Mobile devices Toolkit

Mobile World Congress: The final analysis

David Meyer ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 15 Feb 2008 15:46 GMT

Mobile World Congress: The final analysis

According to the organisers, this year's Mobile World Congress was the most successful so far, with more than 55,000 visitors.

But there was a general consensus that no announcements or devices really made the jaw drop. The real story of Mobile World Congress 2008 was the politics of a mobile industry standing on the brink of a probable recession.

The industry is in a tough enough position without the added economic fears that have so far defined this year. At the core of the stress is the reality of shrinking margins and uncertain business plans. The mobile market is saturated and the devices themselves are starting to become commoditised, as happened in the PC industry.

Soon, it will no longer matter what handset you have if you want to use a certain application.

It is likely that mobile Linux will play a major role in this shift. The goal of organisations like the LiMo Foundation is to standardise application development; operators want this because it means they can sell more services more quickly, and developers want it because it makes it more worthwhile to develop an application in the first place.

It is not so clear, however, why manufacturers have been so enthusiastically joining groups like LiMo; once everyone is using the same platform, the only way manufacturers will be able to differentiate their products will be through industrial design and user interfaces. It almost seems as though they have signed up because playing along represents the only possible defence against an unstoppable, radical change in the way the entire industry works.

This change is happening at an alarming pace. Just one year ago, the idea of mobile Linux raised eyebrows, but companies have suddenly started showing off how they can run Linux apps on Windows Mobile handsets and Nokia apps on Linux phones. You could call it "cuckoo syndrome".

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But, even once applications can be run on any handset, the question remains: where is the money going to come from? Nokia and others have made much out of shifting their focus from hardware to services and apps but, outside of niche markets, there has been no clear indication of what services users will pay to use. As on the wired internet, most people will gravitate towards free applications, and it remains hard to see what could convince them to do otherwise when a broadband-enabled PC is usually close by.

Add to this the spectre of recession — a spectre that already seems to be having an effect in that operators are choosing to sign network-sharing agreements rather than invest in new infrastructure — and the picture becomes bleak not only for the industry, but also for the user.

It is likely that consolidation will take hold in both the manufacturing and operator segments of the industry, and this will ultimately result in less competition and less innovation. Once operators have become bit-pipe providers — as ISPs are now — and all handsets are just standardised terminals, perhaps the only hope for continued progress will be the introduction of competing technologies like mobile WiMax and the long-term evolution (LTE) of 3G.

However, in the current economic climate, companies are understandably loath to invest in new infrastructure. The elements of the next generation of mobile technology are all lined up, but we will have to wait and see how fast and in what way they come together.

Only one thing is for certain: next year's Mobile World Congress will continue to reveal an industry in flux.

RIM: BlackBerry's future lies in social networking

Co-chief executive Jim Balsillie has said an enterprise social-networking revolution is on the way [14 Feb 2008]

RIM may launch a touchscreen BlackBerry

Chief Jim Balsillie says new versions of the device will take into consideration what consumers are demanding [13 Feb 2008]

Yahoo 'reinvents mobile comms' with oneConnect

The company's oneConnect tool allows mobile-phone users to keep abreast of social-networking sites and other communications at the same time [13 Feb 2008]

LG to sell Android phone by 2009

The company joins the growing group of handset makers saying they will support Google's operating system [13 Feb 2008]

DotMobi database aids mobile-website developers

The registrar for the .mobi domain says the DeviceAtlas database of mobile-phone specs will help software developers design better mobile sites [13 Feb 2008]

Vodafone warns of threat from Google and Apple

Chief executive Arun Sarin has warned the industry to get creative around mobile services or risk being sidelined by newer arrivals [13 Feb 2008]

Nokia handsets to get Google search

The mobile-phone maker will add Google search to its handsets, despite Android being a direct competitor to its S60 platform [13 Feb 2008]

T-Mobile dumps Google for Yahoo web services

Yahoo stands to reach 90 million mobile-phone customers through the deal in northern and central Europe [13 Feb 2008]

LiMo Foundation unveils mobile Linux handsets

At the Mobile World Congress, the LiMo Foundation announced the launch of 18 handsets from seven vendors [13 Feb 2008]

T-Mobile and Orange to pilot mobile TV

The operators plan to launch a commercial pilot of a TDtv-based mobile TV service after 'encouraging' technical trials [12 Feb 2008]

Emerging mobile tech to watch out for

The Mobile World Congress isn't just about an infinite number of similar handsets, operators trying to get anyone interested in mobile TV, and platform wars. Lots of companies have something a little bit different on offer [12 Feb 2008]

Nokia introduces mobile sat-nav for pedestrians

At the Mobile World Congress, the mobile giant launched the second generation of its mobile-mapping tech, plus four handset models [12 Feb 2008]

No more business as usual for the BlackBerry

Vodafone is working with BlackBerry manufacturer RIM to put more consumer applications onto the mainly business-oriented device [12 Feb 2008]

TI to demo prototype Google Android phone

At the Mobile World Congress, chipmaker Texas Instruments plans to show off a handset based on the search giant's open-source mobile OS [12 Feb 2008]

Motorola 'fully committed' to mobile devices

The mobile-phone maker has said that its strategic review is aimed at bringing about a product-led recovery for the loss-making division [12 Feb 2008]

Ericsson: Mobile broadband can help save world

CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg has called 2007 a breakthrough year for mobile broadband, saying it can help shrink carbon footprints [12 Feb 2008]

UK may get new mobile WiMax operator

Motorola claims it is working with a company that intends to offer UK enterprise users a mobile WiMax service, but details remain scarce [11 Feb 2008]

Mobile World Congress: Day one highlights

The show formerly known as 3GSM is always a busy one, with many mobile and telecoms companies competing with each other to make the biggest splash [11 Feb 2008]

EC: Cut data-roaming costs or face regulation

At the Mobile World Congress, European commissioner Viviane Reding said regulation will be introduced if operators don't cut their data-roaming charges by July [11 Feb 2008]

Sony Ericsson goes Windows Mobile

The manufacturer launches its Windows Mobile-based Xperia line with the X1 handset, while Microsoft hints at a future tie-in with Nokia [11 Feb 2008]

More heavyweights join mobile Linux group

Orange and Access join the LiMo Foundation to collaborate on its upcoming mobile Linux platform, which promises more applications for users [11 Feb 2008]

Trolltech enhances mobile Linux platform

The company, targeted for acquisition by Nokia, says the Qtopia platform can now support touchscreen devices and synchronisation with Microsoft Outlook [11 Feb 2008]

ARM to show Android prototype

The chip designer plans to show a prototype mobile phone based on Google's Android platform next Monday at the Mobile World Congress wireless show [08 Feb 2008]

Mobile World Congress preview: The year of Linux

The show formerly known as 3GSM looks set to have a strong focus on mobile Linux this year, as well as mobile WiMax, femtocells and hosted apps [07 Feb 2008]