London: It might sound like a bankruptcy waiting to happen, but soon your cell phones will spend money on your behalf.

A consortium, called Mobile VCE, of the worlds top consumer electronics firms, mobile networks and broadcasters are funding the development of such cell phones. The consortium includes Nokia, Sony, Vodafone and the BBC.

Moreover, software engineer Nick Jennings is supremely confident that the phones will not mess up anybody's life. Jennings's team at the University of Southampton, UK, is developing programs known as software agents for the consortium.

The agents, which will run on the new generation of 3G phones, will watch how you use your mobile and learn to anticipate your next move. "They start off monitoring what you do and gradually look for ways to increase their role. Over time they get to know your preferences," said Jennings.

"Once they have done that, the agents will decide for themselves what they think you need, for example retrieving online information, making restaurant or hotel reservations or buying travel tickets for you," he noted.

So far, the agents have only been tested on Palmtop computers with built-in cell phones. But eventually they will be downloadable or sold as part of an ordinary 3G phone. The full version will be available in about 18 months when phones should be able to run programs other than those required for normal use.

"The software's main focus is to recognise when you have a trip coming up in your diary and then ask if you want it to check the availability of flights and hotels," Jennings added. In time, he hopes "You will decide to trust it to book the entire trip, choosing your preferred seating, route, day trips and even allowing it to spend cash."

ANI