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You won't own your mobile in the future, it will own you

By Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix Software


Johannesburg, 30 May 2012

As a trend, mobility has been steadily growing for the past 10 years, and looks set to continue on this trajectory into the future. According to Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of specialist distributor Phoenix Software, by 2020, mobile phones will become primary personal computing devices in place of personal computers (PCs).

“Every electronic device will have total connectivity, and data from this interactivity will be stored digitally and controlled on mobile phones. For example, there will be easy file sharing directly from one person to another, without having to copy a file onto a USB memory stick, move the stick to another PC and then copy it onto the PC again,” he says.

Mobile hardware may become thinner and lighter, but the software will store so much data gathered from a cloud interface that each individual's identity will be completely bound up in their phones, which will behave even more like personal computers. Globally, far more people own mobile phones than have access to laptops, so over time, the personal computer will fade into insignificance in the same way that mainframe computers have done.

The basic software functionality to do this already exists, but Campbell-Young believes there are two issues which still need to be resolved: battery life and security. “Battery life on mobile phones will need to be extended considerably to make it viable to store so much data and connect with so many interfaces on the cloud; even when not being used to make calls, mobiles are constantly monitoring the network in case a call comes in, and they also transmit a signal every now and then to keep in touch with it, which uses up battery power,” he explains.

“Security will also increasingly rely on biometric authentication, such as iris-recognition, voice-recognition, facial-recognition or palm-print recognition to access data, in place of passwords. Although not secure enough, passwords do have the advantage of being able to be re-issued if lost or stolen. Mobile users will want reassurance that when they connect to a television of the future, it will not allow their personal or business data to be available to other people without their consent.”

This process of total connectivity is already happening in places like Japan, South Korea, Singapore and even India, while these sorts of transactions will increasingly become the norm in Europe, as privacy issues become less important for the younger generation of consumers. “Mobiles may not become exact replicas of personal computers, but they will develop into very useful mobile computing devices that offer some of the functions of today's PCs,” Campbell-Young concludes.

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Phoenix Software

Phoenix Software, a division of the Phoenix Distribution group of businesses, is a focused software publishing and distribution business that is one of the leading suppliers of consumer-related IT software products through mass retail in sub-Saharan Africa. The company has a focused retail division, covering all major and mid-tier retail outlets across sub-Saharan Africa, as well as a focused small enterprise, SME and large-scale enterprise software division. In addition, Phoenix Software is a specialist volume licensing distributor and OEM partner for numerous vendors, creating bespoke software and accessory bundling for value-added promotions across the retail and business-to-business landscape.

Having recently celebrated its 10th year in business, the company has established itself as the industry partner of choice, with a wide range of products boasting a diversity of categories. Services offered include volume licensing on all leading brands, educational discounts, and retail distribution. Phoenix Software manages all services that assist customers with supply, namely inbound and outbound logistics, merchandising, training, marketing, publishing, key account management and market trends.

Phoenix Software's product range includes titles from leading vendors such as AVG, Ability, ArcSoft, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Exspect, Individual Software, ISLight, Kaspersky lab, Magix, Nero, Navigon, Pinnacle Systems, Propalms, Oregon Scientific, Roxio, UniBlue, Lavasoft, Sony Creative Software, TuneupUtilities, PineApp, Parallels, Rebit, NCH, Zemana, Zoner, StorageCraft and Large Software.

The Phoenix Distribution group has a global footprint, with strategic partnerships in the USA, Germany, France and Singapore. Phoenix Software is represented in the UK and Europe via a wholly-owned subsidiary, PX Software, and has branches in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Phoenix Distribution is 50.5% owned by First Technology Holdings, the largest privately owned IT company in Africa.

For more information, visit www.phoenixsoftware.co.za.

Editorial contacts

Mia Andric
Phoenix Distribution
(082) 564 0087