1. flex + AIR + mobile
a step towards ubiquitous computing
Nicholas Thomas
Co-founder and COO, Finicity
2. Top 10 Disruptive Technologies
Gartner’s top 10 disruptive technologies 2008-2012:
• Multicore and hybrid processors
• Virtualization and fabric computing
• Social networks and social software
• Cloud computing and cloud/Web platforms
• Web mashups
• User Interface
• Ubiquitous computing
• Contextual computing
• Augmented reality
• Semantics
3. mark weiser
• the father of ubiquitous computing.
• “Third era in computing…
1) Mainframe era, each shared by lots of
people.
2) The PC era, person and machine staring
uneasily at each other across the desktop.
3) The UC (Ubiquitous Computing) era, or the
age of calm technology, when technology
recedes into the background of our lives.”
Mark Weiser, quot;The Computer for the Twenty-First Century,quot; Scientific American, pp. 94-10, September 1991
5. we are in a ubicomp world today
how can we tell?
• one person, many computers.
– “A computer is a machine that manipulates
data according to a list of instructions.”
Wikipedia
• computers are:
– invisible: tiny, embedded, attachable…
– everywhere: wireless, dynamically
configurable, remote access, adapting…
– are with us in the “real world”
6. computers that assist me daily
• personal: mobile phone,
bluetooth…
• home: tv, clocks, gaming systems,
microwave, refrigerator, pc,
heating/cooling…
• transportation: automobile…
• work: badge readers, vending, IT
systems (email, intranet, IM…), pc…
• shopping: RFID in credit card,
credit card processors, checkout
registers, gas station pump…
• my life is DIRECTLY
assisted/enhanced by over 100
computers every day… I am unaware
of most of them.
7. we have arrived!!!
“whenever people learn something
sufficiently well, they cease to be aware of
it…”
“…only when things disappear in this way
are we freed to use them without thinking
and so to focus beyond them on new
goals. “
Mark Weiser, quot;The Computer for the Twenty-First Century,quot; Scientific American, pp. 94-10, September
1991
8. ubicomp a must for SaaS
• ubicomp principles should be included in product
strategies.
• ways to extend: mobile web, sms, gps, location-based
services, REST or SOAP API for other metaphors…
• SaaS should provide critical information anywhere.
Ambient Orb: http://www.ambientdevices.com/
10. the science of “ambience”
Provided with approval from Ambient Devices. www.ambientdevices.com
11. generational considerations
• baby boomers vs gen x vs gen y
– value differences between generations are based upon life
experiences. (“Managing Generation Y” By Bruce Tulgan, Carolyn A. Martin, ISBN-13: 9780874256222 )
• digital immigrants vs digital natives
– brains of generation raised in a digital world are physically different
from earlier generations. (Marc Prensky http://www.scribd.com/doc/9800/Prensky-Digital-Natives-Digital-
Immigrants-Part2 )
• values and capabilities of our users should
drive design.
• ubicomp should be an objective for most
systems.
13. how to build ubiquitous systems
• default to harmlessness
– must default to a mode that ensures their users (physical, psychic,
and financial) safety.
• be self-disclosing
– must contain provisions for immediate and transparent querying of
their ownership, use, capabilities, etc.
• be conservative of face
– must not unnecessarily embarrass, humiliate, or shame its users.
• be conservative of time
– Must not introduce undue complications into ordinary operations
• be deniable
– Must offer users the ability to opt out, always and at any point
Adam Greenfield, Author of “Everyware”
14. just in time information (jiti)
• improve the roi for a user by reducing
focused interface time with a service.
• provide just the information needed,
precisely when they need it, with as
little effort from the user as possible.
• leverage kanban (pronounced [kambaɴ])
– kanban: a signaling system to trigger action.
15. additional considerations
• subscription-business models are better.
– No requirement for ad-revenue
• open API required for ubicomp services
• enable 3rd party mashups/app developers
to incorporate your service.
16. from pc to web to ubicomp
finicity’s experience and direction
17. about finicity
finicity is a leading internet and mobile software services company
specializing in the development and delivery of financial productivity
solutions for personal and small business use.
• founded in 2000
• headquartered in Draper, Utah
• 105 employees
• pc-based personal finance offering launched in 2002
• web-based personal finance offering launched in 2004
Brands/Properties
19. mvelopes in AJAX
• april 2004, finicity released its
first web application using the
SmartClient AJAX RIA system
from Isomorphic Software,
mvelopes personal.
• mvelopes.com web site was
a “brochure” site with a launch-
off outlook-style RIA.
• no integration between
website and RIA.
• considered HTML first
20. Mvelopes Home My Mvelopes
Welcome! Donna
My Account | Options | Support | Signoff
Friday, March 14th, 2003
Key Links Envelope Balances
As of March 14th 4:19pm MT
Launch BILL PAY
Launch SPENDING MANAGER
Launch PORTFOLIO MANAGER Cash Allowanc Auto Clothing Debt 1 Fun:Date
Pool e $125.32 ($35.03) $49.02 s
Transactions $1256.75 $50.00 $34.25
New Transactions: 8 Unassigned Fun:Travel Fun:Hobby Groceries Househol Utilities
$325.34 $35.22 $49.02 d $168.93
$34.25
Spending this Month
Market Summary Mvelopes User Blogs Blog Central
Total Spent This Month: $523.73 Annette, Homemaker, Spouse + 4 children
Budget Remaining This Month: $3253.65 March 1, 2003
Days Remaining This Month: 17 I think I’m getting the hang of this Mvelopes
system…
More…
Spending Accounts
As of March 14th, 4:19 pm MST David, Financial Analyst, Spouse + 2 children
Accounts Mvelopes Balance Online Balance March 2, 2003
Generic Checking $543 $543
Last month I saved over $200 on Groceries
Generic Savings $3420 $3420 alone. Let me share how…
Generic CC ($390) ($390) More…
Reuters News Brett, Software Engineer
Top Stories from Reuters March 14 4:19pm MT
Personal Finance March 2, 2003
• UN Arms Experts Say Iraq Searches May Take Months I’ve been using Mvelopes now for over 6
Highlighted Articles
• Officials, Experts: Iraq War Timetable Could Slip months and I have saved over %15 of my
• U.S. Hopes for 'Technical' Talks with N. Korea income… More…
- Tax Tips for 2003
- How much should I spend on Food each Jack, Land Developer, Spouse + 0 children
Business News from Reuters March 14 4:19pm MT
month?
March 2, 2003
- How much does the average family spend • Stocks End Mostly Lower on Profit Jitters
each month? Just started this week. I’m anxious to get into
• CNN Head Isaacson Resigns After 18 Months the system and see how it can help. More…
• Case Exit May Allow AOL Spin-Off, New Name
- What are the cost of living differences
around the country?
21. multi client vision
(mar 2003)
Notification
AJAX Client
Client
WAP Mvelopes for Palm
Thin Client the Web Rich Client
Pocket PC
Rich Client
22. advantages of AJAX RIA
• easy transition for PC-centric users.
– drag and drop
– persistent UI for client-server transactions in a
browser
• HTML was NOT rich
23. disadvantages of AJAX RIA
• javascript in 2004 had challenges:
– B2C = disparate hardware, OS’s, RAM,
connection types, browsers, and resolutions…
– poor javascript interpretation and slow
performance in browsers.
• users dissatisfied with the experience.
• picked a better platform in 2006: adobe
FLEX
25. social finance site
finicity’s social finance site provides tools and a community focused on
helping users eliminate debt, increase savings and reduce financial
stress. Social Finance Site
Community
Money Trends
26. WAP + AIR (alpha)
mobile application built with WAP for broader range of mobile phone
compatibility.
• primarily focused on transaction management and balance reporting.
• future enhancements include mobile bill pay and account transfers
Adobe AIR application for desktops
