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In the past ten years, phone technology has evolved on several fronts - but many of the major advances have not involved telephones as we know them.

Traditional landline corded and cordless phones have seen relatively few improvements, and those have typically "trickled down" from features that were already available in models designed for corporate use. Speakerphones, conferencing, multi-line capability and the ability to put callers on hold are of course useful in a home setting as well - but they're not groundbreaking.

Cellular phones, on the other hand, have evolved considerably. Ten years ago, a mobile phone was just a phone. Today, it's likely to also be an address book, instant messenger, digital camera, audio-video recorder and player, and perhaps even a handheld computer or "personal digital assistant" (PDA). Some mobile phones even have built-in flashlights now. In developing countries where traditional phone lines are not widely available, cellular phones have become extremely popular.

An entirely new form of telephony, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), has also gained ground. Using computers and the Internet for voice calls was virtually unheard-of a decade ago, but today there are numerous programs and services available, such as Skype, Vonage and BroadVoice. Confronted with mobile phones on one side and VoIP on the other, traditional landline phones appear likely to lose ground.

The other trend that seems almost certain is continued convergence of mobile phones and portable computers. However, two major questions about convergence remain unanswered.

First, users are waiting to see whether computing capabilities can be delivered through an interface that is intuitive and easy to use on a phone-sized device, without rendering the phone capabilities harder to use. Palm and Blackberry phones have been criticized for their tiny keyboards, and Windows phones for trying to "cram" a desktop user interface into a phone. The perfect balance between "phone" and "computer" seems elusive. Some hoped Apple's recently announced iPhone would improve upon these interface metaphors, but although its interface does include some revolutionary elements, actual hands-on experiences won't be available for a few more months.

Also remaining to be seen is whether cellular technology or VoIP will ultimately win out. Cellular providers are reluctant to offer devices that can also use VoIP, thus avoiding their networks and billing systems, but a purely VoIP phone has a much more limited usage area than a cellular phone. The "ultimate phone" may be one which, like the iPhone, makes use of both cellular networks and WiFi wireless internet, but unlike the iPhone, can route calls through VoIP over WiFi when available.

Learn more about this author, Dan Birchall.
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