Just as summer inevitably brings a wave of new movies, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without a bunch of new cell phones. While the Christmas buying season might not be as jolly this year, it won’t be for a want of new cell phones. As always, the action centers on the consumer market, the only market the cellular carriers seem to realize exists. So while many of these will feature Wi-Fi as well as cellular connectivity, that has nothing to do with fixed mobile convergence, mobile UC, or any of the other hot button issues for enterprise buyers. However if you’re in the market for touch screens, 2.0 megapixel cameras, and music players, have we got some deals for you!

These mobile marvels continue to demonstrate the unbounded creativity that characterizes the consumer electronics business. It’s too bad new that the market must operate under a business model that mirrors the Soviet Union’s planned economy. Each phone will be offered by a single carrier, inextricably tying the consumer product to the cellular service. So you can’t get the phone you want without getting stuck with a network you may or may not want. I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan to change my brand of gasoline when I buy a new car. We wait patiently for the day when this unholy alliance of handset manufacturers and cellular carriers is finally broken and the handset market can finally develop as it should.

In the meantime, here’s the Christmas handset lineup, the carriers who will be offering them, and their prospects in the enterprise.

• iPhone (Carrier: AT&T): Apple has led the way in demonstrating that there is a consumer market to be had for mobile devices and buyers are willing to spend money for a compelling product. While Apple has shown itself to be even more draconian than the cellular carriers when it comes to controlling their customers, the iPhone is still setting the standard for Web-enabled handsets. Business users are pressuring their IT departments to support iPhones, but the lack of centrally-managed systems for device provisioning, software maintenance, and a fundamental inability to lock-down the configuration leaves the iPhone as a great choice for your kids but a lousy choice for your vice presidents.

• G1 Android Phone (Carrier: T-Mobile): Featuring a touch screen (lacking the iPhone’s pinch-and-stretch feature) as well as a full QWERTY keyboard, the G1manufactured by HTC for T-Mobile is the first handset to support Google’s much anticipated Android operating system. Due to be released on October 22, initial reviews have been lukewarm; everyone compares it to the iPhone. As far as enterprise customers are concerned, the keyboard is a plus, but we’re not using G-Mail at the office and basic stuff like Exchange support are missing. With an open operating system, we could potentially see those essential enterprise capabilities developed for Android, at which point it will be worth another look. In the meantime, a marketing a phone whose primary features are tied to data hungry Google applications through the carrier with the poorest 3G coverage epitomizes the fundamental disconnect between marketing and operations that has characterized the cellular industry. 

• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (Unlocked- Consumer pays the full price, and the phone works on any GSM network): Nokia is also getting into the touch screen market with the 5800 XpressMusic (formerly the Tube). The phone was released on October 2 for sale in Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and Spain, but the US release is not expected before next year. The plan is to sell this handset unlocked, so you can use it on any GSM network, but you have to pay the full price. All current prices are quoted in other currencies but equate to a US price ranging between $400 and $700. If you’d like a look at it, there are YouTube videos demonstrating the user interface, which is functional, though not quite up to the level of the iPhone. While the 5800 is a consumer gadget (it comes with one year of free access to Nokia’s Music Store), Nokia’s e- and n-Series are getting some traction in the enterprise market as the poor-man’s Blackberry. One factor that is in Nokia’s favor is the Symbian development environment that is far more flexible than Blackberry’s. The result is that Wi-Fi/cellular fixed mobile convergence solutions like those from Agito and DiVitas support a range of Nokia devices but no Blackberries. 

• Blackberry Bold (Carrier: AT&T): Now we’re getting into enterprise territory- sort of. The next major enterprise device from RIM will be the Bold. The release has been delayed until November, but it is reported to be the best Blackberry yet. Rogers is already marketing the Bold in Canada, and by all reports RIM has once again hit it dead on. Slightly larger than the Curve, it feature a brighter display, the classic RIM keyboard and user interface, along with all the security and management features that have made Blackberry an enterprise mainstay; the Bold just does it better. For enterprise users, the Bold will be the one to beat. However, RIM is currently hitting on all cylinders, as their sales in the consumer market have been nothing short of amazing. According to RIM’s recent analyst call, 60% of new sales are to consumers rather than enterprise buyers, and the Bold will have a play in that market as well. 

• Blackberry 9530 Storm (Carrier: Verizon): The intelligence on the Blackberry 9530 Storm (formerly the “Thunder”) is a lot slimmer. Also due out in November, the Storm will be the first Blackberry to feature a touch screen. This on is aimed primarily at the consumer market (the “iPhone beater”), but the Storm will be a big test for RIM. RIM’s strength has been the combination of good hardware design (everyone loves that keyboard) coupled with a superb user interface. This is RIM’s opportunity to demonstrate that they can translate their legendary design expertise onto a new platform with a new user interface. We can assume the hardware will be sturdy, but the big question will be whether they can either emulate or improve upon the iPhone user interface while holding on to the security and management features that have made Blackberry a stalwart in the enterprise market. A touch screen device will fill a hole in their consumer product line, and possibly take some of the iPhone pressure off the IT departments. 

• Blackberry Pearl 8220 (Carrier: T-Mobile): The Pearl 8220 will be RIM’s first shot at a flip phone. Like the original Pearl, it will use the two-letters-per-key layout. Approximately 70% of consumers prefer a flip style, and this is RIM’s shot at giving them one. The smaller form factor demands the two-letters-per key layout that met with a lukewarm reception when it was first introduced. However RIM’s SureType technology seems to have addressed the interface issues. Practical business types will still go for the Curve or the Bold primarily, but this one could also have an enterprise play if we could actually find any enterprise T-Mobile customers.

It’s clear that the consumer markets continue to drive the cellular industry, and enterprise customers will have a much narrower range of options available. The fancy stuff is all being focused on consumers. However, there is growing pressure for the cellular carriers to loosen up their chokehold on the equipment business. When they do, there’s a load of great technology we’ll be able to retrofit for the office.