If you want proof that mobile devices have become essential, consider how closely every single new phone from the major players is analyzed and critiqued. This harkens to the early days of the PC, when a new desktop from IBM or a new processor from Intel made front-page news.

A couple of weeks ago it was the Blackberry Storm, the first touch-screen device from Research in Motion, the Canadian company that dominates the business mobile space. This week it’s the Nokia N97, the flagship of the Finnish company’s high-end line.

Invariably, new phones are compared to Apple’s iPhone, the alpha dog of cellular telephony, and the phone that gets more ink than all the others combined. Most reviews of new phones consist of listing the shortcomings of the pretender and heaping praise on Apple’s product.

From an interface perspective, there is a real gap between the iPhone and the rest of the pack. But consumers have varied needs and the iPhone may not be the best device for everyone. Many users won’t consider the iPhone because it doesn’t have a real keyboard. On the other hand, none of the challengers have matched its ease of browsing the Web.

The prevailing consensus now is that RIM’s touchscreen Blackberry Storm is a nice try, but no groundbreaker. The biggest complaint is the inconsistency of the software and the problems with the touchscreen.  But it’s only version 1.0 and will get better.

The Nokia N97, which won’t be available in Europe until March at the earliest (no date for the U.S.), hasn’t been subjected to the vigorous hands-on testing that should go into any review. That hasn’t stopped Forbes from speculating that the N97 might nip the burgeoning netbook movement. The N97, which comes with a Qwerty keyboard, could make netbooks unnecessary, he speculates.

The netbooks, light laptops with limited software designed to access applications over the Web, range in price from $200 to $500, and have emerged as an inexpensive alternative to traditional notebook computers. But while I can see myself writing a column on a netbook, I doubt I would do more than send email on the N97’s tiny keyboard.

The real danger for mobile devices is increasing complexity; in some of these devices the phone function is nearly an afterthought. They take pictures and shoot video; they download and play music, they handle email and text messages; some have FM radios or TV tuners, and of course, they browse the web, which also means they will have access to thousands of Web 2.0 applications.  Stuffing so many functions in such small devices, is an engineering tour de force. And for users, managing all the bells and whistles can lead to a migraine.

The real mass market in mobiles is still centered on the basic functions: voice and texting, with the camera function becoming more or less standard. But phones that just do that aren’t sexy, and they won’t get much press coverage.