Six Apart have won a contract to have their popular blogging software, 'VOX', shipped with Nokia's smart mobile phones.

This is a huge lead against vertical integrated companies like Microsoft, Sony and Apple. For example, the Sony Walkman, Apple Ipod and Microsoft Zoon all require proprietary software to integrate with the rest of your technology. This is the basis of the vertical model. Restricting the consumer to one brand.

Mena Trott, President of Six Apart said:

"We know we have people using other services so you can integrate with You Tube, Amazon and Flickr and use all those services and have one hub there is not one place to be online, there is a whole bunch of services."

"People are promiscuous online and its not going to change and so you have to embrace it and figure out how to create a product that allows for them to do that and also be loyal to what you're doing."

Six Apart's blogging software on the other hand, will integrate with any blog software out there. This makes Nokia's mobile phone platform independent. Challenging the vertical model and making Nokia a cross platform smart phone.

Microsoft's Zoon is based on the vertical model where several integrated devices are all designed to work together, but only within the Zoon range. Whereas Microsoft state that their Windows software is not based on the vertical model as it will work with many other systems and standards.

This means that the major technology players in the world today could be left behind if they do not take a serious look at the way the technically savvy people are using technology today.

People do not want to be tied down to one service, one product. People like to have the diversity of being able to pick and choose what they do and when.

Yahoo have taken a cross-platform initiative launching Yahoo Go, A generic solution that works for most popular smart mobile phones. The idea being that the Yahoo service will provide you with a hub for your Internet needs on your mobile phone. Very similar to the Nokia / Six Apart relationship, but this doesn't just work on Nokia phones.