Mobile Widgets: Portable Applications on Mobile Platforms

1. Executive Summary

2. Definition of a Mobile Widget

• 2.1 What Separates a Widget From a Bundled Device Feature?
• 2.2 Examples of Current Mobile Widgets

3. History of Mobile Platform Programming

• 3.1 The First Widget
• 3.2 Hardware Widgets?
• 3.3 Hardware and Software Evolution
  • 3.3.1 Hardware evolution
    • 3.3.1.1 The Smartphone revolution
  • 3.3.2 Development platform evolution
    • 3.3.2.1 Palm
    • 3.3.2.2 WAP, WML, and HTML
      • 3.3.2.2.1 HTML and Mini Browsers
      • 3.3.2.2.2 Adobe, Flash, and Director
      • 3.3.2.2.3 JavaScript
      • 3.3.2.2.4 AJAX
  • 3.3.3 Development future

4. Platform Architectures

• 4.1 Platform Specific Development
  • 4.1.1 Symbian
  • 4.1.2 Windows Mobile
  • 4.1.3 Blackberry OS
  • 4.1.4 iPhone OSX
  • 4.1.5 Linux
  • 4.1.6 Palm OS
  • 4.1.7 Danger Hiptop, SideKick
  • 4.1.8 Android
• 4.2 Portable Widget Development
  • 4.2.1 J2ME Platform
• 4.3 Web Based Widgets
  • 4.3.1 WAP/WML/XML
  • 4.3.2 HTML
    • 4.3.2.1 Browser Constraints by Platform

5. Key Development Concepts

• 5.1 Size Constraints
  • 5.1.1 Compact Code
  • 5.1.2 Compact File Space
• 5.2 Display Constraints
  • 5.2.1 Display Sizes and Standards
  • 5.2.2 Multiple Displays
• 5.3 Input and Controls
  • 5.3.1 Input device types
    • 5.3.1.1 Keypad
    • 5.3.1.2 Keyboard
    • 5.3.1.3 Touch Screen
    • 5.3.1.4 Scroll Wheel
    • 5.3.1.5 Thumb Sticks, Roller Balls, and Direction Pads.
  • 5.3.2 Environmental Controls
    • 5.3.2.1 Motion and Orientation Sensors
    • 5.3.2.2 Light Sensors
  • 5.3.3 Peripheral Access
    • 5.3.3.1 GPS onboard and off
    • 5.3.3.2 Bluetooth
    • 5.3.3.3 Infrared
• 5.4 Network Access
  • 5.4.1 Connection Persistence
    • 5.4.1.1 Dial on Demand
    • 5.4.1.2 Always On
  • 5.4.2 Connection Types and Limitations
    • 5.4.2.1 Cellular Data
    • 5.4.2.2 WiFi
    • 5.4.2.3 WiMax
    • 5.4.2.4 Bluetooth
• 5.5 Processing
  • 5.5.1 Platforms and Speeds
• 5.6 Web Widget development
  • 5.6.1 Limitations of Web Based Applications
  • 5.6.2 A note about WAP/WML translators, compression gateways, and proxies
• 5.7 Licensing
  • 5.7.1 License Model Table by Platform

6. Markets

• 6.1 Mobile Advertising
  • 6.1.1 The Advertising Double Edged Sword
• 6.2 Market Summary
  • 6.2.1 Case Study RIM
  • 6.2.2 Case Study Apple
  • 6.2.3 Case Study PopCap Games
  • 6.2.4 Platform Market Share
• 6.3 Market Sizing
  • 6.3.1 Predicted Mobile Sales
  • 6.3.2 Predicted Smart Phone Sales
  • 6.3.3 Predicted Mobile Application Sales and Revenue
  • 6.3.4 Recent Market Developments as Growth Indicators

7. Mobile Application Examples

• 7.1 SalesForce
• 7.2 Dexterra
• 7.3 America' s Emergency Network

8. Carrier and Vendor Adaptations

• 8.1 Topology and Network Changes
• 8.2 Policy Changes
  • 8.2.1 Open Network Movements
  • 8.2.2 Billing Plan Changes
• 8.3 Infrastructure Hardware Changes
  • 8.3.1 Location Based Services
  • 8.3.2 WiFi Localized Service Hosting
  • 8.3.3 Network Monitoring Changes and Effects
• 8.4 Handset Manufacturer Changes
  • 8.4.1 Integrating New Handset Features
  • 8.4.2 Evolving the Handset
• 8.5 Software Changes
  • 8.5.1 Mobile Browser Evolution
  • 8.5.2 Multiple Platform Mobile Operating Systems

9. The Future of Widgets

• 9.1 Innovative Solutions on the Horizon
  • 9.1.1 Context and Location Sensitive Applications
  • 9.1.2 Pay Point Solutions
  • 9.1.3 Swarm Data Mining
• 9.2 Predictions for the Next Generation
  • 9.2.1 Obsolescence of the Wallet
    • 9.2.1.1 Digital ID
    • 9.2.1.2 Electronic Signature
  • 9.2.2 Convergence of Portable Devices
    • 9.2.2.1 Geo Tagging Multimedia
    • 9.2.2.2 Geocasting, Personal Broadcasting
  • 9.2.3 Breaking the Phone Mold
    • 9.2.3.1 Unlocking and Starting Your Car
    • 9.2.3.2 Authentication on a Computer and Elsewhere
    • 9.2.3.3 Remote Control

10. Summary

11. Index of Tables

12. Image Credits

13. References