Progress of the mobile via technology and tailored fashion

Technofile: Back at the height of the dotcom boom in 2000, I went to a fashion show in Los Angeles.

This was no ordinary show, however, as models wearing silver outfits paraded tiny wireless devices such as "phone earrings", designed as a preview of the mobile future about to be born.

The show was organised by Charmed.com, a Silicon Valley start-up, founded by a 27-year-old ex-Czechoslovakian spy whose cover had been to work as a fashion model.

When Eastern Europe turned capitalist, Katrina Barillova teamed up with an ex-MIT graduate to dream up internet-connected "fashion items" - tiny monitors in fashionable sunglasses and earrings that alerted you to an SMS.

That sort of thing.

As they say, it probably seemed like a good idea at the time.

And at least the fashion shows were something of a draw for the hordes of male geeks normally used to events bereft of the female form.

But less than a year later, the bubble had burst and most people forgot about this rather dated world view.

Mobile phones gradually improved of their own accord, and it quickly became apparent that it was the mobile itself people actually wanted to show off, rather than disguise it as an earring.

So the manufacturers responded with better-looking phones.

One of the most successful recent exponents of this approach is Motorola's ultra-slim RAZR handset.

The sleek, brushed metal casing is reminiscent of Apple's Titanium Powerbook laptops, and its 2.2 inch main display is crystal clear.

Even the keypad is metal and back-lit in luminescent blue.

Although you can't see it, the antenna is actually at the base of the handset, while the battery provides between 204 and 400 minutes talk time and between 156 and 250 hours standby time.

Luckily, although it's a beautiful model, it has brains too, running Motorola's own Synergy OS, and Java 2.0 for applications and games.

But this brain has a short memory - with only 5MB of on-board memory and no expansion slot.

Motorola has also recently added two new 3G handsets. The V1150 is a compact clam shell phone, smaller than the average 3G mobile, and borrowing design features from the RAZR handset. It packs a two megapixel camera and features playback software for MP3 and WMA files.

Over at Nokia, their 7280 and 7270 models look more like stylish cigarette lighters rather than mobiles.

The 7280 features a unique "sliding and rotating" design and is primarily voice-activated.

The 7270 is a folding tri-band phone with VGA camera and camcorder, with "push to talk", all wrapped in a package resembling a 19 70s furniture designer's dream.

Sony Ericsson's range, while good-looking, has yet to really turn on the charm, with perhaps only the silver S700i and Z800 models helping the mobile maker to keep up appearances.

Meanwhile, Charmed.com still exists, but it has had to get "boring" to survive in a more pragmatic world.

Gone are the days of the catwalk - now its models are more likely to be warehouse men using portable computers for stock control.

Nodding a head back to fashion, it's hardly Dolce & Gabbana, darling.