Call history. Calculator. Multiple ringtones. Text Messaging. These are just a few of the features mobile phone users take for granted. At a glance, one may think that little by little, mobile phones are conquering the landline phone market.

But think again. Despite the booming technology of mobile phones (ever-increasing file storage space, increasing camera pixels and whatnot), more people and businesses still cling to their desktop phones.

Cisco Systems, Avaya Inc, as well as many other telephony companies have developed advanced mobile communications solutions, such as dual-mode phones that work with extension dialing that comes with PBX (private branch exchange) systems, even on the go. Another variant, which are softphones for laptops, are also adding more features and are decidedly more user-friendly than desktop and landline phones.

However, despite of all the improvements that mobile communications has to offer, many people still prefer using the more traditional landlines as well as their Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) counterparts. "People still relate to their physical phone. It's like their office space. It's very near and dear to their hearts," said a network administrator from a Canadian engineering company, who asked to remain anonymous.

There are more reasons beside mere sentimentality. There are the still-recurring issues that plague mobile phones, such as lesser sound quality compared to their more traditional siblings, and the softphones' dependence on PC performance.

With about 500 million users, desktop and landline phones can't be phased out that easily. "It would take about five to seven years for wireless phones to replace wired," according to Ken Dulaney, mobility analyst for Gartner Inc.