Answers to your mobile questions Part 1
Written by: Jonathan Briggs
March 17, 2006 [3233 views]
I have been through the last activity and answered as many questions as I can. There will be another opportunity to ask more soon. I have edited the questions (to link them together) so you may not see your exact question.
What is meant by Innovative applications?
You should be thinking about imaginative ways of using mobile phones and terminals. Using them for making calls or simply sending SMS would not be described as “innovative”.
I would like more in information about paying for things using mobile?
I have already described several different ways of paying: reverse billing, using the mobile to prove identity, subscription as part of a mobile content portal and payment linked to an online account. You should research these in more detail yourself.
How much detail is needed concerning the technology?
Imagine you are a consultant and you are asked for a report (in your first job). This is the level of detail that is needed. You should provide enough detail that a manager can see that you understand the processes and partners that would be involved.
If we are looking at education, should we look at elearning or at administration
Either would be fine.
Do we have to focus on a particular area within the chosen industry?
It is up to you. You won’t lose marks by focusing in a particular part.
!!I would like to understand the key technologies used in m-commerce more and how they all fit together in providing a service.
mCommerce usually equals website + account + mobile version + buy + backend system + fulfillment
What about 3.5G?
The road map for faster data transfer has already been drawn up. You should keep an eye out for newer versions of technology.
I would like to understand more about the effect of 3G advertisements and whether it is successful.
This is so new that it probably has not been fully evaluated yet. We know that there is great customer resistance to SMS advertising; people hate it, because they associate SMS with contact from other people. That is why mobile advertising is usually pulled rather than pushed.
I am not sure what counts as mobile technology. What about telemetry inside racing cars? Do we need to mention the other (none mobile) technologies?
Many of you asked what counted and for the purpose of this module, any technology that helps someone use information systems while on the move could reasonably be included. There are some borderline cases. RFID on its own is not necessarily a mobile technology (it’s a tagging and identification technology) but most applications bring in another aspect of mobile. You need consider other technologies where they interface to mobile technologies.
Will there be interactions between everyday things like travel card, mobile phones, cinema ticket and club entry via mobile phone?
That is up to you to decide. Don’t fall into the trap of predicting things that may not occur. You client wants to know what can be implemented now or in the near future.
How does RFID work?
We have been round this loop several times. You need to read the descriptions online and try and build your own picture of what is going on.
Why are wireless technologies scarce in the education sector?
Money and security fears.
How are network providers who provide music downloads going to stop users sharing music they have downloaded with other users? How will the music industry change?
You need to understand what is happening in “Digital Rights Management”. Look this up. There is lots of discussion and prediction about how the media industries will change. Form your own opinions by researching what is going on.
I am looking into RFID and tickets but can RFID tags be read by inserting it into a machine bit like a train ticket – which I guess uses a barcode but can this be replaced by an RFID tag?
RFID tags are normally read through proximity to a tag reader. They replace paper tickets. Try to understand how Oystercard works.
Is it possible for you to tell us the web sites that will help us with our research on the chosen topic?
No. That would hardly be research.
How could we make bluetooth the ultimate tool for wireless networking communications?
This is an odd question. Bluetooth is a useful technology for personal networks. What makes you want to make it “the ultimate” and why do you think your should be able to?
What kind of technology would one use to transfer music samples to customers if they walk into a music store such as HMV or virgin?
You decide. What sorts of technologies would be possible? Which of those technologies does your customer already have? Who pays for what?
How does Shazam recognize songs?
This is a proprietary technology based on pattern recognition (not easy to copy). The sample is turned into a pattern and compared with a database of stored patterns for whole tracks.
Why are multimedia smart phones slowly being introduced, especially when the technology has been around for some time?
This is an important question because it’s true of lots of technology. Just because the technology exists, does not mean that it will be successful. This was the central problem with most poor dotcom ideas.
How secure is it to send and receive personal information and transactions?
This is a big issue and very topical. The police and security services can call for your mobile phone records to be released. Transactions are about as secure as they are online. Digital telephone (and data) is encrypted so it is hard to hack or eavesdrop. But all electronic systems are open to malware and hacking. You must have the right to unsubscribe to services and messages that you elect to receive.
Can devices be built from scratch to develop our case study (e.g. to develop a device that has GPS,bluetooth and sms sending capabilities)?
Yes but don’t build a device, assemble as system from readily available components.
Does pedagogy play a vital role in the development of mobile learning applications such as learning Management systems?
Yes. Pedagogy and styles of learning are always important.
Why have the banks not done more with mCommerce?
Most banks have some small scale mobile applications and they are growing. I get a statement by SMS once a week.
In one the applications development I looked at there is a middleware layer that contains the location monitoring and content search/fetch component. It’s unclear to me whether this is the application or a part of application.
I would consider this to be part of the application.
If someone wins a game of poker on a mobile phone, how would he be guaranteed to get money he won?
This is the same question as playing in an online Casino. You, the player, have to decide whether you trust the company behind the game. I think that the only people who could launch a mobile version of poker for real money would be an existing online casino or one of the networks.
When playing a multiplayer game with other people wouldn’t the actual game be too slow because of network problems?
The game would have to be designed so that only small amounts of data had to be passed around. Designing good multiplayer games is always hard because of the need to create good “gameplay”.
Some of the applications come into more than one area, is that ok or we have to stick within one area?
You need to focus on one area for your report but of course can draw on lessons from other areas too.
How do security issues affect WIFI Technology?
Security is one of the main weaknesses of WiFi.
I have come across the concept “mobile wallet ticketing” systems while I was visiting Tokyo, waving your mobile on a sensor to pay for travel on the metro, I don’t quite understand how this works, is it similar to RFID?
This is based on something called Suica and is an RFID system.
By security do you mean as in anti-theft in a store for example and personal security or security of the actual technology?
You can interpret it either way.
What do you think?
