Is the Mobile Web really a failure?
The New York Times has an interesting article in which they brand the mobile Web, and 3G networks in particular, a failure. According to the article, data makes up only 12 percent of revenue for mobile phone operators, while a survey by the research firm The Yankee Group shows that only 13 percent of US mobile phone users use their phone to browse the Web more than once a month.
For the most part, these depressing statistics are true. However, things aren't as bad as the article makes out. Indeed, with the right device, the mobile Web is here, now, and is gloriously usable.
More details after the jump.
Why the Mobile Web has failed
The New York Times's article paints a depressing picture of failed technology (WAP), closed networks (virtually all mobile phone operators, who insist on Internet access being made through their own walled garden), and a poor user experience.
Mobile phone screens are too small to read Web pages effectively, user input is extremely difficult due to the lack of a keyboard, and the pay-per-byte billing method of most operators means that users log onto the Web, and then log off as fast as they can, fearful for the huge cost they might incur if they use the Web too much.
The Mobile Web reborn
All of this was true even as recently as last year, but today, things really have changed. The more powerful PDA-like smartphones, such as the Nokia E90, provide a rich browsing experience, in which Web sites are rendered almost as well as they are through a PC, with no need to adapt the content to fit the smaller screen, as the display size is good enough to display the Web page in full.
Equally, some of the more enlightened operators, such as T-Mobile with its Web n Walk plan, offer unlimited flat rate data plans, with which you can use the Web anytime anywhere without fear of the eventual cost. You can also access any content you like as there's no walled garden, and with HSDPA, you get download speeds up to a theoretical 3.6Mbps. In practice, the actual download speed is less than that, but I regularly achieve speeds of 2.6Mbps on my E90, and when using it as a modem for my laptop, the speed is plenty fast enough even for desktop browsing.
The benefits of the Mobile Web
Having permanent access to the Web fundamentally changes the way you use it. Naturally, I blog an awful lot, and being able to browse the Web for stories when on the train, an update my blog no matter where I am is becoming an essential part of my blogging workflow.
I'm also starting to use Web aggregation services such as NetVibes more, as they have mobile versions that act to synchronize the sites you view on your desktop and on your mobile device. I've even started to use Google Notepad as a productivity enhancer, implementing a version of David Allen's Get Things Done productivity system, which I can access either via my desktop or my E90.
In short, the mobile Web is actually here, now - you just need the right mobile phone to use it. I'll be writing up my experiences of just how usable the mobile Web is in the very near future, including the benefits of using Web 2.0 sites on your mobile, and also what to look for when considering a mobile phone for using the mobile Web, so stay tuned for more updates.
[Source: News.com]
