With always-on connectivity and higher bandwidth available on mobile networks, mobile Internet access is on the verge of becoming a fully realized service that has the potential to create radical change in the competitive dynamics between content owners, network operators, technology vendors, and end-users.
The mobile user community and the Internet have embraced a new set of ideas called Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is here today, but its vast and disruptive impact is just beginning. More than just the latest technology buzzword, it is a transformative force that propels companies across all industries towards a new way of doing business characterized by user participation, openness, and network effects.
Web 1.0 was primarily a one-sided, consumption-oriented model in which users asked for content, which was then delivered to their devices. Web 2.0, on the other hand, is characterized by participation, publishing, and personalization.
At its core, Web 2.0 is about technologies that enable new platforms for user interaction. By giving users the tools to create, contribute, and customize their experiences, Web 2.0 service providers leverage the "wisdom of the crowd" to build value. These services have grown from product reviews and blogs through social networks to "mash-ups" of mapping data and classified ads to "produced" content like MP3s and videos.
Web 2.0's increasingly rich multimedia content has grown rapidly thanks to the wide availability of digital cameras, video recorders, and sound-editing software, which all make it easier for individuals to create and share original content. It also takes advantage of open standards and the low cost of distributing content - whether user-created or not - to reach a much broader range of users. From a technology perspective, Web 2.0 relies on technologies like JavaScript, XML, RSS, and Web services to deliver and aggregate content from multiple sources.
Here is a simplistic view of the differences between Webs 1.0 and 2.0 and where the trends are heading:
| Web 1.0 | Web 2.0 |
| Ofoto | Flickr |
| Publishing | Participation |
| Blogs | Wikis |
| Directories (taxonomy) | Tagging ("folksonomy") |
| Portals | Syndication partners |
| MMS | YouTube |
| SMS | |
| P2P file sharing | P2P interactive applications |
Motorola has been on the forefront of technology innovation and recently announced the WebUI interface on MOTOMAGX, a Linux-based Platform. WebUI is based on open-source technologies and standards, and it enables the development of Web 2.0 applications that leverage native services found on MOTOMAGX.
- Asokan Thiyagarajan, Motorola Technology Evangelist
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