Comments on: 3GSM — Opera: Empowering Operators By Empowering Users http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/02/14/3gsm-opera-empowering-operators-by-empowering-users/ Russell Buckley and Carlo Longino on mobile technology. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:56:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Carlo Longino http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/02/14/3gsm-opera-empowering-operators-by-empowering-users/comment-page-1/#comment-1916 Carlo Longino Thu, 16 Feb 2006 06:24:15 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/02/14/3gsm-opera-empowering-operators-by-empowering-users/#comment-1916 Fair enough, but there are some significant differences between Opera Platform and Bluepulse, not the least of which is Opera's track record in this space. Another is that Opera is a technology enabler, and isn't trying to be a content provider, billing provider and take a cut of revenues. Its ability to work within (and improve) the existing ecosystem also makes it far more likely to succeed than a solution which tries to completely circumvent it. Lowering the bar is another issue, too. While Opera Platform is currently available only on smartphone platforms, that's because only they can support the technology it uses. Particularly with smartphones making their way into the mass market, that's a far more compelling implementation than one which takes the opposite approach and supports a baseline technology so it can be deployed on as wide an array of handsets as possible. Fair enough, but there are some significant differences between Opera Platform and Bluepulse, not the least of which is Opera’s track record in this space. Another is that Opera is a technology enabler, and isn’t trying to be a content provider, billing provider and take a cut of revenues. Its ability to work within (and improve) the existing ecosystem also makes it far more likely to succeed than a solution which tries to completely circumvent it.

Lowering the bar is another issue, too. While Opera Platform is currently available only on smartphone platforms, that’s because only they can support the technology it uses. Particularly with smartphones making their way into the mass market, that’s a far more compelling implementation than one which takes the opposite approach and supports a baseline technology so it can be deployed on as wide an array of handsets as possible.

]]> By: Oliver Starr http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/02/14/3gsm-opera-empowering-operators-by-empowering-users/comment-page-1/#comment-1915 Oliver Starr Thu, 16 Feb 2006 04:20:52 +0000 http://mobhappy.com/blog1/2006/02/14/3gsm-opera-empowering-operators-by-empowering-users/#comment-1915 Carlo, Your appreciation of Opera is understandable. A great product that I use myself on every mobile phone I own. I have to comment though about your particular appreciation of the "widget strategy" in light of your very negative sentiments towards another company that also is basing its future development in large part on user developed widgets; bluepulse. Granted, Opera is a much more mature product with advanced technology, a very large userbase and obvious market support, but notwithstanding their unfortunuate incident with you related to their bad-blog behavior, it seems to me that they should at least be given some measure of credit for doing something you clearly think - at least when suggested by Opera- is worthwhile. My thought would be that bluepulse is lowering the bar even more, making the development of widgets that much easier and more accessible to an ever wider segment of mobile users. This strategy of lowering the bar has had very good results in the past. After all, making it possible for every 13 year old in the USA to build their own web page is what made MySpace worth a half a billion dollars... Oliver Starr MobileCrunch.com Carlo,

Your appreciation of Opera is understandable. A great product that I use myself on every mobile phone I own. I have to comment though about your particular appreciation of the “widget strategy” in light of your very negative sentiments towards another company that also is basing its future development in large part on user developed widgets; bluepulse.

Granted, Opera is a much more mature product with advanced technology, a very large userbase and obvious market support, but notwithstanding their unfortunuate incident with you related to their bad-blog behavior, it seems to me that they should at least be given some measure of credit for doing something you clearly think – at least when suggested by Opera- is worthwhile.

My thought would be that bluepulse is lowering the bar even more, making the development of widgets that much easier and more accessible to an ever wider segment of mobile users. This strategy of lowering the bar has had very good results in the past. After all, making it possible for every 13 year old in the USA to build their own web page is what made MySpace worth a half a billion dollars…

Oliver Starr
MobileCrunch.com

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