Mobile Experience Today

The current state of Mobile Experience is at best ‘mediocre’. The reason why I decided to write this entry is because over Thanksgiving weekend, I visited my parents in Las Vegas and decided to not take my laptop with me. I figured my smartphone will keep me connected for all the information in the world.

It did not hold true for the following reasons:

1). Speed – The data connection is simply too slow to make quick research for movie times, Black Friday sales fast enough. I ended up relying on my parents’ old laptop for all the relevant information. On a side note, my in-law’s new Samsung BlackJack that is supposedly running on the new Cingular HSPDA/UMTS 3G network doesn’t seem to go much faster than my Cingular EDGE connection.

2). Screen – Too small. The amount of information provided on a given website is simply too much for the sub-300px screen display. Without the large screen real estate, its too difficult to find the information I am looking for.

I hope to see new smart devices overcoming the challenges in today’s mobile experience. Until then, I will continue to bring my trusted HP laptop everywhere!