Two futures

Chaals will explore two possible futures for mobile platforms. In one, open technology supports a powerful base for building applications that run on a wide variety of devices. In the other, incompatible ecosystems compete for mind- and market share, offering ever more powerful, comfortable and enclosing environments. Each of these possibilities has benefits as well as drawbacks, for users, developers, and the people who build the systems themselves. From where we are now, both of these are possible. What are the benefits and drawbacks, and who are the winners and losers, for each scenario? What are the key factors that will lead us one way or the other?