BENEFITS OF WIRELESS IM APPLICATIONS

There are three major key benefits:

• Interconnection to other online devices. American wireless users are only now starting to use phones that are capable of two-way text messaging. One problem is that there won’t be many other users to exchange text messages with until more users have a newer SMS-capable phone. Connecting online PC applications to wireless systems gives the wireless text users an existing embedded base of PC-based IM users with which to trade two-way text messages.

IM allows the wireless user to send and receive text messages to any person logged into the IM system with either a wireless device or PC. The online population of global IM users is about 130 million, which increases the size and value of the network.

Wireless IM requires the user to have the ability to connect to an IM system. This connection can occur over a number of different transports such as SMS, circuit-switched data, or packet-based connections. Some of these methods require the carrier to have or connect to an IM system that routes messages between PCs and wireless devices and provides presence information to users.

• A continuous user interface. Text messaging with SMS can be very useful for sending short messages back and forth but the effort required to open and close the application when sending more than one or two messages to the same recipient in a short time can be cumbersome. One way to improve the SMS process is via a continuous user interface that can save keystrokes and provide a better user experience. This simply means that the screen scrolls the text as the two users send each other messages. This eliminates the need to repeat the process of opening, closing, and addressing messages to the same person for the duration of the text discussion.

• Presence information. The majority of the value of IM over simple SMS lies in the ability to utilize presence information. Presence information is simply the ability to know who is “present” and able to chat and who is not “present” and therefore not available. Availability is key to making instant messaging “instant.” The “instant” comes largely from being able to identify who is available to chat and not waste time in sending messages to those who are not.

Have you ever sent or received an email that required action right away? Getting a time-sensitive message such as “We are going to go get lunch, do you want to join us?” offers both sender and receiver little value if the message is not received, and replied to or acted on, in short order.
Although, IM is currently only used for text messaging it will evolve beyond text very quickly. Text is a form of data.

Future networks will be able to handle higher amounts of data, enough to allow voice calls over data channels as well as other media types—pictures, video, audio files, and more.
End users will rely on presence data to control and filter whom they attempt to contact and who is able to contact them based on stated availability and user-controlled profiles. Users will be able to tell the IM system they are available but also further define availability in any number of ways—available for work-related contacts only or only available after 5 p.m. for chats about happy-hour plans. This ability to control and alter a user’s profile limits incoming messages to those that the user deems currently relevant and useful.
Imagine using presence info the next time you want to call someone. Often you wouldn’t bother calling if you knew they weren’t available; you would simply call later or perhaps choose to call someone else.

You know that those who call you or send you messages aren’t all your friends or family—businesses such as retailers are eager to reach out and contact you. Technologies such as Bluetooth will allow businesses to send information to your phone as you pass near their location. This initially sounds good if you want this info but a real inconvenience if you
don’t. What if you could control what you receive? Imagine a profile that you set up to allow info from restaurants— menus, specials, seating availability—on a Friday night as you are walking around looking for a place to eat.

This could be useful. The profile would block messages from stores and other businesses that you aren’t currently interested in. This could be reversed the next morning when you are in shopping mode and could care less about finding a place to eat. The ability to receive information and begin a text or voice discussion with businesses you choose is valuable to both parties.

You benefit by getting access to useful data when and how you choose with complete control over the filtering process. Companies benefit by knowing who is truly interested and not offending uninterested consumers with unsolicited offers. Presence information is an important tool for loca tion-based services and other messaging services that value the ability to target who is available and potentially interested in the message.