Top Trends of CTIA 2009

There was a lot to see at the CTIA Wireless Convention 2009, in Las Vegas, although not all of it was new or interesting. Fortunately, there were some cool new announcements and a bunch of cool gadgets to try out. We’ve been up and down the length of that convention and we’ve put together a quick list of the technologies and trends that dominated CTIA 2009. These are the things you’ll see a lot more of this year and in years to come.

Doing It All

The phone is already a camera and, in most instances, an MP3 player, but the real emphasis for the future is having a single device or program that aggregates all the tasks you normally do into one place. It’s more than adding web browsers and a few silly apps. Devices have to have a mulititude of functions to be worth our time. Video, music, pictures and web surfing are standard now and people want to know what other features manufacturers can add to the mix.

Mobile entertainment (Primetime2go)

The other side of the Doing It All trend is that all those new features require content to use them with. What good is a web browser and a video player function if you don’t have the bandwidth to download a movie or a place to download it from? As a result, many wireless companies are starting to make deals with places that can provide media and entertainment, including games, movies, TV shows and music, to mobile phones.

One of the biggest examples was the release of PrimeTime2Go, an app for BlackBerry phones that allows users to download their favorite TV shows onto their device to watch later. These kinds of services designed specifically for mobile viewing will become more popular.

Touchscreens

Even though most people still like to type on a physical keyboard to send messages, navigating menus with a touchscreen is all the rage right now. Almost all the new phone announcements we saw at CTIA were for touchscreen phones. Many still include a slide-out keyboard to make typing easier, but the new focus on touchscreen navigation has led to redesigned interfaces and a demand for applications that can make use of touchscreens.

Web Browsing

Like it or not, we are increasingly reliant on the internet no matter where we are, which is what has created so much demand for phones that can surf the Web. Many companies are focusing on new mobile browsers that can easily function on the limited hardware capacity of phones and speed up the surfing process on limited bandwidth.

Companies are also feeling pressure to expand network capacity as more and more people are using bandwidth to surf the internet and download media.

Apps

The craze was set off by the Apple App Store for the iPhone and iPod tocuh, but now every manufacturer is looking for a way to capitalize on the demands for mobile apps. These apps add simple functionality but allow you to customize the features of your phone based on which ones you choose to download. And the app business has proven to be pretty lucrative too, creating further incentive to have apps for every type of phone. Over the next few years we’re going to see an app frenzy among mobile networks.

The age of having a simple cell phone device with nothing more than a calculator and an alarm setting are over. The future is all about cramming the most features, media and apps into a phone. CTIA shows us that a phone is no longer just a phone, it’s a part of our lifestyle.

To see the best products at the convention, head over to the review of CTIA products.