This following post is re-printed from Alec's guest blog account at Wired Insights.
What if your mobile device provided you with exactly the information that you wanted, when you wanted and only for as long as you wanted it? What if it was possible to create a room on your phone or tablet that is dedicated to a purpose just as rooms in your house are dedicated. You have a kitchen for cooking, a bedroom for sleeping, a bathroom for ... well you get the idea. What if you could isolate rooms on your phone or tablet for very specific purposes? You could create a room that is dedicated to your personal activities like banking, shopping and music and another room for work.
These are some of the more common ways people currently think about separate rooms on their device. But what if this concept was expanded and you could also create a room on your device that is dedicated to your favorite brand or activity. This room would not have access to any of your personal or work apps and data. It would be accessible by you when you want to see that information rather than cluttering up your device’s home screen. It would contain apps and content that is published by an administrator thus reducing your need to search and guess at which apps to use to see the content that you want. That administrator could not see anything else on your device and, unless you signed up for something, wouldn’t even know who you are. And when you don’t want the room on your device anymore you can simply delete it without affecting anything else on the device.
Rooms such as these have a place in our modern lives because we want information from our favorite brands, but we don’t necessarily want the data sharing that can sometimes be required. And there is no reason why such rooms have to be permanent. What if we created rooms on our mobile device that are temporary. The rooms would last only for the duration of an event or activity. Once you have finished the activity or event, that room is closed and on you go to the next. For example, you are attending a trade show; wouldn't it be great to have a room on your phone that is dedicated to the event? It would contain apps and data with the trade show agenda, venue information, city guides, transit schedules, hotel and restaurant guides, and more. And the content is updated regularly by the show organizer. At the end of the show the space disappears from your mobile device.
Sporting events like the Olympics would be an ideal use for a room on your device. The Olympics last for two weeks every other year (if you include the Summer and Winter Olympics). As the medal standings change you’d be immediately aware, as venues for events change you’d be immediately informed. At the end of the two weeks the Olympic room would disappear but all of your photos would remain in your personal room. Even shorter events like a football, basketball or hockey game could have a dedicated room that is loaded over the air to your device as you enter the stadium. During the game you can load apps to see the team rosters, view food outlets, purchase merchandise, and more. As you leave the stadium the temporary room disappears, all without ever having access to your personal or work apps and data.
You spend more time with your mobile device than any other device that you own, it is always with you and it is typically always on. Why limit the mobile experience to just email and web browsing? Why not allow your mobile device to provide a portal to any number of dedicated, curated experiences that appeal to your personal taste but also remain completely in your control while protecting your privacy. This is the future of how you will receive content on your mobile phone -- a future that is closer than ever.
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