As $80 Android smart phones take off in Kenya, with around 350,000 sold to date, people are beginning to ask how long it will be before they spread around the world. All kinds of possible development benefits have been forecast, including applications to deliver farming advice and medical services.

Smart phones are good business for telcos, who stand to profit from the extra money that consumers spend on internet access, regardless of whether mobile money is involved.  What might smart phones mean for the future of mobile money?  Will they strengthen the ability of telecommunications companies to expand mobile money markets, or will smart phones introduce stronger competitors into the market?