Rostam Hashim, Head of the Maxis Developer Programme, is convinced that current mobile trends are creating new openings for mobile developers. Mobile 2.0 is the way to go from here, he says.

 

The mobile industry is beginning to undergo rapid change. After a period of dithering current mobile trends increasingly confirm that a seachange is taking place in the mobile landscape.

According to Rostam, “many mobile developers reaped rich rewards simply by moving in early and tapping the demand for ringtones, games and wallpapers.” But Rostam says that the afore mentioned contents are no longer the only options for mobile developers. Mobile 2.0 is here and developers that move to leverage on this could very well be the stars of tomorrow.

The availability of high speed networks, increasing convergence of different wireless technologies as well as the arrival of new mobile devices loaded with breathtaking new features are bringing about conditions that fosters the development of powerful new applications and services on the mobile platform.

“Check out the new high end devices sold these days and one would be convinced that a new mobile age is here,” says Rostam. It’s no exaggeration to say then that these new mobile devices are more powerful than PCs from a few years ago. “When you put those devices on high speed networks like HSDPA and 3G, developers have a very powerful platform to work on” he adds.

The key buzzword is social interactivity. As Rostam says, “everyone wants cool new applications on their mobile devices that will keep them connected with and interacting in different ways with their social contacts,” and he hastens to add “otherwise consumers won’t be spending that kind of money on these latest devices.

The mobile device is a very natural device to build social applications on – even more so than desk bound PCs. According to Rostam, mobile developers who come out with mobile applications like Flickr, YouTube and other cutting edge Internet applications could attract the same number or even more subscribers because of the mobility and ubiquity associated with mobile devices.

The challenge however is to deliver the kind of easy to use and sticky interactive Web2.0 sites that consumers are thronging to via their PCs. The features found on modern handsets are powerful and varied. It’s for mobile developers to leverage on features like high resolution cameras and video recorders, Bluetooth, GPS capabilities and high capacity networks and come up with powerful, rich applications built with straightforward interfaces.

 

 

Rostam says that moile developers now have the right tools to build these applications. “The evolution of mobile programming tools is making it easier for mobile developers to build these new kinds of applications.” The latest incarnation of the mobile Java platform, for instance, is built to make full use of the latest cutting edge features and tools on mobile devices and networks.

There’s also another reason for local mobile developers to move on to Mobile 2.0 applications and that has to do with having home ground advantage.

 

The inherent characteristics of social networking applications almost dictate that locally built applications that take into account culture and local lifestyle stand a better chance for acceptance by mobile consumers than even applications ported over here by successful applications built elsewhere.

“Local developers know the local lingo and have the pulse of the community. If they put these edges into their applications, even the ‘big boys’ will find it hard to take them on. Our lifestyle has its own distinctive traits and mobile developers can build applications around them.”

Rostam says that the Maxis Developer Programme is beginning to focus on nurturing a new generation of local mobile developers. Open for the takings are nearly twenty million mobile subscribers poised to move on to new generation wireless technologies. Furthermore, a select number of these future applications may even find their way to the world stage. Rostam’s advice to mobile developers is to move fast as consumers want these applications here and now.