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IBM To Tackle Mobile Apps

IBM has decided that it doesn't want to be left out of the mobile realm. It has fired up a number of programs (instant translator, social networking, and mobile health care) that will make mobile phones even more useful for everyday tasks than they already are.

IBM has seen some of the writing on the wall. It knows that mobile phones are replacing PCs at more and more tasks at a greater rate each day. In recognition of that, a new IBM Research program will entail a number of efforts to bring services to the millions of people in the world who have bypassed using the personal computer as their primary method of accessing technology, and are instead using their mobile phone to access the Web, conduct financial transactions, entertain themselves, shop, and more. IBM's research facilities in India will be spearheading the work on these new mobile programs, but IBM said seven other global sites also will be working on the projects.

The projects are the following:

Universal Mobile Translator

IBM is working to facilitate speech between individuals who speak no common language with the goal of free-form dialogue facilitated by a PDA or smartphone. IBM hopes to embed real-time translation technologies into mobile phones, handheld devices, and cars for instant translations.

Mobile Social Networking

IBM worked with Vodafone to push social networks to any mobile device with an application called BuddyComm. This app lets social networkers communicate with their friends regardless of where they are with voice and SMS from either a PC or a mobile phone. This is huge for generation Y consumers. IBM hasn't announced if any other wireless network operators will use this application, nor if it will be developed to offer more advanced capabilities.

Mobile Health Care

This one is great. IBM Research formed a ménage à trois with mobile phones, presence technology, and electronic health records to provide a potential "good samaritan" application. This app would supply information on how to aid people in critical medical situations. Mobile phones already have become a major avenue for people making 911 calls. Being able to use them to get information about the location of local hospitals or pharmacies could be lifesaving.

"The world is entering the 'Era of the Mobile Web.' In many countries, the mobile phone has become an electronic wallet, the window to the World Wide Web, an education device, and more, and globally, mobile devices outnumber PCs, credit cards, and TVs," said Dr. Daniel Dias, director of IBM India Research laboratory, in a prepared statement.

What he leaves out is that in many emerging countries, the mobile phone is the only avenue that many people have to the Web. For them, access to helpful solutions can be even more critical.

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