Expansion of an application to multiple device types/platforms

You just developed an application for BlackBerry devices and deployed it. Everyone loves it! Well, almost everyone. In the excitement and the hype of creating your application, you forgot to survey your employees to determine which devices they use on a regular basis. Unfortunately, those individuals not using a BlackBerry are feeling neglected and left out of the decision making process. While the majority of the people in corporate America have BlackBerrys, there are some people who use iPhones and Android devices - and your cool new app doesn't work for them. 

And then there are your customers. Lots and lots of customers use iPhones. In fact, maybe more customers use iPhones than BlackBerrys. And what about this new Android thing you've been hearing about? Is it really true that one in ten smartphones sold today is an Android phone? That's huge! What do we do about that?

Well, the first thought might be to build more apps. But that will cost time and money...a lot of it. It's time to stop, think and plan. Assess your needs - today's AND tomorrow's needs. Because failing to anticipate your customers' and employees' mobility requirements can cost your company a lot of money.

Take for example the BlackBerry 8700, which relied on RIM's trackwheel navigation system. The 8700 was available as recently as 2007 but you can't buy one today. The track wheel has been phased out completely and replaced with the trackball. As the 8700's that are used by employees are replaced by newer BlackBerry models, the software running on them has to be re-written and upgraded so it's compatible with the trackball navigation system and the OS that powers it. And look at the iPhone. In just the past couple years, we've seen three different models and three major operating system upgrades. The fourth should be here by the end of the summer. How long are today's devices going to be available and what happens when the devices your company and customers currently use are no longer available?

New hardware, software and even entirely new device platforms have all emerged over the past 12 months and they've had a major impact on the market as well as consumer behavior. The pace of evolution is not slowing. What are some of the difficulties you're running into today? What do you think is around the corner for new mobile devices and software - and how are you going to deal with it?