder to solve than most think. -
i like what apple has done with the "locate my phone remotely" feature.
i think "lock down my phone remotely" may be even more important -
I can picture a ton of other businesses emerging from this idea of dumb sensors plus smart phones. I might wear a wristwatch that transmits my heart rate to the web. My car might send maintenance updates to the web via my phone's internet connection. Retail merchants might transmit data and offers to / from my phone when I walk into their stores. I see lots of business opportunities in this area.
-
Let's not forget that very common feature on these data devices: the ability to make a phone call to a person (or machine in the case of many customer service operations these days).
So integrating native or web apps to the device's calling feature may seem pretty basic, but is also very easily overlooked. Note how few mobile apps display a phone number in a "prominently clickable" fashion.
Lots of businesses out there still want your phone call ahead of your anonymous data click. There will be some breakthrough apps that make the calling process integrate really well with the data features.
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