One benefit of being 'car-less' is that I have to take public transportation often, especially the Delhi Metro. Our Metro can go head to head with Chicago's El, Paris' Metro or the London Tube and easily come out ahead! I especially enjoy it since it allows me to see, hear and talk to the people powering India's growth - our middle class.
It is one thing to sit in a conference room and postulate about our emerging middle-class or read a research report, and another to actually hear and understand the stories behind the numbers. My 8.00 am train to Gurgaon is full of knowledge workers (like me!). A good chunk of my co-passengers spend the entire journey staring at their mobile phones, they are listening to something, updating facebook, reading news while we are speeding underground below CP. On some days, I've counted up to 50% of the people in my compartment to be 'phone warriors' - killing time with their phone!
Since my data connection still does not work (thanks Alka!), I end up bugging people around me with questions. The best conversation starter is the phone itself - it seems we all love our phones. Though one reads mostly about low-end phones in India, I am happy to report that most of my co-travellers have true SmartPhones - connected devices that can install apps, play videos, might even have a touchscreen. They have a car but prefer to take the Metro to avoid traffic and crazy petrol costs. Many people who didn't have an official phone said that they still decided to pay for data since it helps them pass time. Of course, the user numbers are still low compared to the overall population...but this is the segment that will support the next set of mobile innovations.
On the device itself, it seems that music is the most favored activity (ignoring calls and SMS). Next was playing games, most of them downloaded for free. Facebook-ing was next as people were busy reading status updates. So all in all, content consumption seemed to rule. However I didn't see any homegrown services or local content sources (yet). Why? One reason might be what Alok articulated recently - the reluctance of the gatekeepers.
So what apps might appeal to this mobile consumer for his smart Mobile - now that he has a good device, a decent data pipe and time? More to come....
It is one thing to sit in a conference room and postulate about our emerging middle-class or read a research report, and another to actually hear and understand the stories behind the numbers. My 8.00 am train to Gurgaon is full of knowledge workers (like me!). A good chunk of my co-passengers spend the entire journey staring at their mobile phones, they are listening to something, updating facebook, reading news while we are speeding underground below CP. On some days, I've counted up to 50% of the people in my compartment to be 'phone warriors' - killing time with their phone!
Since my data connection still does not work (thanks Alka!), I end up bugging people around me with questions. The best conversation starter is the phone itself - it seems we all love our phones. Though one reads mostly about low-end phones in India, I am happy to report that most of my co-travellers have true SmartPhones - connected devices that can install apps, play videos, might even have a touchscreen. They have a car but prefer to take the Metro to avoid traffic and crazy petrol costs. Many people who didn't have an official phone said that they still decided to pay for data since it helps them pass time. Of course, the user numbers are still low compared to the overall population...but this is the segment that will support the next set of mobile innovations.
On the device itself, it seems that music is the most favored activity (ignoring calls and SMS). Next was playing games, most of them downloaded for free. Facebook-ing was next as people were busy reading status updates. So all in all, content consumption seemed to rule. However I didn't see any homegrown services or local content sources (yet). Why? One reason might be what Alok articulated recently - the reluctance of the gatekeepers.
So what apps might appeal to this mobile consumer for his smart Mobile - now that he has a good device, a decent data pipe and time? More to come....
