All the news seems to be Mobile Web-related today! Sony Ericsson have hinted that their new user interface for the XPERIA X1 smartphone could be made open to any developer who wants to use it, meaning we’ll no longer have to put up with the lousy Windows Mobile user interface that comes as standard on so many me-too Windows Mobile smarpthones.

When Sony Ericsson announced that their new smartphone, the XPERIA X1, would use Windows Mobile, the world was somewhat shocked, as Windows Mobile is, well, frankly appalling! Looking like a dinosaur in a 21st Century world of super-tech phones, Windows Mobile phones all use the same boring user interface that reminds you of Windows 95! The thought of a high-end Sony Ericsson smartphone featuring the same user interface was nothing short of horrific.

Fortunately, Sony Ericsson also realized this, and so set about developing their own user interface. The XPERIA X1, therefore, will use Windows Mobile as an a operating system, but the user will see a shiny (and, it has to be said, extremely impressive) user interface developed by Sony Ericsson.

Looking not unlike Apple’s iPhone interface, the XPERIA X1 interface uses what Sony Ericsson calls Panels, which can be thought of as individual widgets for a smartphone. Each panel contains an application, such as Google, the weather, an MP3 player, or even just a Web page. What developers do with a Panel is entirely up to them, as Sony Ericsson has developed an SDK to enable any developer to develop any application they want for the device. Sony Ericsson envisage companies such as Facebook developing Panels for their phones in the same way they’ve developed iPhone applications that integrate closely with their Web sites.

Now rumour has it that Sony Ericsson are about to open the entire Panels interface itself, it seems that any company will soon be able to put a Panels interface on their smartphone. This means that all future Windows Mobile smartphone might sport the Sony Ericsson Panels interface, rather than the boring design Microsoft lumbered us all with.

This is an interesting strategy, but one that is certain to cause application developers a fair amount of concern. Developing mobile applications was already difficult, as there’s no single platform on which to develop for. Every phone is based on an operating system of some form, but there are so many different operating systems, and each phone has so many different features, it’s been virtually impossible to develop an application that will run on all phones.

This is one of the reasons why the Apple iPhone was so popular with application developers, as it provided a solid patform for them to develop on, with Apple actively encouraging application development. If you develop for the iPhone you know exactly what features the device has and exactly what the software platform is capable of – much easier than developing for the thousands of individual mobile phones that are out there.

With Sony Ericsson’s latest news, though, we now have potentially five different platforms for developers to worry about,all of which are trying to get developers to write for their platform: Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android, Nokia’s Symbian, Windows Mobile, and now Sony Ericsson’s Panels.

So we’re back to square one with a completely fragmented market (though at least this time there are only five platforms to consider rather than hundreds!)

What all of these companies need to recognize is that there’s only one true platform that will win in the end: the Web. Just like Web 2.0 technologies are slowly migrating PC development efforts from the desktop to the Web, so too will Mobile Web applications. All it needs is for a mobile browser to offer the same level of support as a desktop browser, and there’s suddenly no need for a platform-specific environment – the browser becomes the environment through which all applications are run.

It’s the future of the Web and the future of the smartphone, and the only company who seems to get this, and who are actively promoting it, are Google. Although not seen as a realistic competitor to the iPhone just yet, once the concept of the Web as the smartphone’s platform takes off with application developers, Google Android handsets will be in a prime position to capitalize on all the innovation and development efforts, as Android phones are by far the most open of them all.

The future, therefore, is Android, and all the other platforms will just be footnotes in mobile history.

[Source: EngadgetMobile]