The mobile phone has had the most pervasive influence on our “digital lives” since its inception over 35 years ago - only the internet could be argued to have had more of an effect - and with the lines between mobile and fixed internet blurring, it will be the mobile device that becomes the prevalent internet appliance over the next five years. In recognition of the influence of the Mobile Phone, listed below is what I believe to be the definitive list of “landmark” devices that have brought us to where we are today - in reverse order…

10. Motorola DynaTAC
(a.k.a. “the first portable mobile phone”)

Ironically, the first “mobile” devices were not really portable at all - they required briefcase-sized main units, and were often installed in cars. The first truly portable device was the Motorola DynaTAC (Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage) - a monoblock (or should that be monoBRICK!) design, which made its first call in 1973. The successors to the DynaTAC (the MicroTAC and StarTAC), are probably equally as deserving of the number ten spot, but the DynaTAC was first in line!

9. Sharp J-SH04
(a.k.a. “the first cameraphone”)

Another device from the ‘classics’ category (read: old), the J-SH04 was made by Sharp, and was released by J-Phone, in Japan in 2000. It was the world’s first phone to carry a camera - since then, we have had a heady spiral of development through (frankly rubbish) VGA cameras to the ten megapixel monsters of today, all of whose picture quality is well….average. Controversial I know, but many megapixels does not a good camera make! At any rate, the J-SH04 was the original, so it gets the number nine spot.

8. Nokia 1100
(a.k.a. “the highest volume sold” device ever)

‘Emerging Markets’ is one of those buzzwords doing the rounds at the moment - but its exactly that which has contributed to the 200 million units sold by Nokia - and hence the 1100’s entry at Number eight. A truly astonishing sales figure I am sure you’ll agree, but a small drop in the ocean that is the largely-untapped Chinese market.

7. (Sony) Ericsson T68(i)
(a.k.a. one of “the first popular colour screen phones”)

The T68 was not the first colour screen device (there is much debate over what was - I suspect the Japanese market holds the answer to that question) - but it was one of the first colour screen devices that could be considered “popular”. Additionally, it was fledgling Sony Ericsson’s first device - signalling the merging together of a consumer electronics company and a traditional telecoms giant.

The T68(i) has consistently great feedback on internet forums, even today - its diminutive size, fantastic battery life and great call quality being some of the reasons for that. So the T68 takes number seven!

6. Nokia 6310
(a.k.a. “the businessman’s workhorse”)

Good old Nokia - their ability to turn out sturdy, reliable, and functional phones was never greater than with the 6310 - a device which was universally popular, but particularly as a businessman’s essential ‘tool’, just a few short years ago - even today in fact, walk in to the financial district in London (the richest area, per square mile, in the UK) and you will see LOTS of these devices still in use!

5. Nokia 8110
(a.k.a. “the Matrix phone”)

The Nokia 8110 was received well on its initial release, but its prominent (blatant) use in the Wachowski brothers’ seminal sci-fi flick ‘The Matrix’, planted it firmly in the collective conciousness of the mobile-savvy generation. Interestingly, the 8110 in the film had a spring slide mechanism, which was used to great effect - a feature that never existed in the original handset, and was in fact borrowed from its eventual successor, the 7110 (one of the first phones to offer a ‘WAP experience’). We won’t mention here the abomination that was the Samsung handset from the second film in the trilogy (Google it if you can’t remember it…) - instead let’s console ourselves with the great memories of Neo and Trinity using the 8110 spring slide in the first film… Ahh…..

4. Motorola RAZR V3
(a.k.a. “the first fashion phone”?)

Well, possibly not the first fashion phone, but arguably the phone that heralded the evolution of “Size 0″ phones! Since the RAZR’s release in 2004, it has sold in excess of 50 million units, due to a combination of iconic design, colour variants, and some excellent marketing. The effect of colour variations should not be understated, since the RAZR was also the first phone to make pink a popular for mobile devices - previously there was a colour palette of mainly black, and er… silver.

Moto’s RAZR did suffer some from some foibles - a “non-optimal” (!) user interface, and also not responding well to being dropped spring to mind - but it single-handedly created a new market segment of ultra-thin devices, in parallel with delivering mass appeal - and for that reason my friends, it takes the number four spot!

3. RIM BlackBerry (8800)
(a.k.a. “how to turn email on its head”!)

It could be slightly unfair to single out a specific model in the BlackBerry range, since it’s really the whole range that has had the most significant effect on Mobile - taking a mission-critical application, such as Enterprise Email, and delivering it securely, effectively, and dynamically over an inherently unreliable bearer - wireless networks. There is no doubt the impact BlackBerry has had, and now barely a day goes by when you won’t see a business person furiously stabbing away at their BlackBerry - anecdotally the devices are so addictive, they even garnered the nickname “CrackBerry”!

The model we feature in the top ten is the 8800, which was really RIM’s first attempt to marry some seriously sleek design styling to the hardware layout required (the BlackBerry’s QWERTY keyboard makes it a lot wider than most devices).

What happens when you take your existing killer app and add to it great design? You get a device that becomes even more insanely popular, and so, the BlackBerry 8800 is at number three.

2. Apple iPhone
(a.k.a. “the next-gen mobile device” - finally!)

Oh, this is going to anger a fair few people. But let’s leave the issue of why the iPhone isn’t number 1 on this list for a bit later - first of all, let’s explore what makes the iPhone a bit of a world beater; especially considering that it’s Apple’s first venture into the world of mobile phones. How did they get the iPhone so right?

Well, many of the things that Apple focused on with the development of the iPhone were the key things that were either deficient, or desired - yes, if you can improve on one of these areas in an upcoming mobile device, you’re going to have a good product on your hands.

First of all, having a simple UI - in fact, so simple that anyone can just pick it up and use it - was a major jump forward, since most mobile devices take a more complex layered approach - by promoting all the applications to the homescreen of the device, usage immediately becomes simpler.

Second, having direct touch input on the screen, again removed a layer in the “Man-Machine Interface” (the technical term for how you interact with your device) - why press a keypad when you can just tap what you want on screen? And why stop at basic touch - whilst designing the interface, why not add the capability to have gestures, and a multi-touch screen? Small steps, but add enough of them together and you’re suddenly taking a giant leap.

Thirdly, make the device desirable - not really a major issue for Apple, since their design aesthetic is arguably one of the best in any industry; plus, they have superb marketing - this combination, and of course the resulting hype, drove the desire for the iPhone to frenzied levels not seen in years.

Finally, give the device some “killer apps” - let’s say for example, full internet browsing, and the best digital music delivery/catalogue system yet invented - will those do? Apple’s iPod/iTunes heritage is integrated superbly well in the iPhone, as is a pretty much full version of the Safari web browser - making the “connected experiences” of music consumption and internet browsing truly feasible on a mobile device for the first time.

These are just a few of the multitude of reasons why the iPhone has reached the level that it has in the USA, and so quickly. Going forward, the iPhone is going to be remembered, I believe, as possibly THE device that started the transition of mobile phones from simple “voice & text” units, to fully-featured, connected, internet appliances.

But let’s move onto the iPhone’s few shortcomings that have prevented it from taking the number 1 spot, as most would probably have predicted. First of all, there is no Flash support, and no Java integration either. For a device claiming to bring ‘the complete internet experience’ to the end user, this is a fairly big issue. Future firmware versions will no doubt introduce the phone to the concepts, but this kind of support should be provided out of the box.

There is a distinct lack of 3rd party applications for the platform - something at which Symbian phone users would be raising eyebrows. This ‘tied-in’ feel is also present in the fact that the iPhone is locked to a single network - AT&T in the USA and O2 in the UK - meaning that people are often forced to switch providers, buying into the Apple monopoly simply to get a particular handset.

Add to this the lack of 3G support (let’s face it - EDGE is stone-age technology in comparison to the speedy 3G mobile internet networks); a distinctly shoddy 2MP camera considering the overall build quality of the device; the lack of a memory card slot; having to use 2 hands just to type an SMS (one to hold, one to stab haphazardly at the onscreen keyboard)… and the list is starting to build. However, these are minor niggles, unworthy of displacing the iPhone from reaching #1… but unfortunately there’s still a biggie yet to be mentioned - no multimedia messaging (MMS). I have no idea what Apple were thinking.

Having said all that, it’s still a hell of a first effort for Apple, and claiming the second spot on this list is no mean feat.

1. Nokia N95
(a.k.a. “jack of all trades, master of some”)

I struggled for some time deciding on whether the Nokia N95 should come in at number one, especially given the stiff competition offered by the iPhone - after all, by placing it here, I am saying this device is the most game-changing mobile devices to have come in to existence thus far. But the more I think about it, the more I feel this position is justified, even though people may be too blinded by the prettiness of the iPhone to notice the impact of this brilliant handset. Why? Well, let’s look at some good reasons…

Firstly the Nokia N95 is, I believe, the first Smartphone that has gained mass acceptance - it’s not considered a ‘Smartphone’ by teenagers, women, or businessmen - yet it sells to all of these market segments, and more - and in huge volumes.

Secondly, the technological achievements within the device are incredibly impressive - five Megapixel camera, full-rate TV-quality video recording, GPS, WiFi, the much-celebrated Accelerometer - the list goes on, and it’s backed up by good software support also, in the form of Podcasting, Office apps, Blogging and a host of third party apps. Unlike the iPhone, there is a constant stream of new apps from talented developers like Samir, the majority of which are 100% free, or require a very small donation. The Symbian platform has been around for years now, and it just happens to work - for end users as well as developers. While it’s a trifle unfair to list this is a plus point specifically for the N95 (most recent apps will run on any phone with the Symbian s60v3 OS), the N95 has wowed technophiles with its features to such an extent that there have been a huge amount of third party apps designed with solely the N95 in mind - certainly more than is the case with any other s60 handset.

Thirdly, this device is one of those responsible for changing people’s opinions on what a mobile device is - we need to bear in mind, as I said in the introduction, that the main appliance for accessing the internet in the next five years will be a mobile device. They are going to evolve to a sum greater than all of their parts, and the N95 has been instrumental in catalysing this shift. While the iPhone has captured imaginations with its design and user interface, mobile markets more mature than that of the USA have largely found Apple’s offering to be lacking in functionality; and that’s something the N95 has in droves.

Oh, and you can play Quake II on it. C’mon. Seriously.

In summary, this is an incredibly feature-rich phone, which does everything well, appeals to pretty much everyone, and is changing perceptions of what “mobile phones” can do - a worthy recipient of the number one spot!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 2:19 pmand is filed under Apple, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Top 10. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.