Plain Cell Phones Fading Away? 601
An anonymous reader writes "According to this Reuters article plain old vanilla cell phones are fading away in the US. Instead, the author claims, (after quoting some 'expert' from this company) that phones with fancy features (cameras, games, etc.) are starting to dominate. I beg to differ - one of the few things stopping me from purchasing a phone is the fact that I do not want to pay for hundreds of features that I will never use. All I want is an address book and a way to make calls."
Games on cell phones are not new (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Interesting)
Some people have sensitive ears and get really agitated if you play part of a melody, building up to a final note that resolves the scale, and then don't play it. (Like Cartman having to sing Come Sail Away if he hears part of it) I absolutely hate when people choose a song ring tone and answer half-way thru. It's precisely why I use a regular ring tone instead of a song.
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:5, Interesting)
That being said, they are wary of even plain old vanilla cell phones and PDA's, though you can get those cleared with a little paperwork. Bottom line - I will probably never buy a phone that has a camera built in, and quite frankly think that it is really just kind of a gimmicky thing that will probably be used for more bad purposes than good, but that may just be the cynic in me.
Quite frankly, I wish bluetooth was more prominent in cell phones - I would definitely use that a lot more - and not just for internet access, just syncing contacts and content - and a lot of stuff that doesn't fit on my SIM card that I may want to easily transport between phones. I have a hard time believing they can put a camera on a cell phone for a substantially different cost than putting BT hardware.
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Informative)
If your work is security-concerned enough to want to ban cam
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:5, Funny)
See, that's your problem right there. I worked a Best Buy one summer, and so help me if those customers weren't the stupidest goddamn motherfuckers on earth. And not even "how many megahertz of hard drive do I need" stupid. I mean "does this 52" projection TV take double A batteries or triple As" stupid. Walking out the front door with display items because they "couldn't find the cash register" stupid.
I'm sure they're excited by camera phones, but they get just about as excited if you jingle your keys at them.
Re:Games on cell phones are not new (Score:3, Funny)
Walking out the front door with display items because they "couldn't find the cash register" stupid.
That sounds suspiciously like a faked excuse. "Uhhh. no - Me no trying steal thing. Me no smart. Me sorry. Me not knowing where money place to buy thing. Please no press charges on me for shoplifting."
Whatever (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Whatever (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Whatever (Score:3, Insightful)
Not entirely true. There is a big market for calculators with large buttons (the middle aged and elderly frequently prefer them), and they normally have very few functions, sometimes not even square root. There are also "currency conversion" calculators which do nothing but basic arithmetic and multiply/divide by a a constant (i.e. currency conversion).
I know this because my parents find the buttons (as well as the lettering on them) on
Soon the carriers won't sell plain phones (Score:5, Interesting)
One of the important facts that came out is that most people who buy a phone that can download and play games will eventually do it, even if they didn't know or care about the ability to do so when they bought the phone.
It was also mentioned that the major carriers are aware of this, and plan to start only selling phones that support downloadable games and ringtones. They all those additional $1 and $2 purchases.
I also found it interesting that one of the best selling (and most consistant) games is hangman. It was strongly pointed out at the conference that most of the phone game market does NOT consist of traditional gamers, and their interests to do lay in the same things.
PS:
I recently bought a new phone with bluetooth. I didn't want the camera, but couldn't get the rest of the stuff I wanted without it.
Since then I've used it quite a bit, and not for the reasons you expect. For example, it's a really great way to entertain a 5 year old at a restaurant.
Re:Whatever (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Whatever (Score:3, Interesting)
386 computers are still useful, but you won't find anybody selling new 386 chips anymore. They're outdated, and it's cheaper to just take a 1 GHz chip and barely use it than to try to find working old parts...
Re:Whatever (Score:5, Informative)
More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:5, Interesting)
Happy Trails,
Erick
Re:More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:2)
Re:More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:2)
Re:More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:3, Interesting)
No one. All we really need is air, food, and water. But there are a lot of reasons to WANT these things.
I have a whiz-bang phone and about the best thing about it has to be the outlook integration. Contact list, Task list, Calander, and Inbox. I used all of these items extensively on the desktop so it's nice to always have access to this information when on the road. Appointment reminders, birthday notifications, task reminders. When I meet folks I don't have to resor
Re:More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:5, Insightful)
- Take notes (most recently, I was looking at a shelf for my kitchen, and needed to take the measurements, price, etc. Instead of writing it all down, I took a picture).
- Take a picture of every person whose number I put in my phone. I am absolutely horrible with names, and in my last phone I'd say that maybe 20% of the people in my phonelist I had no idea who they were, but was hesitant to delete them in case one day I'd think, "Oh, THAT'S who Taro is! Damn, I should've kept the number!". Now, whenever someone calls, their name and picture shows on the screen, so I know who is who. Also helps to separate "Taro #1" from "Taro #2" for people whose last names I don't know.
- Take pictures of anything that would be a pain in the butt to describe to people. For instance, talking to my girlfriend and saying "yesterday, I saw this really cool looking poster in a store window. It was, like, an abstract blue and green thing with like these spikey things coming out...well, it was really cool. I guess you'd have to have seen it yourself". Now, if I see something cool, funny, etc., I can just snap a picture and send it.
- Personalizing mails. For example, if I get a mail that makes no sense, I could send a "WTF?!" response, but instead I'll just make a WTF face, take a picture, and send it. Much more personal than just words.
- My phone can take both screen-sized pictures, to send to other phones, and full size (1024 x 768) photos, which I can transfer to my computer through the SD card in the phone. This comes in handy on those days where I see something really beautiful (a sunset, a festival, etc.) that I wasn't expecting, and therefore wasn't carrying my normal digital camera around for.
Like I said, these are the ways I use it. You may find them incredibly retarded, but it doesn't change the fact that I (and most of my friends) get a lot of mileage out of these features.And really, the ability to have a person's face appear when they call is an absolute lifesaver for me (as well as to browse through my phone numbers with a face displayed next to the name). I don't use my cellphone for work, at all, so necessarily most of my uses will be casual. Still, that feature alone has made my phone amazingly more useful.
As for web browsing, games, etc.:
First, I live in Tokyo. That means no car. Public transportation only. Having a game you can play with one hand on your cell-phone is incredibly convenient for crowded train commutes. Other than that, honestly, I don't use java much.
The web browsing is incredibly useful, but, ironically, not for browsing the open internet. Instead, there's a site I use several times a week that will tell you the quickest train route between where you are and where you're going, what stations to change at, what time the trains leave, when you will get there, etc. Without this site, again, I would be pretty much screwed.
Re:More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:3, Interesting)
In fact, the Orange deal was pretty good: you got a landline number and a mobile number. If someone called your landline and you weren't in the "home zone" then it just redirected to your mobile (unfortunately you picked
Re:More featuares means more incremental sales (Score:3, Informative)
I know people on Verizon and AT&T have gotten it to work, and have verified that you don't get charged extra. Verizon, for instance, charges you to use their custom MSN WAP service, that's all. Paired
I would like to see more bluetooth (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:I would like to see more bluetooth (Score:5, Insightful)
However, the cost of including a microphone, speaker, and small display, especially in mass-marketed form, is so small I just can't see that happening. It'll be cheaper for the cell phone makers to just hand you a standard cell phone with Bluetooth, and just tell you to ignore the features you don't want or need.
Re:I would like to see more bluetooth (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I would like to see more bluetooth (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I would like to see more bluetooth (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I would like to see more bluetooth (Score:3, Interesting)
Here in Toronto I was with Bell for my cellphone a few years ago and subscribed to their voice dialing feature which was precisely this. It worked fantastic *except* that the system would repeat the number back to you (rather slowly) to confirm the number.... which wasn't a big deal, except it ALWAYS got the number right unless I was deliberately trying to screw it up.
It was a great feature
Annoyance reduction (Score:3, Funny)
Great. Then when the obnoxious guy next to you in the restaurant, airplane, or [wherever you can't escape] starts talking loudly on his cell phone, at least you can hear BOTH sides of the conversation.
And even chime in. B-)
Re:Annoyance reduction (Score:3, Informative)
Another thing... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Another thing... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Another thing... (Score:2)
Re:Another thing... (Score:2)
Imagine walking on to base with a digital camera, laptop computer, and cell phone. All of them strapped to your chest so you could take pictures and send them instantly. And all of them small enough to easily hide from anyone.
Doesn't seem so extreme anymore, does it?
Re:Another thing... (Score:4, Interesting)
I thought that was what they were FOR. (Score:4, Informative)
I thought the whole POINT of the cameras was to get people used to them so they could be used for spying, detective work, etc.
Like the stereotype of the japanese tourist with the camera. They were ALL OVER the US starting soon after WWII, taking pictures of everything.
Turns out it wasn't just that one of the first non-junk manufacturing industries they got going was mass-produced cameras. A lot of it was industrial espionage. They went back and cloned auto plants, cerial factories, etc. right down to the layout of the machines.
(That's why it's so much harder to get tours of manufacturing plants these days. Kelloggs, for instance, used to give plant tours all the time. Was a regular tourist attraction. But they stopped them entirely after the Japanese cloned the rice crispies machine.)
Oh, right. (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, you can't? Hmmm. Funny.
Re:Oh, right. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Another thing... (Score:2)
How would you fire a visitor? Fire at a visitor I can understand.
I can maybe see that (Score:2)
Vanilla Phones (Score:3, Interesting)
maybe that's just those of us who aren't into the bling factor.
Cell providers pushing new features... (Score:4, Insightful)
Getting camera phones into consumer's hands, whether they really want them or not, is also the best hope the cell providers have to sell their data services. The cellular data structure is pretty much already in place at all of the wireless companies, but there aren't very many people using it. Camera phones are great ways to create a 1-megabyte file which then to get out of the phone requires use of the cell data network... notice that provider-subsidized cell phones never have a USB output through which the picture can travel?
Try the 120e (Score:5, Interesting)
My wife and I both got cell phones about a year ago. Hers was the fancy, bonus-cash-off color screen fold-open phone, mine was the standard, free-with-plan Motorola 120e. At the time, I thought I was being nice by letting her have the color phone. While she still likes it, I'm quite glad I let her have it, as the 120e is the perfect 'plain vanilla' phone for me. It's got a basic feature list--datebook, phonebook, and such--has a simple, monochrome screen, a powerful backlight (it comes in quite handy in blackouts,) and a nice design. It's absolutely bulletproof--it has gouges on the casing from where I've dropped, crushed, and scraped it, but it still works perfectly. It can last for days without needing a charge, and the call quality is just fine.
By contrast, the hinge on my wife's phone wiggles and feels somewhat flimsy, it's lucky to go for 36 hours without running out of juice, all the neat 'features' just end up costing money if you want to use them, and frankly, it doesn't get any better reception or sound quality than my phone does. Yeah, she can play Tetris on it, but honestly, I don't feel like I'm missing out on much.
For a good little "I just want to talk on it" phone, I'd recommend the 120e...
All I know is.... (Score:2)
Plain Old cellphones are dead (Score:2, Informative)
When i went to the sprint PCS store a month ago, i did not see a single phone that was B&W. All of them had all the shiny new features, withthe cheapest one being $40. I dont think i will have a problem shelling out 40$ on a phone that does have some of those 'cool' games.
Call Me (Score:2, Insightful)
Who cares, they're still getting cheaper (Score:2)
If you're looking for a phone that just makes calls, guess what -- they all do. Pick one, buy it, and use it. Don't complain about the add-ons because they're
I care (Score:2)
1) Size
2) Battery life
3) Weight
4) Price
69,105) Games
69,106) Camera
69,107) Other crap I'll never use
</luddite>
Re:I care (Score:2)
Hmmm (Score:3, Informative)
Motorola (Score:2)
*XML* enabled address book (Score:5, Interesting)
Holy moly, the day that a cell phone manufacturer comes out with the ability to export/import your address book as an XML document is the day I get a new cell phone. I'm with the author of the blurb. I need a phone to call people, and to store the contact info for those I call. That's it. And it'd sure 'nuff be nice to be able to import/export that info into/out of my system.
I could give a rat turd about cameras and ring tones.
Man, just run to the cell phone shop. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:*XML* enabled address book (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm sure you guys like to complain about bloat, but you know, cell phone manufacturers aren't (allways) stupid. They know about market segmentation, and they sell exactly what you want.
Just from nokia:
Want a plain cheap color-screen phone? nokia 3100
Color too fancy for you? nokia 2100
Want it with IrDA? nokia 6100
Want it with FM radio? nokia 6610
With integrated camera, fm and IrDA? 7250
And that just looking at the product page from one manufacturer.
People. I really don't know how many articles are going to be posted about cell phone feature bloat. But it is not true. You can get a simple-cheap-i-only-want-it-for-calls phone anywhere!!!.
The fact that they advertise heavily the most complete phones is because there are people that are willing to pay for it and throw away the old one. In Europe, manufacturers have to do that because everyone has already a phone, and they want to keep selling something.
My cell phone is for talking (Score:2, Funny)
I dislike color screens because they drain the battery too fast and 99.99% of the time I use my cell phone for -duh- calling people, not for sending pictures.
Now if it could only play 8 track cartridges :)
Security Problems Too (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Security Problems Too (Score:3, Informative)
Bluetooth could also be a serious problem, because theoretically a transceiver for a Bluetooth keyboard or printer could also host a Bluetooth connection to a cell phone... and that cell phone could then route data out to the cell network and from there it can
Nokia 6110 (Score:2, Interesting)
If I remember correctly, it was released in 1997. It cost me an arm and a leg (my first cell phone ever) but it's still working. Somehow it reminds me of my HP 48SX calculator.
My only gripe with it is that when it's cold (-10 C) outside, the display doesn't refresh properly. Other than that, it's in a perfect working condition.
Cell phone usage is actually expected to grow (Score:3, Informative)
Part of that is new users, but yes, people are buying replacements like no one had expected.
The only feature I'm looking for (Score:5, Insightful)
I wouldn't bother anyone by needing to speak loudly in public. That is the most important thing of all. A cell phone that allows me to communicate, while extending the courtesy of silence to those around me. THAT is the killer feature I am waiting for.
AngrPeopleRule [angrypeoplerule.com]
It's All About Marginal Cost (Score:3, Informative)
Your geek license should be revoked! (Score:2)
everything and then some??? You're no real geek!
I demand you voluntarily give up your geek license,
right now!
Proletariat of the world, unite to kill wannabe geeks
The most basic feature (Score:2)
Good! (Score:3, Interesting)
Well great then! I think this is fantastic. Think about all of the places that cameras aren't allowed, for example movie theaters. Now think about how many jackasses who leave their phone on and have it ring during the movie.
This will have the benefit of making phones more and more difficult to bring into public places, since cameras aren't allowed in those places. In my opinion, all the better. I hate cell phones, I dislike even having one (I only do because of work), and I'm all for any "features" that cause a backlash against them.
Cell phones are now already banned from strip clubs, certain concert venues are pushing against them, etc. This is a great thing in my opinion.
Losing the simple phones is a bad idea. (Score:2, Insightful)
Think about it: less time to research if all you have to do is add addresses and limited functionality web browsing. All your designers can move on to more important stuff that grabs money from the movers and shakers and you can continue sel
Marketing to teens.. (Score:2, Insightful)
I think the main problem is a phone with nothing but the ability to make calls and compile an address book is that it just doesn't have a markbet big enough to warrant interest; why undoubedtly useful for some people who don't need colour screens and assorted games, those people are often in the minority. I want my phone to be more th
Go to the lower end, then (Score:2)
When you take away all most of the features off of a cell phone, they become so cheap they can be disposable. And, in fact, people have already realized that [bbc.co.uk]. Why not get yourself one ?
Just give us our gawddamned Nokia 8390 w/ BT (Score:2)
best RF reception ever
tiny
amazing battery
fast UI
no useless bullshit color screen that can't be seen in sunlight
plain black and white case that's simple.
the ONLY thing this phone needs is Bluetooth.
how the fsck is this so gawddamned hard for Nokia or SonyEricsson to understand?
The 8390 still goes for over $200 on eBay! T68i's with 10 times the features go for under $40.
I've never seen an industry NOT sell something so many people wanted in my whole l
My view (Score:5, Insightful)
I beg to differ with you begging to differ.
Maybe in the US, but here in the UK it is almost impossible to buy a plain black and white basic phone.
Phone functionality works in 6 month cycles. What is high tier this year will be middle tier middle of next year and low tier at the end of the year.
6 months ago colour screens and polyphonic was middle tier, now even the most basic phone [nokia.com] these days has them both. Next year the most basic phone will have a camera (and the high tier will also have cameras but be capable of pushing 2 megapixels)
Ever tried getting a phone that doesn't have SMS? You can't and in two years it'll be the same with the other bits of functionality you despise.
So yes, they are dominating. Just because you are holding back doesn't mean they aren't. But when yours bites the dust you'll realise that you'll have to move with the times.
Which may or may not be a good thing depending on your point of view.
Take a look at the SprintPCS offerings (Score:4, Insightful)
Unfortunately, they no longer carry the plain, simple phone style that I prefer. [I was using an LG 4NE1, and before that, a Touchpoint, and before that, one of the early Sony models].
They tried pushing a picture phone one me, and I didn't want it. I got stuck with a Samsung that I'm really unhappy with. It may look all slick with its color screen, and flip action, but it just doesn't deliver in terms of simple functionality that I used to have.
I only bought this particular model because it closed, so the buttons were protected, so I wouldn't call people accidentially when it presses against my keys. Unfortunately, I can't easily open it one handed, and with the screen on the inside, I have to open it to see who's calling.
I should've just dealt with not having a phone for a week or so, and have bought a replacement 4NE1 off of eBay.
Hell, even the ring tones are particularly annoying -- most likely, so you'll use the cool feature of downloading new, snazzy ringtones they can charge $2 each for. And of course, the $15/month service to be able to download the ringtones. But they don't even have The Liberty Bell March, so I can't get back my old one.
It all comes down to the basics of an product design -- the more features you put into something, the more likely it's going to break. I want a phone that makes phone calls, and has a way to store phone numbers. That's all I care about.
[And I'd like a service provider that doesn't make me wait 3 hrs, then tell me there's nothing they can do about the fact there's constant static on my new phone. Mind you, it took them all of 30 sec to tell me that, after they wasted 3 hrs to flash it to new firmware, which was NOT what I brought it in for]
if they cost the same.. (Score:2)
the phones that are otherwise decent tend to have 'extra features' and heck, phones with features that would have been considered overkill few years ago are already in the 100-200$ range so it's kinda hard to pay hundreds of dol
I don't have a cell phone (Score:2)
I rarely find the need for one.
In school it was convenient, I was all over the place and doing stuff.
Now I'm at work, or at home.
I rarely spend hours at undisclosed locations wandering. Social activity is generally preplanned.
Then the money aspect, some people claim they have $10 plans, but most people I know spend stupid amounts, $50-80/month or even more, that's crazy. I'll keep my $1000/yr in my pocket, thanks.
Plain-jane phones easier to detect scams (Score:2)
Handy Features are Cool (Score:2, Informative)
I like to be able to tell my cellphone by voice to call my wife and have it react without having to touch the phone.
Also my fabulous 1year old Sony Ericsson t68i lets me use it as a remote for my home computer and laptop for watching movies and flipping PowerPoint presentations at work. AND the Bluetooth GPRS connection when the phone is in my wardrobe in some jacket pocket works like a charm. I'm free to walk around a hotel room with my laptop and work in any *ahem* position I like.
Quality of "fancy" features (Score:4, Insightful)
1. That camera has, most likely, a CMOS sensor (much, much slower than CCD, you can only take reasonable pictures in daylight)
2. Its cheap lens system makes you believe that you're in a different reality (i.e. all squares look round because of the radial distortion)
Integration of features is not bad, as long as you don't sacrifice quality.
hundreds of features = hundreds of dollars (Score:5, Insightful)
Ok, so maybe these features sound nice to begin with, but in all honesty, when your camera isn't that high quality (and yes, some are going to argue that they get GREAT pictures from their phone, thank you, I work in a publications department, lets compare your phones digital camera to our 10,000$+ digicams), your screen isn't big enough to really do that much, and the phone uses a keypad for text entry, is it really worth all that extra money?
In my opinion, not really...
I'd like one or two 'special features' but in all honesty, all I really want is a phone, an address book (and maybe a planner, if my phone can sync to my computer), really great battery life, and a good signal wherever I go. beyond that, there isn't much I want. I see how it's great that all these devices can come together (eliminate pocket bulge today!) but you end up with one somewhat mediocre device in the end.
I've been considering getting a combo pda/phone for a while, but the cost is just to high compared to the quality, and then when I see that most of them have internal (think ipod) batteries, and I know how fast I go through cellphone batteries, I can see myself being stranded somewhere without a charge when I might really need my cellphone, or worse, killing the battery from overuse over a few months (In the last 7 months I've logged 296 hours on my current cellphone)
Philosophy of Simplicity (Score:5, Interesting)
One of the things that I never understood about email clients was why they insisted on trying to store all of the contact information about a person. Who sends things to a snail mail address from an email client? Attempting to keep these things synched with your regular contact manager (like a PDA) is silly because I never try to send email from my PDA, and I have three times as many email addresses as I have real world address and phone number sets.
Inappropriately added functionality usually just makes a device more difficult to use, or at least distracts from its primary function. I have a PDA for my addresses; I don't need them on my cell phone. I don't want to have to whip out an entire PDA every time I make a call. The games are cute, but they just drain the batteries more quickly. The only unusual feature that I actually use on my cell phone is the Direct Connect, which I consider to be a logical extension. Everything else is a waste of electronics, a waste of my time, and a waste of the energy it takes to lug the thing around.
Re:Philosophy of Simplicity (Score:5, Insightful)
Feature Tyranny (Score:5, Informative)
Which often results in products that suck, of course, cause the work that makes for a really good product is usually subtle, or even invisible. Which means you can't sell it. So you concentrate on crap that actually makes your product less useful. You might call it the Copeland Effect.
Got it turned around... (Score:3, Informative)
Find me one cellular company -- just ONE -- whose cheapest phone doesn't have some basic games onboard.
One of the first things you learn in marketing... (Score:4, Insightful)
Same with that incredibly cool geeky tech gadget - it might be a hit on slashdot, lots of support. And when you try selling it to Joe Average, it's a flop. Or the other way around. I know there are lots of products which I'd never buy, that are still huge hits. Maybe it's not for your market segment. Maybe it's not for you in specific. Neither of that may matter, though.
Kjella
That's not a good arguement, when phones are free (Score:3, Insightful)
Most companies are giving you the phones with all the features when you signup. What is a bummer is that you have to switch carriers every so often to get a newer phone.
You're not paying for unused features. (Score:4, Insightful)
To be honest, to me this smacks of Luddism; the additional features you bemoan clearly don't add to the cost of the phones, as the 'baseline' phone price hasn't increased in the past 3-5 years - in fact, it's decreased. I don't know of any phones on the market which do not have "an addressbook and a way to make calls", so the argument is basically pointless.
On the flip side of the argument, I've been using a Sony Ericsson P900 since it came out (and the P800 before that) - it's at the other end of the spectrum to the type of phone you describe, having a full-function PDA, Web browser and camera included - and it's been a total revelation. Having instant Web access wherever you are is astoundingly useful, and applications which make specific use of this feature are starting to appear - for example, I use a nifty little program which downloads the weather forecasts and exchange rates every day (or on demand), so that these data are always available to me. Until you try it, you won't think it's any great shakes, but once you have, you won't go back...
In short: the additional features aren't useless. If you don't want to use them, don't use them, but most people will get utility from them. And they're not adding to the cost of the phones; the increased sales of new models lead to economies of scale which bring down the cost of all phones. Win-win.
It's a marketing study, take it with a grain of .. (Score:3, Insightful)
At some point this morphs into believing that "because we're offering it, it must be what the market wants". Basically people making the standard mistake of confusing cause-and-effect and also cause-vs-correlation.
Market "researchers" who make a living off this play off this fuzzy thinking all the time. Obviously if you tell people what they want to hear ("you're doing a great job trying to put an expresso maker in a cellphone"), they like you more and pay you money!
Poor design (Score:3, Insightful)
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* 0 #
There! Do it like that!
Demand vs. Utility (Score:4, Interesting)
When I got back from working in London, I was looking for a new carrier that had some of the features I had seen in while I was over there, namely SMS and WAP.
How stupid and pointless is SMS? I mean, really, all I need is a phone to make calls with. I don't need silly doo-dads like text messages! It's a phone! I just need to use it to call people!
Yet, text messages have completely penetrated American culture (as they had in London). Conversations have overhead. "Hi, how are you, how's the weather, how are the kids [INSERT REASON FOR CALL HERE] Well I should be going, have a great day, yeah we really should go skiing some time, okay, I'll call you next week, have a great week, blah blah blah". Text messages, on the other hand, are concise. "I got tickets to the superbowl, yay me". And if the recipient is away from her phone? Fine, she'll get it whenever.
And, thus, almost everyone who bought their phone "just to have a phone to make calls on" and conceded to having text message capability has really enjoyed the text capability. A couple months ago, my father got his very first mobile phone and was sending me text messages within a week.
WAP hasn't taken off as strongly in the United States, probably because it costs an extra couple of bucks (and, thus, unlike text messages can be averted). However, those who did break down and pay the extra couple of bucks think it's the best thing since sliced bread. If, for some God-awful reason, I have to be away from televisions on Sunday, I can get the football scores immediately. Just 45 or so minutes ago, I checked the weekend weather and ski reports at lunch.
So why are we so averse to technology (or techno-creep)? I constantly hear even technophiles saying "I don't need my phone to do that". Get with it: YOU DO NEED YOUR PHONE TO DO THAT, YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IT YET!
Most of the "new mobile phone technology" has been alive and kicking in Europe, the UK, Asia, and Africa for years before coming to the antiquated United States. It has all been tested in those climates. It is all successful technology before it reaches the United States.
Which brings us to the latest debacle. Camera phones. Camera phones have seen wild success in the UK. As they caught on, the Brits found new uses for them and just continued until millions and millions of images were flying through the clouds over London.
Personally, I'm just waiting for my contract to expire so I can get the best and brightest camera phone out there. I already know I can use it to take pictures of the goofy things I see every day and send them to my friends. It also allows me to have a cheap digicam on my person at all times. Sure, it's only 640x480, but all I usually want is a "look, it's me on top of Mt. Everest! Hi mom!" for the ole' website. I'm not shooting weddings.
Whoever said necesity is the mother of invention is dead wrong. Invention is the mother of creativity.
Star Trek Promised Us... (Score:3, Funny)
But what do we get?
Telephones you type on.
There will always be a market for "plain vanilla" (Score:4, Informative)
Regards
Re:The is a good example (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The is a good example (Score:3, Interesting)
It's more like a forced up-selling, you really dont have the choice.
My company just handed out a round of new phones not too long ago that are so bloated with features they're borderline useless as a phone. They run PalmOS, and I've had it crash with a fatal exception just by trying to answer it when it was ringing.
Re:The is a good example (Score:2)
Except that they dont. You can get a phone without a color screen, games, internet etc. Its just that 90% of hte people dont want them. They cost the same and do less. Cingular, AT&T, Verizun etc all support basic phones and all the phone makers have at least one basic model.
Re:big deal (Score:2, Insightful)
Personally I just wish the web browser in my phone would load up my hotmail and I'd be happy. I guess I need to set up my own site that shows e-mail in wml or whatever it is my phone can read.
Note from HAL (Score:5, Funny)
I am afraid I can't do that Dave [palantir.net]
Re:So long as they are cheaper.... (Score:3, Insightful)