Now that the last New Year’s hangover has subsided, it’s high time for a little outlook as to what the colorful world of cell phones is going to bless us with this new year. Right on top of the agenda, there’s the long-awaited release of the G1 by T-Mobile in Germany — we reported earlier. It’s the first smartphone using the Android operating system and at the same time embodies probably the most important and definitive current trend in mobile telecommunication, as tech-columnist and self-declared nerd David Progue of The New York Times just recently confirmed in his highly amusing speech at The Entertainment Gathering in December: “Mobile Internet”.
 
 

David Pogue at the EG ’08 (simply click on the play button)
 
 
The G1, just like the newest version of the iPhone released 2008, is a 3G cell phone, that is, geared towards fast Internet connectivity right from the start. For this, it not only supports GSM, EDGE and standard UMTS, but also HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), a new UMTS data transfer method, which is said to allow download speeds of up to 14.4 MBit/s. Additionally, there’s the option of dialing in into existing connections via Wi-Fi.

Latter, according to Pogue, is particularly interesting when it comes to (true) “Cellular VOIP”. What in Europe has been attempting its first baby steps for a couple of years now, so far has been boycotted by every cell phone carrier in the US with the exception of T-Mobile. After all, VOIP on cell phones means an unbeatably undercutting competitor. However, due to the ongoing establishment of “Mobile Internet” and the convergence with conventional PC standards, this is about to change. By now, seamless transitions from (Wi-Fi-based) VOIP to regular cellular networks and back are possible in mid call.

Another trend Pogue sees is the expansion of cellular services. GrandCentral i.e. allows owners of multiple cell phones to organize their devices into a personal communication network, managing them under one joint phone number, including away messages and availability schedules individually specifiable towards the people calling. Google Cellular then, serves as a mobile information center, which can be accessed simply via SMS inquiries, yielding reliable results a few seconds later: on the weather (SMS inquiry “weather mainz”), on flight schedules, encyclopedia entries, driving routes, currency conversions etc. By now, the whole thing even works through voice recognition — no messaging required. Last but not least, as far as high-end cell phones are concerned, software bazaars like the App Store by Apple or the Android Market need to be mentioned, as they’ll continue to gain importance. By downloading applications from their ever-growing repertory, the functionality of the respective smartphone can be extended considerably.

As any self-respecting new cell phone, the G1, too, comes equipped with a camera. Currently, the record for image resolution among camera phones is 10 megapixels. But there’s a slight change of direction coming up, departing from the usual “more and more” mantra. For on the one hand, outside of high professional photography, the point and practicability of resolutions beyond 6 megapixels is disputed. On the other hand, there’s a big disparity between the professional level resolution and the other, cheap components used in cell phone cameras, particularly the lens system. Improvements are in sight, and also, more attention may be given to the rather weak video recording capabilities of camera phones so far. 

Lastly, the spreading eco and energy saving trend does not spare the world of  mobile communications. As far as the visions of Intel’s research and development department are concerned, the battery-free cell phone might soon become a reality. Battery-free watches, which are fed with solar energy and/or with kinetic energy from the movements of their wearers, are already available. Meanwhile, MIT Micro has found inspiration in the automobile industry and is diligently working on the fuel cell for the cell phone.