JamieG Analysis

Recently I have seen many interviews with prominent people in Web2.0 companies. In these interviews a common question is always asked.

“What do you see as the new killer App on the internet? For example, Google and Search, Social Networking and Face Book. What is the next big thing?”

I have been investing some grey matter on this and here is what my response to this question is.

“SYNC”

As the unexpected crown of web2.0 technology, Search, so will a simple process of Syncing become the new must have capability of the next big Internet revolution.

Ok, now I need to back this up with “WHY”. Please read on.

Lets start with Google’s moves of late. The three of most note are;

1. The Gphone, an open platform internet device that happens to be a phone. (As opposed to a locked down Ipod that happens to be a phone)

2. he push by Google to make the release of a very versatile spectrum open with a net-neutrality objective. This will hopefully bring Telecom grade network available to end suers without the mobile phone tarrifs pushed upon the public by current mobile phone carriers.

3. he purchase of Jaikau a twitter equivalent. An ideal addition to iGoogle and possible mobile phone developments.

This is a reasonably hot topic in the blogisphere, in that, Google is trying to move the mobile telephone industry into the economics of the Internet. An example of this is that an SMS with a typical Mobile phone company costs 25cents for 160 characters. Compare this to the internet, and you are paying a VERY small fraction of the costs to send the same amount of data. Even the data costs on a compressed voice conversation on a mobile phone is quite obscene.

It is because of this that data on mobile networks have been kept artificially high. However, eventually these costs will come down. Having a mobile phone with a data service is likely to become a commodity like a internet connection. Pay $30 a month for the service. Bandwidth all you can eat.

If we consider the is coming and ad to this an unrestricted, non “walled garden” Gphone type device will become common. The use of the internet is likely to grow dramatically from the one computers per household to an internet device for everyone in the house hold. This will grow the use of the internet and in term the company that dominates it. The Google Search Engine.

Considering all this, we can see a GPhone that is likely to enter the market at the right time. For example, it may not be a while, as Google has to get the market ready for it.

Ideally, however, we will see a device that is open. It will sync with Gmail, Gcalender, Jaikau, GoogleMaps and all other Google apps. At the same time it will be open to search the Web (Google Search) browse the Web, (Google Adsense). monitor your Facebook account etc.

Now we must look at the effect of Social Networking platforms like Facebook and Myspace. If anything, these tools have made us more connected then we have ever been. We can communicate with more friends then ever before. We can keep track of them with ease. Our social calendars are bursting at the seems with what is going on… How do we keep track of all this.

“SYNC”

Yes, once a feature of the corporate animal. Those who could afford Microsoft exchange server and licenses to have WindowsMobile or blackberry smartphone all networking together. An expensive exercise and that for which many companies have made fortunes out of big business.

“SYNC” will be the main stream. The only way we will be able to keep up with the pace of social networking is if corporate level functionality makes it to the typical end user phone.

This is already starting to surface with Palm releasing the first smart phone under $100.

Calendar syncing standards will be adopted by all player. iGoogle, Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo. And you will simply be able to overlay calendars and contacts from any sources into your selected social networking platform. From here you will have real time Sync to your portable Internet/mobile phone device.

This is the future, and this is “the next big thing”.