How the mobile phone biz lost the plot

[jayb2000]

I have the Sony Ericsson K810i

I use the camera a lot with the flash, it's awesome.
I use the 3G Data speeds with my laptop when in hotels etc.
I use the Video calling function with family and friends.

It's stable, reliable, well built, pretty good battery life. It plays MP3 & M4A files absolutely fine.

A lot of problems with these phones tends to come with the buggy software the networks put on the phones, they ship them out with no real-world testing.

Yeah, I have the W810 and it is very good. Good reception, great battery life, plays MP3s, or AACs, video, camera, etc.

I have used Nokia, Motorola, and some of the really crap LG or self branded Sprint phones, this SE is by far the best phone I have used in a long time.

 

[nbs2]

so... it sounds as if people would be happy to buy the mobile phones of year 2000 and 2001 if they could find them.

In all honesty, if I could find a 5110 with BT for syncing contacts with my computer, I would be satisfied.

 

[yg17]

I'm not into all these phones myself, I don't want a camera and everything else that goes with it on a phone.

I just want to make calls.

As for the iPhone, it is the only phone that has other uses apart from making calls, and that's the inclusion of the iPod.

It's a great, useful product.

Then again, what else do you expect from ?

A ton of phones over the past few years have MP3 and video playback capabilities. The iPhone isn't the first to do it, I'd hardly call it the only great phone. Other than visual voicemail, it offers nothing that some other phone doesn't offer.

 

[RedTomato]

I've carried the nokia Communicator range for about 5 years, and gone through the entire range - the 9000, 9100, 9200, and 9500.

Loved them cos of the keyboard for texting (I'm deaf and can't make phone calls) and the very large memory meaning I could store thousands of texts on them. (even if they were the size and weight of a shithouse brick)

Many other deafs had them too, however they had a huge design flaw - no vibrate. Even hearing reviewers moaned about this, with one reviewer saying he missed half of his calls through not hearing the ring. No vibrate is unforgiveable for a phone aimed at biz people who are often in meetings or with clients.

The excuse that the phone was too heavy for a vibrate is a new one to me. At the least Nokia could have supplied an external vibrate keyring attachment, maybe one that locked to that particular model phone.

Today, I'm happy with my HTC Wizard. (xda mini s from O2 UK) That's been a revolution in mobile technology for me. QWERTY keyboard, vibrate, camera, large memory etc, all in a package 1/3 the size and weight of the Nokia.

OK so it runs Windows Mobile, but it's worked for me. Setting up email / internet was a doddle - I never got it working properly on the Nokia communicators.

I've just brought a HTC Hermes / Tytn yesterday (Vario ii from T-Mobile UK) because of the front mounted camera meaning I can make sign language mobile videocalls (either to other deaf people or to a sign/voice relay service.) That's a fundamentally new thing in telcommunications for me. (expensive tho at 25-50p/min for a videocall, and no free allowance!)

HTC are the ones with vision and have rocked the mobile world in the last couple of years.

 

[yg17]

HTC are the ones with vision and have rocked the mobile world in the last couple of years.

Ditto. I just got an HTC Herald/P4350 and I absolutely love it. Its truly an awesome phone and does everything I need and then some.

At first, Windows Mobile worried me, but I quickly discovered that WM is one of the few things Microsoft has done right. It's snappy, easy to use, has a ton of features, and I've yet to find a bug or have a crash. Something that other cell phone companies (*cough*motorola*cough* can't seem to do)

 

[tutubibi]

Problem with most people is that you don't want just a phone (=device for making phone calls) but much more (fashion statement, geekness statement, PDA, MP3, whatever).
Do we still call it a phone if making calls is just one of 100 features?

 

[bigandy]

At first, Windows Mobile worried me, but I quickly discovered that WM is one of the few things Microsoft has done right. It's snappy, easy to use, has a ton of features, and I've yet to find a bug or have a crash. Something that other cell phone companies (*cough*motorola*cough* can't seem to do)

I can't agree more. I've had an Orange SPV M600 (the HTC Prophet), and it's fantastic. I have had it crash once or twice, but then what do I expect when I'm overclocking it to run Skype. heh.

 

[edesignuk]

A follow up article: Why we hate the modern mobile phone.

 

[rdowns]

What I'd like to see is a device that does all things mentioned in this thread except make phone calls. Would go a long way in ridding us of Annoying Cell Phone People™.

 

[reflex]

My SE K750i is pretty much the perfect phone for me right now. It does everything I need to flawlessly and the interface is very straightforward for those things.

I bought it after the power button on my T68i stopped working reliably. I liked that one a lot too, but the interface on the K750i is really a lot better. And it hasn't crashed once so far (fingers crossed and such).

 

[Shadow]

I've never heard of any phone crashing, expect one with Symbian. But then, arn't phones meant to be an appliance, like a sink which dont crash?

 

[iMeowbot]

I've never heard of any phone crashing, expect one with Symbian. But then, arn't phones meant to be an appliance, like a sink which dont crash?

Even appliances crash now. My clothes washer needed a new logic board a few months back because of that.

 

[PlaceofDis]

I've never heard of any phone crashing, expect one with Symbian. But then, arn't phones meant to be an appliance, like a sink which dont crash?

plenty of times i've opened up my phone to be greeted with a blank white screen. totally locked up. cell phones have an OS now with microchips in them. their tiny little computers like everything else these days.

 

[bartelby]

A follow up article: Why we hate the modern mobile phone.

Some good replies in there. I liked this one the best, especially the bit I've bolded.

How can you mention the iPhone without bringing up it's own glaring faults? The lack of 3G, the fact that the phone is huge, it's ridiculous cost and and the fact that it doesn't really have any functionality that you can't get today despite being quite a long way from launch in Europe at least. All of that makes for a phone that in my opinion is dead before launch apart from the iPod diehards who'll get it simply because it's made from Apple and is white.
Otherwise a good article, the only other thing I missed was mention of Windows smartphones.

Christian Hass

 

[dextertangocci]

I've always disliked cell phones. All I care about is calling, and maybe using it as a modem for my Macbook sometimes. I rarely sms. Music on a cell phone is useless. PDA phones are also pointless. They have such limited functionality. How do you type a document, or long email, or browse the web comfortably? They are too big too comfortably use as a phone.

I just got a Samsung X820 because it looks cool

Definitey getting and iPhone in June

 

[yayaba]

I have the Sony Ericsson K810i

I use the camera a lot with the flash, it's awesome.
I use the 3G Data speeds with my laptop when in hotels etc.
I use the Video calling function with family and friends.

It's stable, reliable, well built, pretty good battery life. It plays MP3 & M4A files absolutely fine.

A lot of problems with these phones tends to come with the buggy software the networks put on the phones, they ship them out with no real-world testing.

Yep, I have a SE K790a. Same for me: I use the camera, EDGE, and the music player a LOT. Haven't had any issues with it and the UI is responsive, quick, and easy to use.

Then again, I paid $400 for it so it better be good!

 

[cube]

The battery of my Ericsson T39 that I have since 2000 died, the only place where you could find a replacement was on the internet, and I couldn't wait, so I went for a cheap quadband phone (nothing cheap 3G).

I got a RAZR V3i but it didn't have EDGE, and I wanted to try live TV, so I dropped a bit more cash and got a RIZR Z3.

The live TV sucked. I rarely talk on the cell, so I use it mostly to listen to podcasts that I sync from iTunes with SyncTunes (a 2GB microSD card was cheap).
It also has stereo bluetooth so I might go wireless with the headphones.

I am happy I returned the V3i. Its screen might be bigger, but the Z3 is more practical and it has more features.

 

[aquajet]

My first phone was a Motorola StarTAC. That's the only cell phone I actually ever liked. Since then I've had a bottom line LG and now a bottom line Samsung. The Samsung is just okay, but I hated the LG with a passion. I eventually ended up breaking it in half and smashing it to bits with a hammer after I "upgraded" to the Samsung.

 

[leekohler]

I still don't own a cell phone and hopefully never will have to. I hate them about as much as I hate TVs in bars.

 

[sysiphus]

I've got a Sony Ericsson W810i from Cingular, and love it...yes, it is a 2006 model phone. However, it does everything I need (and more!), gets great battery life, has a great camera (for a phone), plays nice with iSync, has a fast, customizable UI, etc, etc...and it was 79 dollars. Not bad. That said, I can still see the draw to some of the older Nokias that are even smaller still than my phone, are durable as all get out, and make calls just fine

 

[solvs]

A ton of phones over the past few years have MP3 and video playback capabilities. The iPhone isn't the first to do it, I'd hardly call it the only great phone. Other than visual voicemail, it offers nothing that some other phone doesn't offer.

You obviously haven't seen it in person. The interface sells it. It's nothing short of amazing and well worth all the hype.

Still waiting a couple of months to get one though.

I still don't own a cell phone and hopefully never will have to. I hate them about as much as I hate TVs in bars.

You don't have a car, you don't have a cell phone... man I couldn't live like that.

 

[elppa]

Well my Nokia 6100 has died on me.

I will try to get it repaired because it has served me well, is very slim, very light and has very good battery life and no stupid camera.

So at the moment I'm without a mobile phone and I couldn't really care to be honest.

What annoys me in the register article is people who criticise iPhone yet pricing and feature set for the European phone are a long way from being confirmed.

I do like the look of the product though, mainly because an area which has been neglected by other manufacturer's has been really well addressed — the user experience.

 

[nplima]

hi!

In all honesty, if I could find a 5110 with BT for syncing contacts with my computer, I would be satisfied.

That would be a Nokia 6310i, also from 2001 (-ish) or a Nokia 5110 with a USB cable if you're cheap

Both the Nokia 6310 and 6210 have some demand so many years after being discontinued because of proprietary hands-free kits on high end cars. you might end up buying a 6310 for the price of a medium range modern phone.

What I'd like to see is a device that does all things mentioned in this thread except make phone calls. Would go a long way in ridding us of Annoying Cell Phone People™.

There are some PDAs on the market at least because of people working in places where there are strict security rules about where to carry a device that can make photos. Some diplomat friends of mine have such restrictions and Nokia has business phones meant to cater to those needs. I think they're the last brand to sell medium/high end phones without camera.
Nokia E50: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e50-1566.php
Nokia 6021: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6021-1088.php

Since these devices do not help the network operators in selling higher priced services (TV on demand, MMS, videoconf, ...) there's limited subsidies compared to those all-in-one devices where you can press a fast-access key and start a WAP session (at a certain unit cost). Pure PDAs have no such incentives.