Great new news for Qipit users! With the latest announcements and releases of flagship mobile phones by the handset manufactures and major wireless carriers, we are seeing the development of two significant trends in the mobile market. The first is a trend of higher mega-pixel and greater quality camera modules with autofocus. The second is an open market place for mobile software.

This week T-mobile, HTC and Google launched the much anticipated G1 smartphone (aka Google Phone) using the Android operating system.

From a hardware standpoint, we love the 3.2 mega-pixel camera with autofocus, finally! The phone also sports a keyboard, 3G internet connection, a browser, and of course it runs applications. These features will make it great for using Qipit to scan, copy and fax documents on the go. Simultaneously Google launched the Android Market, this is an application store that allows users to download applications for their new shiny mobile phone.

Verizon Wireless and Research in Motion (RIM) will soon launch the new Blackberry Storm that will also possess a 3.2 mega-pixel camera with auto-focus.

The twist for the Storm will be it’s revolutionary touch screen keyboard. RIM developed a new technology they call ClickThrough, which consists of a suspension system that lies beneath the display, so that when you go to select an application or enter text, you actually push the screen down like you would any other tactile button.The word is that the Storm will be out for the holiday shopping season, watching Verizon Wireless closely, I can say that they have everything prepared for the launch, so it should be very soon. RIM also announced they will launch a Blackberry Application Storefront in March 2009, with a similar model to the Android Market and iPhone App Store.

The significance of the software marketplaces is that it is easier for developers to get their applications to the users. The traditional process for developers to publish software through the wireless carrier is long, cumbersome and many times just not feasible, especially for vertical or unproven applications. Application marketplaces will allow the best applications to bubble to the top by letting the market place (i.e. the users) decide what are the best applications, rather than a handful of overwhelmed decision makers at the wireless carriers.

There is another flagship handset to note, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone (aka the Tube). This touch screen camera phone has a 3.2 megapixel resolution camera with Carl Zeiss optics and auto-focus. Are you seeing the trend?

Nokia has already launched the phone in London and reports it will be sold in the U.S. for the holidays.

Now the question is when will the far-sighted iPhone get an upgrade to compete with it’s keen-eyed competition? My prediction is that in the next iPhone design, the camera will not be overlooked. What do you think? I think all the stars are finally lining up.

~ Conrad