Collaboration and Content Strategies Blog

Mobile Web Browsing is a Window of Opportunity

Blogger: Larry Cannell

Since upgrading my cell phone a year ago to a 3G-capable model, the simple mobile web browser it came with has become almost indispensible to me. The phone is nothing fancy, just your average free-every-two-years-if-you-renew consumer-grade phone. I am probably more forgiving of the browser’s shortcomings than most. It certainly has its own set of peculiarities. However, even with this minimal browsing capability I am able to read the news virtually anywhere I have some idle time (like waiting to pick up the kids at school, standing in line at the airport, or eating lunch at a local diner). It’s become my newspaper in a pocket.

But, it occurred to me recently that my browsing habits on this cell phone somewhat mimic what I did with a desktop browser ten years ago when there were fewer sites to choose from and mainstream media sites offered the best experience. I try to stay with websites I know are formatted for mobile devices because this phone’s browser doesn’t handle non-accommodating websites well at all. When using a desktop computer I usually read news on aggregation sites such as Google News or Techmeme. Both of these have mobile versions which display well on my phone, but most of the posts they link to do not. For example, I can find an interesting headline while skimming through Mini-Techmeme, click on the link,and then find myself waiting for a site, like CNet, which my browser will fail to render or will be virtually unreadable.

As a result I tend to read mainstream media sites like MSNBC or the New York Times which have mobile versions and display quite well on my phone’s browser. I rarely go to either of these sites on my desktop computer but visit them daily with my cell phone. Better mobile browsers, like Safari on the multi-touch iPhone which can resize webpages by pinching or spreading the forefinger and thumb, make it possible to view pages intended for larger screens. However, sites formatted for mobile devices are still preferable. For the mobile surfer the usable Internet is still significantly smaller.

Mobile web browser share is small compared to desktop browsers but is starting to grow rapidly. Much of this is being spurred on by the mobile telcos. In North America it’s hard to miss the intense competition between AT&T and Verizon with their TV ads touting the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Storm. I wonder how long it will be before we will see easier to use browsers on throw-away 3G-capable cell phones like mine?

It seems to me that the growth in use of mobile devices is a window of opportunity for websites looking to find a audience.

The Presidential Blackberry

Blogger: Bill Pray

President-elect Barack Obama's desire to keep his Blackberry has generated a significant amount of media attention in the last few days. During a CNBC interview last week, the President-elect explains that he is being advised for security and legal reasons to give up his Blackberry. President-elect Barack Obama was quoted as saying “...I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry. They’re going to pry it out of my hands.”

Mr. Obama goes on to explain:

"I don't know that I'll win, but I'm still--I'm still fighting it. And--but here's the point I was making, I guess, is that it's not just the flow of information. I mean, I can get somebody to print out clips for me, and I can read newspapers. What it has to do with is having mechanisms where you are interacting with people who are outside of the White House in a meaningful way. And I've got to look for every opportunity to do that--ways that aren't scripted, ways that aren't controlled, ways where, you know, people aren't just complimenting you or standing up when you enter into a room, ways of staying grounded. And if I can manage that over the next four years, I think that will help me serve the American people better because I'm going to be hearing their voices. They're not going to be muffled as a consequence of me being in the White House."

Virtually every IT department grapples with the challenge of securing and protecting the mobile devices, and the data on them, connected to their network. The content in e-mail stored on a mobile device can create pain for any IT department when that device is lost, stolen, or otherwise compromised. I can just see enterprise security experts cringing at the words "ways that aren't controlled." While the President-elect's situation is an extreme use case, the President-elect's comments are a valuable insight into the role of the mobile device for Presidents, CEOs, Senior Executives, etc. For them, the mobile device is not only their connection into the enterprise, but also to the world outside of their enterprise.

So, while it is challenging, IT departments are better off not trying to pry it out of their executives hand. Many IT departments will agree with Paul DeBeasi's New Year's resolution: Better Mobile Security. Mobile collaboration is here to stay, because it is no longer just about accessing e-mail or information - for an executive, it is a connection with the world.

iPod Touch Becoming a Bigger Story Than iPhone

Blogger: Larry Cannell

The iPod Touch is an intriguing device. Imagine an iPhone minus the camera and cell phone (and also minus the expensive monthly cell phone service fees). But it has all the other goodness found in the iPhone:

• It’s an iPod (of course)
• WiFi networking
• Cool applications ranging from fun games to educational tools to the unusual. This is just the beginning, the SDK has been out less than a year.

The iPod Touch also ships with the Safari web browser and enterprise capabilities like support for virtual private networks (L2TP/IPSEC, Cisco IPSec, and PPTP) and connectivity to Exchange e-mail servers via ActiveSync (which can enforce corporate policies and remotely wipe data, details in the Enterprise Deployment Guide).

The iPod Touch is quickly becoming a bigger story than it’s older sibling, the iPhone. A report just released by AdMob provides details on how use of iPod Touch (as measured by requests coming from mobile devices in to their ad network) “exploded on December 25th.” Some highlights from the report:

• Traffic from iPod Touch in the US and UK was “2.7 and 3.2 times higher” the week after Christmas than the week before.
• “The iPod Touch is now the #2 device in the AdMob network with a 4.7% share.” The #1 device is the iPhone with a 10.8% share.

Two things enterprises need to consider about the iPod Touch:

1. What does your website look like on an iPhone or iPod Touch? For some, this may not be a big deal. But, for enterprises serving a customer demographic which is now, or will soon be, using an iPhone or iPod Touch this is something you need to pay attention to. CIOs may already be receiving notes from other executives about their experiences with the iPod Touch over the holidays. The Safari web browser does a good job rendering just about any website. But sites that format content for mobile devices look much better. In our recently released report, “Web Content Management Systems: Managing Web Presence in a 2.0 World” we noted that web browsers on mobile devices are the fastest growing segment of the market. However, these comments were made from the perspective of a smartphone with 3G networking. The iPod Touch is accelerating this growth.  WCM systems are essential for providing content formatted for both mobile devices and traditional desktop/laptop computers.
2. At $230 for 8GB of flash storage and features like WiFi, VPN support, and Exchange ActiveSync the iPod Touch is shaping up to be a capable enterprise mobile device. Along with new or lower cost enterprise application opportunities, the iPod Touch will spark a renewed interest in connecting employee-purchased devices to corporate networks. The Burton Group report “Smartphones: Ready for the Enterprise?” offers sound recommendations for addressing this rapidly changing market. In addition, a recent blog post from Dan Blum provides some valuable insights into iTunes.

If nothing else, the iPod Touch is a low-cost option for research and development activities to learn about this emerging mobile platform. I may have to purchase one myself, in the interest of research of course :-)

The End of Snow Days as We Know Them

Blogger: Craig Roth

No, I'm not talking about the impact of global warming.  The snow pounding the Midwest and West (snow in Las Vegas?!) makes clear we're not done with snowstorms quite yet.  I'm talking about the impact of web-based communication and collaboration technologies.  For office workers in cold climates everywhere, a dirty secret is that adults are often keeping their fingers crossed for snow days just as much as their kids are.  When I was a programmer in a large financial services firm, I remember listening carefully to the radio after a big snowfall to see if my building was one of those announced as closed.  But many digital nomads today can take an occasional work at home day without their laptop because files are stored online and the workers have basic productivity tools at home. 

If you can work at home, how can you have a snow day? 

Meetings may already have conference callin numbers because one of the participants was working at home, so they can go on as planned with everyone calling in.  It is now rare that an organization doesn't offer web access to their e-mail and calendar.  With the increasing affordability and necessity of having a computer, you'd look like a Luddite if you proclaim you can't work at home because you don't own a computer with basic word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet software at home. 

For example, when it snowed about 8 inches in one day in Chicago last year, my wife stayed home, made hot cocoa, and we sat by the fire.  Since then her workplace has put all their documents on to a server with web-based access.  If she has to stay home this winter, she'll be sipping her hot cocoa in front of a nice warm monitor instead.

So enjoy what may be your last winter snow days.  By next year, your work at home dream may become your snow day nightmare.