
IN A PUBLIC forum about office automation, I asked the audience what the difference is, between a mobile app and a web browser.
I did not get a good answer, but I think the reason for that is that most people do not care what is the difference between one and another, because both are now functioning in much the same way, and regardless of what tool they would use, they would get what they want.
Alright then, it seems that only the geeks would care to know that the functionalities of mobile apps are native to the devices, while on the other hand, the functionalities of websites reside on the servers and not on the web browsers.
What is obvious of course is that a mobile app could only do the functionalities that are native to it, whereas a web browser could browse all functionalities of many websites without any limits.
It could be said that a mobile app is practical for mobile phone users, because they could use their mobile apps as long as there is a cell site nearby. Aside from that, they would have the other option of using a web browser if they have a data plan, but again depending on whether there is a cell site nearby.
It would seem, however, that everyone with a smartphone would now have the extra advantage of using a web browser even if they do not have a data plan, for as long as they could get a Wi-Fi signal, and even if there is no cell site nearby.
This is really complicated, because some Wi-Fi signals would also depend on whether or not there is a cell site nearby. All told, it is now possible for smartphone users to do social networking or mobile messaging or both, subject to signal availability.
So much has been said about the broadcast media being successful in bringing news and entertainment, but sadly lacking in development communications, whatever that word means to you. As we know it, all social networking sites (SNS) are collectively known as social media. Since it is now acknowledged as the new media, the question now is whether it will do better in being used as a tool for development communications, and not just as a tool for bringing news and entertainment.
Although it could be said that small transistor radios and miniature television sets could be carried by hand, it has never happened before that small devices such as smartphones and tablets could be carried by hand everywhere more than its predecessors. Aside from that, these handheld devices are also interactive, unlike broadcast media that is only one way.
These newer handheld devices are also transactional, aside from being informational. With the advent of the “internet of things” (IOT), these devices could in effect become “remote control” tools that could command any other device anywhere, for as long as it could detect an internet protocol (IP) address.
In so many ways, the two-way communication between smartphones and smart devices would practically erase the demarcations between personal computers (PCs) and mobile phones. Some are even saying that the PCs will die, perhaps referring to its desktop form as we know it now. Technically, tablets are also PCs, but as it is now, tablets are already morphing into “phablets”, a hybrid form that is both a PC and a phone.
As if it is not confusing enough, there are web apps too, aside from mobile apps. Web apps are not websites and unlike mobile apps, web apps are not native to the device, in this case the PCs. Web apps are applications that are installed in servers, either in an in-house data centers or in the internet cloud.
Outlook Web Application (OWA) is an example of a web app. As the internet cloud becomes bigger and more pervasive, I predict that more web apps will come out in the market. And as more smartphones are able to access the internet via Wi-Fi, more users will be able to use both web apps and mobile apps in their handsets. Most people would not really care to know the difference between the two, for as long as they could get what they want using either of the two.
As the internet cloud becomes bigger and more prevalent, we could expect that more “Big Data” will be connected online. As more of “Big Data” will be accessible, data analytics will become more prevalent too.
As more data will be transformed to processed information because of data analytics, the more useful the smartphones will be. Add to that the growing “Internet of Things” (IOT), and you can expect the smartphones to become more useful than these are now.
Not too long ago, some people joked that the humans of the future will not evolve like E.T., because until recently we were using our thumbs to text from our legacy phones. Now however, we could joke that the humans of the future will evolve like E.T, because we are now using our fingers to navigate the touch screens of our smartphones.
As it is now, most if not all of the government agencies and the private companies would already have social networking and mobile messaging facilities in one form or another. The next ideal stage is for all of them to have not only one or the other, but the seamless integration of both.
What is best, however, is for them to have not only an internet presence via a website and an SNS, but also an intranet for their internal communications, aside from an extranet that would enable them to transact with their suppliers and program partners.
Better still, they should integrate their online and mobile presence with their Customer Relations Management (CRM) and this combination would make them totally accessible online and offline./PN