Will mobile phones overtake the PC as our main device? 

Kashminder Singh

The mobile phone has been a multi tasking device for almost four years now. From the moment the camera was added on to it, its destiny was assured. This trend was accelerated by the appearance of smartphones. So it’s no wonder then that mobile phones can do lots of things.

But thus far, the mobile phone has merely been an extension device, to be used only when primary devices were not available. Instead, the PC rules as the device of choice. We use the mobile phone to surf the Internet only when we don’t have access to a regular PC. Or we take photos with a mobile phone when a camera is not at hand.

But the dominant position of the personal computer may be at threat.

It’s easy to see why the personal computer is the first device for users. There is a stable and developed operating system. There is a vast community of developers constantly bringing out new applications and services. Most importantly, it has a stranglehold on the Internet. The large PC screen and keyboard/mouse input currently makes for the best Internet experience. By turning into a laptop, it has even managed to acquire to some extent, the greatest strength of the mobile phone which is mobility.

Mobile phones on the other hand have a lot of handicaps in its battle for premier position. A small screen size, a young operating system and a missing keyboard pose major challenges for mobile phones.

Despite all that, one major factor may yet tip the balance in favour of the mobile phone, and that is its ubiquity.

For all the popularity of personal computers, there are still lots of people who do not have access to computers. But chances are that these people will own a handphone. And these phones will be with them wherever they go.

Companies are beginning to realise this and thus an increasing number of people are beginning to turn their attention towards exploiting the reach of the mobile phone.
The trick, it now seems, is to start with the mobile phone itself instead of attempting to port applications and solutions from the PC environment. So, instead of trying to make a phone browser behave like Internet Explorer, efforts are being made towards creating an Internet designed for mobile phones. This has lead to WAP making a comeback. T

hat’s because WAP applications are one of the easiest way to display information on phones.
A lot of developers have also totally bypassed the PC and are working on creating purely mobile applications and services. Mobile Money, which has created a lot of buzz, is an innovative application that seeks to turn the mobile phone into a credit card. Others are working on ways for workers to access enterprise data and applications via mobile phones. Corporations stand to save a lot of money as they could just purchase mobile phones for their executives instead of laptops.

Imagine too if governments decide to focus on creating simple and easy ways for citizens to access government services through mobile phones. In one stroke, the digital divide would have become a lot smaller. Even the humblest of farmer in a remote village could have a mobile phone. There would be no need then to lament that broadband providers are not doing enough in rural areas. They won’t have to anymore.

So just what would it take to make this happen? Nothing much, really. Most of the areas are already being addressed. Only one still requires a lot of work. So far, there has been no good alternative to the keyboard. But even in this area I believe the solution is not too far away. We will simply eliminate the need for a keyboard.

This will become a reality when voice recognition technology matures. Then we won’t have to type letters anymore. We will be able to create documents and fill in forms by speaking and our speech will be turned into text.

When that happens, people will reach for their phones first when they need to do some serious work.

Kash plans to become a phone evangelist. To join him, email him at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it