I read this article recently about Apple's new iPhone and the response it received when it was revealed to a crowd in Japan. "…barely a ripple" was the description, and a fitting one too. Reading about how much more advanced mobile technology is in Japan compared to here in North America makes me think about what I can expect (or hope) to happen in the coming years…a mobile boom in North America?

http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-japanphone11jan11,0,6424968.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Contrary to what my introductory paragraph might lead you to believe, this post is NOT about the iPhone. The iPhone is simply what brought me to this conclusion…that given the recent trends of Flash Player penetration coupled with the rising popularity of Flash Lite in mobile devices, I am expecting to see some sort of mobile boom happening in the near future. We are already seeing this as people are starting to download music more on their phones, keep up-to-date with e-mails, send pictures, IM, and even watch TV. Starting with Adobe's partnering with Verizon to support Flash Lite on their mobile devices, other companies have followed suit, such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson. The trend is set and I think it's on a good path.

Charles

^*Update: I've come to find out that the article on www.latimes.com has been "archived" and you have to pay to get the full text of the article (wtf?). Well, the Internet has come through yet again in the quest for open-information…I've found the article (the text at least) on www.mobileburn.com. And juuuust in case, I cached it here too.

Developer.com holds annual contests, covering various topics and categories, mainly for…you guessed it…developers. There are categories such as best "Framework", "Development Tool", "Database Tool or Add-In". Flash Lite 2 took the title for this years best "wireless/mobile development tool". Not only did it win, but it dominated the category, winning by some of the widest margins seen on the contest…

Last year we said that the contest’s results were the most clear-cut we had ever seen. This year’s results were even more clear-cut than ever.

This is another big win for the Flash/Flex platform, and I am really excited to see Flash Lite 2 take off. Other notable winners were…

• Ruby on Rails for best "Framework"
• IBM Websphere for best "Development Tool"
• Google Maps API for best "Web Service Development Tool or Add-In"
• IBM WebSphere® Application Server Community Edition for best "Open Source Tool"
• AJAX for the coveted best "Technology"

^*see Developer.com for full results.

Thanks to Marco Casario for finding the link!

Charles

Waterloo has been at the forefront of technology and computer science for quite some time. Now, they are taking another leap forward, and thankfully, they’re taking the industry with them. As of today, they have officially started their pilot for their “Media and Mobility Network Project” which, for those of you that don’t know, is a project which is aimed at changing the way students (and aspiringly, everyone) communicate. Starting with a small subset of students (roughly 50 for now), they are slowly exploring the notion of replacing land-lines within their Residence with mobile phones. With a short term goal of putting cell phones in the hands of everyone on campus, they have a much LARGER vision. Best put…

…we seek an environment where each student, beginning with those in residence, will have the tools to access all manner of electronic communications, media, entertainment, commercial services, information resources, personal files and academic content, in both mobile and desktop/laptop environments.

The project is already well underway, having started in October 2006, with initial services beginning now. I applaud the forward-thinking that Waterloo has and I hope that this project spreads…fast. North America has a loooong way to go in terms of mobile communication and I think this is a great step in the right direction! Read more about it on Jesse Rodgers blog, a faculty member at Waterloo.

*FYI: How does this relate to Flash? The pilot program has seen 50 Waterloo students receive either a Blackberry Pearl or a Nokia E62 phone…both FlashLite equipped :)

Charles