Mobile commerce conference focuses on content

By Darryll Adler

LONDON -- Although some key speakers such as Guy Kawasaki, CEO Garage Technology Ventures, did not make it across the pond to the Mobile Commerce World Europe conference this week, it was still considered a success, even with 50% fewer registered delegates than the previous year. 

Expertly moderated by BBC journalist John Humphrey's, panel members of the session "The New Rules for Start-up" gave their indications of the horses to back in the mobile race. The list included "time to kill" sports results and games, "save-your-bacon information" which is always available at your fingertips, real-time entertainment and videos, leisure-based local information, location-based services, and transactions and ticketing. All bode well for the travel industry and people on the move.

And what became clearer, during the presentation of Robert Youngjohns, Vice-President, EMEA, Sun Microsystems, was the underlying advantage that handheld has over the traditional Internet industry: mobile has a guaranteed revenue stream and an effective billing structure.

Mobile and travel

With this in mind, should the travel industry be turning its attention to the mobile market and looking to develop content alongside network distribution partners? Only time will tell. One such tool was launched in the UK at the conference was BT Cellnet launch of the BlackBerry From BT Cellnet Wireless Email Solution in the UK.

The Blackberry, developed and manufactured by the Canadian company Research In Motion, provides an easy solution to the UK market with its "always on, always connected" feature. Designed to operate 24 hours per day and remain connected to the wireless network to allow easy notification of incoming email, it uses a unique ‘push’ model of email delivery: the email automatically finds the user; and there is no need to dial in, no initiating connections, no effort required. 

The Blackberry is marketed as a useful solution for the development and delivery of timely travel content, and can also act as a planning tool for the travel industry by alerting the subscriber of new promotions, up and coming events, and travel delays.

Micro-billing engine

It works by sending an email, sent to the subscriber's corporate e-mail account, delivered to the corporate server, which re-directs to the desktop. At the same the BlackBerry Enterprise Server software -- installed alongside the corporate server behind the corporate firewall -- copies, compresses and encrypts the message and forwards it to your handheld over the Internet using the GPRS network. When it reaches the handheld the message is de-compressed and un-encrypted, and you receive an alert.

The cost to the user, by utilizing a generic micro-billing engine, is based upon the packets of information. It therefore allows the travel industry to develop and deliver content in a cost effective format. Key features include a slim and lightweight look and feel with a large screen, keyboard and trackwheel; a headset jack; an embedded wireless modem (no external antenna or attachments required); plus integrated email and organiser software; a single mailbox integration with corporate email systems -- which allows users to keep their existing email address and manage one single mailbox plus BlackBerry also comes equipped with SMS short text messaging capability. Phone, Internet and Intranet browser functionality for the 5820 edition will be available in the near future.