Personalized communications consist of applications and services
that are based on access to and manipulation of the user’s personal
data. This includes services such as personal information
management, calendar and scheduler management, email messaging,
unified messaging, chat, and community participation.
Wireless Internet applications will add value to personalized
communications by increasing a user’s ability to access
personal data while mobile. We’ve all experienced situations
where some small piece of data isn’t there when we need it. But
no matter how hard we wish we had not forgotten that contact
name, phone number, date, or account number, it still refuses
to magically appear. Wireless applications will enable users to
wirelessly retrieve data that may be typically stored in various
other digital systems. These applications will often be a substitute
for another method of access but will add value by retrieving
just enough data to get the task done.
Key drivers for personalized communication applications are:
• Time sensitive data. Data that has a very short useful life—
wait too long and you’ll miss out on some opportunity.
• Security and privacy. Data that you might not want to carry a
hardcopy of for fear of losing it—account numbers, passwords,
and personal information that you’d rather not carry
with you.
• Access to others. Applications that allow users to contact and
receive messages from others regardless of the method used
by the sender—emails, faxes, voice mail, instant messages,
electronic reminders, and other personal communication.
Other application areas of personal communications where
mobility will add value include the following: