Mobile Devices Used for Complimentary Purposes

The role of the mobile device in the future will evolve into something that acts as a gateway for people to experience media in a personalized fashion. These future devices will act as an enabler for a person to gain interactivity from any sort of media that is encountered.

This is where the importance of interoperability between systems comes into place, because no matter how all in one the devices we use in the future become, we will still be using our mobile devices as supplementary machines, mostly because of their limitations in size and input capabilities. For example, I cannot foresee when my mobile device will become the #1 place I like to watch video compared to a big screen TV. In the near future, I believe that the mobile devices will serve as complementary accessories to the larger media items like the TV.

To best illustrate my point I will use broadcast TV as an example for ways mobile devices could enrich our experiences. What if broadcast companies and Cell phone companies developed a way for the cell phones and and broadcast content to connect and provide a more enriching experience along with the program . Users could be suggested information that is related to what they are watching. It could create a level of interactivity into the broadcast format that might bring back some of the younger generation.

This goes beyond just having your laptop or internet enabled phone with you while you watch TV. It would kind of be like a side channel of content and information that would be delivered to a mobile device.

With the diverse amount of media experiences available to consumers today, traditional media portals can reclaim some of their former audiences with an enhancement in interactivity to their experience. I think if content providers and mobile device companies can realize that their respective devices can complement each other rather than just compete with each other, it can create an opportunity for an enriched and more enjoyable media experience.