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Mobile Today has managed to get a quote from O2UK’s Director of Devices and Solutions – in that quote, Ian Clarke says that the iPone has acted as a catalyst for design, interface, and also the usage of mobile data – and this has spurred other manufacturers on.
Mr. Clarke also says that 2009 will even more innovation on touchscreen, plus (more advanced) cameraphone functions. Things like face detection, on-device editing, are those advanced features which have started to appear – driven by a trend of consumers wanting a camera and phone in one apparently.
Apparently there will also by more Android devices, and then from an economic perspective, customers keeping their devices longer – meaning that at contract renewal it will be an incentive from the network, rather than a handset, that could keep the user on the network. Finally, there will also be more a focus on environmental options.
Personally, I think he’s on the money in all cases here – be they smartphone or not, more devices will come with touchscreen, and better cameras. Also, I presume we can take the Android comment to mean that O2 will be launching one or more Google-powered devices this year.
But I think the most telling point here is the economic one – moving from a culture of subsidised handsets and more expensive contracts, to cheaper ones without the contract. Being an O2 sub myself, this is exactly what I have done with the simplicity tariff, and so far I am loving it! And because I am using my existing handset, it’s environmentally friendly too, since I’m not adding to the devices stockpile 
What are you thoughts for trends in 2009? Any killer initiatives out there that you think will dominate the industry….?
[Via: Mobile Today]
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
