Global Effects

The one issue that held mobility back was the availability of mobile networks that were actually useful. Until recently, surfing the Internet on your mobile phone (all other things aside) was like surfing on a dial-up connection or worse. Currently, there are two available mobile data networks: 2G (also called the Edge network) and 3G.

The 2G network transfers data at about 360 Kbps or less. That’s not terrible, but for web sites that are built for broadband and large displays, it does create a slower — sometimes maddening — experience. Still, even a 2G network is tolerable on a mobile platform when working with web sites that are designed for mobile surfing.

The 3G network can be considerably faster. In some areas, the data transfer rate can be as much as 7.2 Mbps, and most of the major wireless carriers now offer 3G network speeds, which reduces much of the irritation that users experienced in the past with mobile Internet access.

Increased network speeds also mean that you can offer your mobile users a richer mobile experience. However, keep in mind that mobile is still not the same as broadband, and the richness of the mobile Internet experience is derived from better features and functionality, not flashier graphics and bandwidth-eating applications.

Clearly, one of the main factors affecting the mobile user experience is the device with which the user accesses the mobile Web. As mentioned earlier, there are more than 200 different devices available on the cell phone market. Not all of them are even Internet-enabled, but of those that are, many still have screens that are only 1 inch by 1 inch. A few offer screens that are a bit bigger, but not big enough to make the mobile user experience appreciably better.

What has changed the way people connect on the Internet using a mobile device are devices designed much like the iPhone. These devices are all screen, though some have a slide-out keyboard or a digital keyboard on the screen. That overcomes some of the difficulties that users had in the past with entering URLs and information into web forms.

Devices today are also set up to switch seamlessly between mobile network web surfing (meaning surfing the Web on the wireless carrier’s network signal) and Wi-Fi network capabilities (meaning the user can connect to a wireless network, such as the one that’s probably used in your home or office). This switching capability makes it possible for users to access faster download speeds, making the user experience less frustrating.

It also helps preserve the battery life of the device, lack of which is another complaint you’ll often hear from users about surfing the Internet on a mobile device — it eats battery the way a fire consumes dry brush. A Wi-Fi network still consumes a great deal of battery life, but it uses slightly less battery power than what’s required for the carrier’s network.

In general, until more recent generations of wireless devices, none has been specifically designed for surfing the Internet. That’s changing rapidly. The iPhone’s release led to an avalanche of devices that are mostly screen, with increasingly improved methods of input. Now all that remains is building a mobile Web that intersects with visitors’ needs — and that’s the biggest difference between mobile Internet users and those who use a desktop or laptop computer.