Paul Golding writes:
The point about presence is that it brings us closer to the contacts in our address book. Instead of a name being just another passive entry in the address book, it now becomes something nearer to the person it represents. Instant Messaging users will already know of the “sensing” phenomenon. When we see a buddy “online” in the contact list, we sense (feel) the person at the other end, simply because we know that they’re there.
The urge to communicate (or connect) will be greatly enhanced by the new breed of “push-to-X” services. PTT will undoubtedly become commonplace, but others will follow hot on its heels, such as push-to-view, which is instant image sharing. The point here is that these services are instant – just one push of a button away. This new modality for mobile communications is going to prove irresistible.
Presence and push-to-X are generic service modalities that will have major impact on mobile device usage in the coming years. It is currently my view, along with others, that these capabilities, perhaps more than any other currently being introduced, will have the greatest impact on the transformation of mobile devices from telephones to personal-networking devices.
