Sessions at TransferSummit 2011 about Mobile on Thursday 8th September

The mobile landscape has changed quite dramatically over the past few years, with the emergence of new mobile platforms and a significant shift toward open source in mobile technologies. What are the key economic drivers for this shift, and what are the lessons that can be learnt from the mobile industry's adoption of open source?

This talk will draw on Andrew's experiences as Open Source Manager for the LiMo Foundation. It will look at how and why open source has become commonplace in mobile platform development, and the advantages and pitfalls of using open source.

The rapid development of mobile devices is putting powerful computing and communications power in the hands of consumers, but lack of universal design and accessibility considerations can leave people facing specific personal and environmental challenges without proper access. For example, few devices provide good support for people that are unable to use touch screens or keyboard which might be the case when operating machinery or some other physical restriction. However, open innovation between projects can help address these accessibility gaps by sharing alternative interface components. This talk explores various examples including an open source ebook reader whose accessibility features were enhanced by adopting the advances made in another open hardware project.

Intellectual Property law is never simple but open source licences go a long way to simplifying the life of a software producer seeking to collaborate with others. However, in the mobile space external factors can often limit options available. For example, app stores commonly have conditions that prevent some open source applications from being distributed while network providers seek to control software on their networks. These external forces can significantly affect the kind of development communities that can grow in the mobile space. In this talk Andrew Katz, a lawyer specializing in open source software, examines the interplay between mobile companies, community and licensing.