Are Mobile Devices Getting Too Complex?
Last year, Martin Cooper, the man credited with inventing the cell phone at Motorola in 1973, made headlines when he complained at a Boston conference that the iPhone was too complex. Further cementing his reputation as a curmudgeon, Cooper told a gathering in Madrid this week pretty much the same thing -- that modern cell phones are too feature-packed to be useful. "Whenever you create a universal device that does all things for all people, it does not do any things well," he told the crowd.
Now, our knee-jerk reaction was to dismiss Cooper as a crotchety, out-of-touch coot when he said, "[Our] future... is a number of specialist devices that focus on one thing." Clearly, the trend in technology has been convergence -- cramming more and more capabilities into fewer, smaller gadgets. Many of us at the Switched offices lug around smartphones that can snap photos, record video, play games, browse the Internet, get directions via GPS, play music and video, and make calls. Yet a quick survey revealed that most of us own, and still use, dedicated iPods and GPS devices, as well. And no one would even contemplate ditching a computer to rely purely on a smartphone for Web access.
So what gives? We decided to ask a friend who is still clinging to the RAZR he's been using since 2005, figuring that he may be able to provide insight into the appeal of simplicity. We asked him if he was ever frustrated by the lack of features on his aging handset, and his response was a firm "no." Although he had considered upgrading to a smartphone, he explained, "There's a few things stopping me." What are those things? He'd heard about various "faults," yet to be ironed out, in both the iPhone and BlackBerry -- perhaps the byproduct of one device trying to be too many things at once.
We asked if those "faults" were fixed, if he could see himself replacing his iPod and GPS device with an iPhone. He shot back, "There isn't nearly enough space on an iPhone for all my music." And as for his GPS? "Generally I'd still use it." He even used the word "novelty" when describing the navigational features of the iPhone.
Maybe Cooper is slightly off-base by saying our future is in "highly specialized" devices; the trend towards convergence will march on. But these added features are clearly meant as a convenience, not as a replacement for a specialized device. It's clear that our reliance on single-function devices will not be coming to an end anytime soon. After all, how many of you are out there that are buying combo washer-driers or TVs with Blu-ray players built in? [From: Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
bastion78 said 10:42AM on 11-07-2009
Personally, I have never really been a big fan of this "convergence" of technology. The only upside that these multi-faceted devices have is that if people only rely on the one device to meet all their needs then you find yourself using less natural resources. (i.e. if everyone used the iPhone instead of buying computers, mp3 players, camcorders, cameras, etc., then less natural resources would be used to build these other devices). Obviously, it is a silly example as this is not going to happen, but it is the only upside that I see.
I hate the fact that Apple deems the iPhone as a gaming machine. It can run games and it has some good ones on there but do people buy an iPhone so they can play games? I don't think so. The primary function of an iPhone is to transmit/receive calls/texts. Everything else is just a marketing scheme to get people to buy their product instead of someone else's. Companies started bundling other functions with their phones so that they could separate themselves from the pack. Humans can do arithmetic in their head, does that mean we are calculators too? No, of course not.
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seequill said 10:53AM on 11-08-2009
Who wears a watch anymore? Who carries a planner around? Get into an accident, you take pics with your phone. See something you want to recall later, take a pic. Don't have a good camera with you, well at least you have that. Waiting on an email for something, there it is. Need to look up a number, an address, whatever, well at least you have that. In a society where we are all on the move constantly, it's a lot easier to have an all-in-one with you than either 20 devices or nothing at all. It's like carrying an all purpose Leatherman -- no it's not a machete or a carving knife or screwdriver or a good pair of pliers, but it's pretty darn handy to have around all the same.
SmarterthanTomthinksIam said 12:43PM on 11-07-2009
Lets all go back to using pagers
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BikingRadio said 8:33PM on 11-07-2009
I have an iTouch in my car. I leave it there all the time. I can't imagine plugging in an iPhone each time I get into my car... I have built-in navigation in the car which is far superior to any navigation software that is built for any 'convergence' device. Taking pictures? I have a Nikon DSLR. Capturing video? The Nikon supports hi-def. I guess that is a bit of convergence - video & still in one device - but at least those functions are somewhat related... Gaming? I have a PS3, a Wii and a PC with high-end gaming capabilities. Watching video? Every airliner I care to on-board these days come with excellent built-in enterntainment (Virgin America, for example). Why pretend to be watching video on a tiny device? iPhone or many other 'convergence' devices are for people who don't seek excellence and are OK with 'converged' mediocrity. Others who do not have to carry out a phone conversation while watching a video while an MP3 track is on pause while trying to save a high-score on a joke of a game while trying to figure out where they parked their car on a navigation screen while recording themselves carrying out all these activities to facebook it before twitting about it while wondering when the next release of this piece of garbage will come out... Are quite happy.
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David said 1:54PM on 11-08-2009
BikingRadio - that's all well and good but it sounds to me that you have A LOT of money to spend on all that stuff. MOST people have to choose where they're going to spend their bucks and they can't simply buy a:
+iPhone
+iPod Touch
+Wii
+PS3
+PC
+Nikon brand Digital SLR w/HD video capability
+a car with a built-in navigation system, and
+fly on fancy airlines
You're poo-pooing of a multi-faceted device that MEETS THE NEEDS of many, many, MANY people shows you not to be discriminating, but rather aloof!
pst2868 said 10:21PM on 11-07-2009
I am looking for a simple phone with large numeric keypad and 3 inch screen.
It should also have solar panel to recharge the battery.
The only feature I need is the call list (for incoming, outgoing and missed calls).
Didn't we old timers were quite OK with the rotary phone and the touch-tone phone was such a novelty until the phone companies started adding it as a separate service that we couldn't live without? I remember paying around $12 a month for my phone line 35 years ago. It is $66 just for basic service now.
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GENNIE said 10:28AM on 11-08-2009
I pay around 60 a month and I have no caller id, and I can't punch 69 to find out who called me as a prank.
It blows.
turbomaxima said 10:52AM on 11-08-2009
JITTER BUG! cell phone!!!
starsky117 said 12:06PM on 11-08-2009
You're using the wrong phone service. I pay $6.00 per month for a landline
SallijaneG said 1:15PM on 11-08-2009
Hear, hear!
Chris said 7:54AM on 11-08-2009
Unitaskers are almost always better at what ever it is your attempting to do..with the obvious drawback you must then always drag around every unitasker you MIGHT need. I love my iphone which actually operates better then my dated ipod at music, and for my web browsing and searching when I'm out and about because it FITS IN MY POCKET. One thing not, 50. And as a bonus it has some handy little apps.
Consider the Emergency cardiac monitor/defib/cardioverter/12 lead ECG/Capnography device I routinely use as a paramedic...there are better unitaskers for each of those functions, but if I had all that, I'd be a in a ER not carrying it into your living room.
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monte said 8:53AM on 11-08-2009
this is why im still using a 7 year old nokia, dont need all the yuppie crap. bought it for a phone and a phone is all I need. its all about marketing and the young folks gotta have the latest and usually not so greatest. get back to basics. the more complicated the more likely it will fail sooner. your iphone wont last 7 years you can bet that.
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harleyrider686 said 9:05AM on 11-08-2009
I'm a Verizon customer and I tried one of their Samsung Omnia smartphones (for free, no less, on my "New Every Two" plan) and was very disappointed. I found it impossible to access the contact list or even simply dial a number manually with one hand (as I often like to do), and equally painful to access most other phone-related functions. Its web browser was respectable (as are the browsers I've seen on other smartphones like the Storm and Pearl and iPhone). But I need a phone to make phone calls! Browsing and email are bonuses. I finally returned the Omnia and upgraded from my venerable RAZR to a GZ Boulder, which is a fine phone, although I still miss a few of the RAZR's slicker features (such as the way it speaks each contact's name aloud as I scroll throught the list so I dont have to always be looking at the phone to use it). And both of these flip-phones have simple external on-off toggles for the speakerphone (which I prefer greatly when accessing voice mail or anything else that requires me to listen, then press a key), whereas the Omnia required a maddening trip through the touch-screen menu. In the long term, I think the answer (for me, anyway) would be to have a phone for making calls, and a separate smartphone-sized device for email and web browsing. Then I could browse the web while also talking on the phone (something I do with my laptop at home all the time). Too bad the wireless companies have priced this capability out of reach for most individual users. The wireless industry needs a reasonably priced flat-rate unlimited-use data plan independent of the voice plan, like home internet providers offer. Only then will handheld internet use really hit the mainstream.
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Leo said 9:10AM on 11-08-2009
I'm a Verizon customer and I tried one of their Samsung Omnia smartphones (for free, no less, on my "New Every Two" plan) and was very disappointed. I found it impossible to access the contact list or even simply dial a number manually with one hand (as I often like to do), and equally painful to access most other phone-related functions. Its web browser was respectable (as are the browsers I've seen on other smartphones like the Storm and Pearl and iPhone). But I need a phone to make phone calls! Browsing and email are bonuses. I finally returned the Omnia and upgraded from my venerable RAZR to a GZ Boulder, which is a fine phone, although I still miss a few of the RAZR's slicker features (such as the way it speaks each contact's name aloud as I scroll throught the list so I dont have to always be looking at the phone to use it). And both of these flip-phones have simple external on-off toggles for the speakerphone (which I prefer greatly when accessing voice mail or anything else that requires me to listen, then press a key), whereas the Omnia required a maddening trip through the touch-screen menu. In the long term, I think the answer (for me, anyway) would be to have a slim, simple phone for making calls, and a separate smartphone-sized device for email and web browsing. Then I could browse the web while also talking on the phone (something I do with my laptop at home all the time). Too bad the wireless companies have priced this capability out of reach for most individual users. The wireless industry needs a reasonably priced flat-rate unlimited-use data plan independent of the voice plan, like home internet providers offer. Only then will handheld internet use really hit the mainstream.
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Jamie Shorts said 1:19PM on 11-08-2009
I love my iPhone. I never used to take pictures or video but now I always have a camera with me. I take more pics and vids of my kids. I only get on my laptop when I am forced to. I do everything else on my iPhone. I think this guy is crazy!!!
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RON said 9:40AM on 11-08-2009
i realy don't understand why someone wants to carry in their pocket access to all the info on the web. if all that info is so vital, i suggest they stay locked in their office or home with access to all that info without wasting other energy.
and then there's the gaming part. what a waste. if access to all that info is so important; who has time to play games?
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JD said 9:43AM on 11-08-2009
Thus far, Martin Cooper is absolutely right about current devices doing a lot of things poorly. One of the newest reasons for this is the shift to cloud computing. I liked my phones when the software and data was in the phone. Sure they were big, but they worked better than the "cloud". I fail to see how or even when users/customers of products became so complacent about poor functionality and often, poor quality. Nowadays the phones don't even make calls well, as anyone on the AT&T Wireless system can tell you. The web is full of reports that their network infrastructure is so overburdened by the cloud computing being used by their i-Phone apps that those of us who wish simply to call our Moms, have two or three dropped calls during a fifteen minute conversation.
My wife, who is a film and video producer got a full featured smart phone because the documentation clearly stated that it can play video attachments or stream videos in a wide variety of formats including 3g, wmv, mpg and avi. This would be very useful as she often has to approve clips while in production and doing it "on the run" would be time-saving. The catch? It doesn't play anything she needs to view. After two devices and dozens of calls to tech support we discovered that all videos to be watched on a mobile device must be saved by the sender or creator in a "for mobile device" format, which simply means a low resolution or frame size. What? they're supposed to take the time to separately make lo-res clips of HD video just for approval? That's is never going to happen in her industry. It's too time consuming. So for the time being, she's carrying her MAC to hotspots everywhere she goes.
As for me, I also still have my RazR and use it only to make calls or send texts. My camera takes 12 megapixel photos, which phones cannot do and I am, quite frankly, glad to be away from the world wide web and email when I'm out and about. So for now, I agree with Martin and have A LOT of friends who feel the same.
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Chuck said 10:14AM on 11-08-2009
Do they have a cell phone that receives and makes calls ONLY? I don't want, texting, Internet, caller ID, call back, repeat dialing, roaming charges, movies, TV, or any of that other stuff that phone service companies provides for suckers.
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Tom said 11:39AM on 11-08-2009
Chuck,
I have a Sanyo phone with Sprint as a carrier. It does have internet capability and text. I don't have either one enabled though. I can make and receive calls and messages. I also have a wireless receiver on my visor for hands free while driving, no plug in MY ear
Tom
GFPalm said 10:28AM on 11-08-2009
"Smart" phones have no common sense. I hate it when I can't make an urgent call because the OS is frozen and I need to reboot or reset the device. Or when one voice channel suddenly drops out because of a known software bug that requires a hotfix. Often I only have a few minutes to make a call, and I can't be wasting that precious time trying to get the device to perform what should be a simple operation. I have now gone back to a low feature flip phone which I only use for calls. I have yet to have a problem or miss a call with it.
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