Shattering the mobile experience

There’s been a lot of activity around mobile software platforms and application development this week. Microsoft has made its Silverlight web platform available on some of Nokia’s phones, Google has revealed that its own Gears platform can now be used on Windows Mobile devices and Apple is getting ready to launch its software development kit for the iPhone later today.

It makes the mobile sector sound like a rich emporium for the end user. But it really goes to show just how fragmented the industry has become. Take the iPhone, for example. It may be a great-looking device – possibly even a revolutionary design – but it presents third-party application developers with a tough choice. Do they invest precious time in writing a version of an existing application for the iPhone? Or is it better to invest those resources in coming up with a new application for a Symbian handset?

Making that decision probably means spending even more time analysing the market and trying to figure out whether the iPhone will become a serious rival to Symbian smartphones. And meanwhile the customer is left waiting.

Sadly, things look set to get even worse with the summer arrival of Android, Google’s hyped operating system for mobile phones. Android is eagerly awaited by those who reckon it will lower pricing and improve the experience of using mobile applications. Yet it’s described as “another bloody platform” by Carl Uminski, the chief technology officer of Trutap. That’s telling, because Trutap is exactly one of the third-party application developers Google would assume is on its side.

Uminski’s not the only one feeling exasperated. Charles Wiles says he’s working to bring Windows-compatible software to Android and other capable web browsers. Who is he? The product manager for Google Gears.