In the past few weeks, we’ve gotten quite a few requests for iPhone Applications on our forums, blogs, and Facebook group. Looking around, it seems that iPhones are everywhere, every block, every other person.

Back when the iPhone was released, now over 2 years ago, those with iPhones were part of the unique, or shall I say “cool” crowd. The same could be said 5 years ago in US colleges, when those who owned laptops with the glowing Apple logo really stood out. Nowadays, in some colleges, those without a Macbook are actually the minority.

Today, over half of the IT team at Firstrade has iPhones of various incarnation. I still remember launch day 2007 when everyone looked in awe and envy when a college camped out successfully and brought it in.

My goal today, however, is not to praise the iPhone. Instead I want to talk about what the iPhone did for the mobile space. By making data-driven services easy and accessible to the everyday folks, cellular phones have moved beyond calls and texting. Cell phones today are expected to check email, get maps, find reviews, etc. Believe it or not the technology has been around for over 10 years, but Apple made it easy, just as it did the personal computer back in the 80s.

This brings us to our new mobile trading platform. While the Apple smart phone is the dominant smart phone in the US today, in many other countries Microsoft and Nokia’s Symbian-based devices still have a large group of loyal users. At Firstrade, we want to make sure that every smart phone platform, and every data-capable cell phone can enjoy the benefits of trading online, with a fast and intuitive interface. In the next few weeks we’ll be releasing the Firstrade Mobility website, and I think everyone’ll be quite happy with it.

Next step, apps. That’s another post for another day.