Telephony 2.0

Remember when phones and PIMs (personal information managers) were separate devices? Phones had dialpads, PIMs typically had touch screens and a stylus (and pretty good handwriting recognition, a slick technology that is now mostly irrelevant). Device UIs and input styles were simpler then.

The Blackberry with its full keyboard changed the game and became a standard, until the Apple iPhone appeared and a large (multi) touch screen made its reappearance added by the iPhone’s super-slick Web browser and native apps. But the iPhone left as much behind — mainly an easy-to-access an use physical dialpad and keyboard. For some, the trade-off was worth it; for other users, it’s a problem.

As serious iPhone competitors come to market, some new screen and input paradigms are emerging. And though the phones aren’t available yet, some online emulators and hands-on reviewscan provide some feel for what they’ll be like.

First up is the T-Mobile G1, based on Google Android (click here to access the Web-based emulator), which will be in stores later this month. Android combines a touch-screen with a slide-out, landscape-oriented keyboard. Playing with the OS and emulated device, it’s easy to see that this hybrid approach may make sense for some users. It results in a bulky device, but the hardware profile is sure to slim down over time.

More interesting is the new Blackberry Storm, previewed today on a few gadget Web sites and soon to arrive at Verizon, Vodafone and other carriers. Gone is Blackberry’s trademark keyboard, either its full keyboard or Pearl SureType-driven keyboard. Users interact with the phone strictly via the touchscreen, much like the iPhone. What’s interesting, though is that the Storm’s touch-based keyboards appear to be taking software UI-based keyboards to the next level by providing additional tactile feedback from the screen. Essentially, using the Storm on-screen keyboard, you touch an onscreen button to “indicate” the letter you want, then physically * push down * on the screen to enter the character.

It’s an interesting compromise — a soft keyboard with tactile feedback from an unexpected part of the hardware, the screen itself.

Why is this important? The success of the user interface of mobile devices will have a huge impact on how the mobile world evolves. The iPhone actually plays in the real world more like a browsing and app platform than a phone/messaging device, a reality that will ultimately impact its adoption among the non-early-adopter crowd.

Innovative hybrid input/UI solutions such as those from Google, RIM — and certainly, future iterations of the iPhone — will have a major impact on how such devices will be used in the future.

Last week’s news was that the latest iPhone firmware update broke nearly every third-party app.

This week’s question is: what exactly is Apple’s next move regarding third-party application development?

Would-be answers (ie, rumors) include: soon, Sidekick-style; post-Leopard-OS release; never, at least competitors hope; and too late.

We’re starting to work on an iPhone application development story, and our biggest fear is that whatever we write will be obsolete by the time it appears in print.

Do you have thoughts on iPhone application development, particularly how it impacts AT&T and other carriers? Drop me a line: rkarpinski AT telephonyonline DOT com

Like everyone else, we’re written in the past about rumors of a Google Phone.

Today, the New York Times breaks some of the most interesting Google Phone news yet: it isn’t a hardware device at all but a suite of Linux-base software and applications that Google is trying to pitch to phone-makers and carriers.

Accompanied by a photo of a “praying” Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the story quotes “industry executives familiar with Google’s plans.” The key developments:

At the core of Google’s phone efforts is an operating system for mobile phones that will be based on open-source Linux software, according to industry executives familiar with the project. In addition, Google is expected to develop mobile versions of its applications that go well beyond the mobile search and map software it offers today. Those applications may include a Web browser to run on cellphones. While Google has built phone prototypes to test its software and show off its technology to manufacturers, the company is not likely to make the phones itself, according to analysts. In short, Google is not creating a gadget to rival the iPhone, but rather creating software that will be an alternative to Windows Mobile from Microsoft and other operating systems, which are built into phones sold by many manufacturers. And unlike Microsoft, Google is not expected to charge phone makers a licensing fee for the software.

Interesting. But screwing over your enemies (Microsoft) is one thing, but potentially strafing the mobile universe in order to take take mobile advertising revenues from your would-be partners isn’t exactly a clear path to a winning outcome.

Would carriers let their current mobile app decks get knocked out of place by the “Gphone” OS? Maybe for a share of the profits — and a big share. Would Google go for that? I imagine they’d have to.

All the talk about Windows Mobile is interesting, because for all of Steve Ballmer’s new-found interest in building an advertising business, we haven’t heard anything of turning Windows Mobile into an ad engine. Maybe another idea for Microsoft to embrace and extend.

So…carriers and device-makers: would you partner with Google to distribute a Gphone app and OS stack, subsidized by advertising? Let us know what you think.