1) Ability to watch TV on phone. (Not sure if I would pay a large monthly fee for that, but I certainly would invest in a new handset to be able to tune in to certain programs when I'm out and about)...None of these are killer apps...not like the killer app of making a call on the road on a 1G cell phone or sending email to your friends and accessing info quickly on an Internet connection.
As I've stated before, I think that the potential for TV and other such streaming video via handsets can't be underestimated, and that this, by itself, could definitely be a revolutionary killer app for 3G.
Studies have shown that the average American watches six hours of TV/day. No, that's not a typo. I'm sure that the number for most other developed nations while somewhat lower, is still fairly high (i.e. 3-4 hours/day). Just let those numbers sink in. Video, whether in the form of television, on-demand streaming, videoconferencing, or anything else, is something that human beings are instinctively drawn to, perhaps even more so than voice, web browsing, and other types of communications. I doubt that even the most starry-eyed optimist, 50 years ago, could've imagined the popularity that television now possesses, just as no one 120 years could've predicted the popularity that the telephone would eventually see.
Of course, these technologies could only take flight as long as they're available instantaneously, only a couple of seconds after a given person suddenly has the urge to use them. Want to call someone? Just pick up a phone and dial a number? Want to check out a certain web site? Just load your browser and type the URL. Want to Im someone? Well, you get the idea. This, in turn, is what's limited the popularity of streaming video over PCs. The technology simply hasn't been able to hold a candle to the TV in terms of instantaneous availability. However, in the wireless arena, not only will availability be near-instantaneous, the TV no longer exists exists as a competitor. You've got your handset/PDA available to you as a source for video...and nothing else.
In the past 20 years, a revolution's taken place. Voice has finally been untethered from the confines of homes and buildings, and has become available within the overwhelming majority of all locations, indoors or outdoors, within the civilized world. Inevitably, the speed at which this revolution took place blew away all expectations. With the advent of 3G, a similar revolution's set to take place with regards to video; and, provided that the technologies and services that'll bring it to consumers are implemented properly, the ramafications could be just as far-reaching.
Eric
PS - The potential of wireless online gaming as a killer app also shouldn't be ignored. Like video, games act as an excellent time-killer. Furthremore, unlike video gaming via consoles, no additional hardware's needed; and unlike gaming via PCs, availability should be near-instantaneous. Thus, millions of wireless subscribers who generally don't play video games could be drawn to them when delivered via a wireless medium. DoCoMo's reported that gaming's currently the most widely used application for i-mode. |
