Get your hands on Nell McAndrew and a free pint while Nokia looks at touchless mobile technology

Like the climatic duel at the end of a good western, you know this can go one of two ways. We can either start this week's Pocket Picks round-up with Nokia, or we can stick with iPhone. The Finnish mobile master, arguably, has had the bigger announcements of the past seven days, but in a typically British approach, let's go with the underdog first, shall we?

So, bypassing the rumour that the 3G iPhone, due in June, is to focus more closely on music content (in a way similar to Nokia's Come With Music model), and the mysterious queue that formed outside Apple's New York flagship store, the biggest iPhone revelation concerns any owner thinking of eBaying (or, for the less capitalist amongst you, passing it on to a family member or friend) their once-loved high-tech mobile so as to replace it with its 3G sibling.

If that's you, be aware that it's relatively easy to restore the data of the previous owner, including potentially sensitive info. Fear not though, 3G lovers, for there is a way to reformat the device.

And so on to Nokia. For those who get a kick out of operating systems (okay, okay, we're in that group – but only as a result of the inevitable implications an OS brings with it, honest) the suggestion that Nokia could be considering Linux over Symbian for future handsets will bring their world to a stop. Or, more realistically, get them to ponder about the manufacturer's long-term strategy, at least.

Speaking of the future, more exciting yet than a switch to a different operating system was the revelation that Nokia patented a touchless gesture-based user interface back in June 2007. That's some six months after the iPhone was announced, fact fans.

And if you're wondering, this isn't in the Star Trek Transporter-style fiction. The concept revolves around using ultrasonic transducers around the edge of the handset, which work by emitting focused soundwaves and detecting them once they bounce off nearby by objects (i.e. your fingers). By triangulating those 'bounces', the system can then track a user's fingers and identify their control gestures.

It's an interesting use of the technology, although we'd question whether this is more a case of Nokia trying to go one better than Apple and if a mobile is really the best device to benefit from such an approach? After all, a touchscreen seems perfectly suited to the task.

One handset you certainly won't find any kind of leading technology is the HOP 1800. There's no camera, no music, no PDA functions of any kind and you can forget internet access. In fact, you don't even get a screen. But then it costs $10. Because it's disposable. As if the world didn't have a big enough problem with regards to what to do with old phones…

And if you want a real-world example of how bit that problem might be, you only need to consider the findings of a recent survey which suggest the ubiquitous nature of the mobile phone has seen it all but replace the previously pervasive presence of the alarm clock. We'd argue there's a strong argument for how it's affected watches, too, but the survey cared mostly about alarm clocks. And 71 per cent of respondents felt mobile phones had made those obsolete.

Any traditionalists may find that last bit hard reading, but don't go cursing your handset just yet. Not when it'll get you a free pint of cider and make it possible to carry Nell McAndrew in your pocket.
See, there is always balance in the universe.

On that note, we'll leave you until next week, when we'll return with a new Pocket Picks update. Assuming Ms McAndrew hasn't worked and starved us into the nearest hospital, obviously. Catch you then.