Microsoft Capture Nokia On Transfer Deadline Day

Yesterday was the day of the big spenders. Gareth Bale became the world’s most expensive footballer and joined Real Madrid for £85 million,  Vodaphone announced the selling off of its huge stake in Verizon for a mere £84bn and Microsoft has agreed a deal to buy Nokia's mobile-phone business for 5.4bn euro ($7.2bn; £4.6bn).

Tottenham have already spent the cash and replaced Bale with half a team of international talent. Vodaphone are planning on giving their shareholders a huge dividend of some £54bn to sweeten the windfall and true to their nature will avoid paying any tax on the deal. But what of Microsoft and is the deal going to reverse their fortunes under its new leadership?

Only some ten years ago Nokia ruled the mobile world and was the device of choice for the majority. However, Nokia made some fatal errors of judgement around its operating system and also failed miserably to compete with its new competitors from the Far East and Apple. Today it finds itself with saes falling at the rate of 24% in the last year. Microsoft, like a giant tanker spent 10 years trying to change course in changing seas and took too long in doing so.

So will a marriage of two of yesterday’s men make any difference to their fortune moving forward?

Microsoft will now license Nokia’s patents and mapping services and take on some 32,000 Nokia employees but will it win the consumers over? Microsoft will also licence the Nokia brand for the next ten years which may sound a good move but may also not appeal to the consumer.

Mobile is the area of tremendous potential but it has been one of weakness for Microsoft. There attempts to fix their OS offer have had the hype but delivered little. Microsoft’s Surface tablet should have been a winner but turned out a loser and its weakness was down once again to the OS and its offer.

Nokia greatest weakness has been their inability to adapt and sort out its OS. So will Windows OS mobile be the new must have or will it merely burn a deeper hole in Microsoft’s purse?

The new Lumia phones, which run a Microsoft operating system, may offer a small rest bite and the potential for greater integration, but will the marriage also drive other mobile manufacturers away from Windows offers and yet closer to Android?

Real Madrid have already covered their expenditure with the sales of Kaka and Ozil and in shirt sales. Vodaphone believe they can survive as a smaller global player and have a wedge of cash to soften the move and we now have three clear mobile offers; Apple, Android and Windows/Lumia/Nokia/whatever brand they finally choose? 

BioStamping: The New User Authentication?

Earlier this week we wrote in our article, Shifting Technology Boundaries, about the dangers we face in trying to balance the shift from a content orientated technology to one that is focused on context. The change to developing social, cultural, behavioural and tracking technology is significant and one we all appear to be sleepwalking into with little debate or questioning over who owns and needs what information about us. Unsurprisingly Amazon this week announced their one click social connection which will enable you to connect to other services via Amazon.

It’s all about convenience and not consequence.

Today’s Telegraph takes the emerging technology to a higher level and introduces the new passive authentication technology being researched by the likes of Motorola and Nokia. They are not alone and the technology which is purported to obviate users having to be forever logging onto their devices, or avoid their information being hijacked by others, is now taking us down a road of being permanently traceable and switched on.

Tattoos attach to a user’s skin via a rubber stamp have been developed by US firm MC10. The likes of Motorola and Nokia hope that these ‘Biostamps’ , which were initially developed for medical purposes could now be used for user authentication purposes. They are also researching the use of the Proteus Digital Health pill, which is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European regulator. This is a pill containing a computer chip that is powered by a battery using the acid in a user’s stomach. The pill creates a unique signal like an ECG trace that can be picked up by devices outside the body and can be taken daily for up to a month.

Authentication can be irritating and despite many not bothering to use it, we have to question whether these biostamps are the answer.

Motorola are planning to launch the Moto X phone in October and say that the phone use advanced sensors to anticipate user behaviour and change the way users “engage with how the devices are designed”, and provide “experiences [that] are unlike other experiences out there.”

Bad News If You Have A Microsoft 7 'Swiss Army' Smartphone

The smartphone is getting smarter and and as we all migrate to the platform its usage changes significantly such that a recent survey of O2 customers claims users spend twice as much time browsing the web, and also they spend more time checking social networking sites, playing app-based games and listening to music than they do making calls. Checking Emails now follows making calls followed by text messaging, watching TV and films and reading books and taking pictures. The smartphone is becoming the device that now not only connects people but is rapidly becoming even as important as your wallet which it could even replace soon.

However it is still an evolving technology and no one can claim that they have found the mobile solution for the future, just the one for today. We are all aware that Blackberry is going out of fashion and running out of puff. It had a good run, created the mobile email world we now all live in, but somehow never moved on. Apple continues to be the design icon and tablet solution to have and despite all the denials, looks to be on the path to converging the iPhone and current tablet with the first step being a smaller tablet later this year. Android is no longer a contender, but the player who is the winning the marketshare and claiming just over 50% share. And then there is Microsoft who promises lots and just delivers confusion.

The issue often in the marketplace is fragmentation. This is were the underlying operating system is not uniform across the market and this is exacerbated by devices taking a specific release and developing on it and so potentially restricting their ability to be upward compatible with future releases. Amazon’s adoption of Android is an example of this. However trying to keep all devices, apps all compatible with a rapidly developing OS can be a challenge unless like Apple everything is from the same stable and brings other issues.

The company that once again appears to be lost is Microsoft with its mobile OS offer. First there was a company desperate to catch up with the others and with windows 7 to launched their platform to compete. They even got the other lost soul, Nokia, to effectively drop their OS hot-potch of an offer and come on board. Nokia Lumia was heralded as the new benchmark, the new platform, the new dawn. Now Microsoft have dumped Windows 7 and started again with Windows 8. Its not upward compatible and so those who bought the Windows 7 package effectively bought a pup that would always stay as a pup.

Windows Phone 8 is a clean break with Windows Phone 7, which only launched in autumn 2010 as a clean break from Windows whatever. Importantly for developers and users it has a completely new kernel and no forward compatibility for apps and built specifically for Windows Phone 8 won't run on 7.8 devices. Microsoft obviously could wait until windows 8 so brought out windows 7, but the question is, how long Microsoft knew that they were effectively selling a dead end road, as its certain that Windows 8 didn’t drop out of the sky overnight!

So as we all get more hooked on our smartphones and as they become the true mobile ‘swiss army knife’ we only need to be careful that our attachment to any one device or OS is limited to our contract term and expect to change sides as loyalty will not to always be rewarded.

Would You Buy A Nokia Smartphone Today?

In the wider technology and corporate world there are significant changes taking place which should act as a warning to all that no one’s future is guaranteed and that everyone is judged by not what they delivered yesterday but what they deliver today and tomorrow.

Yesterday, we saw a brash Nokia stand boasting much but delivering little at the London Book Fair. It is somewhat delusional of them to believe that they are ready, or even offer a viable proposition in the dynamic digital market. They may have technology, but it’s the technology that is not in demand today and its consumers they need to convince.

It was only a short time ago that Nolkia were the mobile of choice, they dominated the global market and appeared not to put a foot wrong. Then came the iPhone, apps, Andriod and the market changed. Nokia made some wrong moves, bet on their leading position and technology and with a series of operating system gaffs bet on losers. It is very questionable whether their switch to Microsoft will save them and we see two former world champions not capable of getting into the ring with the new contenders.

This week Nokia’s credit rating was cut by Moody’s to Baa3, which is one step away from non-investment level. Compounding this bleak position a profits warning last week knocked 20% off Nokia share prices and as iPhone and Andriod sales continue to rise Nokia’s smartphone sales have now halved in a year.

Nokia remains liquid and maintains a strong capital structure, but desperately needs to reposition itself in the market which may be difficult. It has the capability to bounce back but can it be a force against an Apple and Google dominated market? The two things that are certain about tomorrow are that we will be older and change will happen and what is increasingly uncertain is who will succeed, fail or even survive the journey.

Nokia Slip Further Behind

There was a time not so long ago when Nokia could do no wrong and they dominated the mobile Market. However, today their market share continues to decline, they have just announced a loss in the third quarter of 151m euros (£132m) from a 322m-euro profit in the same period last year with a 38% drop of smartphone sales than the previous year. Net sales have fallen 13% to 9bn euros and shares have dropped 41% so far this year.

A report by the research firm Gartner claims that in the second quarter Nokia accounted for just over 22% of the smartphone market.

Having turned its back on the Symbian operating system in favour of its own Meebo system it refused to follow the Android route and now has pinned it flag firmly on Windows Phone 7. This may prove a stroke of fortune but is more likely down to the fact that its CEO Mr Elop came from Microsoft.

So the question is whether Microsoft Phone 7 plus Nokia can complete in what is becoming a very narrow market? The Microsoft system has failed to get the real sales when it was offered by HTC and Samsung and without a wide base of manufacturers is unlikely to win on the back of Nokia’s loyal customer base alone. A very close coupling of the two old giants may still prove attractive but it may find itself as a single market offer against Apple , Android and RIM with little to really sustainable differentiation.

Nokia's first device running Windows is expected to be launched in London next week.

Nokia Open Up A Patent Toll Both

Nokia has announced that Apple will pay to use the their technologies, and finally ends a long-running patent litigation between the companies.

First Nokia sued Apple in 2009 and that was followed by Apple countersuing and that was followed by Nokia extending the action last year. The areas of dispute included 3G, Wi-Fi technology, caller ID and touch interfaces.

Apple will make an undisclosed one-off payment to be followed by further undisclosed ongoing royalties and although the figures remain confidential it is clear from Nokia’s statement that it is likely to be significant.

The development will almost certainly mean that other manufacturers using Google’s Android platform are now likely to have to pay Nokia for using the same set of patents. This could be beneficial to Apple who may have higher margins in which to play than their competitors and may also have less of an infringement to settle. Whatever the outcome Nokia has a new source of revenues and perhaps can now use this to move forward.

Interesting Mobile stories that caught our eye.

Where are You?

Ex England Rugby captain Will Carling left his iPad on the train but was determined to get it back. He used the built in GPS to follow the device as it went literally around the houses and updated his progress to his 46,000 twitter followers.

Logging on through his PC he could track its movements via MobileMe app and even sent a message to it telling the people who had it that it was being tracked. The device was eventually handed into the railway station’s lost property office and reunited with its owner.

Above the law?

Users who watch BBC TV via their Anroid and iPad /Phone devices with no TV licence are unlikely to be caught. The new free app enables users to watch and listen to the BBC on the move and appears to be genuinely ‘free’. Mobile devices be they tablets or phones can’t be tracked and so can avoid the £145.50 licence fee. The detection is still very much based on addresses with 97% of households holding a licences and although the BBC plans to force a registration to catch offenders this would appear an easy one to avoid.

Mobile Facebook

We have all enjoyed Facebook apps on mobiles an dthey are some of the popular apps but now Facebook have gone one step further new HTC and INQ, Android smartphones that offer greater Facebook integration. A dedicated button will take the user straight to Facebook and will place Facebook features prominently on the home screen.

The Facebook phones will feature video and photo alerts as well as text and home screen that instantly updates as friends post messages and pictures on the Facebook.

This is not only a win for Facebook users but also Google’s Android platform. It offers retailers opportunities to seel and promote more on Facebook Places, which shares the user’s location with friends and provides special offers from retailers.

The INQ Cloud based phones, which will also integrate the Spotify music on demand service.

Two Lost Souls Join Hands

Earlier this week we wrote about the dire straights Nokia now find themselves i9n today as everyone seems to be passing them on their journey down the charts.
As if to compound the issue they have now announced that they are to partner with Microsoft and that it will now use Microsoft's Windows Phone as its main smartphone platform, cutting research and development in its own platform which is dying on its feet. However some woulkd suggest that putting to lame dogs together doesn’t make a good one it merely puts two dead dogs together and could hasten the decline of both.

The once dominant Finnish phone market looks as if it is going to experience terminal decline and the appointment last year of Stephen Elop, a former Microsoft executive, as CEO looks like it set the agenda and there are even rumours that he may relocate to Silicon Valley.

Combining Nokia with Windows Phone platform looks ill conceived and is highly unlikely to draw users away from the rampant Android and iPhone platforms.

Nokia In Free-fall or Just Wobbly?

Yesterday we had to get our HTC Android mobile sent for a repair and were lent a ‘old device’ which may have some fancy links and gives us access to the essential Skype service but was like going back to the dark ages.

Today Nokia reflects the gulf that has been created between the old mobile giants and the new iPhone and Android players. The reality is that Nokia like other technology companies before them believed that they had a licence to print money but the truth was they were only as good as their last phone.

Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop, says in a note to staff which was published by Engadget, that the company is standing on a "burning platform" surrounded by innovative competitors who are grabbing its market share…The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience," He accepts that Android has now taken their number one position.

Nokia has also stopped developing its devices for its MeeGo operating system.
This is no surprise as it was a late move and one ill conceived Elop is quoted,"We thought MeeGo would be a platform for winning high-end smartphones. However, at this rate, by the end of 2011, we might have only one MeeGo product in the market."
Nokia Chairman Jorma Ollila brought in Elop from Microsoft last September and on Friday Elop will deliver his strategy for turning Nokia around.

The main challenge Nokia face is not at the device level but over the operating system and applications. The problem is not about can MeeGo get a kick start but what to do once it is buried?

Wading Through Patent Infringement Treacle

The world of technology appears knee deep in legal actions alleging infringed patented of technology.

In the latest case Apple is claiming HTC has infringed 20 patents owned by Apple used in their iPhone’s .interface and its underlying hardware and architecture. It’s no secret that HTC is probably poses one of Apple’s greatest threats today and are behind Google’s Nexus One handset and several others that use Google's Android operating system. Not that that has anything to do with the action filed with the US International Trade Commission and a district court in Delaware and where Apple is seeking a lasting injunction which would bar HTC from selling phones that use the disputed technology in the US.

Meanwhile in an action started at the end of last year, Apple is being sued by Nokia for 10 patent infringements within the iPhone. Apple response was to countersuing Nokia in a tit for tat legal action claiming infringement of 13 of its patents. In a second case launched at the beginning of this year Nokia claims that Apple infringed seven further patents in almost all of its products.

Not only are the lawyers busy fighting these cases but Kodak have asked the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to investigate the makers of the iPhone and Blackberry, over patent infringements on the technology used for previewing pictures. The technology in question has already scrutinised in court and in December last year , an ITC judge ruled that Samsung infringed upon the Kodak patent.

Finally, but probably not, Blackberry makers, Research in Motion won their defence of a patent case issued against them by Motorola after a UK Judge rejected the claims and also invalidated the Motorola patent. The decision will be a blow to Motorola who had claims with U.S. International Trade Commission seeking a ban on imports of BlackBerry smartphones into the USA.

Mobile Updates From Barcelona

Mobile World Congress in Barcelona has opened and news is pouring out in every direction.

Windows 7
Microsoft has unveiled Windows Phone 7 which focuses on social-networking, real-time information, and organising contacts and data in to single “hubs”.Joe Belfiore, vice president of Windows Phone, said, “Too many phones are made to look like PCs. We wanted to come up with a user design that was different, that moved beyond the metaphor of the PC.” Windows Phone devices will feature three buttons - Start, Search and Back and be built around six different “hubs”, based on the services that people use most, accessed through the Live Tiles home screen (not a lot different to the Android in my hand there). However Microsoft has enabled users to access and edit Microsoft Office documents on the device.

Microsoft said that Windows Phone 7 Series devices would be available at the end of the year from a variety of handset makers, including Samsung, LG and HTC.

MeeGo or MeGoo or Me Too

Nokia is merging its Maemo N900 smartphone platform, with Intel's Moblin, which is an open source software project, to create MeeGo. Devices are due out this year but who is driving strategy at Nokia and how many operating systems do they want? They clearly are on the back foot and in danger of losing the plot and claim once again that others will join the show. Sounds more like MeGoo than MeToo.

Remember Symbian, the operating system which Nokia took over and made "open source" and failed to convince other manufactures to adopt. However, Google’s Android, has been installed in 27 different handsets from a range of manufacturers.

Wholesale Applications Community
24 mobile operators, including Vodafone, Orange and O2, have joined forces with manufactures such as Sony Ericsson, Samsung and LG to take on Apple's domination of the mobile applications market. Apple have now claimed 150,000 apps and these are certainly creating the difference today with only Google’s Android showing any ability to compete. This new alliance aims to create an open app platform which will enable developers to reach over 3 billion customers.

The Wholesale Applications Community is the latest attempt by mobile phone companies to ensure they are not sidelined by hardware makers and internet companies that reduce the networks to mere billing platforms and networks. However the industry has a poor record of working within an industry consortium."

Andy Rubin, Google's vice president of engineering, remarked that he was sceptical about the potential success of the mobile phone operators in creating their own application platform, "There is always a dream that you could write once and run anywhere and history has proven that that dream has not been fully realised and I am sceptical that it ever will be."

Maybe less WAC and more WACKY

Zennstrom and Friis Enter the Music Streaming World

We have written much lately about the digital music streaming services spearheaded by the likes of Spotify and now those serial digitaria Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis have entered the race. These were the two behind Kazaa and Skype and the failed TV service Joost. The service will obviously mimic others and pick up the libraries of the major players and create a subscription streaming service that’s between desktop and mobile. It is expected to be initially rolled out in the US.

So we now have a crowed space with Pandora, Napster, Nokia, Last FM, Sky and others all trying to capture the streaming market.

From the book world it is interesting to note that this emerging market is only possible because the labels retained their digital content and didn’t rely on others to digitise and own the content.

However the music streaming world isn't all plane sailing and news today of Nokia's 'Comes With Music' service is not good with the service struggling to make any impact. Music Ally claim that only some 107,000 users have signed up for the service worldwide, with 32,000 of these being in the UK. The service which was launched in December 2007 allows subscribers to legally download more than six million tracks and keep them forever, has failed to take off whilst the likes of Spotify have exploded. It may be a lesson to those who assume that their brand and wallet guarantee success.

Smartphone App Wars

Who will win the mobile app store battles and the associated operating system wars?
Samsung will launch a mobile application store in Europe on Sept. 14 for its Omnia smartphones. They join iPhone, Nokia’s Ovi, Rim/Blackberry and Palm Pre stores and as many operating system battles, carrier exclusives and even device showdowns.

In August Samsung released its mobile widget software development kit (SDK) and its Application Seller Site a month earlier. Users will initially be able to select from about 300 apps, including games and e-readers and they predict that this will increase to around 2,000 by the end of the year. Their SDK is different in that it will let developers create widgets for different Samsung phones using different operating systems, including the company's own proprietary OS.

Nokia is the market leader in terms of phones, smartphones and mobile but has struggled to get third-party developers to develop applications for their phones. They are not alone, after all why do you want to develop 4 apps that each have to be maintained and may not all earn out?

Then we have the formidable LG Electronics, which in July launched an online store for mobile phone applications.

Finally we have Microsoft who is hoping the launch in October of its new mobile phone software, will revive its flagging position in this lucrative market. Today they are estimated to have some 9% share against the 14.3% they enjoyed only a year ago. They are behind RIM’s 20.9% and Apple’s growing 13.7% and a long way behind Nokia’s 45%.

Microsoft’s big card is its ability to run Windows Mobile Office productivity apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. But is that enough and a strong enough differentiator today? They claim a trusted brand but is it it trusted enough and although they can line up all the big guns in support we think it too late, too tired and somehow lacking. Will it fully support touch and compete with the new touch environment.

What is clear is that consumers need to keep their options open in what is a dynamic market.

Some very good videos to show the power of N900

Nokia launch Ovi App Store

Nokia the number one mobile player has finally launched its Ovi Store. The service will rival BlackBerry, Android and of course Apple’s app stores and will be available to 50 million Nokia users worldwide, allowing them to install software and games directly on to their handsets. Nokia intend to follow others by retaining 30% of apps sales revenues onsite.

Apple’s iTunes App Store has lead the field, with customers downloading more than a billion apps in the nine months since the service launched. It is expected that Microsoft will also launch its own mobile app store with the release of its new Windows Phone operating system later this year.

The list of Ovi compatible handsets is limited to 50 although Nokia's supports 125 mobiles . Interestingly operator billing is supported in the, which may result in micropayment, try before you buy apps and free minimum model opportunities.

Mobile UK News

From 1st May anyone with a Skype friendly handset on the 3 network can make as many Skype calls and speak as long as they want. We already have used the service for the last two years and talk every day to India, the US and Australia for free. 3’s attitude towards VOIP and Skype is a breath of fresh air and even if you aren’t a 3 customer you can buy a 3 sim card for a £1.99 for a compatible unlocked handset, download the Skype client and you are connect to everyone on Skype around the world!
These moves are important as they turn the VOIP pressure on others and act as clear differentiator to anyone who makes lots of international calls or whose friends use Skype.

Another UK operator, Orange, has unveiled the UK's cheapest touchscreen smartphone for unbelievable price tag. The Vegas is sold as a pay as you go handset and available either in black or in pink, is one of the lightest and smallest smartphones weighing only 84g and looks very, similar to the HTC Touch, which interestingly costs a lot more. It has a 2.4-inch touchscreen with a 1.3-megapixel camera, MP3, integrated FM radio, a built-in browser and compatibility with microSD cards up to 4GB to complement the 64MB onboard memory. Yes and all for £49!

The downside is that the Vegas doesn't support 3G but at £49 does that really matter?

After its big launch, MusicAlly claims that Nokia’s ‘Comes With Music’ has only attracted 23,000 subscribers for the free music download service. So what is the issue after all Nokia is the biggest mobile manufacturer, the music is free and all you need is a 5310 and N95 8GB handset. Nokia is having a hard time and maybe Comes With Music isn’t a the issue. Maybe its Nokia and the old units chosen to use the service. If they widen the units who can use the service it may pick up but it can hardly be breaking even on the money that Nokia thas to pay for the licences and to run the service.

The LG GD900 Crystal will be available from July. It has a new design - a see-through tempered glass keypad design with 'cool glow' and the keypad also transforms itself into a laptop style mouse pad that offers easy web browsing and navigation and tops this with a handwriting recognition feature! LG is also offering its 3D-style interface and is hoping it can create a new design buzz.

Mobile World Just got a Lot Harder at the Top

Who would you blame for a 90% drop in profits? The world’s largest mobile manufacturer only made £108 million compared to £1.08billion for the same quarter last year. Nokia have already announced 1,700 job cuts but is it enough?

Some of it down to the economic climate and reluctance to change handsets but it still sold 93 million handsets compared to 115 million certainly not a 90% drop in units sold.

The problem is not the numbers of units sold but the mix of units sold. At the lower end they are losing out to cheaper phones which is not as profitable for Nokia. At the high end they have Apple, Samsung, RIM all eating from their table.

However Nokia aren’t the only big player feeling the cold. Sony Ericsson reported their third consecutive loss with a $387 loss in the 1st quarter of 2009 on falling sales and has also announced 2000 job cuts. They shipped 14.5 million units in the quarter down 35% year on year.

So both mobile giants are missing out on the low end and face increasing pressure at the high end. There has to be casualties in this crowded market and without continued profit the research may so down and dry up and that’s just as potentially dangerous as not keeping up with the Apple’s.

The iPhone Overtakes Windows Mobile in Nine Months

Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS has had the most applications available for many of its 9 years. However, App Store tracker 148Apps.com now report that over 25,000 applications are now available on the iPhone App Store and these have increased by a staggering 5,000 in less than a month. This staggering growth has happened not in nine years but nine months. It clearly shows that smartphones are the new hot spot and also that Apple have clearly taken the initiative through their App Store. Even Amazon joined them last week with their ebook reader.

Some are predicting the Android phone will dominate, others Palm’s Pre, others Nokia and some still believe Windows has legs. Whatever the horse you would back the facts are that Apple has made and continues to make the news, generate the applications and potentially dictate the direction. If you could drop your current smartphone and merely swap it tomorrow for any other on the same terms and even the same network why wouldn’t you select an iPhone? Its becoming an interesting battle with higher syphisication on one side such as the new Sony and LG camera specifications, versus the textbound corporate Blackberry versus applications and design.

We have said repeatedly that the application wars will be decisive and could decide winners and losers and one only needs to use an iPhone to appreciate how they have got the customer interface right. Given the growth of applications it is now down to whether there is enough attention to feed the application developers on one platform or whether they will have to spread their bets and develop on one of the other platforms. The question is which would you choose?

Nokia To Make Laptops?

When first heard the rumour we had to draw breath but given all the PC manufacturers are moving into the Smartphone market why not the smart phone makers produce laptops?

In an interview with Finnish broadcaster YLE, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said his company was "looking very actively" at the laptop market.

The laptop and notebook marketplace is getting mighty crowded as is the smartphone one. So are Nokia to do it alone or team up with someone and cover both bases? Do they push Symbian or adopt a more recognised operating system?

Will we son see a world where we have docking bays for the smartphone which give it a big screen, mega hard drive storage and access to faster memory and cache, a hub that enables many other plug and play components to be attached, but when you undock you have you notebook to go. It can’t be far away and if we look back over just the last few years its easy to see much of the future even today. The benefit over today is to achieve the full interoperability with maybe three devices covering all our needs all using interchangeable software applications and automatically synchronising everything, with everyone at all times. Let’s even forget the docking station and keep it all wireless.

The point is to achieve that sort of vision the technology has to converge today and players such as Nokia now have to be ‘Connecting People’.

Forget New York All Eyes Look to Barcelona

It appears as if the mobile world has ignited and next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is likely to be the event of the year and one that now impacts all media sectors and gives pointers to the future of technology and media consumption. We have reported recently on the smartphones to be launched the potential rumours of a Stanza and Adobe DRM ebook solution and much more. So what else can we expect?

Another rumour is that Nokia about to launch an application store for its Symbian platform. Will it happen? The reality is that Nokia has to make this move to keep up with the explosion of competitors who are already there. We now have the iPhone App Store, Android Marketplace and Samsung and rumours of a Microsoft ‘online bazaar’. Nokia already has some distribution platforms for Symbian applications, but nothing to date that is compelling for both users and developers.

LG plans to unveil the LG Arena, model LG-KM900, a touchscreen multimedia phone with a 3-D user interface. It boasts a cube-based layout that provides four customizable home screens for access to its features, which include music, movies and pictures. Users can "spin" to select different applications. Personally we await the he new LG GD910 wrist phone.

Nokia Set To Go After Blackberry

From next month Nokia smartphones will be able to access IBM Lotus Notes corporate email.

Nokia, who dropped plans to develop their own eemail offer and adopt a collaborative approach, has now signed deals with both IBM and Microsoft and believe that they now have close to 90% potential penetration of the corporate email market.

This move will enable Nokia to take on Blackberry-maker RIM in its own back yard. According to Nokia in the third quarter they sold 1.1 million of its new sleek, full-keyboard E71 phones, outselling RIM's Blackberry Bold by five-to-one.