Mobile Jam Session

My third morning in Barcelona was spent at the Mobile Jam Session organised by Rudy de Waele and Caroline Lewko. I didn’t get to attend the afternoon discussions but the morning introductions were fun and quite interesting in themselves. And the venue was fantastic — 20 floors up looking out over the whole of Barcelona! Here’s some notes…

MyStrands (the hosts) offer recommendation systems similar to Amazon “people who bought this also bought”

• They have their own music recommendation system complete with mobile client
• Also sell recommendation system to businesses, based on history of sales

QR codes for finding bus stops — used as cheap alternative to NFC, but needs a client on the phone.

Dan Appelquist: Betavine trying to produce a community testing resource

• allow people to upload their apps and get feedback from community
• Mob4hire (from Calgary) trying to do just that

Test centres:

• Hoping to create a test centre in Barcelona
• Mobile Distillery started PACA in Marseilles

Finding apps

• Facebook model useful for discovery
• iPhone installer app very good for installing/uninstalling
• like shareware — small description incl. version, suitable devices, etc. added to index & google

We should have independent testing of compliance to standards. The manufacturers have no one looking over their shoulder.

• Could manufacturer developer programs fill in the WURFL device specs?

Device repository for dispatching application versions. Adobe DeviceCentral allows you to create lots of device-specific Flash builds very easily, but you then have to create a mechanism to select the right build for the right device. Just like there are lots of device specification systems, there are even more build download systems…

Security & signing…?

OpenID for developer programs…? One single sign in for all.

Open Source Cell ID database…?

• Google has their own, Yahoo has their own… could they expose them under license?
• Yahoo FireEagle allows access & pinpoint, but need to expose underlying database update

Trutap haven’t gone through Java certification

• have 31 ports at the moment — 500 euros each
• startup includes network negotiation so slower than a game
• wireframes are more complex as its a social app
• to get onto the Orange store you have to be certified…

Feedback channels — Bango

• if you know there is something wrong with your Nokia phone, who do you tell?
• if you have a problem with your operator, who do you tell? Lodge a problem with the operator and see if message gets through
• very difficult for Bango to get feedback
  • he encourages people to write directly to CEOs of associated companies to complain
  • managed to get Vodafone bill refunded quite a few months by complaining

Bill Scott (GetJar) — GetJar runs a community of 10,000 beta testers

• been used by Trutap (client written by FP)
• have quite a good discussion with testers in Brazil, India, etc
• got the application and like it — want to see it improve
• feed back improvements and evangelise their ideas that get implemented

Forum Nokia device testing

• entire application build out for Navteq Global LBS Challenge based on a series of emulators
  • intent to build out a very robust series of emulators covering all devices
• complete rebuild of all technical documentation on Forum Nokia website coming soon
  • content renewal will hit at end of end of Q2 2008

Access now have a developer network