Network Content & Applications in Mobile Devices Mohammad Hafiz bin Ismail ([email protected])

Network Content &

Applications in Mobile Devices

http://mobilepit.com/

Mohammad Hafiz bin Ismail ([email protected])

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Mobile Devices

Handheld electronic device with limited processing power and connectivity commonly use by end-user consumers

Examples of Mobile Devices

Mobile Phones / Smart PhonesPDA (Pocket PC / Palm)Internet Tablet (Blackberry / Nokia 880)Navigation Device

What is not Mobile Device

LaptopPersonal ComputerGame Console

Why Mobile Device ? Mobile devices has become increasingly popular during the last 10 years.

Estimate mobile subscribers around the world 2.7 billions.

Currently Malaysia alone have has about 11 millions of mobile phone users

a figure which expected to increase over the years.

(Agar, 2004)

Devices Popularity

(Mobref,2007)

Why Mobile Device

Advancement of cellular technology has allowed

Greater data transfer Faster processing power Greater interactivity Wider connectivity

Early “Mobile Application”

Limited processing powerRelies heavily on a server-side languageDepends on external browserCharacteristic by the use of WML, XHTML, cHTML technologyDoes not actually 'run' on the mobile device.

Early “Mobile Application”

Relies on the server-side to provide both processing power and User Interface

Little or no client-side processingNo client side record/database storage –

everything on the serverSolely depends on internet connection

Emerging Trends of Mobile Application

Runs natively on the mobile device itselfDoes not rely on external browserDepends more on Web Service API (SOAP/XML-RPC/REST) rather than the website itself.Concentrates more on usability and content delivery

Why do we need Native Network Mobile Application

Easy to deploy in commercial senseTightly integrated into user interfaceDoes not rely on external browserThe application can store data on mobile phoneFaster retrieval and response timeThe application can access mobile phone functionalities (camera/sms/caller-id/files)

Examples

“Jeffrey wants to create an application which enables him to share photos taken from his phone camera to some of his friends”

Can it be done with WML/XHTML based mobile application?

Types of Mobile ApplicationEmail ApplicationsVideo StreamingMultiplayer gameNews readerInstant Messenger ApplicationWeather Forecast applicationCurrency converterLocation Base application Home/Security Monitoring Application

Ways Mobile Internet Application Communicate

Low Level

TCP/IP Socket Connection

UDP Datagram

Bluetooth RFComm

‘Virtual’ Serial COM port (on PDA)

Ways Mobile Internet Application Communicate

High Level (The BEST Way!)

Achieve through the use of Web Services XML-RPC SOAP ATOM api Representational-State Transfer (REST)

Why Web Services is the best way?

Uses distributed computing conceptWidely accepted as a ways to publish APIPortable, Web Services only relies on

HTTP/HTTPS availabilityBecomes an Emerging standards of

publishing services (W3C, RFC 4287)

Organization that uses Web Service

Google.com (ATOM -GData, SOAP)Yahoo.com (SOAP)Amazon.com (SOAP)Wordpress.com (XML-RPC)Haze.net.my (REST)Foxrate.org (XML-RPC)

Organization that uses Web Service

Amazon.com

Publish Web API to enable developers to create application that can list latest Amazon product, price comparison and heavily discounted and popular items

Organization that uses Web Service

Flickr.comUses web service API to enable its users to

post/update photos using any application.

Mobile application that uses Flickr API : MobUp (http://mobup.blogspot.com)j2meMap (http://j2memap.sf.net)Mickr (http://www.mickr.de/)

Flickr.com Client Screenshots

MobUp Mickr

How Web Services Architecture Works ?

XML-RPC API Server (http://foxrate.org)

DB DB DB

currencyConvert(USD,MYR,100) Result() = 353.71

Procedure stored on the server

User Interface is inside the phone

Less of 1KB data Less than 1KB data

But the same application can be written in WML!

Why bother? Any opinion ?

Web Service is better because

It separates the developers work and the service providers work

Developers only concentrates on their best expertise, developing mobile clients.

Developers does not need to maintain the information itself

Web Service is better because

In mobile application, size DOES matter!

Data transfer need to be optimized for faster response time (latency) and cost)

Locally run Mobile Internet Application that uses Web Service do just that!

Bandwidth & Data transfer efficiency

Typical WML Application

Request website foxrate.org

Website (interface) displayed index.wml – 4KB

foxrate.org

User request currency exchange (process.php) – less than 1KB

foxrate.org

Bandwidth & Data transfer efficiency

XML-RPC API Server (http://foxrate.org)

DB DB DB

currencyConvert(USD,MYR,100) Result() = RM 353.71

Procedure stored on the server

User Interface is inside the phone

Less of 1KB data Less than 1KB data

Total Data transfer = 1KB + 1KB

= 2KB

Bandwidth & Data transfer efficiency

Typical WML Application

Result displayed result.wml (3KB)

foxrate.org

Total Data transfer = 4KB + 3KB + 1KB = 8KB

Web Services is 4 times smaller than a typical WML application !

Why?

The main reason is the user interface of WML application is stored on the server not client

By using web service we are free to create our own user interface independent of the service provider.

WML Drawbacks from Commercial Aspect

WML application are hard to sellHard to distributeRequire constant maintenance (server)Hard to customize on the mobile phone

part (different vendor wants to put their own logo, endorsement)

WML application can’t use phone features (camera,bluetooth, GPS, InfraRed)

Further Reading on Web Services

XML-RPC http://xmlrpc.comhttp://www.xml-rpc.net/

SOAPhttp://www.w3.org/TR/soap/http://www.soaprpc.com/ws_implementatio

ns.html

What Next ?

Location Base Application (GPS)Car NavigationFishing Spot FinderSpeed Warning (GPS Auto)GPSolat

More mobile phones are equipped with GPS receiver, it’s the latest trend!

Location Base Application

GPSolat – Prayer time base on GPS

Prayer time is different according to location, season and direction.

GPSolat uses location data to determine the Kiblah direction and users’ current location

Base on that it can calculates prayers time.No need to worry about prayers time when

travelling anymore!!

Internet Mobile Application SDK

You can create Internet Mobile Application using any of these platforms

JavaME (http://sun.java.com/javame)

Symbian (http://forums.nokia.com) (Nokia)

.NET Compact Framework (http://msdn.microsoft.com/mobility/netcf/) (PDA)

JavaME

The best SDK for learningSupported by almost all modern phonesHas great documentationUses JavaHas a lot of librariesImplementations guaranteed to support

HTTP/HTTPS protocol for communication.Portable

.NET Compact Framework

Great for people who are familiar with .NET

Supported by Windows Mobile PDA devices only

More powerful than JavaMETighter integration with device

(Microsoft+Microsoft)

Symbian

Uses C++Harder to code compared with othersVery close to hardware implementationLimited device, only supported on some

Nokia and Sony Ericsson Smartphone

Screenshots

Why Develop Mobile Application?

The Desktop application market has been saturated and controlled by bigger companies. (i.e nobody uses other application than MS-Word, Powerpoint)

Mobile devices is the new playground. Opportunities to develop localized content Huge marketplace, can compete with each other

fairly. Niche Market, you can sell through telcos

Places to publish Mobile Application

Handago.comGetJar.comPayloadz.comPocketGear.comMypdaCafe.com

And many others!

Network Content Applications in Mobile Devices

Q&A