Mobile Commerce News Weekly - Week of January 2, 2011

The Mobile Commerce News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news, articles and links related to mobile payments, mobile money, e-wallets, mobile banking and mobile security that I run across each week.  I am specifically targeting market size and market trend information.

Also read Field Mobility News Weekly
Also read M2M News Weekly
Also read Mobile Marketing News Weekly
Also read Mobile Health News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly
Also read Mobility Charts Weekly

New York Waterway, which carries passengers across the Hudson and East rivers, will launch the first smartphone-based ticketing system for mass transit riders this week. The free app, developed by New York-based Bytemark, allows riders to purchase tickets in advance with an Apple or Android compatible smart device. Read Original Content

Recent predictions suggest that during 2012 there will be 30 to 40 million purchased smartphones enabled with NFC chips. Read Original Content

Juniper Research reports that nearly $55 billion in international remittances will be enabled via mobile devices by 2016. For 2011, it is estimated to be under $12 billion. Read Original Content

Tech Endeavour structures a mobile application as a multi-layered application consisting of user experience, business, and data layers. The mobile application development process starts with definition of the mobile application, understanding key components, learning scenarios where it will be used, learning key patterns and technology considerations as well as identifying specific scenarios such as deployment, power usage and synchronization.  This newsletter is sponsored in part by Tech Endeavour, http://www.techendeavour.com/.

KPMG's fifth annual Consumers and Convergence survey has found that 23 percent of U.S. consumers are now "very willing" to use their mobile phones as a wallet and the number rises to 30 percent for younger adults aged between 16 and 34. Read Original Content
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The Value in a Mobile Enterprise Solution


Have you ever pondered where the primary value in an enterprise mobility solution resides?  Is it in a smartphone with apps in your pocket or a tablet in your hand?  Is it the wireless connection to the Internet?   Is it the mobile middleware or integration to your back end systems, or is it the back end system?  

I proposed that the core value in an enterprise mobility solution is in the back end systems.  The back end systems are where the business logic, business processes, big data and business analytics are primarily located.  Most enterprise mobility solutions are extending back end systems.  This may seem like an obvious thing, but for many it is not.  Many people feel there is something magical about mobility and that mobile solutions, on their own, offer big value.

Let's think back a few years to when many of us were carrying mobile PDAs (personal digital assistants).  They were mobile and offered some value to us as individuals, but it would be hard to say they revolutionized the enterprise.  At that time, the enterprise's business solutions were rarely extended out to PDAs.  The PDA apps that did connect to back end systems, were mostly limited to synchronizing to a desktop via a docking stations or USB connections.  Back end systems and their value were not being efficiently exposed to mobile workers at that time.  


Today, however, back end systems can be efficiently exposed and made available to the mobile workforce.  It is this capability that can revolutionize a business.  The ability to make the back end system value, available to many more users.

As an increasing number of  enterprise mobility vendors enter the market, the ability to design, develop, deploy and maintain a mobile solution rapidly becomes a commodity.  The core value of a mobile solution moves from the the mobile app into the back end system again.  What does this mean?  It means the aggregation of data, business logic, business processes and analytics in a back end system designed to support the mobile workforce is where the biggest value is located.

Once the ability to implement mobile solutions is achieved, enterprises moving up the mobility maturity curve will turn their focus to providing more back end system functionality to support mobile solutions.  Mobility vendors that want to have longevity in the mobility market will recognize this trend and devote much of their R&D to building solutions that integrate and aggregate business logic, data sources, business processes and analytics into unique and usable services that support mobile workers and their different roles.

Enterprise mobility solutions provide the means to deliver back end system value to mobile workers. Do you agree or disagree?



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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile Industry Analyst, Consultant and SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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Field Mobility News Weekly - Week of January 2, 2012

The Field Mobility News Weekly is an online newsletter made up of the most interesting news and articles related to field mobility that I run across each week.  I am specifically targeting information that reflects market data and trends.

Also read M2M News Weekly
Also read Mobile Commerce News Weekly
Also read Mobile Marketing News Weekly
Also read Mobile Health News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly
Also read Mobility Charts Weekly

General contractors and builders at more than 30 construction sites within the United States are employing an RFID-enabled solution to track the number of workers on those sites, as well as their identities. Read Original Content

Global enterprises are shifting to mobile-only communications faster than expected, according to the BroadSoft 2011 Mobile Enterprise of the Future Survey. Read Original Content

TomTom vehicle management solutions have grown 30 percent yearly and now represent the largest fleet telematics provider in the Europe region. Read Original Content

Since 1995, Syclo has enabled hundreds of companies in 37 countries and industries supercharge their businesses with mobility.  This newsletter is sponsored in part by Syclo. http://www.syclo.com/.

GAO RFID has recently released a rugged RFID scanner that allows livestock owners to more easily track and manage animals throughout farmland. Read Original Content
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Enterprise Mobility, PIOs and PIVs

Bringing it all together.
There are many different objects and variables that can impact the performance of a mobile workforce, especially in the field services space.  In my enterprise mobility workshops I call these things PIOs (performance impact objects) and PIVs (performance impact variables).  Here are examples of PIOs:
  • People
  • Parts/Supplies/Materials
  • Tools
  • Qualifications
  • Job locations
  • Equipment availability
  • Transportation availability
  • Vendor availability
  • Subcontractor availability
  • Jobsite access
  • Permits/Approvals

Examples of PIVs:
  • Schedules
  • Skills
  • Experience
  • Weather
  • Traffic
  • Equipment repair/maintenance
  • Sickness/Health
  • Funding
Each of these items must come together at the right time and right place to optimize the performance of a field service technician.  I think of a PIOs and PIVs in the context of building a railroad.  In order to be completed and functioning, all the PIOs/PIVs must come together at the right place and time.  If pieces are missing, the entire system is delayed or fails.

In an ideal world, each PIO/PIV should be tracked and monitored.  Let me provide a scenario for consideration.  A customer calls in and requires repairs to a specialized piece of equipment.  This work requires specialized training and skills, certifications, special parts, special tools and experience.  Knowing just the schedules and locations of your field service technicians is not good enough.  You need to know information concerning each PIO and PIV.  In order to optimally provide service to your customer, you need to know and monitor all relevant information, and since most field services teams are mobile, that means mobile technology must be integrated with as many PIOs and PIVs systems as possible in order to provide the necessary visibility to maximize productivity.

When PIOs and PIVs are all connected via a shared network that provides visibility to network members it is called a Network Centric Operation.  Download and read more about Network Centric Field Services here.





If you have an available field service technician without the right experience and qualifications, then that does not help.  If you have a qualified, experienced and available field services technician, but without the right tools, parts or their location is too far away to be of service, then that also doesn't solve your need.

It is important to understand all of the PIOs/PIVs and to document and track them in real-time.  To know as much about them as possible, in real-time,  in order to optimize your productivity in the field. 

PIOs/PIVs are most often not in one place for easy management.  They are located in many different locations and accessed via many different systems.  Enterprise mobility, connectivity, integration, dashboards, dynamic scheduling, HCM (human capital management), GPS tracking and event/project management are all required to bring the vast array of components together to provide optimal productivity.  Ideally these would be brought together into one dashboard view that could also be shared on mobile devices.

I recognize that this article is painting a picture of a world that may be unachievable today, but developing a roadmap is possible.  A roadmap based upon an understanding of what is technologically possible, while considering the ideal.

For more mobile enterprise strategies read:


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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile Industry Analyst, Consultant and SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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HTML5 – What’s New Christmas Week?

New HTML5 GPS App

Software company TeleNav has developed a browser-based HTML5 app that delivers voice-enabled, turn-by-turn GPS navigation on most mobile devices.  The service is now available for developers, and is scheduled for launch to the public in the first part of 2012.

From the press release issued December 14, 2011:  “By simply adding one line of code, developers of mobile websites or of apps with local content will have a free and easy way to integrate full GPS turn-by-turn directions into their services, creating a more seamless user experience and increasing user engagement and time spent within their applications.”

For more information click here.

iOS Beats Android in HTML5 Performance Evaluation

A study conducted by Sencha, Inc. (www.sencha.com) shows that Apples iOS 5 wins over Google’s Android in HTML5 browser performance.  Sencha deals with frameworks used in creating web apps for HTML5.  According to the study, the latest Android OS, the Ice Cream Sandwich, shows advances in the Android browser, but the iOS still offers better performance.







Google Says “Let it Snow” with New Holiday Hidden “Easter Egg”

For a fun holiday effect, go to Google’s home page (www.google.com) in your HTML5 supported browser, type in “let it snow” and watch to see what happens.  Your screen will frost over with HTML5 snow flurries until a “defrost” button appears.  The search also produces Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra links.  For another cool holiday effect, type in “Christmas” or “Hanukkah”.

appMobi tackles HTML5 sound problem


A problem with HTML5 is that it can only play one sound at a time.  appMobi is now using “multi-channel sound” to allow developers to layer sounds on top of one another to generate a more dynamic audio experience, according to a December 19, 2011 article from ReadWriteWeb.



*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile Industry Analyst, Consultant and SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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