Simplicity is the priority for handset owners, a conference discussing the future of the mobile phone has concluded.
Industry leaders in digital technology met earlier this week to discuss the commercial opportunities surrounding the services and devices which support new mobile internet technology platforms such as Apple's iPhone, Android from Google and Nokia's Symbian.
The event was organised by mashup*, a membership-based organisation of executives, entrepreneurs and investors affected by and working within the commercial application of digital technology, products and services.
Tom Hume, managing director of Future Platforms, a software company that specialises in mobile product development for the likes of Nokia, Orange, Channel 4 and the BBC, was one of the guest speakers to address the gathering.
He said: "For all the talk of Google, Apple or others stepping in to fix the fragmentation which afflicts the mobile industry, the problem is getting worse, not better.
"Mobile isn't a single medium: it's a bewildering range of opportunities: SMS, MMS, mobile web, J2ME, Symbian, Flash, Silverlight, Android, iPhone. How can we cope with this increasing complexity?"
Tony Fish, co-founder of mashup* and an author of the book Mobile Web 2.0, thinks he has the answer to this question.
Mr Fish believes that with the recent release of the iPhone 3G and the launch of Android the world is now entering "a new open phase of the mobile".
He said: "Devices, applications and services such as those offered by iPhone, iTunes, App Store and Apple Mac appear to offer consumers what they need — simplicity.
"The implications are massive for all brands; those that understand and develop strategies to facilitate customer, supplier and employee communications and management using these new tools will win."
Research conducted by WaveMetrix on user reaction to iPhone 3G and its competitors was presented at the meeting for discussion and debate.
The key conclusion was that users "want the functionality of their desktop PC on their 3G iPhone".
Many manufacturers will argue that they are better placed than Apple to satisfy this need though.
Nokia has recently brought out the Tube phone to challenge the iPhone, while BlackBerry offers the Storm and the Pearl, and T-Mobile has the G1 with Google.
