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Now that the New Year is here, I could try to predict what will happen (often things don’t turn out that way), give major trends (nice, but aren’t specific enough for most people), or I could state what I hope would happen in the mobile and wireless market for the coming year.
I have chosen to present my “Mobile and Wireless 2009 Wish List” with the hope that it will drive many of the vendors to seriously consider these recommendations for their product plans, and drive customers to demand them from vendors. Let’s get to it.
1. Apple iPhone
a. Put politics aside and provide support for Adobe Flash
b. Add clipboard cut/copy and paste
c. Allow enterprises to monitor and control applications
d. Build a new model that includes a real keyboard
e. Select multiple e-mails and delete them with one action without having to go to Edit
f. Search within e-mail folder
g. Sort e-mail by “From” with alpha directory (like in Contacts)
h. Add turn-by-turn navigation (work with TeleNav)
i. Add a back arrow on lower-level menus
j. Get RIM to develop BlackBerry client-leverages installations that already have or plan to install the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) but have employees who want to use the iPhone. Allows connectivity to both Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino
k. Allow applications to run in the background so they can provide alerts and services at appropriate times
l. Provide mobile broadcast-eight channels of video and 12 channels of music, along with datacasting
2. MacBook
a. Get Microsoft to develop Outlook for the Mac
b. Better Windows-to-Mac conversion tools. This would really help Windows users to convert more easily to the Mac
c. Encourage Microsoft to develop Internet Explorer for Mac
3. iTunes/iPod
a. Allow any portable music player (including iPod, Zune and Sansa) to sync with iTunes (creates iTunes as the master control tower for all music players)
b. Allow iPod to work with other sources of online music and video (creates iPod as the best way to interact with all rich media on the Internet)
c. Work with streaming sources such as RealNetworks to provide multiple channels of streaming music through iTunes (creates iTunes as the master director for all good streaming music sources)
4. OS X
a. Offer OS X for all Intel notebooks with full compatibility-let users decide whether to load it on their notebook versus Windows
RIM, Microsoft and Nokia
1. Develop BlackBerry client for the iPhone (keeps BES in place)
2. Adopt Android as your operating system platform, and build all future devices on Android and MarketPlace. Your BlackBerry platform isn’t robust enough to compete in the market against other major mobile OS providers
3. If you adopted Windows Mobile, you might as well sell the company to Microsoft
1. Develop Outlook for the Mac. It will drive more Mac sales than any other single application. There are over 300 million Outlook users, many of whom might just switch to the Mac if Outlook were there. Entourage isn’t the same and doesn’t support PST files
2. Create and offer an “Apps Store” for Windows Mobile, similar to Apple, Google and Nokia
3. Develop integrated wireless handheld device using Danger assets (Zune Phone?)
4. Show both the Business and Home address entries in the Outlook Contact display screen. It’s very annoying to have to use a pull down list to see someone’s home address
5. Develop Windows Explorer for the Mac so that Web sites that are compatible only with Internet Explorer would run okay on a Mac
1. Find a way to become a player in the United States market (ask us to help you achieve this goal)
2. Bring Ovi to North America
3. Offer a line of SmartPhones based on Android-let the market decide on which OS it likes the best
Motorola, Google and Palm
1. Since you’re developing for Android, build a great product for enterprise:
a. Offer Good Technology e-mail built in with great security
b. Provide great sideways keyboard
1. Develop an end-to-end digital media store that will be open, provide desktop app like iTunes, work with all content providers, and provide both streaming “channels” as well as purchase of music, TV and movies-takes YouTube up a notch with a better, more user-friendly UI, and ability to store and share all of a person’s media
2. Get an Android OHA partner like Motorola and Palm to develop a product for the enterprise
1. Announce support for Android, and build both consumer and enterprise models. Maintain your easy-to-use interface and the result could be a big hit
2. Work with a third party such as Peek, Visto or SEVEN to create a great, integrated e-mail solution for consumers
The 2009 Watch List
1. HTC: They have done a good job with the Android/T-Mobile G1. Watch for more great products coming from this relatively new player in the “big leagues”
2. White Space Initiative: This allows full multimedia wireless transmission through building walls-products and services to come out in 2009/2010. Companies such as Nomadio should partner with wireless operators or Clearwire to roll out a nationwide service
3. Netbooks: Could become a lot more successful if they provided better performance and more storage (give it a couple of years). The idea of a carry-around-all-day “companion” with WiFi and wide area wireless will become appealing. It should sync with your notebook or desktop (for example, via MobileMe)
4. Clearwire: Look for bright spots as “Clear” WiMAX services begin to roll out around the United States
5. Broadcast media: Look for real inroads with MediaFLO and DVB-H if at least one major operator (for example, AT&T Wireless) and handset provider (for example, Apple) offers mobile broadcast (eight channels video and 12 channels of music) with all popular handsets
6. Audience (and others): Provide much better elimination of background noise when talking in a public place or driving-provides immediate improvement in call quality to all users
7. Mobile commerce: That we’ll be able to buy most anything using our mobile phone, and the vision of a “digital wallet” will come closer to reality
8. eBook readers (Amazon or Sony): Provide an eBook reader that provides a better experience than reading a book (see my “INSIDE MOBILE: Why eBooks and eBook Readers Will Eventually Succeed” column)
Let me hear from you if there’s something not mentioned that you feel would make a huge improvement on the mobile market. If I agree, I’ll write about it and give you full credit.
I hope 2009 will allow us to rebuild the worldwide economy, have a financial market which can be trusted again, and allow the United States to gain back respect with other countries around the world. And I hope President-elect Barak Obama and his very capable team will help make these important improvements.
Happy New Year to all readers of Inside Mobile!
For more than 16 years, Dr. Purdy has been consulting, speaking, researching, networking, writing and developing state-of-the-art concepts that challenge people’s mind-sets, and developing new ways of thinking and forecasting in the mobile computing and wireless data arenas. Often quoted, his ideas and opinions are followed closely by thought leaders in the mobile & wireless industry. He has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University. He can be reached at [email protected].