Produced for itproportal, this magazine shows the latest and, in my opinion, the best business handsets and laptops available for April 2008.

Business Mobiles - April 2008

Another month another mobile expo. 

CTIA this week may (I used ‘should’ before and was disappointed) see new handsets from BlackBerry, Palm and, inevitably, Nokia.

On previous performance though, Apple may announce something new to spoil everyone’s party.  A whisper has it that a 32GB iPhone is in the offing which, if true, would kick every other media playing mobile into touch. 

A 32GB iPhone with only EDGE seems unlikely as that would only spoil any prospect of a 3G iPhone launch for May/June.   But stranger things happen, and I’ll only have to wait a few days longer for the truth.

Seems like good old GSM is refusing to disappear.

An enhanced flavour of EDGE announced today (27^th March 08) by Nokia Siemens tweaks the potential data speed of existing EDGE networks to a usable 592 kbps (presumably in lab conditions though).  This only requires a software upgrade to existing Nokia Siemens installations so could be deployed quite rapidly. 

Whilst not on par with HSPA networks (3.5G) it does exceed the original 3G data rates, with potentially many more handsets upgradeable to use it.  Further improvements up to 1.2 Mbps are promised.

The original iPhone could be around longer than expected.

Motorola have almost admitted defeat.  Their announcement today (26^th March 08) splitting off their handset division may protect the main company from becoming impecunious. 

Perhaps shareholders may now reap some return on their investment when a company is brave enough to buy into Motorola’s IPR and brand. 

Google, Apple and Microsoft come to mind as suitors, but more realistically the beau will be from Asia.  Perhaps CTIA, in two weeks, will give everyone a better feel for Motorola’s future. 

Certainly Carl Icahn smells blood from the wounded company and may ultimately be responsible for its demise this year.

According to the Press Trust of India (24/3/2008) RIM are still in the hot seat over the inability of India’s security services to hack through the BlackBerry’s encryption to allow interception of messages.

If this is truly an issue I would suggest they just hack into the corporate and government email servers instead.  This would be much simpler solution and furnish more information, particular from all the laptops, desktops, Symbian handsets, and other connected devices sending and receiving emails. 

Or could there be an ulterior motive.  Rather than intercepting RIM’s Indian users, are they actually targeting foreign nationals?

The general trend of smartphones targeted to a wider audience has been reconfirmed by ABI research.  They predict that almost one in three handsets will be smartphones by 2013.

Pricing has been the issue for both Nokia & Microsoft, due to third party software fees, but as the software suppliers are absorbed by the duopoly so pricing is starting to take another notch down. 

The Symbian powered Nokia 6120 Classic is available at Tesco for under £100, so it should not be long for HTC/Microsoft to counter this. 

For Nokia especially future profits will be in content and their smartphones will deliver it.

Profits are up at Vodafone as data sales have finally taken off, though it took the introduction of fixed price mobile broadband.  After all per byte pricing was terrible.

Yet now with £15per month giving you 3GB with Vodafone, 3 and T-Mobile, the sale of data has sky rocketed.  So much so that Vodafone are laying off staff to concentrate more on data sales! 

This is great for tenants as they can now buy broadband for themselves rather than their ‘temporary’ home.

However Vodafone had better watch their backs as network performance degrades and WiMAX is just around the corner.

Although Sony Ericsson announced 15 new mobiles they are apparently falling behind their own sales expectations for high end devices.

To my mind Sony Ericsson have some of the most reliable and easy to use mobiles around.  But for the last year there has been little to shout about in the business and bling sectors. 

Nokia  constantly innovates with style, design and features.  Yet SE’s P1i is an old 3G Symbian handset that should have been replaced months ago, and the Xperia looks good but late to market.

Hopefully with increased investment SE should now start putting the pizzazz back.

We are told that after the children, the pets and the photographs the next thing we would save from an inferno is our mobile phone, presumably to call the fire brigade?  Not really as now our most endearing photographs, and many cute videos, are nowhere else other than our mobiles. 

But do we ever bother to backup?  Do we know how, many don’t.  So after many, many false starts O2 are taking the problem seriously, again.  This time their twist is that users can share photographs with friends.  Yes there are many other services out there but for many this will fit their needs.

There have been more reports of viruses aimed at Symbian mobiles.  It’s an obvious target for malicious code writers due to Symbian’s  widespread availability, connectivity and functionality.  As the price of devices are reduced, and become even more widely available, then attacks will logically increase.

Except of course they shouldn’t.  Most Symbian viruses attack older versions, as the latest handsets are radically more secure.  Older devices are also fading out of existence so attacks will centre on persuading users to accept dodgy email attachments and MMS messages.  Ultimately AV software will not stop user negligence but may mitigate it.

Motorola are losing their head honchos at an alarming rate.  Over the last two weeks their head of devices, European VP and chief marketing officer have bailed out.  Well it could give Motorola a chance to re-energise their top management and inject some excitement into their products. 

With no real pizzazz from MWC or CeBIT, it falls to CTIA Wireless to see where Motorola is heading.  Courtesy of intomobile, there is a leaked Motorola promotion video on YouTube, ‘grooving’ up a new range of handsets.  Viral marketing, perhaps, but hardly surprising when they are losing market share to Samsung. 

The palmOne Treo 600 was a breakthrough handset when launched.  With a great screen and a vast range of third party software, it was the smartphone to beat, especially in the US.

There were of course a number of problems.

An obvious one was the battery, users couldn’t replace it; a real flaw for busy business people.  Another problem was the Palm OS did not multitask efficiently.  Unless you were a high end partner of Palm, your application would not run in the background. 

Rumour has it that, come V2, the iPhone will also have this feature.  Not so clever if true.

My hopes for CeBIT were dashed; Nokia launched a couple of mid series and network branded handsets, but not a new range of E series business devices.  Never mind, Apple came through with the goods so we have something to look forward to for the second half of the year.

It sets me wondering why Nokia and Samsung aren’t trying to pump up customers who are coming to the end of their contracts.  Businesses especially will be taking the Apple very seriously as a replacement to their existing Nokia’s. 

2008 will now be good to Apple, potentially bad for everyone else.

Well it’s not here yet, but, from late June, iPhone v2 will be a big seller to the glass box brigade. 

Running through my previous guess list…

1.         SME and corporate tariffs

I would still expect some new tariffs from O2 but as of tonight, the 6^th of March, only AT&T has announced different tariffs for corporate data.  

Corporate plus points 2 out of 10 for the US, ? out of 10 for O2

2.         Security

Mostly good news is that remote device erasure is present.  Whether this covers SIM swaps and remote reporting is unclear.  Better WiFi security, VPN and authentication support are also included, but apparently no device encryption.  Some compensation is offered by offering centralised security policy enforcement. 

Still the press will have a field day if a banker or government official loses an iPhone holding unencrypted data of millions of customers or citizens.

Corporate plus points 7 out of 10

3.         Applications

Excellent news.  By licensing ActiveSync Apple can now provide a service equivalent to DataViz and Microsoft’s own direct push client.  I use DataViz on UIQ and it performs admirably, supporting contacts (local and global) and calendars and, on S60 platforms, inbox sub folders.  Apple’s will I’m sure be just as effective.

Also by supporting third party paid for applications Apple has vastly extended the iPhone’s usefulness.  There is also a desire on Apple’s part to support bespoke corporate applications, which in my experience will move the iPhone to centre stage within many company mobility strategies.

Corporate plus points 9 out of 10

4.         Control and asset management

Limited good news here; centralised management for security & deployment will be available.  Unfortunately it requires a data connection rather than defaulting to SMS.  Worse still, it requires the user to do something which is not a good idea for mass deployment.  I also would have liked to have seen forced configuration and update of applications and hardware settings.

Corporate plus points 4 out of 10 but could have been higher.

5.         Hardware flexibility and interfacing

No news here, which is bad news.  Perhaps there are unannounced feature for v2. 

Corporate plus points 0 out of 10

So instead of a quarter cocked corporate solution, it’s almost spot on. 

IT departments will now have a device that, on the whole is better than a BlackBerry and has all the right ingredients for both users and IT staff alike.  A resounding success in my book.

So will I buy an iPhone.  No.  For myself, I can’t quite lower my sight from HSPA down to EDGE, but it’s mightily tempting.

I’ve banged on about what should happen, but this is what I guess will.

1.         SME and corporate tariffs

            O2 will have a corporate tariff, but I guess it will not be allowed on an existing contract.

2.         Security

Some form of remote device erasure through iTunes but no integration with existing systems.

3.         Applications

A push email application, but how extensive it will be is anyone’s guess (apart from Apple’s product managers).

4.         Control and asset management

            Not a chance.

5.         Hardware flexibility and interfacing

            Not a remote chance.

So this will be a quarter cocked solution for corporates.  Will the lack of security and remote device management prevent widespread deployment?  Not a chance.  The suits will be in seventh heaven, and I can already hear the nashing of IT teeth at yet another handset to support.

Not allowing the existing iPhone to act as a modem, or providing full feature Bluetooth access, are just two mistakes that need rectification.

Even EDGE data speeds are better than no WAN capability for a laptop, and though there are third party solutions, the iPhone needs to be jailbreaked to allow them.

The omission of full Bluetooth access is also disappointing, one that should have been corrected months ago.  Bluetooth provides a diverse method of sending and receiving information, let alone the use of Bluetooth stereo headphones, all of which have been denied to the iPhone user.

Remote camera and Bluetooth control would also help, but I’d be amazed if that ever happened.

The applications, hardware and security that will make the iPhone so usable needs be set up and maintained, especially as new features are deployed almost on a monthly basis, irrespective of country of location. 

Any IT department should also be looking at how they can remotely interrogate, backup and restore an iPhone to ensure that the user is not abusing its use, with potential legal repercussions, and that if lost, stolen or sold, it can be remotely deleted.

Apple could almost achieve this through iTunes, but more sensibly should have worked with Intellisync, mFormation and many others to ensure that existing systems can provide the relevant control.

What’s the betting that’s happened!

Apart from the usability, the main point of a corporate iPhone is what it could do that it can’t do now.

The iPhone is being seen by corporate customers as a BlackBerry replacement, so it must have BlackBerry type features.

An open application platform as supported by all other smartphones is a pre-requisite.  Apple have indicated that applications will be controlled via iTunes, which for a centralised IT department may not be good news.

Fundamentally the iPhone needs to support Push email using either Microsoft Direct Push or BlackBerry built in.  Both services are well proven and effective.  DataViz for UIQ is a real boon.

In addition native CRM and application interfaces tailored to the iPhone and back end system must be allowed.  Future iPhone sales will be hit if Apple prevent this.

The corporate people who are, and will buy the iPhone are serious players in large and small companies, with significant influence.

The very nature of their jobs will mean that they have access to highly sensitive information, contacts and appointments.  The loss of this information by theft or interception provides a significant financial and security risks to them, their companies and their customers. 

In addition, a 16GB iPhone is able to hold three DVD’s worth of information.  Think of the problems one disk lost from HM Gov caused!

The iPhone must support enhanced user verification, advanced device encryption, SIM swap lock out, remote wipe, VPN access using secure ID authentication, and robust reporting services.

Considering how the iPhone’s been hacked, I’m not sure even this will be enough!

I occasionally do some work for wealthy friends who need occasional assistance.  They don’t mind spending money if they are not being ripped off.

Along to O2 they went and left with BlackBerry’s not iPhone’s.

First problem, O2 will not sell the iPhone on a business tariff.  No exceptions.  You could be a zillionaire, but tough luck, no deal. 

Second problem ‘was’ the horrendous tariffs O2 were foisting on consumers.  No sane oligarch would ever consider being taken for a ride, so why did O2 and Apple even consider that their target professional customer would be that crazy. 

So O2 must allow corporate customers to take a corporate tariff within an existing account, and not foist unreasonable terms on iPhone users.

Apple will have to show a number of fundamental enhancements to get the corporate market champing for large scale deployment.

For mobile the effect of the OS is more important than the OS itself.  So Apple will have to show:

1.            SME and corporate tariffs

2.            Security

3.            Applications

4.            Control and asset management

5.            Hardware flexibility and interfacing

It would also be nice to observe some improvements in hardware.  This will be unlikely as the announcement for the 3G iPhone is rumoured for May; so perhaps Apple’s benchmark should be the BlackBerry Curve 8320.

Part 3 follows.

With the announcement from Apple tomorrow of their corporate Apple solution I can only hope that they get their ideas right.  From being disdainful of Apple’s attempt at making a mobile, and as fundamentally flawed as it is, I now want one. 

I am surrounded by 1G, 2G and every other G technology, the fundamental flaws in all of these, with a few exceptions, are usability and design excellence.  For the corporate market this is critical as many senior people are, or would, forsake their BlackBerry’s and E’ Nokia’s for Apple’s smooth interface. 

What would persuade me to buy one?

Microsoft love watching others take commercial risks and then swamping them out of the market. One only has to think of Netscape vs. Explorer, WordPerfect vs. Word, and Novell vs. Microsoft Server. 

At the turn of the millennium Microsoft distained mobiles as almost toys, yet they rapidly pushed deep into mobility to preserve their future, with considerable success in niche markets.  Now we are seeing the attack on Adobe Flash and Nokia’s compliant.  This will seriously damage Adobe’s future commercial strength and secede another market segment to Microsoft.  Having let Microsoft into their realm, Nokia may find their future in jeopardy.

With CeBIT having become more business orientated, Nokia, Palm, HP and BlackBerry will hopefully have something more exciting than MWC(3GSM).  In fact this is a certainty as Vodafone let slip their product roadmap in January (thank you) and there were several unannounced handsets that should be in stores in Q2.  So we can look forward to more HSPA and GPS for our road warriors.

There are also several reports of a modified Nokia E90 (E90i?), though it would be nice to have a replacement for the 9300i.

However Apple will spoil everyone’s party with the launch of their corporate iPhone.

The best thing from MWC 2008 was Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1.  With an attractive user interface and hardware design, and build quality from HTC, it was sure to be a best seller before the end of the year, but now, perhaps, put back to 2009.

Unfortunately for SE someone forgot about the P990.  This handset was so late that many punters went to the competition.  Worse still, were the many bugs it launched with.

In the end the P990 was in my opinion the most rounded business handset in the market.

Hopefully 2008 will not be remembered as another SE false dawn.            

Vodafone are currently making much of their 3.5G offering with some great deals.  O2 on the other hand face considerable embarrassment as their 3G roll out hasn’t met Ofcom targets.

But look at what O2 has achieved.  Winning the iPhone has led to the role out of EDGE which will benefit many more users than just 3G.  The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 and new XDA’s have been launched on highly competitive tariffs.  O2’s 20Mbps broadband service through Be is the best network offering. Plus Nokia’s N82 and Prism 7900 handset appear to be an O2 exclusive.

Not too shabby at all. 

Certain senior corporate bods have been buying up the iPhone as the fashion icon of choice.  BlackBerry’s are no longer in, and the iPhone bought at the airport is being flung at IT with the powerful suggestion to get email on it or else.

Of course neither Apple nor O2 are selling it as a business handset, but a new toy can’t be suppressed.  So firewalls and security are weakened, and the boss is happy until the next PR disaster.

So rejoice next week if Apple announces push email support; but will it be BlackBerry, or Microsoft providing the solution?

The infamous intercepts of Royal family conversations was a warning for the first generation of mobile users.  Many subsequent conversations were preceded with a warning that they could be tapped or taped with impunity.

The second generation mobile networks, in particular GSM, provided a level of security that prevented casual eavesdropping. 

Now though there is good new for the paparazzi.  Researchers David Hulton and Steve Muller, with a degree of ingenuity and Moore’s law of processing power, have presented a method of how encrypted conversations can be intercepted, recorded and decrypted.

Celebrities had better be prepared.

Although mobile data has been available to businesses and some consumers from the 80’s, it wasn’t until the advent of WAP that mobile data went main stream.  There were of course data cards for laptops and PDA’s but they were slow, expensive and clumsy to use.

Many people remember the launch of the first UK mass market WAP service at the turn of the millennium, BT Cellnet’s Silver Surfer.  Unfortunately the mobile industry over promised the concept of the mobile web.  Even though home internet users were relying on low speed dial up the best mobile speeds offered by Orange could only reach a maximum of 14.4 kbps (28.8kbps if you were very lucky) and what could be displayed on a typical, buggy, handset amounted to a glorified, and monochrome, Ceefax.  This was also at a very high per minute price and using the service effectively blocked any incoming calls.  The other major turn off was the excruciatingly painful process of waiting minutes to get to the first ‘page’ and then many, many seconds for the next.  Once there the services provided were simplistic and invariably pointless.

In 2000 packet data GPRS (2.5G) provided a welcome boost of speed, around 43kbps, a reduction in latency (in simplistic terms the time it takes to send a request and get the answer back) and allow incoming calls.  Unfortunately GPRS used the spare bandwidth not being used for voice, so if a lot of people were talking near a base station the data speeds could actually be less than the old service.  Also content still depended on what the operators thought users should have (known as a walled garden) which a lot of the time wasn’t what users wanted.  Costs were still very high being priced on a per kilobyte basis with some people incurring massive hundred of pound bills.  The horror stories frightened off many potential users who instead relied on SMS services for most of their mobile data needs.  At least that was something they could understand the benefit of, and control the cost.  Other new data services failed such as MMS (Multimedia Messaging) because they were confusing and expensive.

Importantly there were however two services which really prospered, BlackBerry in the West and iMode in Japan.  This kept the idea of mobile data from disappearing entirely.

Even the launch of 3G in 2003 did not really help.  WCDMA (3G to most people) provided much faster data transmission providing services such as video clip streaming and downloading, and simultaneous voice calls and data surfing, (so you can check your bank balance whilst talking to a friend).  However the handsets were clumsy, had little battery life, content was of variable quality and most users could not see the point of video calls.  Since then 3 has predominately sold their network on cheap voice calls with some success, tempered with a high turnover in users (churn) for a variety of business reasons. 

Since 2005, users have become more aware of what the mobile internet can really do for them with the release of quality handsets from European manufacturers such as the Nokia’s 6630, 6680, N80, N95 and Sony Ericsson’s P990, K800 etc.  For business users the network branded HTC handsets have expanded the office computer systems to employees on the road.  Nurses, sales people, engineers are all benefiting from advances in web based technology that they can securely access through their mobile phones. 

Major usage problems remained.  The screens tend to be too small, the user interface too clumsy and usage costs far, far too high.   

2007 has seen a fundamental change.  With the advent of the iPhone, the concept of using the internet on the move has been given a phenomenal boost.  Although the iPhone relies on old 2¾G technology (EDGE), the usability of web services has been exponentially advanced.  Also with flat rate data being offered by all the mobile networks users can surf the internet confident that they can afford the monthly cost.

2006/7 also saw the launch of Web2 services for mobiles such as Skype, eBay, and Facebook.

The other major advance in 2007 saw the start of the evolution to 4G.  Unlike the jumps from 1G to 2G to 3G, this is being undertaken in small but significant stages.

The launch of HSPA (High Speed Packet Access 3.5G) is shifting users expectations.  They can now expect data speeds approaching, and some times exceeding, their home based ADSL broadband connections.  Vodafone and some other networks currently supports 7.2Mbps download and 1.4Mbps upload speeds in some areas.  This will be broadened out to cover more of the UK over the next few years.  Unlike previous network evolutions, the handsets and applications are in place to take advantage of these speeds, so in the instance of Nokia’s latest handsets, they come with native YouTube capabilities allowing the same users desktop experience on their handset. 

So far this has been good for the networks as some have seen phenomenal growth in HSPA data volumes, with Nokia Siemens reporting a 350% rise in data use in 6 months for one network.

Users now want to be connected to the internet all the time.  There is an expectation that friends and colleagues are available 24/7 and that the applications used at home or at work should also be with them on their mobile.  This will increasingly mean that developments on the web will happen regardless of the device, computer or mobile accessing it.  This will require more and more bandwidth and, importantly, speed of access will become paramount.  BlackBerry shows the mobile industry that users will not tolerate any more delays in receiving information.

To achieve the improvements in latency, speed and capacity a new system is being developed.  Often called 4G, it is known as LTE (Long Term Evolution) where the existing HSPA infrastructure is being reused to allow for download speeds of 173Mbps and upload speeds of 58Mbps; and potentially a lot higher.   Mobile TV would no longer require a separate infrastructure to be built, as being proposed at the moment.

Latency will also be reduced from the GPRS 600ms to around 10ms, which will allow mobile on line gaming to be a reality.   Multi location video conferencing in high definition will also be viable.  With pico projectors inbuilt into handsets, it may even be usable.

All of this is all being achieved by using existing frequencies to get around the ad hoc allocation of frequencies by governments. 

There are however big issue for the networks. 

Firstly, as data capacity to individual handsets increase, the backhaul from base station to network to internet will become increasingly saturated, and may not keep up with demand.   

Secondly, WiMAX will also cause a headache.  Even though it, and WiFi, can be integrated into a 4G service, this will require the networks to invest in the new WiMAX start ups.  If they don’t they could see their future revenue streams undermined in the profitable city centres. 

Thirdly, the mobile networks may not see a return on their investment.  As voice becomes just another data service, the mobile networks will become just another bit pipe for all sorts of peer 2 peer streaming services, be it voice, video or games.  The trick may be that as LTE also offers definable Quality of Service (QoS) the networks could charge a premium price for service consistency, something that is already being discussed for fixed broadband.

There is real excitement in the mobile industry, and perhaps there should be some fear.  Technology, users and handset manufacturers may usurp the network operators’ control of the market they created.  4G has the potential to connect 5 billion people by 2015, so astute marketing will be even more important over the next few years. 

A recent urban report suggests that carrying two handsets could be regarded as a security threat. Doubtless this is an exaggeration as many people use two phones to split calls between office and home, especially as using the work mobile for personal calls is taxable.

Orange had an answer to this years ago with two numbers active on one SIM.  You could of course use a dual SIM holder, but only one line would function.  Perhaps a perfect solution is from WND Telecom who’s handsets allow two active SIM’s in one phone, though this may confuse the authorities!

Jump over to youtube and you’ll see a new, expensive and complicated way of ‘aving a laugh – drive by projecting. 

This involves strapping a laptop and projector into a car and pointing images on to buildings and people as you drive along.  Costly when bulbs blow or the projector damaged.

Fast forward to 2009, and we will see the first handsets with embedded projectors aimed at business people who want a lighter life.  However it’s not stretching the imagination to see the same mobiles used in schools, or in the street, projecting images of a questionable nature.   You’ve been warned!

With the soon to be released N-Gage platform, and research showing that the less than two year old N93 is still the graphic speedster, Nokia appears to have upset some customers.

Many still swear by their older handsets but in some cases Nokia has given up any pretence of support.  Devotees of the N93, once Nokia’s premiere handset, are especially upset as the number of faults still being suffered is causing huge ill will. 

Nokia’s firmware updater ensures that bugs in shipping handsets can be eradicated.  Since October 2006 Nokia’s fix for N93 users appears to be the N93i.  A costly solution!

It seems that some parents will have less to worry about in the near future.  Vodafone and Orange are to start sharing base stations reducing maintenance costs whilst improving coverage.  This comes hot on the heels of the union between 3 and T-Mobile to share their HSPA networks. 

But there could be a big problem in the future.  If the government has its way (they need the money) the 900MHz spectrum could be seized from Vodafone & O2 and resold.  Perversely this would lead them to rely on using the shorter range 1800MHz GSM frequencies requiring more base stations in the street!

It seems appropriate that the European mobile event of the year has renamed itself considering the on going evolution to 4G via WiMAX, LTE (3 ¾G?), 3.5G and now E2DGE (I made that one up).  3G is so last century. 

There were glimpses of what may be with us in 08, but no buzz or wow.  There will be more announcements through the year, but for the biggest mobile PR event of the year there was little to inspire customers to upgrade.  This can only be bad for the manufacturers.

In fact it was déjà vu 3GSM 2007.

A decade ago there seemed to be only two major PDA players battling for users’ hearts and minds.  Palm and Psion snaffled much of the business up, and the mobile handset companies like Nokia (9000) and Alcatel (One Touch Com) had little market share. 

Forward 10 years and the battlefield is quite different.  Palm OS has all but expired, Psion has transformed into Symbian, which is seeing a plethora of competition from Microsoft, BlackBerry, Apple, Google, other Linux offshoots, and Java.  Each have their own strengths despite the variety being inconvenient to the networks.  One unfortunate possibility is that Palm will disappear.

Since its announcement in November, Google and its partners are now demonstrating tangible hardware using the Android OS.  Apple’s iPhone has had paying customers for well under a year, and continues to advance its usability and feature set. 

Yet from the established players, Sony Ericsson seems to have taken the pragmatic view to ditch UIQ in preference to Microsoft’s OS for their high end handsets.  Whilst Nokia, with years of experience, resources and IPR in the bank, are merely showing an alpha mock up of their S60 Touch UI, and it’s not nice.

Will Nokia regret its tardiness?

Samsung and LG have both announced Symbian S60 handsets.  Nothing new about that, most non Nokia S60 handsets never make it to the UK anyway.  Although the LG can be disregarded, unfortunately for Nokia the Samsung G810 will directly compete with the N95/N96.

The Samsung has it faults, single band HSDPA , relies on memory card for storage, reduced colour palette, but it excels in other areas.  With a 3x optical zoom, Xenon flash, and a GPS chip usable with 3^rd party applications, available in March, plus a decent battery, why wait for the N96?

Day 1 at Barcelona and Nokia launch 4 new handsets that hardly set the world alight.  The leaked N96 ticks most of the right boxes and competes with the latest iPhone with 16GB of internal memory.  The other handsets too have solid specifications all with good cameras, GPS and Symbian OS.

But with release dates in H2, the N96 especially looks distinctly underpowered against the anticipated 3G iPhone (possible launch May?).  If Nokia don’t pull something better out of their hat later this week, the Apple tortoise will overtake the Nokia hare by the critical Christmas season.

So day minus 1 at Barcelona (Sunday to you and I) and Sony Ericsson have announced a cluster of handsets. 

Though there is no direct replacement for the P990i/P1i, yet, there are two decent mid-range Symbian handsets aimed at the mid market.  This at least reaffirms their commitment to UIQ and offers smartphones to a wider audience.

The intrigue comes with the new XPERIA range.  The X1 is an extremely good looking handset with top end touch screen, connectivity and keyboard.  But why base it on the Microsoft OS?  Does this mean UIQ development has stalled for high end mobiles?

BT has great ideas but seemingly don’t do their market research before launching some of them; and when they do have a disaster they try very hard to have another one.

In 1999 BT’s Onephone launched, based on an Ericsson GSM/DECT design, providing one phone for home and away.  It failed disastrously leaving some distributors with unsaleable bricks.

Having woefully overestimated the market once, BT gave the concept another shot with Bluephone / Fusion based on UMA technology.  Although more popular, BT are closing the service so expect loads of new Nokia, Motorola and Samsung handsets going cheap on eBay.

Spirits are high for the Barcelona mobile fest next/this week.  With Apple laying down the benchmark for touch user interfaces in 2007, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Microsoft are going to have show the industry what hardware a decade’s worth of prevarication, concepts, videos and PowerPoint, can be brought to market.

I’m sure more zoom mega pixel cameras with Xenon flash, nano projectors, high res screens and a glimpse of LTE, will be there.  But with the 3G iPhone presumably near by,   Apple’s competitors must get to market soon, or else users will dump brand loyalty for the urbane newcomer.