Existing Alternative for Pushing
Content to Mobile Devices –
an Analysis and an Implementation
Diplomityöseminaari 7.6.2005
Marcus Mattila 49836w
Contents & agenda
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Background
Problem statement
Method
Related concepts
Demonstrator application
Results and conclusions
Future research items
supervisor: prof. Heikki Hämmäinen
work conducted at R&D project for Sysopen Digia
Plc.
Background
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Mobile push services are a potential added revenue in future 3G and
4G networks.
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Falling prices and high cellphone penetration calls for new services
Combining push-enabling technologies with context-awareness enables
proactive, customized and value-adding services to be created
Both B2B and B2C markets can be targeted: travel services, legacy
operative systems, infotainment applications...
There exists alternatives to automatically identify a mobile device and
sent out a push message. Technologies include WAP Push, Wi-Fi,
SMS/MMS, Bluetooth, MIDP 2.0 PushRegistry, SIP. A comprehensive
research was needed in order to choose and implement a suitable
technology for SysOpen Digia’s needs.
Related concepts to be taken into account were context-awareness,
multi-channel user interfaces and task-based modelling of the humancomputer interface.
Problem statement
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The thesis answers the following questions:
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What possibilities are there to develop an
application where content is automatically pushed
to the end users’ devices?
What are the pro’s and con’s of various pushenabling technologies?
What challenges are there in integrating a mobile
push enabling technology into an enterprise-wide
application?
How can context information be utilized when
pushing content to end users’ devices?
Method
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First part: literature study
Second part: constructive work
resulting in technical prototype using
the technologies selected in the first
part
Related concepts 1/2
Related concepts 2/2:
SysOpen OpenChannel
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left: PDA users have a permanent navigation structure
right: phone users need to navigate to another page for
accessing it.
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SysOpen OpenChannel is a J2EEbased framework for developing multichannel and context-aware
applications that enhance the mobile
user experience with timely and
personalised services.
OpenChannel aims to solve the
problem where ever-increasing
amount of devices and device-specific
requirements need to be managed in
a usable and reusable way.
Push functionality needed to be
integrated into SysOpen OpenChannel
=> Thesis contribution
Demonstrator application 1/2
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Push message received in Nokia Communicator:
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After opening the link, device’s web browser opens:
Demonstrator application 2/2
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Front page of demonstrator application
Results
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Location-based push application implemented using
WAP Push
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Challenges were related to Jboss 3.2 classloading
mechanism, integration was a fairly straight-forward task.
Openwave’s (www.openwave.com) Java API was used
(Openwave WAP Push Library).
Acquired know-how in utilizing context information
(device, user, physical, time, process) efficiently
Acquired an understanding of pro’s and con’s in
alternative ways for pushing content to mobile
devices
Conclusions
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We identified three main architectural solutions for
enabling mobile push applications: WAP Push, SIP,
MIDP 2.0 PushRegistry
A context-awareness approach where all context
information is retrievable from one logical entity is
preferable. Accessors to context information from
both the frontend and the backend of the system is
preferable.
WAP Push is a good solution when heterogenous mix
of devices. SIP is prefereable in a true IP-based
environment when SIP support comes to mobile
devices (Nokia Series60 3rd edition). MIDP 2.0 an
option when thick client –approach necessary and
possible to install the client easily on mobile devices
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SMS/MMS not a bad ”backup”
Future research items
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Integrating SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
into SysOpen OpenChannel –framework
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Architectural analysis
What is needed to enable push functionality
Test SIP functionality in mobile devices
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Questions arise:
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Will IPv6 allow for pushing content based on IP
numbers?
Privacy, security, presence issues. Especially B2C market
is challenging.
Thick client/thin client approach in mobile devices