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In the handset world, the year began with its chief preoccupations unchanged from 2008. All the blogs were buzzing about potential new iPhone models, with the MacWorld show looming; and the other key issue was how much real world progress Android could make, as it looks to establish itself ahead of Symbian going fully open source. And in a world that looks to be consolidating around a Symbian/Android/Windows/Apple quadrant, 2009 will be the year when we see for sure whether the mavericks, notably RIM and Palm, can still keep their position.

Predictably, there are all kinds of stories doing the rounds about the next moves for the iPhone. Some, like iPhones in WalMart, and cheaper models from AT&T (albeit refurbished ones) have already come true but MacWorld will be the real test, despite the absence this year of a keynote from CEO Steve Jobs. The favorite speculation revolves around an iMac netbook, a large screen iPod Touch, and of course the much rumored iPhone Nano.

Although the reality of this product has never been confirmed, this has not stopped phone copiers in Asia already coming up with fakes, supposedly based on the mythical Nano. Rumors that Apple would create a small, low cost version of its smartphone, as it did for its iPod music player, have been circulating for months, but consumers in Thailand can already get their hands on a fake, built to fit the descriptions circulated by the Nano rumormongers. Many of the fake Nanos sport the official Apple logo and iPhone labeling and branding, according to Apple Insider, and have a similar operating system with the same icons and wallpapers.

Meanwhile, what are the odds that we'll be able to buy a real iPhone Nano in 2009? Some observers believe an iPod Nano Touch is more likely, featuring Wi-Fi but not 3G and so less likely to cannibalize the smartphone's base and upset the exclusive carrier partners. XSKN, which makes accessories for Apple devices, has sparked new talk of the miniature systems, by releasing pictures of protective cases that it has made, which would fit Nanos.

However, a smaller iPhone might be hard to position, since much of the success of the original device lies in the way it makes web services and functions like gaming easier to use, which would not be the case with a smaller screen and, presumably, a stripped-down feature set. There will be even less place for the Nano in the market, when iPhone prices are falling so rapidly.

Over at Android, 2009 should be the year when a wide range of devices running Google's Linux-based software platform debut to join the HTC/T-Mobile G1. Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola will all join the market, along with a G2 (and possibly G3), and models from Huawei and many independents. One of these smaller supporters is satnav specialist Garmin, which has long promised a handset, dubbed Nuvifone, that would be optimized for GPS-based location services. Now, it will not only launch this product in the second quarter, but also come to Asia and Europe with a fully fledged range of Android-based midrange handsets, with a heavy emphasis on GPS and maps.

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