During a conference call with investors and the press to discuss quarterly results, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo let loose what most of us already assumed... that the next version of the Apple iPhone will be a 'world phone' meaning one device that is capable of running on both GSM and CDMA networks. From Barron's:

... when a new device from Apple is launched, whenever that may be, and that we will be, on the first time, on equal footing with our competitors on a new phone hitting the market, which will also be a global device.

GSM is the network technology used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States and every other mobile provider on the planet that has the iPhone for sale. CDMA is used by Verizon and Sprint in the United States, Bell and Telus in Canada, and a handful of other major providers around the world. Currently, the iPhone 4 is sold in two different flavors, the GSM version and the Verizon specific version. Each version has different radios and internal layouts, and currently run different versions of iOS. A unified phone would allow Apple to engineer one device for every provider on the planet, allowing them to sell the iPhone in more markets on more providers. A unified GSM/CDMA phone was one of my five predictions for the next iPhone. image via iFixit, iPhone 4 teardown

Late winter, early spring... it's that time of year where the entire technology world begins to wonder about what Apple has planned for the next version of the iPhone, which, come late June will be the device that sets the trend for mobile technology into the next year. Like it or hate it, the iPhone is the standard that all Android, WebOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phones must either match or surpass to be taken seriously. So what will this phone feature? It's impossible to tell until Steve Jobs takes the stage to tell us, and even then there will still be many unanswered questions until it gets into the hands of the consumer. Even though the release of the next generation iPhone happens like clock work, I'm still constantly asked questions like "when will the next iPhone be out" or "should I wait to buy it?" -- This article serves to help anwser those questions right now. By the way, if you thought I mistaken when I said Steve Jobs will take the stage, let me clarify:

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Mobile World Congress announced the winners of the various yearly awards. Everything from phones, to apps, to networks, and a bunch of other things no one except the real mobile geeks cares about. Among the most interesting awards:

• Best Mobile App - Angry Birds
• Best Mobile Device - Apple iPhone 4
• Device Manufacture of the Year - HTC

What is a little bit telling about the ecosystems of each of the major smartphone platforms, is that Apple was the only platform where a third party developer won "App of the Year" in that category:

• iOS - Angry Birds (Rovio)
• Android - Google Maps
• Blackberry - BlackBerry Messenger (RIM)

While Google Maps on Android is quite possibly the best mapping program on any mobile platform, it's sad that that was the best Android could come up. with As far as BlackBerry goes, if the built in messenger is the most interesting thing about it... it's not even worth insulting. A complete list of awards is available at the GSMA website.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiz_2c_QpOQ Yesterday Apple dropped a bombshell on the tech world when it announced it was going to be strong arming publishers and subscription based content providers by demanding 30% off the top of any transaction done in iOS. Google must have been listening to the backlash, and today announced their own payment platform for publishers called Google One Pass. However, until Apple, it will only take 10% off by handling the transaction and promises that the platform will be "open and flexible" ... something Apple isn't exactly known for. Also, unlike Apple, this payment system will not only work in regular apps, but on mobile or web based transactions. However if Apple's recent developer terms are not changed,  don't expect to see this platform on anything except Android. The platform is based on the already mature Google Checkout system.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehS-AfM4b8I This little demo from Microsoft has made me evaluate my position on Windows Phone. While the demo itself isn't perfect (there is a lot of jitter, and the phone display is just a stick figure outline) it looks like it's at least beta code they're playing and not just CGI. If this is what Microsoft has in mind for the future, sign me up!

Google has begun rolling out it's instant search feature on iOS and Android browsers. When you visit www.google.com find the "Instant (beta) is" option at the bottom and search away. Results will appear instantly in your browser.

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY4gKCGA-Cg Proof that the iPad is gaining traction in the enterprise, VMWare is hard at work developing a native version of their View client for the iPad. This will allow users to connect back to a virtual desktop infrastructure through PC over IP, which is the standard connector as of View 4.0. While the client is only in the internal alpha stages, it will already have competition from a firmly entrenched app from Wyse called PocketCloud. Wyse's app has been out nearly two years and is fully function on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Wyse's product, in addition to speaking native to the View infrastructure also can be RDP or VNC back to another non-View or even non-virtual device. They have also ported the PocketCloud app to Android. Both of these apps are driving mobile devices into a thin client space which I've always found exciting.

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Good news for almost everyone except those running anything with iOS. Adobe today confirmed that they would be releasing plugins for nearly every mobile platform that isn't run by a man wearing black turtle necks. Already present for Android 2.2, Adobe today added Windows Phone 7, WebOS, Blackberry OS, Symbian and even MeeGo and LiMo to their supported platforms. Adobe was not clear on when to expect the release on each platform, only saying that it would happen.

Already one of the top free apps on Android Market, with more than 50,000 users giving it a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating, Flash Player 10.1 brings rich Flash based content to mobile devices inside the browser. The runtime is now certified on close to a dozen Android devices and will become available on dozens more over the coming weeks and months.

via Businesswire

Bad news if you're a Nokia or Symbian fan. Great news for pretty much every other smartphone user on the planet. It would seem as if the onslaught of iOS, Android, Windows Phone, webOS and Blackberry has been too much for the Symbian Foundation to handle. The recent departure of Sony Erickson and Samsung didn't help much either. There was a time when over two-thirds of the worlds phone users sported something with Symbian running on it. As the iPhone has taken off, and major phone vendors have begun embracing Android and Windows Phone 7, there is just no longer a need for the OS.

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