Widgets Improve The Convenience Of The Mobile Internet

The slow uptake of mobile Internet services has meant a failure to deliver the promised data revenues that would offset mobile operators' heavy investment in 3G networks and licenses. Only 14% of European mobile users regularly used the mobile Internet at the start of 2008, despite virtually all mobile phones carrying mobile Internet functionality. Why have mass-market mobile users shunned the service? Because the barriers to usage outweigh the benefits. Mobile browsing — the dominant form of access today — simply isn't convenient. Mobile widgets — single-purpose applications that a user can download onto a phone — offer a new alternative for mobile Internet access and promise greater convenience for consumers who have distinct needs while "on the go."