Realistic vision of mobile 2.0 at the BOP


Posted on December 8, 2007  /  0 Comments

A thoughtful contribution by someone who is developing a voice interface for the mobile internet.

The Mobile Web is NOT helping the Developing World… and what we can do about it. By Nathan Eagle | MobileActive.org

This is not to say that these billions of mobile phones do not have the potential to access content from the web – rather, the traditional browser-based paradigm of internet usage does not cater to them. The idea that the mobile web consists exclusively of mobile devices running web-browsers identical to the web experience we are used to with IE/Firefox is simply wrong. Throwing more and more resources towards creating devices for the developing world that can emulate the PC browsing experience is misguided. The 2 billion phones being used in the developing world are really great at making and receiving voice calls and text messages: Why not shape the internet experience to meet the specs of every phone’s inherent functionality (voice!) rather than requiring devices to have specs that quite frankly aren’t going to be realistic for many years to come?

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