Consider the fact that the future of IT is in Mobility. Look at it this way: We've made great progress in improving the performance and availability of wireless networks and we've seen great advances in mobile devices as well, especially in terms of their ability to support both local application execution and Web access. The trend toward anytime/anywhere computing is growing. No matter what the job, many professionals are now free to work wherever it's most convenient, comfortable and appropriate -from the office to the home, from the back of a taxi to a park bench.

The combination of mobile technology with IP networks is opening up new horizons of business performance improvements. Businesses now are branching out in their use of mobile applications, and the mobile device has become more than a basic productivity tool. Mobility is having a very positive impact on the bottom line.

Not to long ago the enterprise user and the general consumer had a different set of requirements for a communications system -- now that gap is closing. Now, we refer to these two types of users as Prosumers. They are consumers who are, at times, more like enterprise users. Depending on time, place and context, their access and usage needs may be best served by either the enterprise or a consumer solution. Due to their varying communication and access needs, dictated by their location and usage context (i.e., accessing enterprise Unified Communication (UC) services or having an IM session with a friend from a public Wi-Fi hotspot), these Prosumers need a solution that can meet the needs of both these usage patterns.

Today, Prosumers want connectivity to mobile networks that offer a full compliment of today's advanced communication services, such as voice, IM, presence, contact lists, corporate extension directory lists, call control features, push-to-talk, e-mail, browsing, calendar and synchronizing of personal information. For example, I want to see my CRM directories with presence and want access to Skype. Additionally, I want to use enterprise UC service features (i.e., IBM Lotus Sametime) from my home Wi-Fi or cellular WAN using my smartphone. On the other hand, the "Millenials" graduating from college and most teenagers I know, only care about their ability to text-message on a service like Yahoo!, from their mobile phone, regardless of their location. While other Prosumers may require access to multiple IM/VoIM services such as AIM or GoogleTalk, because their buddies prefer different services. Additionally, they may need to maintain another list of contacts that are reachable via traditional circuit-switched mobile telephony and SMS.

To address this broad range of Prosumers' needs, access modes and locations, I see the creation of a universal communications client and dynamic Addressbook for a multi-mode mobile device as a logical solution. Because of the number of different hardware architectures and operating systems that can be used as a platform for mobile devices, such as Linux, Symbian and Windows® Mobile, this universal client with a dynamic Addressbook needs to have the ability to easily port across multiple platforms.

In summary, smart phone technology has the capability of allowing Prosumers to make more intelligent communications decisions. The addition of integrated Presence Availability and Location information with my smartphone's Addressbook will streamline communications and collaboration, making me more productive and responsive.