Mobile Applications Development - Lecture 1 Brief History of Mobile The Mobile Ecosystem Mobile as the 7th mass medium This presentation has been developed in the context of the Mobile Applications Development course at the Computer Science Department of the University of L'Aquila (Italy). http://www.di.univaq.it/malavolta

1. The Mobile Ecosystem
Ivano Malavolta
ivano.malavolta@univaq.it
http://www.di.univaq.it/malavolta

2. Roadmap
• Brief History of Mobile
• The Mobile Ecosystem
• Mobile as the 7th mass media

3. Brief history of Mobile
• Many generation of mobiles
• G is often referred to the networking aspect
– es. 2G, 3G, 4G
We will not
not.
We will focus on the DEVICE

4. Brief history of Mobile
• Motivation:
At some point a device comes and
changes everything

5. The beginning…

6. The Brick Era
* Picture lovely taken from http://www.slideshare.net/fling

7. The Brick Era
calls
• It was Portable!
• More expensive than payphones
• Enormous battery
• Stakeholders:
– Stockbrokers, salespeople, …
• After a while, more cellular radio towers
and… it got (a little bit) smaller

8. The Candy bar Era
* Picture lovely taken from http://www.slideshare.net/fling

9. The Candy Bar Era
calls SMS
• 2G network : GSM, CDMA, TDMA, iDEN
• More cellular towers
less power needed
much smaller
• Better voice quality
• Added SMS
• Everyone wanted to have a mobile phone
– economic prosperity in EU, USA, and JP

10. The Feature Phone Era
* Picture lovely taken from http://www.slideshare.net/fling

11. The Feature Phone Era
calls SMS & MMS music & photos
• 2.5G network: GPRS
• Camera
• MMS
• Data-capable devices
• Interneton mobile (very poor)
– high prices
– poor marketing
– inconsistent rendering

12. The Smartphone Era
* Picture lovely taken from http://www.slideshare.net/fling

13. The Smartphone Era
calls SMS & MMS music & photos
• 3G, HSDPA, WI-FI
• Like a feature phone, but simulating a PC
• Its own OS (es. Symbian)
• Larger screens, stylus
• The Mobile Platform becomes key
• (push) email as primary driver

14. The Touch Era
* Picture lovely taken from http://www.slideshare.net/fling

15. The Touch Era
calls SMS & MMS music & photos APPS
• 3G, 4G NOT a phone
-
• Accelerometers
NOT a computer
• GPS/Location-based
• User-centered design
– true impact on his eveyday life
• Rich interfaces
• A personal media platform
• Mobile web - everyday

16. Roadmap
• Brief History of Mobile
• The Mobile Ecosystem
• Mobile as the 7th mass media

17. The Mobile Ecosystem

18. The Mobile Ecosystem
HSPDA
4G GPRS
Edge
WIFI

19. The Mobile Ecosystem
Services
Applications
Application frameworks
Operating systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

20. The Mobile Ecosystem
• Operators make the entire mobile ecosystem work
• ROLE to create and maintain wireless services over
ROLE:
a reliable cellular network
• Voice
They install • Messages
cellular towers • Internet access
Operators

21. The Mobile Ecosystem
Operators
data source: http://bit.ly/Ajzc0o

22. The Mobile Ecosystem
Mobile networks communicate through electromagnetic
radio waves with a cell site base station, the antennas
of which are usually mounted on a tower, pole or
building.
Networks
image from: Operators
http://en.kioskea.net/contents/tele
phonie-mobile/gsm.php3

23. The Mobile Ecosystem
Networks
Operators
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/fling/mobile-20-design-
develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

24. The Mobile Ecosystem
The PHONE
– handsets or terminals in industry
• But also other devices such as tablets, ebook readers…
Devices
Networks
Operators

25. The Mobile Ecosystem
Feature Phone
VS
Smartphone
(and touch phones)
Devices
Networks
image source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/28/its-still-a-
Operators
feature-phone-world-global-smartphone-penetration-at-27/

26. The Mobile Ecosystem
Platforms provide access to the devices
They provide a core programming language in which ALL
the software is written
Three main categories:
• Open Source free to use and modify
Source:
– Android
Platforms
• Proprietary by device makers
Proprietary:
Devices
– iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm
Networks
• Licensed sold to device makers
Licensed: Operators
– JavaME, BREW, Windows Mobile

27. The Mobile Ecosystem
OS have core services or toolkits that enable apps to talk
to each other and share data or services
For example:
OSs are common in Smart Phones, Operating Systems
but rare in Feature phones. Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

28. The Mobile Ecosystem
Smartphones by
Operative Systems
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

29. The Mobile Ecosystem
They run on top of the OS, sharing core services such as:
• Communications
• Messaging
• Graphics
• Location Application Frameworks
• Security Operating Systems
• Authentication Platforms
Devices
• …
Networks
Operators

30. The Mobile Ecosystem
Application Frameworks
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/fling/mobile-20-design-
develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

31. The Mobile Ecosystem
Definition: In the realm of technology, this usually
refers to a computer program that runs on a website
(Google Apps), a small computing device (iPad App) or a
cell phone (Android App).
Applications
Application Frameworks
Example applications may
Operating Systems
include Games, Web Browser,
Platforms
Camera or Media Player. Devices
Networks
Operators

32. The Mobile Ecosystem
Apps live between the device and the user
APP Applications
Application Frameworks
Operating Systems
They must fit with their usage context Platforms
Devices
They must know the specific device Networks
attributes and capabilities Operators
FRAGMENTATION PROBLEM

33. The Fragmentation problem
It is the inability to develop an app against a reference
operating context (OC) and achieve the intended behavior in
all OCs suitable for the application.
OC = the external environment influencing its operation
Applications
Application Frameworks
Operating Systems
Platforms
Devices
Networks
Operators

34. The Fragmentation problem
for further info:
http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~damithch/files/SEKE2008.pdf

35. The Mobile Ecosystem
Services are “everything the user is trying to do”
They are often available at different levels:
• Application Services
• Application Framework Applications
• OS Application Frameworks
Operating Systems
Example services may include: Platforms
• the Internet Devices
• sending a text message Networks
• being able to get a location Operators

36. The Mobile Ecosystem
All of these layers must be passed through before
you get to the content
Services Nowadays, the mobile
Applications
ecosystem is:
Application Frameworks
Operating Systems complicated, fragmented,
Platforms and a political nightmare
Devices
Networks
Operators
RUN AWAY!!!
however…

37. Roadmap
• Brief History of Mobile
• The Mobile Ecosystem
• Mobile as the 7th mass media

38. Mobile Market
Mass Media???
How big is the Mobile Market???
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/fling/mobile-20-design-
develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

39. Mobile Market
in 2009
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/fling/mobile-20-design-
develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

40. Mobile Market
in 2009
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/fling/mobile-20-design-
develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

41. Mobile Market
in 2009
data source: http://www.slideshare.net/fling/mobile-20-design-
develop-for-the-iphone-and-beyond

42. Mobile Market
in 2011…

43. Mobile Market
Mobile is the LARGEST,
most available
mass medium
TO MANKIND

44. Mobile as the 7th mass media
Each mass media has advantages and disadvantages, each
playing a significant role in society
If we understand how we relate to each mass media
we will understand what our customers expect from
our mobile apps

45. Mobile as the 7th mass media
1 Printing Press
Reduced time to publish
Enables information to be easily copied and distributed

46. Mobile as the 7th mass media
2 Recordings
aka recorded sound
Music
Started as information sharing (news)

47. Mobile as the 7th mass media
3 Cinema
Visual Experience
Similarly to recordings,
it started as information sharing (news)
Intense personal experience

48. Mobile as the 7th mass media
4 Radio
= recordings + live broadcast
Intense personal experience

49. Mobile as the 7th mass media
5 Television
= radio + video
Prices dropped down a TV for each home
more intimate and visceral medium

50. Mobile as the 7th mass media
6 Internet
Computers @home, not @work
Web 2.0 = interact with other users
Purchase, download and stream recordings
Listen to radio and TV streams

51. Mobile as the 7th mass media
7 Mobile
It started at the same time as the Web
Unique trait: it can do everything all the other media can do
trait
• Reading (and publishing)
• Play recordings
• Watch movies
• Listen to radio
• Watch TV (and streaming)
• Surf the Internet

52. Unique benefits of Mobile
Apart from covering all the other media, mobile has 5
unique benefits:
First truly personal mass media We don’t share our phones with our friends
Information is always available 24/7,
First always-on mass media even when idle
7 out of 10 people sleep with their
First always-carried mass media phones within reach
Only mass media with a built-in
Universal click-to-buy + credit cards
payment channel
At the point of creative impulse Ability to create or consume content
whenever the mood strikes

53. Context
CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT
CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT
Mobile apps have the amazing capability to add
CONTEXT
CONTEXTadding immediate relevance to what
to information, CONTEXT CONTEXT
we are doing right here, right now
CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT
CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT

54. References
http://bit.ly/xSdIiS
Chapters 1-2-3

55. Tips for the project
There is no “perfect app”, you have to find the sweet spot
costs, revenue, development or
market share, and configuration,
time to market maintainability, and
reliability
your
APP
User Goals
usability

56. Tips for the project
1. Find a REAL NEED first
2. Find your GOAL to fill the need
3. Reverse Engineer the goal into a potential app
4. Remember the unique benefits of Mobile (slide 53)
5. CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT
– Location, camera, always-carried, accelerometer
– WHO is your typical user???? Define usage scenarios

57. Tips for the project
app:
This is my checkbox when I review an app:
Does it have a clear goal?
Is it filling a real need?
Does it consider the context in which I’m using it?
Is it integrated with other services?
Look at http://www.programmableweb.com
and discover a new world out there!! ☺
Is it a pleasure to use it?
I look at UI design, interface slickness, ecc.

58. Hello World
Latest Movies
App