Top 5 Future Cell Phones

Since the introduction of the iPhone, the cell phone market in the United States has started to shift. Before the iPhone, most smartphone owners in the United States were enterprise users. That means they owned a smartphone for business purposes. They'd check e-mail and browse the Web, often while driving, weaving in and out of traffic and scaring the rest of us.



But the iPhone helped introduce the general consumer to smartphones. Its sleek design and intuitive interface appealed to a wide audience. It didn't hurt that Apple partnered with AT&T, the second-largest cell phone carrier in the United States, for U.S. distribution. Soon lots of people were exploring advanced phone features while attempting to navigate through city traffic. Isn't progress wonderful?

In many ways, the iPhone was a game-changing device. It proved that customers in the United States were ready to join the smartphone customer base. Meanwhile, smartphone users in Europe and Asia quietly chuckled while they used their own phones to watch television or control major financial institutions.

Today, it seems like it's only a matter of time before the newest smartphone to hit the market is branded an iPhone-killer (or potential killer). The iPhone continues to sell well with each new generation of hardware. But other big names are getting into the game and we may yet see some serious competition rise in the consumer market.

With that in mind, it's time to gaze into the technological crystal ball and take a look at what the future of cell phones will be. Rather than focus on prototypes or unreleased handsets, our list, in no particular order, covers a few phones that manufacturers may one day put in the hands of consumers -- but hopefully not while they're driving.

5: Unlocked iPhone

We begin with the consumer smartphone that got the ball rolling in the United States -- Apple's iPhone. Many technology journalists, product reviewers and consumers have lots of great things to say about the iPhone. But some also criticize the iPhone's partner in the United States: AT&T.




Criticisms range from poor call quality to spotty data connections over AT&T's 3G cellular network. While AT&T continues to invest in its infrastructure to make its services more reliable and robust, some customers are calling for Apple to form relationships with other cell carriers. That move could open the iPhone up to a much larger customer base.

There are, however, a few obstacles in the way. One is that Apple signed an exclusivity deal with AT&T. But even when that deal expires, there are other considerations to take into account. For example, in the United States, there are currently two different cellular technologies at work: CDMA and GSM. The first and third-place cell carriers, Verizon and Sprint, use CDMA technology. AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM. The two technologies aren't compatible. So to create an unlocked phone that could work on any carrier, Apple would have to build iPhone models that could accept CDMA signals.

Another problem is the App Store. While Apple promotes its App Store as one of the selling points of the iPhone, it's possible that not all cell carriers would want to support all the apps developers create for the iPhone.

Are these problems insurmountable? Probably not -- but we might have to wait until the 4G phone network rolls out in the United States before we get an unlocked iPhone.


4: Microsoft Zune Phone

Microsoft is already involved in both the smartphone and the MP3 player markets. The company produces an operating system called Windows Mobile for cell phones and smartphones. Its line of personal media players is called the Zune. In 2009, Microsoft introduced the Zune HD, a personal media player with a slick OLED screen and HD playback capabilities.



Could a device that combines Microsoft's experience in smartphones and media players hit store shelves soon? Such a device would compete with Apple's iPhone. The Zune HD received some praise from reviewers when it launched in 2009. But despite the positive response, the device lacks the features it would need to compete head-on with Apple's iPod Touch, let alone the iPhone.

The biggest advantage Apple's iPod Touch has over the Zune is Apple's App Store. The iPod Touch can use many of the same applications designed for the iPhone. But Microsoft's Zune HD can't tap into the Windows Mobile store for applications. So, a device that combines the Zune's powerful media capabilities and the Windows Mobile smartphone capabilities would be a force to be reckoned with.

In 2009, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that Zune integration would soon arrive on Windows Mobile.

3: Google Phone

Back in 2007, the blogosphere was abuzz with rumors that Google would get into the smartphone business. What would the phone look like? Would Google partner with an exclusive carrier the way Apple did? Could the search engine company build a device capable of taking on the iPhone?

It turned out that Google wasn't interested in getting into the hardware game. Instead, the company designed an operating system for smartphones called Android. Google's approach was to design the OS rather than the device itself. Google partners with hardware manufacturers to develop new smartphones.



While there's only one line of iPhones, there are many different phones that run on the Android operating system. Some of these phones are exclusive to specific cell carriers but the OS itself is nonexclusive. In the United States, Android phones are or will soon be available on three of the four major cell phone carrier services. Only AT&T is left out -- the company hasn't announced official plans for any Android phones.

In October 2009, Scott Moritz of TheStreet.com reported that Google has plans to develop its own handset. Could we see a Google Phone hit store shelves? Such a strategy would allow Google to create an open-source handset of its own. But it would also mean that Google would create a device that would go into direct competition with other phones running the Android operating system. It may turn out that the original rumors of a Google Phone could come true.


2: BlackBerry Consumer Smartphone

While the iPhone has captured consumer interest in the United States smartphone market, Research in Motion (RIM) still sells more smartphones. The RIM smartphone is better known as the BlackBerry, a line of phones that has become popular for executives and business professionals.



Recently, RIM has attempted to capture consumer interest with new BlackBerry phone models like the Curve, Storm and Pearl. But while the company has pushed innovation in handset design, the basic RIM user interface has been slower to evolve. Perhaps the most common consumer complaint about the BlackBerry is the Web browsing experience. The BlackBerry interface is great at handling tasks like e-mail and calendar management. But the phone's Web browser isn't as sophisticated as competing brands.

If RIM puts the same effort into designing an intuitive, fun Web browser as it has in handset design, the BlackBerry line of phones could continue to outsell products from competitors like Apple.

1: Palm Smartphone

The Palm Treo holds a special place in the hearts of many users. It started out as a personal digital assistant with no phone component at all. But as the product evolved over generations, it became one of the first smartphones in the U.S. market. Once Palm purchased Handspring, the company that created the Treo, the company assured its reputation in the smartphone industry.

In 2008, Palm discontinued its line of Treo phones. But at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the company had a new device on display. They called it the Palm Pre. It sported a new operating system called WebOS. It had a touch-screen interface as well as a physical keyboard. This tantalizing glance raised the hopes of Palm fans everywhere.



Months passed between the sneak peek at the device and when it actually launched on the Sprint network in the United States. Palm failed to capitalize on the buzz generated at CES and the Palm Pre faced an uphill battle to claim market share.

Later in 2009, Palm introduced the Pixi. The Pixi runs the same operating system as the Palm Pre but it's aimed at a different market. The phone lacks some of the Pre's features but it also costs less than its bigger brother.

If Palm can improve upon its hardware and get its devices on other cell phone carriers, it could produce a robust smartphone that could stand toe-to-toe with the other leaders in the market.

In addition to these five potential smartphones, there are dozens of other manufacturers and companies that could enter the space and take us by surprise. In fact, several computer companies are looking at the smartphone market with interest.