Is Mobile 2.0 Really Just Hype?
Paul Golding at Wireless Wanders posted an interesting op-ed about the hype surrounding mobile 2.0. While it’s clear that he’s looking at this from a Euro/US perspective – especially on the device side – however, we have no doubt there are some valid points contained therein. At the same time it should be also noted that Impress R&D (div. of the major Tokyo-based publisher) released a book last summer called Mobile 2.0 [in Japanese] which would likely shed a little more light on what is actually possible, at least in Japan.
Now, do we have new technologies in mobile web, like widgets, AJAX, “web-top” for the phone and so on? Yes we do, although non-existent in the market, except for a few niche devices. But within the “2.0″ frame, I don’t think that we have a significant change. We are still stuck with the same single-task, tiny keyboard, 200×300 pixels interface. It’s like asking me to write my next 600-page book using one of those really tiny (and cute) reporter notepads and a nearly blunt pencil (with a smudgy eraser).
A few of the pre-installed functions that we see as standard and/or becoming much more common include; Flash, GPS, m-commerce and 1Seg digital tv. Combined with nearly 70% of the users on 3G, and rapid adoption of flat-rate billing accounts, it would be fair to say that if there is such a thing as mobile 2.0 it’s here in Japan!