There are a number of things for those shopping for the latest mobile phones to look forward to in 2009, with LG leading the high-tech charge, according to some reports.
It has emerged that the South Korean manufacturer, which put out flagship handsets such as the LG KC910 Renoir in 2008, is hoping to launch a new state-of-the-art model that incorporates 3G technology into a wristwatch-style mobile.
Equipped with a 1.43-inch touchscreen, it is thought the phone will allow video and voice calling, as well as offer high-speed internet access and mp3 playback. LG Electronics recently put out a statement in which it offered details of the gadget, which it will unveil at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – which runs from January 8th until the 11th 2009.
However, a number of technologies that first hit the market in 2008 are likely to be built upon as we move into the new year. For example, Google’s Android operating system, is one such subject that could be once again on people’s lips as, although currently only available on the T Mobile G1, many people are waiting to see what other manufacturers will embrace the open source software in the future.
Last week, InfoWorld posted it’s “guide to the best mobile devices” currently available and singled out the G1 as the perfect introductory device for showing off what Android is capable of. It noted the web browser was “simply stunning” and praised the email facilities it offers.
“T Mobile G1 shines as the best available handset for consumer and individual professionals this side of Windows Mobile,” the website said on the release of the G1 earlier this year, adding that the Android operating system was “immeasurably easier to use and write code for” and any features or applications currently missing from its online marketplace would rapidly become available as the platform grows.
Not to be beaten, however, Nokia has announced that through its acquisition of the Symbian network, the next operating system it will offer will also be an open source affair, something which Boy Genius Report recently said could be just what the system needs – having seen challengers such as Google and Apple enjoy their own successes in 2008. “Our sincerest hope is that the newly formed Symbian Foundation can manage to give the aging Symbian operating system a much-needed face lift and tummy tuck before it’s too late,” the site concluded.
Symbian Foundation, the organisation set up to welcome all those who wish to contribute and make use of the new Nokia operating system, claims on its website that having an open source platform is the only way forward for modern mobile platforms.
“The platform will be free and open to develop on from the start whether you are enthusiast, web designer, professional developer or service provider,” it states.
Further proof, if any were needed, that mobile phones will continue to offer the latest in touchscreen technology emerged this week, as a leaked document – reportedly from BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) – detailed the possibility of a new handset equipped with an innovative new interface.
Trusted Reviews said the plans seemed to describe a touchscreen version of the Bold 9900 that was going by the current codename of the Pluto. It said the document also suggested an announcement could be made about the phone at RIM’s Wireless Enterprise Symposium – an annual event which last took place in May of 2008.
Of course, other high-profile touchscreen models to have been unveiled towards the end of 2008 – most notably the Nokia N97 – will be eagerly anticipated by gadget-hungry consumers. In the early part of December the Finnish manufacturer took the opportunity of its annual Nokia World event to showcase the N97 – a mobile phone which it claimed “will transform the way people connect to the Internet and to each other”.
Jonas Geust, vice-president at the company heading the Nokia Nseries range, said: “The Nokia N97 mobile computer adjusts to the world around us, helping stay connected to the people and things that matter most. With the Nokia N97, Nseries leads the charge in helping to transform the internet into your internet.”
It is also hoped that this increased focus on mobile web services will be supported by new moves to accommodate the amount of people now using them. Earlier this month a spokesman for The Cloud, an independent wireless broadband provider which operates in over 11,000 locations across Europe said more needed to be done to address the high uptake of mobile broadband services and 3G devices.
Niall Murphy, co-founder and chief strategy officer of The Cloud, told experts at the Westminster eForum keynote seminar: Next Generation Broadband that the current level of demand was reaching a point where technology needed to be improved.
“There’s huge growth in capacity consumption in mobile networks which far outstrips the inherent ability of existing wireless broadband technologies to service it,” he said. “There are going to be some significant changes in the way that the wireless access has to be serviced to meet this demand.”
Other services which are proving popular on the latest mobile phones include GPS tracking and the ability to geotag photos with the location where they were taken. However, new innovations in how the technology works means that there are a host of possibilities which may make such enabled handsets even more popular.
A recent video posted on YouTube appeared to show such an idea, a game called Wi-Fi Army in which players use the real world around them to take part in a first-person shoot-em-up. The game would reportedly work by allowing those with GPS-enabled devices to seek out other players – who would represent enemies in the game – with similarly equipped handsets. Although the game was predicted in early 2008, advances in GPS could mean such applications become a reality in the next 12 months.
In any case, one thing is becoming very clear – smartphones are getting smarter all the time thanks to high demand for integrated services. And with the majority of manufacturer’s putting time and effort into producing phones that offer the best possible user experience, it looks like 2009 could be a very interesting year.
