Published by Steve Litchfield at
Two years ago the Nokia N95 8GB was on top of the world, the N96 was the newest offshoot, the E61i was the best bet for the common man in the business world, and their 2.8" screens were deemed massive. And, the oddity of the E90 notwithstanding, we were happy. Weren't we? These phones did all we asked them to and the the world was good. And yet, less than 24 months later we find the smartphone world dominated by 4" screened, touch-only devices that bear little resemblance to the champions of 2008. Is it all the iPhone's fault, or is there more to the change? And where do smartphones go from here?
"The shift from button-driven smartphones with 2.8" (or smaller) screens to touch-driven devices with 3.2" or larger screens has been nothing short of dramatic over the last couple of years. And for once, it's not all the iPhone's fault, though it had a part to play."