On the road again

Last weekend I journeyed across parts of two 'I' states and an 'O' state to visit relatives. On the way, I participated in a call with a client. No big deal.

So I decided to try an experiment...use my smartphone's broadband card while in motion. No, I wasn't driving, but from the passenger seat I was able to get--and keep--a pretty decent connection. I was able to launch an online survey for a client, conduct a quick IM session with a colleague back in the office and, of course check email and the financial news, all while travelling at slightly-above-the-posted speed limit. Ok, but what about something that actually required broadband?

That's where things got interesting...here's the score:

1. Music: iTunes connection...lags (resulting in rebuffering the music stream) were unacceptable
2. Video: YouTube video worked pretty well. Two of three videos worked without midstream buffering lags
3. Gaming: Runescape--full resolution mode--played flawlessly...until we lost the connection for about 10 minutes in a particularly remote area of corn country.

So what?

If rich media ads are to work with the increasingly mobile nature of computing, effective broadband connections--wherever the devices are--will be a pre-requisite.

In fact, according to the Accenture Global Content Study (2008), a consistent user experience is the biggest barrier to adoption of mobile broadband after consumer readiness.




More important, though, is the opportunity that mobile broadband holds for enabling engaging experiences, ad-based or otherwise, that might make ready the consumer audience. One can imagine networked, multiplayer gaming setups like Runescape--or those available thru gaming platforms like the Wii, XBox, PS3--combining GPS and mobile broadband to make the storyline and interaction integrated with localized features of culture and landscape.

See that car passing you on the left? Maybe that's a trading partner for you in Runescape...or an enemy scout in Halo. One thing's for sure, the mobile class' time killers won't be found in one place.