It's that time of the year again when the telco industry gathers in the island-state of Singapore for one of Asia's largest infocomm tradeshows, CommunicAsia. As with previous events, this year's fair should faithfully showcase some of the latest products and applications in the mobile communications arena, including the newest range of mobiles and accessories from key handset makers in the region. Here are some key trends we're expecting to see at this year's CommunicAsia.

Calls for free

	Skype service lets users chat on cellular devices

Imagine a mobile phone that lets you make cellular as well as VoIP calls. The commercial availability of such a device may be closer than you think. Some smart phones and PDA-phones (such as the BenQ P50) in the market today already come with Skype software. A few phone vendors have also indicated VoIP integration into the upcoming plans. So who knows? We may just get to see a couple of them on demo at this year's trade fair.

Revving up with fuel cells
With increasingly more multimedia features packed into phones these days, there's a growing need for vendors to develop battery cells that can hold more charge. One of the likely technologies on the horizon is fuel cells. Japan's mobile carriers NTT DoCoMo and KDDI have already announced plans to launch fuel cell rechargers for mobile phones in 2007, with other vendors expected to follow suit over the next couple of years. Be sure to look out for prototype samples of fuel cells at the NTT DoCoMo booth.

	Will vendors tune into mobile TV at the show?

Mobile TV: Next big thing?
When Nokia first announced that its TV-enabled N92 will be available in the middle of 2006, we were expecting the DVB-H service to be available, too, in time for the World Cup. Disappointingly, that did not materialize. However, visitors to CommunicAsia can still expect to see vendors such as Samsung and LG showcasing their latest phones and handhelds with mobile TV capability. Some of these handsets, like the N92, even sport built-in recording and programming functions.

Bigger, better, faster
The new generation of mobile phones can only get bigger, better and faster. Bigger in terms of screen size and storage to accommodate high multimedia needs, although the recent Nokia N-series handsets have tested the limits of portability on several occasions. Better ergonomics and design will be key features that vendors will focus on as phones become an increasingly integral part of our lives. Faster connectivity such as 3G and HSDPA will be needed to better support the various multimedia functions. Expect to see wireless LAN become a standard feature on smart phones, too.

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