I just finished listening to Om and Niall PodSessions and I'm now re-listening to different parts of it. My favorite authors are the ones who bring up more questions then they answer. It leaves you with not just knowledge acquired, but also a path for further study. In the finance and economic analysis department, that author is GaveKal Research. In web 2.0, it's Om Malik. Here are some of the thoughts I had after listening to their latest podcast on "Wireless broadband networks: EV-DO, HSDPA, and new application" about the growth of wireless and mobile tv.
Broadband Everywhere
Several different technologies have seen significant user growth recently, all promoting the same goal of getting more people on the web in more places. Municipal WiFi has seen exponential growth. Money spent on building city-wide Wifi networks for low or no cost to users is expected to total $700 million over the next three years, according to Esme Vos, founder of Muniwireless.com. Also popular are EV-DO services such as Verizon's BroadbandAccess which provides "the nation's largest high-speed wireless broadband network" with unlimited use for $59.99 a month. In addition, projects such as Spain's FON, which allows users to "share locally, enjoy globally" their WiFi by building a "Global Community of people who share WiFi" by "sharing [their] WiFi broadband access at home/work and enjoying FREE WiFi Access all over the world!" Mobile phones will also see significant growth in content and informational features such as MapQuest or Disney's planned MVNO, as data speeds increase, interface designs improve, and storage space grows. With all these choices in their beginning stages, what will the environment look like in five or ten years? Will some of these technologies go the way of the MiniDisc and disappear, or will the space's evolution allow each technology to flourish in its own way. Om commented in the PodSession that "if I can't find an open... access point for WiFi I just go... EV-DO" and predicts that EV-DO will become "your back-up connection."
There is already anecdotal evidence of a growing adoption of these technologies by more than just techies:
- Om mentioned a ferry he was on in rural India two years ago, which had an ATM connected to a GPRS network.
- Street vendors, selling pretzels or soda for instance, are taking credit cards. They stay connected with wireless networks.
- Real estate agents use technology similar to Amazon or Pandora to record what a client likes about a certain house, and immediately recommend five new houses to look at.
- The US Census will use wireless technology to gather data real-time on little PocketPCs.
- Contractors pull up pricing information to give bids on site.
What will the future of wireless broadband internet usage look like? Only time will tell. Whatever technologies emerge dominant or fade away, consumers will certainly have greater access to broadband everywhere.
Mobile TV
Another topic brought up was mobile tv. Niall Kennedy and Om both talked about the problems with live streaming tv on mobile phones, namely that no one will want to watch the twenty-first minute to the twenty-fifth of a thirty minute program. Each agreed that the key will be short, contextual videos that deliver information and entertainment during the four minutes when you'd otherwise be playing Snake.
But what about alternative technologies, such as SlingBox, which allows you to "watch your TV programming from wherever you are by turning virtually any Internet-connected PC into your personal TV." SlingBox also works with broadband-enabled devices such as PDAs and even mobile phones, according to The Economist's recent article on the subject titled "Television's Next Big Shift" in their Technology Quarterly. Yet another option exists with portable storage devices such as the Sony PSP, or the new iPod, which can hold 150 hours of video, downloaded from places such as iTunes, which now offers TV shows, and soon movies.
This may be another area different technologies are adopted for different purposes. In a hotel room at night, on a long train or bus ride, or even in a cafe, watching TV shows and movies using SlingBox would probably be most appealing. The small screens of PDAs or mobile phones aren't well suited for extended video viewing. However, walking to lunch, riding the T, or any other time a mobile user has five or ten minutes to spare, a cell phone may be the only device they have with them, and the ability to get streaming video will be appreciated.
In the future, consumers will be able to consume content not just however and whenever they want, but wherever they want as well.
Pandora Update: I'm listening to Dig by Soulive because it features electric instrumentation, a groove oriented approach.
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