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I found it rather funny that although a growing number of cellphone makers have been adding music media players to their mobiles for some time without creating waves, Apple's launch of the same functionality (mobile & music) makes headlines around the world.

At the same time, the company announced the launch of yet another product in its iPod lineup, to be known as the iPod Nano.

Billed as being "thinner than a pencil", the Nano can hold up to 1,000 songs, which is great for such a small device. But if they can pack this much music into such a small package, why does the Apple cellphone only hold barely one tenth that amount?

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I suspect Apple is simply being very commercially savvy and trying to ensure that customers end up with several of its devices rather than a single unit that satisfied all needs. After all, why not put the Nano technology in the mobile phone and be done with it?

All this integration of functionality into a single device does leave me wondering where we're headed.

Already the humble cellphone has had a raft of other technologies grafted onto it and now it's also a camera, an web browser, an email client, a walkie-talkie, a TXTing device, an audio player, a video player, a GPS unit, electronic wallet, games console....

Exactly where will this end?

And is it really a good idea to stuff all this functionality into a single, easily lost or stolen, item?

And where are the standards between manufacturers or even models?

What happens if you load up your mobile with hundreds of your favourite songs (downloaded from the Net with single-player DRM licenses), then find yourself wanting to upgrade to next year's model?

Just how easy will it be to transfer all those phone numbers you've got stored from today's Telecom mobile to tomorrow's fancy T3G unit? (Vodafone users can just use the same SIM card of course)

And what will be the next glob of "featureitis" to be thrown at the mobile?

Heart rate monitor? FTA TV receiver? Digital scales? Laser cannon?

It's beginning to look as if your cellphone may soon be the only bit of electronics you'll ever need -- the 21st century equivalent of a Swiss Army knife.

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