Windows Phone Thoughts: Mobius 2009: Fascinating, But Little That Can Be Shared

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Mobius 2009: Fascinating, But Little That Can Be Shared

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Windows Phone Talk" @ 01:23 AM

Mobius Day 2

More stuff we can't talk about was presented in the morning. Getting tired of reading that from me yet? Subsequent sessions were more "on the record". We had a presentation from a product manager for Office Mobile 2010, and that day the beta for Office Mobile 2010 was launching in the United States. My understanding is that it's available on Windows Marketplace for Mobile in the USA only for now, but the beta is expected to be available in other markets around the world moving forward.

Figure 3: Office Mobile 2010 for Windows Mobile 6.5 introduces SharePoint Mobile 2010.

Figure 4: HTC's presentation had to compete with the Touch HD2 we all got the previous evening. This photo was taken on the HD2.

HTC presented to us on their hardware plans for 2010 - not specific devices or spec sheets, but the kinds of technology they're planning on using in 2010. Eric Lin from HTC talked about Qualcomm chipsets coming in 2010 that move the bar from 528mhz to 800mhz, yet still maintain a battery-friendly profile while still improving performance. Lin also talked about the Snapdragon chipset that's in the HTC HD2; it's powerful, clocking in at 1024mhz, but it's also a bit on the energy-hungry site. Lin said that in 2010 Qualcomm will have a similar high-performance chipset that reigns in the power consumption.

We had an interesting discussion as a group about inductive charging; Lin didn't seem to be a big fan of the concept, citing issues around having to connect the device to the charging pad in just the right way, but inductive charging seemed to have quite a few fans in the room. Myself, it's a technology I'd like to see implemented on more phones. I think the way the Palm Pre charges - with its inductive charging pad and magnets to align it - is brilliant. All the OEMs, HTC included, have moved away from cradles, and I'm one of those people who dislikes having cables laying around on his desk. I like the idea of an inductive charging station sitting next to my monitor, making it easy for me to recharge my phone. This is an area I'd like to see HTC focus on, and it will serve them well to differentiate them from their competition in this space.

Figure 5: Analyst Michael Gartenberg presenting to the group.

To wrap up the day, Michael Gartenberg from Interpret gave us a presentation entitled "Three Screens and a Cloud: a Closer Look at the 3rd Screen". I always enjoy hearing Michael speak, because the research he brings to the presentation is a good reality check for my perception of what consumers in the market today really want. Here are my point-form notes from his presentation:

  • Global Perspective on Converged Devices - Mexico 79% wants converged device, only 29% in USA, 25% in Japan. The more developed countries are OK with having multiple devices. That seems to fly in the face of what you'd expect
  • In 2012 connectivity will be ubiquitous. I doubt it - we've been hearing that for years and years. Services will be important, but they require that always-on connectivity
  • The Kindle model was a huge breakthrough in the model of how connectivity can be integrated - there's no monthly fee for the customer, it's part of the purchase cost of the product
  • The Kindle model has significant DRM problem; limited downloads per book, multiple downloads trigger download errors
  • Technology should be used to unlock new business models, not to protect old business models
  • Pandora and Spotify can't exist much longer - they don't make enough money to pay for the content that they're using, and consumers aren't willing to pick up the slack
  • Apple hasn't moved into the subscription music business because they can't get terms that are favourable to them
  • The phone market is still up for grabs - Motorola phone use is 24% in the US. iPhone? Only 3% world-wide, HTC 1%
  • Carrier dissatisfaction? 72% of people like their carriers. It's not as awful as the digirati makes it out to be
  • Companies are changing in role - Apple is moving from the home into the workplace with work -email and productivity, while RIM is moving from the business market into the home with better Web-browsing, communication, entertainment and media
  • Consumers thought that, on average, $171 is the most appropriate price for their future handset
  • There is no market for $500 devices - no significant market at least
  • The consumer is not being driven by media centricity; it's the reliability durability of the phone (34%) unless it's an iPhone then only 20.4% care about it. 31.2% care about the shape/physical design of the phone, unless it's an iPhone then it's 14%
  • Younger generations listen to more music on their phones
  • 87% of teens own a mobile phone, but only 56% of them own MP3 players
  • Consumers show a preference for short-form video rather than full-length movies
  • 30% of consumers prefer free, advertising-supported video rather than paying
  • Where do consumers go for content? 44% use iTunes, 32% of Limewire, Kazaa, etc. 14% go to Amazon.com
  • What's driving the file sharing experience? 33% say it's because it's the easiest way to access digital songs, episodes of TV shows, and movies. 31% say it's because they can't afford to pay retail price for the entertainment
  • Back in the day, when Palm OS was as its strongest point, 2/3rds of users had never installed a third party app. "Power Users" had installed 10 apps on average. 2-3 apps per device. iPhone and iPod Touch? 2 billion apps divided by 50 million total devices...50 apps on average per device
  • Why do consumers pay for apps? 53% say because there's no free app that do they want
  • Apple dominates the digital audio player market in the US: 26% Nano, Shuffle 15%, iPod Video15%, iPod Touch 14%, Sandisk Sansa 9%, Sony Walkman 7%, Creative Zen 6%, Microsoft Zune 6%, Samsung Yepp 2%...
  • Apple controls the message, tech journalists parrot what Steve Jobs says
  • You either seize the opportunity, or cede the opportunity

Wrapping Up, and Oh Yeah, the HTC HD2

And that was it for Mobius 2009! We had a group dinner later that evening, and because the evening before HTC had provided all attendees with an HTC HD2 I spent as much time as possible testing it. Like everyone else there, I was very excited to be given the most bad-ass Windows Phone in HTCs arsenal. Unfortunately, to use this impressive hardware I'm going to have to move back to 2G speeds; we were given the European/Asian 3G version. I have a hunch it will be worth it though; the speed, fluidity, and powerful features of this Windows Phone make it a very useful device. EDGE speeds, here I come!

I'll say more about this in a future review video, but my take on the size after using it for a day is this: the device, when held in the hand, is quite comfortable. It's large, but not so wide that you get hand cramps. It's also slim enough to fit in the front pocket of my jeans without discomfort - or awkward visuals. However, if you're used to one-handed usage scenarios where you hold it in one hand and use the thumb of that hand to manipulate the device...forget about it unless you have hands/fingers larger than mine (I'm 6'2). I'm a big fan of the way I can do everything with one hand except type a message on my Blackjack II, so this is an adjustment for me to move back into the realm of two-handed device usage. I'll let you know if it's worth it.

As always, it's an honour to have been invited to Mobius. Sharing the room with my very smart peers, and hearing their insights about mobility from around the world, is quite an experience. It's equally great to hear from Microsoft about their vision and future of the platform. I've been saying that the future for Windows Mobile looked bright for several years in a row now after returning from Mobius events, but this time I'm quite optimistic that the things I've seen really will change the game when they step onto the playing field.

As Michael Gartenberg always points out, the total number of smartphones sold every year is still just a tiny fraction of the world-wide phone market. The game for market dominance in the smartphone space isn't over - it's just beginning.

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys photography, mobile devices, blogging, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, his son, and his sometimes obedient dog.

Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the Thoughts Media Review Team! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? Then click here for more information.


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