Where are the services?

While the sexy phones and booth babes took centerstage at this year's CommunicAsia, I was hard-pressed to find mobile applications for both consumers and corporate types.

Only a handful of apps caught my eye. And even those did not involve any earth-shattering breakthroughs.

Yes, the phones may be drool-worthy, but ultimately, it's what you can do with the devices that makes the difference.

The reason why 3G hasn't really taken off in a big way, at least in much of Asia outside Japan, is that people are wondering what to do with them. Watching TV on the cellphone and surfing the Web at breakneck speeds may appeal only to the techies, who won't want to be caught dead with a 2G phone but be seen only with the coolest toys.

In the meantime, the majority of 2G cellphone users are perfectly content with lottery results and soccer scores beamed to their handsets.

Nokia launched a 3G cellphone, the Nokia 6151 this week, with the marketing slogan "3G for everyone". The company's executives touted an affordable price tag for the phone, which is targeted at first-time 3G users.

But what kind of 3G services would interest these first-time users? Or will they stick to their soccer results despite owning a 3G phone? What do you think? Write your comments here or drop me an e-mail.