Mobile Commerce : Opportunities, Applications, and Technologies of Wireless Business
This book provides the context, architectures, case studies, and intelligent analysis that will help the reader grasp the rapidly evolving subject of mobile commerce. May explains the technological aspects of mobile commerce to business decision makers and the business models to the technologists who design and build these electronic systems. It is the one book all relevant parties in a company can read to ensure common understanding. Topics include devices, technologies, applications, standards, security, and more.Suitable for the IT manager or developer who wants to get the “big picture” surrounding mobile commerce (m-commerce) of the present and near future, Paul May’s Mobile Commerce: Opportunities, Applications, and Technologies of Wireless Business provides a smart, business-savvy guide to what’s on the horizon with the wireless Web.
This book provides a good mix of enthusiasm tempered with realism about what mobile commerce will mean for all types of business. After outlining the rise of mobile phones across the world, the author delves into what types of m-commerce applications will potentially thrive. From travel and electronic ticketing to gambling and games, the author outlines a promising vision for the future, illustrated with current online ventures (often from Europe and the U.K.). As this book went to press last year, there are a few anachronisms after the dot-com fallout. (While Webvan, for example, is no longer an example of successful e-commerce, the force of the argument here for m-commerce is still quite convincing.)
Later on, the author discusses the infrastructure of mobile commerce, including the differences between traditional and mobile networks. Next comes a full tour of today’s mobile devices, from phones and PDAs to smart cards and even wireless devices for cars (which are a prime market for new m-commerce applications). There’s also a quick tour of WAP and WML for creating wireless user interfaces. This technical material is suitable for IT managers and even developers new to the world of wireless. The book concludes with some predictions about how the move to wireless will impact society, along with some issues that may help or hinder its adoption.
All in all, this title provides a good introduction to the new possibilities of wireless, one with a nicely worldwide perspective. As North American companies get onboard with mobile commerce, this guide to how m-commerce has been implemented in Europe and Asia can benefit any decision maker or planner with some good ideas, along with providing some intelligent predictions about how m-commerce might change the ways companies do business in the very near future. –Richard Dragan
Topics covered: The emerging mobile device market (trends and predictions, market drivers); business opportunities for mobile commerce (m-commerce); moving beyond e-commerce into m-commerce; customer relationships; mobile services described (including e-mail and messaging, location finding, and digital content products); consumer m-commerce (travel, ticketing, banking, stocks, gambling, games, and shopping); business m-commerce (mobile markets, collaboration and better management through m-commerce); m-commerce network technologies; global, local, and personal networks; cellular networks and standards described; third-generation (3G) networks; types of mobile devices (including phones, pagers, PDAs, smart cards, and cards); overview of WAP and WML; XML and mobile content; payment systems and security issues; societal issues surrounding m-commerce (including privacy, health, access, geography, obsolescence, and cost per customer); and reference to m-commerce resources.
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A great starting point,
This is a broad treatment of M-commerce and is aimed at a broad audience of business and technical readers. Usually books of this nature are mediocre because of the trade-offs compromises in scope and content that need to be made to accommodate a wide audience. In the case of the book, though, it isn’t the case.
First, the book is organized by (1) Business opportunity, (2) Applications, (3) Technology, (4) Issues and (5) Directory of M-Commerce Applications. The first four sections are both insightful and invaluable. The directory of M-commerce applications, in my opinion, does not add any value to the book because information of this nature changes so rapidly that it’s inaccurate before a book is even published.
What I like about the book is the even treatment of opportunities that are inherent in M-commerce, including some insights into why Europe does not have the advantages that normally come from being early adopters (in spite of the pessimists who cite a “two year head start” while ignoring the U.S. leadership in technology implementation when we do get around to it), and the interesting view of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), which many believe to be just an interim – the author advises to put resources and effort into WAP and make it part of a business strategy if you want to be an M-commerce player.
The survey of technologies and standards are also useful, even if given somewhat superficial treatment. The value is you are exposed to all of the factors and considerations with which to make informed decisions or gain an understanding of the M-commerce landscape. In this respect the applications and technology sections of the book can be viewed as a primer.
Overall, this is an excellent book for learning about M-commerce from business and technical points of view because it provides a context and keen insights in both domains.
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