Interview (Part 2): Jarmo Jokinen of Nokia about mobile Widsets

Early this week we talked to Jarmo Jokinen about Widsets. This is the second part to the interview. WidSets help users develop their own mobile applications. Using WidSets Studio, you can create your own WidSet based on an existing one or a pre-existing template. A software development kit is also available, using simple XML definitions or WidSets’ own Java-like programming language, optimized for limited devices with low memory consumption. Jarmo Jokinen is responsible for WidSets, whose parent company is Nokia.

How does WidSets work?
Jokinen: WidSets pushes content to the mobile phone whenever it becomes available on the web. The content, including images and text, is automatically optimized for the mobile usage and only updated content of your interest is pushed to your mobile. As WidSets satisfies a wide range of content and service needs by collecting everything “under one umbrella” and is easy to use, it is increasingly becoming part of mobile users’ daily routine.

What challenges are you seeing right now with mobile?
Jokinen: Use of mobile Internet services is still in its infancy phase. There are people who are interested and have the phones with needed capabilities, but who are still concerned about the technology challenges on which data connections to use, and about the data transfer costs, etc…

What changes need to be made so the mobile Internet is more ready for the consumer? Why haven’t they been yet?
Jokinen: It would speed up the adoption of mobile Internet services a lot, if there were better standardization of the key technology enablers, and of course flat rates for data transfer costs.

If you could change the way mobile is done now, how would you change it?
Jokinen: Well, as usually with new things, the focus is still to some extent on the technology. Eventually, what are important to users are the benefits and delights they can get using the technology.

What are your favorite Widgets?
Jokinen: Email for personal email, a number of technology and news feeds, weather and traffic cameras.

Are there Widgets that you like, but most users don’t know about?
Jokinen: Well, we have some WidSets widgets also for our internal reporting. When I have the time, it is fun to see how our user registrations and downloads are growing hour by hour…

Many mobile applications are expensive to use if you don’t have an unlimited data plan. How does WidSets help people who don’t have one?
Jokinen: WidSets runs all data traffic through our servers, which downscale the pictures and other elements as much as possible. Using web-based services through WidSets uses considerably smaller amounts of data than, for example, using web pages with a mobile browser. Also, WidSets has a traffic monitor, which allows the user to see how much data traffic is caused by WidSets in total, and by widget.

What is the difference between the Lite and Full versions?
Jokinen: The Lite version is actually the same client, but when it runs in the light mode, it is running and updating only one active widget at time, to minimize phone memory usage.

How does WidSets make money?
Jokinen: Today WidSets if financed by our parent company, Nokia. In the future, we will be adding monetizing features, which utilize the unique user experience of WidSets – which contents and services that are useful and interesting for the users.

Do you see any threats to your business model?
Jokinen: Not really, if the consumption of web based services in the mobile domain continues to develop and grow. The challenge is in creating the winning user experience to attract and retain a large user base.

What are your future plans?
Jokinen: We intend to keep on growing, by providing superior content and services, with the cool user experience WidSets already has.

Michael M.