Since the first cell phones appeared, mobile applications have enriched the mobile phone experience. Applications are programs designed to run on phones or portable devices such as Apple’s IPad. Mobile applications are incredibly diverse ranging from productivity tools to games and music players. As a result, these applications serve just about any function you can imagine.
Mobile applications date back to the very first mobile phones. SMS, or text messaging was in fact the first mobile application and today is still the most widely used. It was other early applications though, such as built in games, that changed the way people came to think about what mobile phones could do. With the introduction of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), phone users were able to access news and sports results but more importantly, could download applications such as ringtones, wallpapers and games allowing a degree of phone customisation. As significant as this was though, WAP was not capable of offering the complex and sophisticated applications that are so prevalent today.
It wasn’t until the release of smartphones capable of browsing the web like a home computer that applications really developed into the complex and diverse programs we have today. Because even the most inexpensive phones on the market are capable of running most applications, developers have worked quickly to release programs for almost every conceivable purpose. Handset developers have also put much emphasis on developing phones that are capable of running more and more sophisticated applications. It has become a reality of the modern mobile phone industry that consumers consider a phones ability to run applications as, if not more, important than its more traditional calling functions.
The future presents a number of opportunities for mobile applications. The gradual introduction of 4G networks allow for far larger transfers. Google is also looking to release web-based applications meaning developers will not to keep applications to a convenient downloadable size. Both of these developments will facilitate the creation of larger and more sophisticated mobile applications that will continue to revolutionise the way we come to see, and use, mobile technology.
Mobile applications present a unique opportunity to advertise when consumers are active and away from other forms of media. Because of the diversity of applications available, they appeal to all aspects of society. Inserting advert into applications therefore has the potential to reach substantial markets. With web-based applications, this potential only increases.
Visit www.txt2get.com to find out how easily mobile marketing campaigns can be set up and incorporated into mobile applications.
