Breaking loose
I’m so impressed with people that both have the time and skills to develop a business as well as expressing themselves on a blog. Sadly enough I can only do one thing at the time. That’s probably the reason why Squace kept a pretty low profile. We have in fact worked like hell on the job at hand—the mission:
A more user-friendly mobile Internet. Or, more crassly put: I wanted to get the bloody stuff into MY cell phone (Stuff is our label for things like bookmarks, services, music and widgets). I gave myself a promise the day we started Squace: I’ll stop using my old calendar as soon that I can get it Squaced. And I wanted to share stuff or messages with whoever I pleased—independent of operator, handset, or geography.
Huge tasks and not without difficulties. Here’s a rundown of what slowed me down:
Operators: They’re controlling my choice of content and services and charging me heavily (OK, I’ve got a fixed data-transmission plan in Sweden but when I’m in London, they charge me 15 pounds a meg – a rip-off beyond imagination). Perhaps am I the exception, though to the fact that I can’t find much use of there content, or, I’m afraid I’m right here, there are in fact not much of real interest. The things that do matter to me; my kids schedule, our company intranet and my favorite services is harder than impossible to get into a ordinary phone. Partly due to the URL-tapping (which I hate) and partly that they don’t “fit in”.
Aage says: Don’t mess with my stuff.
So operators, give this a second, third, or fourth thought: if you don’t implement fixed data-transmission plans and humane roaming prices (fixed plans are also much cheaper to administer) then the WiFi guys will take over “the always-connected future market”, and it isn’t that far away.
That said, I still like you and your network coverage. And as a user, I’m willing to pay for Internet access, but you need to think Internet!
Why not create more access points to get more users with which you can share infrastructure investments. More things could use an access if the price is right. Hey, my car could use that, and my computer, my heat system, washing machine, hell even my toaster! Most of these things will not consume a lot of bandwith, not my mobile phone and especially not my toaster.
Get all the toasters, TV-sets, computers, cars onboard and you can afford to roll out turbo 3G, and perhaps even some LTE. That without going head to head with the media- and ad market, a battle you’ll never win.
Aage says: Make mobile Internet access cheaper to create healthier business.
Handset manufacturers: Hello guys (mostly guys tinker with this technology). You design a lot of fantastic mobile devices. Naturally, each device targets a particular user group (read: irony).
You heavily load most devices with amazing functions and features. That’s perfectly OK in the free world. But, why do most people still just use the device for phoning and SMS?
I think it would be much cooler if my pictures, music, bookmarks – stuff – could be shared with others (or uploaded to web sites). Hell yes: it’s doable you say—but the price for MMS is too high and beyond your control. And, you continue, Internet is more standardized and open but not secure enough. And then there is the different screen sizes, operating systems and jada, jada.
On top of all that, the URLs are too complicated to tap into (not to mention other things such as credit card information). So, you start smiling, the answer will be WAP 2.0 and IMS solutions.
Note: When we started Squace a year ago, we almost took the decision to develop Squace in mobile Ajax. Sadly enough, we must wait some more years due to performance AND distribution. Right now, Java is the only technology that provides both.
Just a sanity check here, perhaps directed more at the infrastructure guys rather than the device guys (they probably don’t care and will more easily shift toward WiFi, or even WiMax, if and when the market demands that).
So infrastructure guys: Why do you pour millions of dollars into developing the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) when everything already exists on today’s Internet?
There is plurality of solutions on every aspect of IMS. A multitude of companies have been delivering these solutions for many years with daily use by millions of users. Is it possible that you missed companies as Google, Pay pal, Skype and MSN? As most internet services are pretty secure and trustworthy, don’t you think.
Drop that and invest in creating great access technology with less bottle-necks and higher performance. Then the Internet services will flow over to the mobile world. Big time!
Back to the business. I’m happy to be a part of this truly emerging market of mobile Internet. And see the birth and growth of thousands of start-ups—most with Internet background and competing more or less on equal terms with big companies—often with some partnership or at least using the open common standards of Internet and sharing APIs with one another.
In the end, as most successful Internet companies know: Develop the service YOU need or are missing, if you love it enough you’ll probably find others who love it too.
Don’t be evil. Be Square!
My favorite mobile site right now is frizon where you can download young artists music. Just click the link and you’ll have it in your mobile.
