Over at Brighthand, there’s a discussion going on about how many apps are considered to be too many. The question had me thinking a good bit more about this app economy we live in and whether the number or abilities of the applications actually matters at all.
In that discussion, I mentioned that I only think of there needing to be three applications, and pretty much other functionality can be derived from those applications. My three were Contacts, Calendar, and Browser.
Astue folks will see that I’m missing some common apps such as camera, notes, tasks, and email apps, but I don’t think so. Most of what we do with our mobile devices either has a person-to-person component (contacts), an event-related source, or a window into the worlds of others.
Back when I reviewed the Nokia N900, I can remember having this feeling that one day, mobile devices might take on a characteristic that I noticed from the address book on that device. The address book basically served as a data store for contacts, but you could then add services to it. So you could add your Google address book, Skype contacts, etc., or you could add services such as Ovi or Flicr to share images and media. Essentially, the address book was looked at as this central connector point, and then services just enabled you to go beyond simply having the information. Having seen and used that, I wished for the same simplicity and experience across all mobile devices.
And so, I really find it interesting when people ask about how many applications they might have or need on their mobile devices. Much of this stems from the marketing around the iPhone and Android world of things where the success of a platform is determined by how many cool (not necessarly needed) applications you have. Very little is given anymore (it seems) to what the device can do out of the box – and what greater functionality applications might enable.
But, that’s ok. It’s different these days and I get it for most.
That being said, I don’t think we need that much. I can remember having Nokia’s Mobile Web Server and there being a means to manage most of your mobile device from any browser. You could even go as far as to having a page where someone could ask you to take a picture, and then on another page on the same site, the picture would appear in the photo gallery (not tagged, just instantly shared). To me, that said a lot about what applications should be – an extra layer to the experience, not the definintion of it.
A few nights ago, I was on Twitter (via MMM), and a discussion was going on about some policies happening here in Charlotte. One of the tweets mentioned that there was a new application developed for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry owners to access some city services. I was a bit miffed (in part because there wasn’t any attention to my Symbian-toting self) because the development of an app, versus a mobile website is very self-serving – serving very few of the total amount of mobile users in the city. Though it was stated that there are SMS services available for other mobile users, you know that this aspect won’t get nearly the publication that the apps would. It’s like in some respects that “going app” means to also “go ignorant of other mobile aspects.”
I just don’t know if an app-mindset, or even an app-economy is a smart road to continue on. Does it help to cross some of that chasim towards understanding the application of mobile? Yes, noo= doubt. But, I don’t think that apps should take over basic (or learned to become basic) uses of mobile. We could spend our energies developing better, or at least smarter solutions – such as the infrastructre for going cashless (mobile payments instead) for things like public transportation, parking, travel ticketing, and groceries.
There doesn’t need to be an app for those things. Just the acknowledgement that our existing devices simply need to plug into the solution, and our behaviors can simply evolve to something a touch more efficient. There’s no app for intelligence or empowerment… just an imagination to push reality.
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Mobile Ministry Magazine
How Many Apps
Over at Brighthand, there’s a discussion going on about how many apps are considered to be too many. The question had me thinking a good bit more about this app economy we live in and whether the number or abilities of the applications actually matters at all.
In that discussion, I mentioned that I only think of there needing to be three applications, and pretty much other functionality can be derived from those applications. My three were Contacts, Calendar, and Browser.
Astue folks will see that I’m missing some common apps such as camera, notes, tasks, and email apps, but I don’t think so. Most of what we do with our mobile devices either has a person-to-person component (contacts), an event-related source, or a window into the worlds of others.
Back when I reviewed the Nokia N900, I can remember having this feeling that one day, mobile devices might take on a characteristic that I noticed from the address book on that device. The address book basically served as a data store for contacts, but you could then add services to it. So you could add your Google address book, Skype contacts, etc., or you could add services such as Ovi or Flicr to share images and media. Essentially, the address book was looked at as this central connector point, and then services just enabled you to go beyond simply having the information. Having seen and used that, I wished for the same simplicity and experience across all mobile devices.
And so, I really find it interesting when people ask about how many applications they might have or need on their mobile devices. Much of this stems from the marketing around the iPhone and Android world of things where the success of a platform is determined by how many cool (not necessarly needed) applications you have. Very little is given anymore (it seems) to what the device can do out of the box – and what greater functionality applications might enable.
But, that’s ok. It’s different these days and I get it for most.
That being said, I don’t think we need that much. I can remember having Nokia’s Mobile Web Server and there being a means to manage most of your mobile device from any browser. You could even go as far as to having a page where someone could ask you to take a picture, and then on another page on the same site, the picture would appear in the photo gallery (not tagged, just instantly shared). To me, that said a lot about what applications should be – an extra layer to the experience, not the definintion of it.
A few nights ago, I was on Twitter (via MMM), and a discussion was going on about some policies happening here in Charlotte. One of the tweets mentioned that there was a new application developed for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry owners to access some city services. I was a bit miffed (in part because there wasn’t any attention to my Symbian-toting self) because the development of an app, versus a mobile website is very self-serving – serving very few of the total amount of mobile users in the city. Though it was stated that there are SMS services available for other mobile users, you know that this aspect won’t get nearly the publication that the apps would. It’s like in some respects that “going app” means to also “go ignorant of other mobile aspects.”
I just don’t know if an app-mindset, or even an app-economy is a smart road to continue on. Does it help to cross some of that chasim towards understanding the application of mobile? Yes, noo= doubt. But, I don’t think that apps should take over basic (or learned to become basic) uses of mobile. We could spend our energies developing better, or at least smarter solutions – such as the infrastructre for going cashless (mobile payments instead) for things like public transportation, parking, travel ticketing, and groceries.
There doesn’t need to be an app for those things. Just the acknowledgement that our existing devices simply need to plug into the solution, and our behaviors can simply evolve to something a touch more efficient. There’s no app for intelligence or empowerment… just an imagination to push reality.
About ARJWright
Life equals my faith, my tools, my prose, my motion, my ink, my speech & my friends/fam. @mobileminmag Founder/Primary Voice