Some of the ideas for posts I write here come from lunchtime discussions. You know the drill: we go out, sit at some restaurant close by, chat, overhear conversations, and once in a while a post idea comes to mind.
Making calls on the go
This time the idea came from a snippet of a conversation I heard the other day from the table beside me. Of course it had all to do with the (in)famous iPad, and of course it’s big (or little, if you wish) brother, the iPhone.
Someone said, in mid-conversation, that, for him, the thing you should look for in a mobile handset is to the ability to make voice calls. You know – call someone. The rest is a bonus. And his conclusion – there’s nothing better than old faithful Nokia.
Something snapped in me hearing that, as up until recently I actually believed it too. Here’s a confession: I am using a Nokia handset, provided by RADVISION, and lately I had some sacrilegious thoughts about purchasing an iPhone or maybe one of those Android phones.
Now I tell myself that it’s because of my love for shiny new objects, but it might be that I don’t really believe that a mobile handset is really a “phone” anymore. If it was up to me, I would reposition it as a communication device – something you can use for your communication needs, be it phone calls, web browsing, tweeting, instant messaging, etc..
In other words – it doesn’t have to be brilliant in making phone calls, as long as it’s great in all of the rest. Especially as phone calling becomes pretty secondary in our world.
I am not sure where that leaves me, carrying my new Nokia N85. How about you?
How do you define your perfect mobile handset? Should it be good at making calls? Should it be “web browser” based? A gaming platform? A communications device? Or maybe all of the above?
Tags: Android, Browsing, communication, gaming, Handset, iPad, iPhone, Mobile, Nokia, phone, voice, VoIP
Comments and trackbacks
1. Sagee Ben-Zedeff | March 1st, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Great minds think alike…
Here’s a WSJ story about “The Unused Cellphone App: ‘Calling’ “: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704188104575083293556739002.html
2. DaveM | March 1st, 2010 at 3:07 pm
The key thing to the mobile is that it does do everything. We don’t want to carry around more than one device. The mobile is winning because it can do so many things… calendar, calculator, maps, dictaphone, camera, voice, games, and much much more.
It isn’t a contest about which app or function gets used the most – do you use your speedometer more than your gas gauge? The value is in a single powerful device that does it all. Once you start eliminating capabilities, you decrease the utility and value of the device.
3. S.Meinardi | March 1st, 2010 at 3:54 pm
As usual, it depends. While I perfectly fit your anonymous’s thoughts (I use a nokia 1200, with no phone book as I usually need to answer only), I understand that someone else could have different needs (I often regret not having a smartphone when I’m on holiday).
The only use I can’t imagine is as a gaming platform (but I’m almost 50; remembering pong I can’t conceive of something so different…; I only can play snake, with discouraging results)
4. Jack Shasha | March 3rd, 2010 at 8:15 am
I believe that the mobile phone will soon become our wallet, replacing credit cards, bank cards. We will make micro-payments for parking, restaurants, tolls etc. all from the phone. Of course there will have to be a major step-up in security using biometrics and a backup of its data on the network in case of loss or theft. It will also replace keys, car-keys, home keys. This might not be as far off. Don’t leave home without it.
Question: Tsahi mentioned RadVision, does anybody have any comments on that; whether it works well, pros and cons?
5. randulo | March 3rd, 2010 at 11:19 am
Isn’t the perfect mobile handset very much like the perfect mate? Do you want someone who can cook, someone your friends will love, someone who’s good in bed, someone who will be a good mother to your children, someone who won’t mind you watching football, someone who want an open marriage…
Audiophiles were always the ones who bought components, right? A tuner from X, an amp from Y, speakers from Z.
Conclusion: you can’t make a modular, open mate. Someone could make a handset so open it would accept modules from the people who do the best [voip, calendar, assistant,spreadsheet,editor,Twitter client, outliner, maps, GPS] oh, and regular phone calls.
6. Tsahi Levent-Levi | March 6th, 2010 at 5:27 am
@Sagee,
Thanks for the link – it was an interesting read. Can’t say I’ll be able to stop my voice calling habits though…
@Dave,
As usual, your comments make me reconsider my perceptions and beliefs, but I still think that devices need to be very good at a limited number of things. For the iPhone it’s probably applications and less voice calling, which doesn’t amount for much for people who really need a mobile calling device most of the time.
@S.Meinardi,
Thanks – this is rather in line with my own way of thinking
@Jack,
I believe you are correct about phones being used as our bank accounts extension. As for RADVISION, I work there. Banking related communication is out of scope of what we’re currently doing, so I don’t really have any knowledge on what goes on there.
@randulo,
For now, there’s no phone that is good at everything. Would be nice to see one, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.
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