Mobiles move in wrong direction

If the recent 3GSM show in Cannes is anything to go by, then the market for next-generation phones is far from sewn up. Just as everyone in the mobile industry thought that some kind of shake-out would make things simpler, along came an announcement or two to throw everything open again.

Just a few weeks ago, there were doubts over the future of the Symbian smartphone consortium, after Psion announced it planned to sell its stake to Nokia. The move would leave Nokia as the largest single shareholder, and prompted fears that other phone makers might withdraw their support from the cross-vendor platform.

It seems these fears were groundless. Nokia would need more than a 70 percent share before it could dictate policy to the other shareholders. And, as if to counter the doomsayers, Symbian revealed it has gained more licensees in the Far East. Version 8.0 of the Symbian platform, announced at 3GSM, also seems likely to see the software move down from high-end phones such as Sony Ericsson's P900 into less expensive handsets that will have a broader appeal.

Meanwhile, Symbian faces competition from a newly revitalised Palm platform. Now that PalmSource has been set free from its parent company, it is forging ahead with developments that could see Palm software become more attractive for both high-end smartphones and cheaper handsets.

A new entry into this market is the SavaJe OS. This Java-based platform is backed by funding from mobile operators Vodafone and Orange, and is reportedly regarded as suitable for the requirements of mobile operators.

But there seems to be a danger here - mobile operators are on the lookout for handsets and technologies that suit their agenda, which doesn't always match up with the needs of their business customers. Take UK 3G operator 3, which has used mobile video calls as the star attraction of its service, rather than focussing on the high-speed mobile access to corporate data that businesses are crying out for.

Most smartphones on the market also feature built-in digital cameras. Why? While there may be some business applications that could use this technology, the real reason it is there is to help carriers boost their revenue by encouraging consumers to send photos to their friends.

Both the mobile operators and the handset makers could do worse than to follow the example of Research In Motion (RIM). Its BlackBerry handsets and wireless service proved popular with businesses because they met a demand for mobile email, but didn't have any unnecessary bells and whistles. BlackBerry devices also feature a keyboard for easier data input, something that PDA makers seem to have been blind to since the introduction of the first Palm device in the mid-1990s.

Sierra Wireless seems to be on the right track with its Microsoft-based Voq smartphone. This has a hideaway keyboard, but also comes with an email client that can link up to corporate groupware servers, and it has a built-in virtual private network (VPN) capability.

The lesson from 3GSM is that there is still plenty of room for innovation. However, the mobile industry needs to focus more on what firms want. At the end of the day, businesses don't care what platform or mobile brand they use, so long as it meets their needs.