Skills Corridor goes mobile
The Skills Corridor, an initiative of SmartXchange and the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE), held a mobile technologies workshop on May 27. Using the state of the art video conferencing facilities at Dimension Data's Client Experience Centre in Bryanston and a mobile video conferencing unit at their Durban office, together with Cisco's Webex application, delegates in Joburg and Durban were treated to lively presentations on the opportunities arising from the use of convergence and mobile technologies.
31 May 2010
The Skills Corridor, an initiative of SmartXchange and the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE), held a mobile technologies workshop on May 27. Using the state of the art video conferencing facilities at Dimension Data's Client Experience Centre in Bryanston and a mobile video conferencing unit at their Durban office, together with Cisco's Webex application, delegates in Joburg and Durban were treated to lively presentations on the opportunities arising from the use of convergence and mobile technologies.
Mike Ziervogel set the scene with statements that "the desktop is dead", "the laptop is a luxury" and that "the smart phone is a necessity". Using the rapid spread of mobile devices, as reported by World Wide Worx, as the foundation, Mike illustrated the wide range of application already available to these users, from financial transactions, through travel and accommodation ticketing to location-based services. He emphasised the growing demand for an instant experience, where information is readily available as and where required.
Tony Eliasz, executive director of Ungana Afrika and a member of the Mobile Monday team, introduced the Mobile Monday initiative to the delegates, explaining that it is a global community with chapters in Johannesburg and Cape Town currently. It is a networking forum organised by volunteers to encourage innovation, create partnerships and educate the broader community in the field of mobile technology. They are fairly informal, meet every 6 weeks or so and have the support of Admob and Nokia.
Declaring, "I am online, therefore I am," (with apologies to Descartes), David Prosser, MD of Eclipse Multiplay, bemoaned the lack of standardisation in mobile platforms and our lack of access to broadband. Given the value of mobile applications in providing users with services covering broadcasting, telecommunications, recruitment, retail and education (as examples), he demonstrated how even fairly unsophisticated mobile devices could enrich their users' lives. The Community Live CSP (community service platform) is easy to use, interactive and enables micro-communities to take advantage of opportunities through connection.
Robynne Erwin, CEO of SmartXchange, emphasised that this workshop was only the first in a series that would explore how South Africa can take advantage of the opportunities presented by new innovations in technology.