Monday, November 22, 2010

I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

Where is the puck going? In this case the "app" puck?

RIM is betting on "SuperApps"
http://us.blackberry.com/developers/started/super_apps.jsp
What are some characteristics of superApps? As defined by RIM this includes the following features (drawn from their website):

When running in the background, a Super App can pull down critical data, update its Home screen icon and register custom menu items with the native BlackBerry smartphone applications. A Super App can also:

  • Start when the BlackBerry smartphone is powered up
  • Listen and react to events
  • Listen for inbound push data
  • Download content before the user needs it
  • Generate notifications
  • Share data with other third-party apps
Windows Mobile 7, as seen by anyone who has not been hiding in a cave for the past few weeks, is also pushing a similar concept with their always updating tiles

I think the concept of a SuperApp, Utility or Whatyoumightcallit is pointing towards where the Puck is moving next. My definition would include something similar to RIM's:
- Always on, always useful even without always having network access
- Pushed to you, before you ask for it
- Context, location and occasion aware
- Portable across devices
- Seamlessly moving across heterogenous networks

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