MobileCrunch writes about Mobio launching its public beta.
Mobio is both an mobile application development platform and what the industry refers to as an on-device portal. One of my previous companies, Action Engine, would likely be considered a competitor.
I really like Mobio’s mission statement:
…to enable the creation of mobile content and applications that are fun, simple, and useful enough to merit everyday use.
I think they have really hit the nail on the head when they say “useful enough to merit everyday use”. One of the problems with most mobile applications today is that they simply are not useful enough to use on a regular basis. When you don’t use something everyday, its perceived value (or utility) diminishes and it begins to move from “top of mind” and get lost (see my posting on mobile user experiences).
Too many companies think people are not using mobile data services because they are not easy to use. People are not using mobile data services because relevant & meaningful services are not available (or the subscriber is not aware of the service) & because they cost too much. Ajit Jaokar expresses a similar sentiment as his second point in “The four holy cows of the Mobile Data industry“.
I truly hope that Mobio enables applications that are useful enough to merit everyday use. Key to this will be making it easy for everyone and anyone to build Mobio -enabled widgets. Different subscribers have different wants and needs, so its critical that niche widgets can be readily and cost effectively developed ideally using existing Web technologies (i.e., no hidden costs in a learning curve). I can’t help but wonder when Ning will offer something for mobiles.
Mobio’s second (and perhaps bigger) challenge is an addressable market severely constrained by the cost of using mobile data and consumers successfully finding, downloading, and installing the application.
