Internet + Mobile Solutions

Mobile Internet changing the way we live
As the flagship tradeshow for the digital economy, this year's CeBIT demonstrated the revolutionary impact of the mobile Internet on the way we live, with an incredible range of new applications and services. The market for "apps" - those convenient mini-programs which can be downloaded onto new-generation smartphones with just a stroke of the fingertips - can now be reckoned in the billions of euros. In this year alone around 4.5 billion apps will be downloaded onto mobile phones from the Internet. And that figure is set to climb to over 21.6 billion by 2013, an increase of 380 percent (according to a study by Gartner). A wide range of apps were on display at CeBIT, ranging from pilots guiding users through social networks - another boom trend on the mobile Web - to augmented reality solutions, where real images can be linked with information from the Internet, and pop-star apps, which were a hot topic at the CeBIT Sounds! music fair, which made its debut at CeBIT 2010.

But the webciety, with all its networking opportunities, offers much more than unlimited entertainment packages spanning all technology platforms. Many exhibitors were at CeBIT 2010 to present tools for secure data storage on the Net (cloud computing), with access anywhere, anytime via smartphone, netbook or laptop. Other displays featured intelligent content management systems that make use of all media channels, with the ability to forward content automatically to any specified output device - from print product to mobile phone.

Faster, more economical, better-looking: smartphones, netbooks and more
The mobile phones on show at CeBIT 2010 can truly be described as mini-PCs with a phone connection. Thanks to processor capacities of up to one gigahertz, these devices are able to process multiple commands simultaneously, and can be used in many different connection configurations. Current models with WLAN interfaces and an HSPA wireless module (transmission capacity up to 7.2 megabits per second) are equipped for fast wireless access to the Internet, for example. The next step in the development of mobile broadband networks (HSPA+ with up to 42 Mbit/s) is expected to come on stream by the end of the year. Several displays at CeBIT 2010 looked ahead to the future of mobile telephony: the UMTS successor Long Term Evolution (LTE) provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s. With data rates like these, live HDTV and online gaming on mobile phones could soon become a reality.

Another CeBIT 2010 highlight in terms of smartphone innovations involved the widespread use of touchscreen monitors with convenient fingertip operation. The trend for monitors at Hannover clearly favored AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) displays. This screen technology provides a brighter image, better colors, faster response times and significantly lower electricity consumption. Other favorites with the public at this year's CeBIT included compact netbooks that will fit into any pocket, but with capacity levels inching ever closer to those of the much more expensive "full-grown" portable computers. Many of these practical mini-computers now have the graphics and main processor integrated into the same chip. This saves space on the printed circuit board as well as cutting down on energy consumption, resulting in significantly longer battery life.