TED2009, the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference in Long Beach, California comes to a halt tomorrow. There have been a number of interesting speakers, including Bill Gates who captured headlines by releasing some mosquitoes – “Malaria is spread by mosquitoes. I brought some. Here, let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected,” said Gates. It was a good way to capture headlines for a cause he strongly believes in: eradication of malaria in developing countries.

One TED presentation from Jamais Cascio an ethical futurist a few years back, caught my eye.

“The mobile phone maybe amongst the world’s most important technologies.” I tend to agree with Cascio. I picked up on that subject because the mobile phone is likely to be the key device of our generation.

“High-quality sound and video… will transform how we live on a scale that few really appreciate. It’s no exaggeration to say that the mobile phone maybe amongst the world’s most important technologies,” said Cascio.

With the growing digital generation, the mobile phone is becoming more and more an extension of people’s lives. As Cascio stated the mobile phone may be a medium for social interaction but it is also becoming an economic driver in parts of the world and affected our political arenas. Mobile Phones are no longer just mobile phones. They are also sensors, GPS locators, music and video libraries and most have at least one camera if not two.

If you are a mobile application developer take note: GIPS recently commissioned Ovum, a respected research firm, to complete a survey of US wireless carriers on their future plans. The report is compelling reading and freely available on our website Monday morning. Until then enjoy your weekend.