In the midst of all the excitement about the latest iPhone or Android powered model, it seems that commentators are ignoring the dramatic opportunity that exists in the developing world, and amongst lower income individuals elsewhere, for handsets that can offer 'smartphone' style features but at a lower price.
Even though those of us lucky enough to be able to afford an iPhone have been taught that such phones need to cost hundreds of dollars, this is not the case. The combination of innovative software with a low powered Mediatek platform (the platform that powers all the so called Chinese Bandit phones) can deliver such a solution. Such software has been developed by a HK company called Maxitech and their first phones have recently been launched in Indonesia and Thailand.
Whilst the functionality that Maxitech (with their partners CSL and Justco) are offering today tends towards the social and entertaining (eg facebook and twitter connections and chatting), the educational and productivity benefits of such a platform in lesser developed countries could be massive. In these countries, the mobile phone is the principal access point for the internet and the principal data communication channel. However, the handsets that are available there are either second hand or second rate phones supplied by hardware focused brands such as Nokia.
The ability to be able to customise a low cost phone (potentially as cheap as $10) to be able to offer a broad range of applications that enhance data communication should be picked up by multinational bodies such as the African Development Bank and national telcos and promoted aggressively. There is no reason to settle for 10 year old Nokia candy bars with limited functionality when phones that not only look similar to blackberry's but also have many similar features, can be acquired at the same cost!
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