In the on-going Apple vs. Microsoft vs. Google mega egomania battles Microsoft is paying developers to build mobile applications for its Windows Phone 7 operating system to help it narrow a lead by rival products from Apple and Google, see the Full Article. This raises an interesting point for Business Intelligence because obviously there is a lot of information that BI vendors can push to mobile platforms, but equally mobile platforms are not the best solution for viewing, for example, financial reports with comparative figures over multiple months in a spreadsheet layout format. What constitutes BI on a mobile platform is largely loosely defined and subjective (much like the entire subject of BI actually) but surely there is a massive role for BI as a driver of adoption as the world goes mobile. Mobility, functionality and intelligent design are among the key drivers in our ever expanding digital universe – yet often the simplest solution is the most compelling. What does BI look like in a mobile universe?
