R.I.P. ODP

On-device portals were once a concept ahead of their time. These application engines gave developers access to the individual user rather than the device itself, letting consumers easily browse and use mobile content. Yet the industry is rapidly moving away from them — although not necessarily the experience — as Web browsing takes its place. ODP may be nothing more than a marketing term, but it is one that is losing its buzz.

The ODP market first gained attention in 2006, when research firm ARCchart estimated that its potential revenue would be more than $1 billion by 2009. As the space heated up with about 25 vendors in 2007, what constituted an ODP depended on who was defining it. Mobile storefronts, additional home screens or any application running on the handset to increase content discoverability — all were fair game. Today's market has fewer competitors, and those who are left are redefining their focus.

Several companies, including UIEvolution, have abandoned the ODP terminology all together. Action Engine, which marketed itself as “the on-device portal company,” was acquired last week by MobUI and promptly lost its tagline. MobUI is portraying itself as an interface developer focused on speeding the time to market for app developers. ODPs may be one part of the final package, but they aren't the main goal, said John Burry, CEO and founder. He maintained that the ODP is not dead — rather it has become so mainstream, it's just a given today.

“The iPhone is a perfect example of that,” Burry said. “When you look at the iPhone user interface, you've got the icons on the front you can slide to multiple screens; it's truly an ODP UI. Some of the experiences are apps enabled on the device while others are network-enabled, but it truly is this entire iPhone experience is the ODP portal, and the same with Android to a certain degree. What have been ODP conventions for years and years are becoming so mainstream that it's almost like the concept of working with an ODP is, ‘Well, we assume that's a possibility. Let's look beyond that and continue on.’”