S60 Open to new features

I guess it would be best to start off with an introduction of sorts. My name is Antoine RJ Wright and I write for both the Mobile Ministry Magazine and Brighthand websites. For me, exploring mobile technology has always been about connecting with people and exploring the road not-yet-traveled in respects to use. Its with this perspective that I started investigating the Mobile Web Server, and one day decided to download it and check it out for myself. This piece is largely my reflections on it both as a replacement to the Mobile Ministry Magazine website, and my reasons for moving my personal website to MWS despite my antiquated device (compared to newer Nokia offerings).

Replacing a Community-Reaching Website with the Mobile Web Server

I start with talking about replacing Mobile Ministry Magazine with the Mobile Web Server (MWS) because it was here that I took a leap of faith so to speak. I was not sure about the stability of the MWS software, nor my device's response to it. Sure, I am usually connected with Jaiku, Emoze, and other connected applications, but I use an N75 and there is only so much RAM to go around.

I began by making sure that I had a backup plan for when things would go down (as my mobile plays modem, phone, and communications portal for a desktop and N800 Internet Tablet). I chose to use the Jaiku social networking service and a channel that I had set up there as a means to keep conversations going when the MWS was down. I also planned daily down-time in order to give me a chance to look at device and server vitals, and to let the mobile charge.

For the most part, I can say that it was a successful experiment. Aside from not understanding in version 1.2 of the MWS about how it would allow anonymous public access (I figured this out in version 1.3 though), there were not too many issues. I used a combination of my Internet Tablet w/Bluetooth keyboard and T9 on the mobile to post to the blog. And was able to facilitate a few conversations and chats with the Contact and Web Chat features.

The downsides for me hinged mainly on my not reading the manual, and therefore things such as customizing and recognizing limitations in using widgets along with the server made the experience harder than it needed to be. Nevertheless, I left that 8 day experiment confident in the maturity of doing such a thing as taking a website mobile as a very plausible direction for mobiles and the Internet.

What I didn't expect was that I would push the pace faster that I expected.

Read the MMM Mobile Experiment Report (PDF)

Replacing a Personal Site, Pushing A Device

In finishing with the MWS Experiement at Mobile Ministry Magazine, I knew for sure that moving my personal website to the MWS was something that I wanted to do. Besides the ability for complete content control, I began growing used to replacing going to MS Exchange when on a full computer to going to my moible via my MWS website. It was not just an issue of replacing a website that excited me, but replacing that entire middle man of syncing that made the MWS an attractive pursuit. However, I was not confident in my mobile device. Battery and memory concerns meant that I would have to modify usage patterns to carry a charger of some sort around often.

Things looked up when version 1.3 of the MWS was made available. I took the plunge and downloaded it. This time, I also read the manual and noticed some new features such as being able to post a blog from the Messaging application. This meant that the lower RAM constraints of my device could be somewhat mitigated. But I needed to make a plan of how to move and then just do it.

Not to bore anyone with details, but I've made a nearly complete transistion from Blogger to MWS for my personal site. There are some things yet to be done such as moving over static pages, editing the site's CSS to something a bit more personal, and learning Python for some dynamic functionality, but for the most part the MWS has allowed my online home to come with me. It's empowering.

What Next Then?

What really has to happen is that I move to a new mobile device that has more internal memory and the ability to run widgets that better interact with applications within the MWS. From a personal standpoint, the Mobile Web Server gives a bit of an empowerment in a similar way that MySpace does. Canned looks and feel, but given some time and attention its literally a space that is yours. Add your own URL (domain name), and then your mobile - and essentially your life - becomes even more connected with your offline life.

I look forward to more options with MWS such as saving images from the device/MWS to Share on Ovi, posting presence and blog titles to presence-enabled applications easier, and even the option to install only specified components of the MWS (I really don't use a Guestbook, haven't since 2000ish). Those and other additons such as the performance gains already realized in version 1.3 makes for the distinct possibility that having a mobile could not just become an issue of being a voice-led communications platform, but a data-led one as well.

As for me, I am working towards learning Python and getting a new mobile. Until then, I'll push my N75 until the battery yells at me a bit more. Because it's more fun when our multimedia computers really do take things to a level that were once only dreamt about.