With all the talk in the last few days surrounding the flaws in the design of the iPhone 4 antenna, it is easy to begin to overlook the positive impact that the iPhone in all its guises has had on the mobile industry as a whole.
The iPhone is mainly responsible for kick-starting the whole mobile application industry, delivering bright, colourful applications that were easy to browse, purchase and install. Apple do receive criticism for the way they control the whole App Store experience, but the quality control is something that helps deliver a consistently high level user experience across all applications.
Apps come in many forms, from games to useful utilities, and businesses are starting to see the benefit of giving access to their content on the move, and recently British Airways updated their iPhone app, and have also made it accessible to users of Android devices and RIM BlackBerry handsets, too. Noticeable by their absence is Nokia's S60 platform. S60 is the number one platform, in terms of user numbers, for smartphones worldwide, but the platform is regularly ignored by developers, and can only lead to more people who want access to apps like these to switch handset as soon as the opportunity arises.
The new App from British Airways will give access to current and upcoming flight details, access check-in and look up flight information, see timetables and so on. BA Executive Club members will also be able to check out account details.
Another benefit of the App, initially for iPhone users, is the ability to have a mobile boarding pass on the handset. No more need for printing out flimsy pieces of paper which are easily lost, all you need to do is check-in on the iPhone via the App and your boarding pass will be downloaded to your device. Looking at the image, it would seem that the mobile boarding pass will take the form of a 2D barcode, which will be scanned by the boarding crew as you access your flight. The mobile boarding pass option will be added to Android and BlackBerry at a later date, and will be rolled out across more flight routes too. Initially the option is available on BA flights between London and Edinburgh.
Given the popularity of the devices the app will be available on, there is a wide scope for growth in usage, and the opportunity for other airlines to deliver similar apps too. Just another step towards towards a ticketless, paperless, electronic world.
If you currently use a device that is not BlackBerry, Android or iPhone, then you can access the BA Mobile services either by logging onto the BA Mobile site, BA2go.com, or by taking advantage of their SMS based service.