Context-aware computing is the method by which new experiences are constructed that blend information from mobile, social, digital and physical world sources. Gartner noted that this concept is a developing trend and crucial to follow in the shift to the mobile world.
Elia San Miguel, principal analyst with Gartner Research, said that simplicity is the main trend for mobile devices. During her presentation at this week’s Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in São Paulo, Elia noted that by 2015, mobile application development projects targeting smartphones and tablets will outnumber PC projects by four to one.
For that reason, context-aware computing is seen as an essential part of building out this future. “Context-aware applications take context about me in the physical world – such as my location, time of day – and my usage patterns in the digital world, and deliver it to the me in the mobile world,” explained Elia.
According to Gartner, context-aware technologies will result in $96 billion of annual consumer spending worldwide by 2015. By that time, more than 15% of all payment card transactions will be validated using context information. The disruptions caused by context-aware computing will include major user, technology and business shifts, including the use of model-driven security in fraud detection and prevention, convergence in television, game, Web and mobile advertising, and new styles of application programming.
“By 2015, your digital devices will know more about us than we know about them,” Elia added. “Context-aware computing will make the difference for the future.”
Gartner estimates that by 2015, 40% of the world’s smartphone users will opt-in to context service providers that track their activities. Given the overall smartphone base, this equates to about 720 million people or about 10% of the global population.
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