Mobile phones are in for their own “Web 2.0”

Last week at the TSS Symposium, I was chatting with Pavel Petřek about the subject of the talk he and Michal Šrajer are giving at CZJUG on Wednesday. It reminded me of a presentation of 50 applications that won awards in the Android Developer Challenge. These applications all seemed to have something in common, and it strongly reminded me of Web 2.0.

For me, Web 2.0 describes internet applications that are driven by or designed around users collaborating and making use of social networks. A good example is spoluzaci.cz. I'm sure you all know it because at least one former classmate has pointed you to it. Take those basic attributes of Web 2.0, collaboration and social networks, into the world of mobile phones, which broadly offer or will offer things like navigation and fast internet access, and it's clear we're in for a “Web 2.0” for mobile apps.

Using spoluzaci.cz as an example, it could be an app that tells you when classmates are nearby and shows where they are on a map. You could start a chat and agree on somewhere to meet. You'd find and choose a café that suits your preferences using the built-in maps. You could also pin a note to the map for any classmates who pass by later.

Most apps in that top 50 build on different ways of collaborating. It might not grab you at first because it sounds mundane, but if you think through the implications, it opens up a lot of possibilities. I didn't study psychology at school, but it seems to me that people use certain social networks almost instinctively.

How do you decide what to buy online? I pay a lot of attention to how other users rate the product, what they say in the discussion and, of course, how well it sells. AndroidScan lets you apply the same principle in a physical store. Imagine you're walking through a department store and a DVD player catches your eye. Hold your phone up to the barcode and it scans it. The app automatically looks up the model online and from there finds reviews, comments or somewhere you can get it cheaper.

Want another example? Do you also get lost in the store looking for the bakery section? There's navigation that can work inside buildings, at least as I understand it. With a little help from the store operator, it would be a short step from there to typing “bread, rolls” in the app and getting directions right to the shelf. Then you could read an electronic note from user Pepa: “Don't buy the rolls. They're stale, handled and rubbery.” The store wouldn't even need a suggestion and complaints book.

I think there are lots of possibilities, so I'm looking forward to hearing from the guys on Wednesday about what Android offers here. By the way, there'll be refreshments, a hostess and a few token prizes. Another reason to come.