Crossed wires at Mobile World highlight need for regulation

The rise of smartphone functionality over the last couple of years matched with the emergence of tablet devices such as Apple's iPad, has meant that mobile computing with so-called "rich media experiences" has finally arrived.

With the physical hurdle of device power momentarily to one side, much of the focus at last week's Mobile World Congress exhibition in Barcelona has been on device fragmentation and the lack of standards as manufacturers all now start to pump out their version of the next must-have hand-held.

The problem is that as devices proliferate and grow, there are an increasing number of operating system options available to control the central heart of these mobile units. Apple's iOS is joined by the Windows Phone 7 and Android operating systems, then there is the Intel and Nokia sponsored MeeGo open source option, which in turn is joined by Symbian and BlackBerry OS among others.

Wandering between the brightly lit stands and meeting rooms here in the capital city of Spanish Catalan culture, it is clear that none of the companies in attendance are going to talk too volubly about the inter-connectivity issues thrown up by this increasingly fragmented market.

Far from it, billing technology companies such as the Russian CBOSS see the current situation as an opportunity to sell more contracts to more companies in more market niches. This may explain why the company has a troop of dancing girls on its stand, or they may just be an exuberant kind of outfit.

Necessities

What the industry knows of course is that we need standards and we need open standards at that. Proprietary lock-in of the style often favoured by both Apple and Microsoft is still common, but things are slowly changing. News emerged last week of eight major telco operators signing up to the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), a body established to encourage the adoption of open standardised technologies for mobile applications. China Mobile, Vodafone, Verizon, Telenor, MTS, Orange, Telefonica and Smart have all just signed up to WAC specification, which is now compliant with the comparatively new HTML5 language used for building web pages.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer used his keynote address to somewhat predictably state that Windows Phone 7 is: "The most operator-friendly platform available." Ballmer's comments follow in the wake of his company's recent alliance with Nokia, which the two companies have entered into in bid to create what he calls a "new global smartphone ecosystem".

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop told reporters here last week that he had "rejected Android" in favour of Windows to create a more challenging market proposition. Suggesting that the alliance of Nokia with the Google-owned Android would have created an unhealthy duopoly between Google/Nokia and Apple, Elop hinted that we may see the first Nokia/Microsoft phone as early as the end of this year.

Middle Eastern representation at Mobile World Congress this year has been respectable with Etisalat and Qatari Qtel taking the bigger of the stands on offer. Outside the Gulf, a tight-knit group of Egyptian companies were also present including Datanil, Telcomax Group and ITIDA, the government's Information Technology Industry Development Agency.

Somewhat distracted by recent events in Cairo, the Egyptian contingent appeared similarly concerned about the need for industry regulation, as the country's infrastructure may be on the brink of new legislative direction when a new president is elected.

If last week's exhibition proves anything, it is that we need more controls in place now before we run the risk of fragmentation evolving into a more damaging state of collapse. It is not just a question of industry consolidation and alliances — it is a more fundamental consensus of opinion on considerations like software inter-operability and standards. If we do not start to see the industry taking this issue more seriously, the next generation of devices may end up with more crossed wires than seamless crackle-free connections.

New gadgets

In terms of new devices launched last week in Barcelona, the headline grabbers have been Samsung's Galaxy S II and the LG Optimus 3D with its 4.3-inch touch screen and its parallax barrier — basically a clever LCD screen filter — which it uses to pump out 3D graphics without the need for special 3D glasses.

Sony Ericsson also appears to have scored well with its Xperia Play, or the PlayStation Phone as it is already being dubbed. The device runs retro PS1 titles and original Sony content through the forthcoming PlayStation Suite download website — it also has dedicated gaming buttons on its pull-out panel.

Also previewed last week was RIM's BlackBerry Playbook 4G, a tablet device that will be offered in 3G and Wi-Fi options with three other editions also available for different 4G networks including the HPSA+ standard, which is available in the UAE and Kuwait.

 - The writer is a freelance journalist.