Notes from a Gartner mobility conference of a bygone era - Part I

[Former Member]

Six years ago, I had an opportunity to attend a Gartner Mobile & Wireless Summit that was held in Detroit from March 26 – March 29 2006. During the summit I also took some notes, which were written at the time so I could share with my colleagues back at Coke.  

Well, I recently discovered those notes in my archive and found it very interesting to just look back and see what the analysts were saying at the time and how things have turned out over the past 6 years. 

I will be sharing these notes in two parts - unedited - and hoping you would find them interesting too.

As you read it, please keep in mind this is from 2006 when most people in the Industry were probably not even dreaming of something like iPhone and iPad.

Trends and Recommendations

1. Mobile & Wireless space will remain dynamic for many more years. One Analyst described it as his 13 year old daughter whose most exciting times are yet to come.
2. Smart Phones will sell for under $120 by 2009 opening new opportunities for Corporations in future as serious Mobile applications could be developed for smart phones.
3. Corporate wireless email will play more strategic role and should be looked accordingly than simply being an executive toy.
4. 802.11a/b/g/n will remain a key short-to-medium range wireless technology in near future
5. Platforms (such as Microsoft Windows Mobile or fast emerging Nokia S60) remain more important for the Enterprise than the device manufacturer.
6. Collaboration using mobile technologies will increase. Gartner recommended start identifying opportunities for mobile collaboration and messaging.
7. There is a significant mismatch between what the mobile operators (Cingular and Verizon) are delivering and what the consumers really want, e.g. mobile TV on a cell phone.
8. Price premium on tablet pc is declining and it should be seriously considered for mobile workers who are currently using a laptop. Unlike laptop, tablet offers no physical barrier between you and the customer, e.g. while taking an order.
9. Currently, it’s a bad idea to buy a PC with a built in 3G wireless chip (such as Verizon EV-DO) as it will soon become obsolete when new technologies arrive.
10. For mission critical enterprise applications, stay with rugged devices. One analyst said he has often seen clients who chose consumer devices (iPaq over Symbol) come to him with tail between their legs.
11. Emergence of color 2D barcodes capable of storing enough information to play a small video.
12. Need for mobility (applications, collaboration etc) will make IT matter more.
13. Focus in 2006 will be on user experience.

Part-II will focus on mobile architecture, mobile databases, OS, Wireless and RFID.

(Please do share your Comments/Questions on how things have turned out and Rate/Like this post)