What will be the next 'killer' service on mobile?
The power of 'social' will continue to play a key role and for good reason. Arguably the names and numbers of our 'social circle' stored in our mobiles form the basis for making the pocket device 'personal' and a 'must carry' item.
It's in this mobile personal space that we have already seen hot competition from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Skype. Each internet enabled social network trying to connect us with those closest in our 'social circle' via a different mobile application.
Therein lies the problem. Each of us have 'social circles' that are spread out across many networks. The task of bringing these networks together is the biggest 'social' application challenge that will require a BIG rethink on how mobiles are used to keep us connected.
Historical precedence exists and mobile manufacturers are in the best position to solve this problem. The ability to store 'Contacts' in a mobile has long been considered a basic feature. That feature needs to transform into a service that merges our 'social networks' into a 'social circle'.
A long time before the introduction of mobile phones we stored our 'social circle' as contacts in a small bound address book. Together with a mix of memory and special written 'marks' or 'words' alongside each contact, we managed our relationships inside this 'personal' book.
With the arrival of mobile telephony, the natural place to keep names and numbers was inside the same device used to make calls. The mobile has replaced for many the fixed landline and the need to carry an address book. Given that mobile companies have already been given the control and trust to manage our most personal contacts, it's surprising that our 'real friends' are managed still in such a limited and featureless way inside our mobile contact lists.
The ability to make calls or send a short text message from anywhere to anyone is convenient. Having all your contacts with you at that moment in the same place is necessary. Being able to find a contact and initiate a phone call or send a text message from the contact listing is smart. However, now we connect with each other in more ways than via one-to-one phone calls and short text messages. Having all the connections across many different networks managed via a single contact list; that's the new 'smart' needed in smartphones.
The new forms of connecting with our 'social circle' are not only driven by the new forms and implementations of technology but by the change in the content and context of the conversations we have. A photo shared with a friend may connect better than a potentially disruptive phone call. While it is possible to share photos with friends, using today's mobiles the most difficult question might be deciding which network to use. (MMS, facebook, flicker, email....) I just want to send the photo.
Contact lists have always been a way to arrange our social circle. A contact list as a 'service' will need to manage contacts, connection types regardless of network and be the place where the connection and conversation takes place. That's the challenge and the next 'killer' service.
- Paul
© 2011 Paul Warren Eaton
