Microsoft targets low-spec handsets
Microsoft has launched a platform aimed at bringing smartphone-style apps to basic cellphones. OneApp will allow Java enabled phones to run popular apps with just 30KB of space.
The technology is aimed primarily at emerging markets and will launch in South Africa with Blue Label Telecoms; more countries are expected to have the system next year. Twelve apps will be available at launch, including tools for accessing Windows Live Messenger, Facebook and Twitter, plus basic news, weather, sports and stocks updates.
The system works on any phone with Java capabilities which means it will still be widely useable in countries where full-fledged smartphones are rare. It’s also targeted at users for whom data transfers are either expensive, slow or both.
The OneApp system itself is a 150KB download. Once this is installed, only core functions of apps need to be permanently on the phone, taking up an average of 30KB of space; the rest of the work is done on remote servers – the so-called “cloud” – as and when the user runs the app.
One of the apps with the most potential for the target market is a mobile wallet scheme allowing payments directly from the phone without the need to carry crash. That’s of particular use in South Africa where some areas, particularly those where people are less likely to have smartphones, are particularly vulnerable to crime.
While there’s certainly a credible business model in OneApp, some analysts appear to be over-hyping the idea. Nick Jones of Gartner notes that, “If you can get $1 a month from a billion users it’s a good business.” Hopefully that’s a typo because the idea that any firm is getting a billion customers for a paid phone app is laughable.
Microsoft will be releasing a software development kit later this year to allow developers to make OneApp-compatible applications.
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