Is Apple's new trademark a mobile giveaway?

Apple has filed a number of trademark applications around the term 'Mobile Me', leading to speculation that it could be preparing to make a significant move into the handset business.

The trademark applications were filed last week, with Apple asking to lockdown the brand in a number of areas, including digital music, mobile communications and portable data, in relation to both hardware and software.

The applications have sparked rumours that Apple could now be readying an iPod phone. Although Apple has already worked with Motorola to produce handsets with iTunes included, industry watchers expect Jobs and co to launch an own brand phone at some point.

Even Ed Zander, Motorola's CEO, is of the opinion that Apple fans won't have long to wait. He told a conference late last year: "We know that they are going to build a smart phone - it's only a matter of time."

However, given Apple's ownership of the iPhone.org URL points to a more obvious route for a mobile brand, analysts are suggesting Mobile Me could well be more focused on a portable storage device.

Analysts have already suggested Mobile Me could well turn out to be a portable USB-based memory key or similar device, carrying a user's ID, profiles, email, bookmarks and other information.

Some have also put forward the theory that the device could carry a portable virtual desktop, opening up the user's home PC on another machine. It's an idea that others have already experimented with, including some police forces, using their iPods as storage devices to transport their home desktop around.