Now, I'm not one to jump on any bandwagon when it comes to new technology. So what if it's a jet pack that can be used for days on end, costing literally pence to run? Show me consumers using it, and then I'll get excited.

(Actually, that's a lie. Everyone wants a jet pack).

So when it comes to mobile phone alliances, I know better than to believe the hype created by rumours and press conferences.

What's interesting about this morning's announcement that Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Vodafone, Motorola, NTT DoCoMo and a whole host of others will be teaming up to offer one Symbian platform for all, is there were no leaks.

None of the expected 'Nokia is going to try and play Google at its own game', or 'SE and Motorola give up on UIQ'. So what's the deal?

Longevity

Well, attending the (very warm) press conference today showed up something that often people forget about. The Symbian platform, which is used in a few formations from Symbian OS to DoCoMo's MOAP, is one that has been around for 10 years, and is committed to giving developers the chance to show off their wares. Well done on that front.

But the recent announcement by Google and the Open Handset Alliance has changed things. Open source will be free and therefore allowed to be truly open to all. Currently Symbian OS costs around $2-$5 per handset, which adds up spectacularly when you consider there are over 200 million devices supporting the platform.

Make that free, and you have to wonder where Symbian (and after being purchased today, read Nokia) is going to make his money, considering the Finns are investing over £200 million and then just giving the IP to the Foundation.

Be more fun = sell more stuff

Well, the company showed its hand in the panel discussion: make more innovation, allow a wider community to develop for you and then sell more handsets. Simple really.

But is this a reaction to Google, or is it just the 'evolution of a long-term strategy' as it was called today at the press conference?

Well, whether it was a slip of the tongue or not, Mats Lindoff, CTO of SE, showed that the decision was a recent one, when he said the decision to band together and evolve the system into a royalty free platform was taken in just one month.

This seems mighty quick to make an industry-changing pledge, so may be a mistake in speech, but still it highlights the effect Google has had on the mobile software markets.

Solid foundation

So why are manufacturers scared enough into beefing up their relationship? A question was posed whether this was keeping Apple and Microsoft out of the mobile markets. The answer: Microsoft has been there for so long, and yet Symbian is still popular.

It doesn't take a genius to realise Microsoft is not seen as a huge competitor in the mobile software platform market. Apple is just starting out, so to see it as competition at this stage would be fruitless (boom boom!).

Overall, the feeling is one of positivity, especially for the consumer. An open handset war will revolutionise the way we use the mobile phone; touchscreens and other intuitive interfaces will quickly come to the fore as hardware becomes a necessary platform to allow the software to grow, rather than being the selling point.

It will be a few years coming, but soon mobile handsets will look more like the concept models firms use to show what they could do, and less like an evolution of the standard landline handset.