What Will Be The Cell Phone Killer?What Will Be The Cell Phone Killer?

What is the future of the cell phone? Are smartphones going to eventually replace laptops? And how much hope should be placed in the BlackBerry Storm, which is being released on Friday?I found myself asking questions about the future of the cell phone as I read a couple of articles today.

Wired's "Five Gadgets That Were Killed by the Cellphone" talks about how cell phones are much more than mere portable telephones -- they've practically eliminated the need for separate PDAs, cameras, ultramobile PCs, home telephones, and MP3 players. Wired even predicts which product the cell phone will replace next.

Also intriguing today was this report from ZDNet: "Asus launches 'world's fastest' smartphone." Fastest? Really? How many people have even heard of Asus? Well, its P565 has an 800 MHz Marvell processor. But on the other hand, the maximum HSDPA 3G connection speed is just 3.6 Mbps. So just how revolutionary will the P565 prove to be?

That brings us to the much-anticipated launch of the latest from BlackBerry -- the Storm. The hype surrounding Research in Motion's newest smartphone is its touch-screen capabilities -- sparking rumors that the Storm could bring down the mighty iPhone.

But it's not like the iPhone is untouchable -- yes, we said it: The iPhone is overrated. My question is: What, if anything, is going to eventually replace the cell phone?