Install the software and services you want--plus, enjoy cameras, portable game consoles, and more with access to wireless networks.

If you don't like the way the e-mail program on your PC works, you can replace it with one you like better. And when you need to add a new capability to Firefox, you can simply install an extension. But such flexibility doesn't apply to most cell phones, since cellular providers restrict how you use a device that's in your face--or pressed to your face--for sometimes hours a day.

That's about to change. In the coming year cell phones will start opening up, allowing users to customize their handsets' interfaces, run any program, and, most important, gain access to underlying hardware for finding directions, making calls over Wi-Fi, and taking pictures.

Eventually, experts say, you'll also see devices such as cameras, camcorders, and other gadgets gain access to cellular data networks, even though they'll never be used to make a phone call.

Google Leads the Way
Sparking the move toward cell phone openness is Google, flexing its billion-dollar muscles. Google's primary motivation, not surprisingly, appears to be putting more advertisements in front of more eyeballs. In a closed cellular world, wireless carriers can control what their subscribers see. Open up the system, and Google and other parties can dive in and begin to compete for your attention.

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