According to a report released recently by Evans Data, developers of wireless software in China are ready for strong growth, with 68 per cent surveyed saying they expect to unveil new applications in the next 12 months.

According to Esther Schindler, who analyses China's wireless industry for Evans: "Overall, wireless development is aided by the fact that China doesn't have an established infrastructure and cell phones are ubiquitous. The ratio of cell phones to landlines is higher there than it is here [in the US]."

According to the survey results, 31.5 per cent of wireless developers are implementing applications now, while 37 per cent expect to release applications within the next 12 months and 21.2 per cent saying they expect to launch new wireless applications within the next two years. Evans also listed the various devices that are capturing attention ­ 43 per cent of developers cited cell phones, 33 per cent cited wireless LANs, 27 per cent picked smartcards, 24 per cent picked notebooks and 22 per cent picked embedded processors and custom hardware.

"Very few developers in China have the luxury of working on one device. They don't specialize like wireless developers in North America and other parts of the world. You don't hear them saying, 'I'm a Palm Pilot developer and that's all I do,'" Schindler said.