Mobile Applications Bringing in the Change Date:   Wednesday , January 05, 2011 The year 2010 witnessed mobile applications gradually and increasingly changing the way we use our mobile phones. According to some industry forecasts the number of annual mobile application downloads worldwide will grow from 10.9 billion in 2010 to 76.9 billion in 2014. The reports also anticipate mobile application revenues to surpass $35 billion in 2014. Having said that, the extension of mobile applications to every aspect of the personal and professional lives will be one of the key characteristics of today’s youth. What does the consumer want? Today, the consumers are no longer looking for a device with just basic communication features, but rather they expect more from their handset in terms of looks and the features that are offered by their devices. They want a solution that keeps them on top of things and the capability to be responsive where ever they are, when they want; devices that help them cater for both their business and personal life equally well, yet keep the two of them separated if needed. The smartphone category has extended to include those consumers who not just need an email enabled handset, but also those expect more from their handset in terms of looks, features and openness to third party applications. Hence, while smartphones on one hand, epitomize business mobility by enabling higher connectivity and better email solutions, they are also sought after by the youth who are looking for cutting edge solutions and avenues to share their experiences with the world ‘on-the-go,’ as well as the Gen “Y” that is looking for different ways to connect with their friends and peers. From downloading software, to games, entertainment, accessing content across genre, they are looking for new ways to personalize their handsets with utilities and multimedia content that makes their mobile experience richer. Additionally, with the increased affordability and in turn increased uptake of mobile Internet, mobile-web applications have also matured. The handset has hence come a long way from being just a voice device to become an information, commerce, multimedia tool. In India, the roll-out of 3G spectrum over the coming months, will also redefine the way we experience video, music, movies. 3G would be specifically significant, given the growth in numbers of mobile internet users in India, which stands at 10 percent of the total internet users, and is expected to double in the next four years as per industry reports. With the upsurge in the sales of the smart and high-end phones, the market for mobile applications will rise exponentially in the coming years. Developers play an essential role Software development is focusing on smartphones and high-end devices and we see a new industry building up to help developers create and rapidly deploy mobile applications. The developers play a significant role in creating applications for virtually every aspect of the users’ personal and business life, enhancing the user experience. After the initial novelty of a new device wears off, additional functionality delivered through third-party software can keep consumers engaged and continuously make the product feel fresh and exciting. And the developers gauge the user’s needs and accordingly create apps that make a difference to the user’s lives. However, to encourage the formation of this robust developer ecosystem, the platform must provide a large and homogeneous installed base. Keeping this as the next step towards the growth of developer community, Nokia Qt SDK was introduced to enable the developers work on various mobile platforms. Qt – the next big thing for Developers The Nokia Qt is a single, easy-to-use software developer kit for rapid development, testing and deployment of native applications for millions of Nokia smartphones and mobile computers around the globe. Nokia has multiple platforms to serve different purposes and address different markets. Its Symbian platform is known to bring in smartphones to the masses having more than 40 percent of the global smartphone market. The primary benefits of Qt SDK are productivity (ease of use) and distribution (cross platforms). For instance, if a developer wants to access specific feature of Symbian or MeeGo devices to further differentiate their application the Nokia Qt SDK enables them to integrate the Symbian and Maemo SDK and make use of any other the APIs these platforms offer in their application. Additionally, Qt will play in bridging the gap between Symbian and MeeGo, the open source mobile operating systems that Nokia uses on its phones. Mobile Qt applications can support the two operating systems, which means that the third-party application developers won’t have to write their software twice if they want to reach users of both platforms. Nokia has been constantly innovating to aid developers and ensure that they have the right platform to maximize downloads of their applications irrespective of the operating system in use. As per the Nokia’s developer strategy, Qt is one such cross-platform application and UI framework that is the sole development platform for Nokia smartphones moving forward, enabling the developers reach hundreds of thousands of smartphones with one development platform. Post the introduction of the Qt application; developers have seen a 70 percent reduction in code – saving development time, project costs, language internationalisation, and code maintenance. Using Qt, developers are able to write web-enabled applications once and deploy them across desktop, mobile and embedded operating systems without rewriting the source code. The road ahead Unlike the global market, Indian mobile application industry is at the cusp of its development but the future will only see this space maturing. In addition to the booming adoption of smartphones in India, entry of new connected device categories such as media tablets and portable media players will also contribute to the enormous growth of mobile applications. Hence, mobile application developers will be an integral part of the mobile device eco-system and crucial to the company’s growth across all markets. India has the largest and most vibrant pool of qualified developers in the world. There are over 180,000 Indian Developers on the Forum Nokia platform today, accounting for the largest concentration of developers from any country, growing at a phenomenal rate each year. This is a clear testament to not only the attractiveness of mobile applications space but also to the massive opportunity that this market holds for the developers.