Smartphone's evolution continues with a raft of new innovations

Will we one day look back on the iPhone and think it quaint? Probably, and that day could come sooner than you think, with developers ready to unleash a raft of innovations.

Smartphones in new shapes and sizes were unveiled at last month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. But there were also suggestions that we've moved into an era where the way a device works is more important than how slim or stylish it looks.

Several new operating systems (OS) for smartphones have emerged - including Firefox, Ubuntu, Sailfish and BlackBerry 10 - that try to go beyond both Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Which one triumphs remains to be seen.

"All of these vendors will be keen to sell the benefits of their approaches and offer operators an alternative to the increasingly dominant duopoly of Android and iOS," says Nick Dillon, who follows devices and platforms at global analyst firm Ovum, which has offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. "The 'third ecosystem' is still up for grabs with these new entrants going head-to-head with Microsoft's Windows Phone."

Windows Phone was touted as the next big thing, but it's one part of the Windows 8 operating system that has confused and irritated many of Microsoft's core users. The handsets being made for the meant-for-mobile system are doing rather well, but that's thanks to some luscious designs from the likes of Nokia and Huawei. Inside is an OS that doesn't work well on a PC, let alone a tablet, and suffers from a lack of apps.

Appealing to app developers is a hurdle that will need to be climbed by any new OS for smartphones, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Ubuntu, for long an alternative desktop OS to Mac and Windows, has been unveiled this year as both a smartphone and tablet interface, although the first wave of devices aren't expected until much later this year.