Niche manufacturers are carving out a healthy profit and the major manufacturers are looking to diversify their aesthetics to remain at the top.

The mobile phone has long attained a status in the collective consciousness beyond that of a simple communications device. Mobile phones are artefacts that we interact with in different ways and attribute different meanings to. One such attribute that we attribute to mobile phone sis that of the fashion accessory. Mobile phone shave attained an iconic status as identifiers of our social standing, style and preferences. As such, a growing industry is developing that focuses directly on mobile phones as fashionable artefacts.

The niche industry for tailored mobile phones is growing rapidly. The emergence of firms such as GoldVish is testament to this and the major phone manufacturers are responding with increasingly sophisticated designs focusing on the aesthetic properties of the device as well as the functionality.

A recent survey of the 'most beautiful mobile phones' reiterates this. The poll from Fosfor Gadget shows that niche models that are not available to the general public are highly regarded in the fashion world and conferences and exhibitions displaying mobile phones attract the glitterati from the fashion world to pass judgement on the latest models as well as the technophiles and market players.

The poll also demonstrates a strong effort from the major manufacturers. Of the Top Ten, Samsung has 2 entries and LG's Chocolate handset makes a strong appearance at number 2. Otherwise, though, the poll is dominated by niche manufacturers such as Helio, VIPN and Kiddi, many of which are either unavailable to the general public, or are so inhibitively priced that they remain out of reach to the mass market. Interestingly, this reveals an emerging two tier marketplace that demonstrates the position of the mobile phone as a consumer commodity to which status can be attributed.

The concept of the mobile phone might be alien to many. It can be hard to imaging that a device that is so intrinsically a part of modern life can be considered a luxury item, but it does show that the manufacturers will have to work increasingly harder to impress a fashion conscious society. Whilst the major players such as Samsung and LG along with Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola will have to continue to innovate both in terms of the functions offered in handsets and the style of the phones themselves.