Mobile Websites and Internet Drawbacks
With new technological modes of communication, there are bound to be glitches, problems and drawbacks. The mobile web is no exception.
For starters, its operating systems are not the same as those on PC’s, and they vary with each model and device. Oh, there are a standard handful – but if you want to conduct business on the web, you need to research each type of mobile device very carefully, to see what it’s internet-ready capacity is.
One good thing, however: Mobile phones and even palm-type devices have been around for over a decade. This does help cut down on buggy behavior, since some things, developers don’t have to worry about (unlike the virgin days of personal computing, when everything about them was new.)
And being able to stay connected is far more unstable than on a PC – coverage remains an issue, even if it’s not (properly speaking) an internet issue. (This holds especially true for rural areas in North America – but then again, many rural areas also can only connect to the net via PC by dial-up.)
There are far more weighty problems to consider, however, when switching over to conducting business on your mobile. And the foremost of these is:
Personal Safety – yours, and other people’s! I recently read a study which scientifically rated people talking on mobile phones while driving as legally impaired. Their reaction time was slowed, and their attention distracted. Road safety was not their priority – their conversation was. Bluetooth technology (hands-free) has helped somewhat – but surprisingly, the distraction and slowed reaction time was still a factor, when tested.
Issues of liability have been brought up already: If you cause or get into an accident while conducting company business on your mobile, is the company liable at all? Common sense might tell us "no" – but the law often looks at things differently; and there are very few existing precedents (in spite of a staggering number of accidents).
Legal issues and site security issues are still being ironed out – not so much how to keep sites secure, but who is liable for what. It’s up to you, if you’re planning to access the web via mobile for business purposes, to practice due diligence, and make sure you thoroughly understand liabilities and legalities before you engage with a site.
In spite of these drawbacks, however, one must look at things from the viewpoint of the end user: As in "your potential customer". Mobile phones have become like a third arm to many people – and that number is growing every day!
The best thing you can do is make sure your websites are mobile ready (and secure!) Then "go with the flow" – after all, we’re living in adventurous times!
Bruno
