CityMob: Prototype Development of a Commercial City Information Portal for Mobile Phones

Abstract

The extensive list of cultural offerings in big European cities has resulted in a variety of city guides in magazines and on the Internet. However, users often require information when they are on the run. A city guide available on mobile phones would therefore be advantageous in many situations. In January 2007, the company CityMob was founded by four students in order to commercialise the idea of a city guide for mobile phones. A working prototype of the system has been designed and implemented. The prototype consists of a J2ME client, which is installable on mobile phones, and communication with an internet server using the mobile data access networks. Furthermore, business aspects related to the idea has been investigated and market research has been carried out. A business plan, which is based on the findings, has been formulated. Based on contributions from the prototype and the business plan, CityMob has obtained grants of, in all, 135 000 NOK. Moreover, a collaboration with the Munich located city magazine, Munichx, has been established. On this basis, a foundation for a viable company has been laid. CityMob will, in collaboration with Munichx, launch a final version of the mobile city guide on the German market 22 September 2007. After the scope of this thesis, several items are left to be resolved before the service is ready for market launch. Firstly, device portability and content provider scalability has not been emphasized while developing the prototype. Secondly, CityMob must enter into additional collaborations in order to provide a complete system.