People Not Flocking To Multipurpose Cell Phones

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://mobileanalystwatch.blogspot.com/2005/09/people-not-flocking-to-multipurpose_06.html' target='_blank'>http://mobileanalystwatch.blogspot.com/2005/09/people-not-flocking-to-multipurpose_06.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"USA Today looks at the convergence of cell phones and consumer electronic devices as the impending launch of the Apple iPhone looms. Although the industry is rolling out new handsets with multimedia capabilites, many question if consumers even want such functionality. David Chamberlain, at In-Stat said, "People are not really flocking to phones with new features. They just want to talk on the phone." According to a recent In-Stat survey, there is relatively little interest so far in new phone add-ons, such as video."</i><br /><br />It's true folks. Most people don't need to watch a 2 hour movie on their cell phone or listen to hours of music on them either. I think the iPhone recently announced is just another egg Motorola has laid. Especially considering its silly limitations such as a 100 song limit and you can't download music over the air. Are these companies just making stuff up as they go or do they really know what we want?

[seaflipper]

I think it's a real victory for the consumer that Cingular didn't require that the ONLY way you could download your songs was over the air!

Sure it would be nice to have an option, but (besides slow as hell on GPRS) Cingular would charge and arm and a leg for that. I think that while the 100 song limitation is going to be a hurdle for some, the fact that it's iTunes is the real power of this thing. Too bad it isn't a prettier phone though...

[sojourner753]

Are these companies just making stuff up as they go or do they really know what we want?

I think thats just it. Everyone is caught up in the Apple iPod effect. OEMs and ODMs et al, think that if they add something shiny to their devices then the consumers will be mesmerized and flock to it.

Also, they're a bit blinded by the acceptance of the camera phone. Though I wonder if that success was more about reducing the choices of non-camera phones. :roll:

[Jerry Raia]

Also, they're a bit blinded by the acceptance of the camera phone. Though I wonder if that success was more about reducing the choices of non-camera phones. :roll:

I think that has a lot to do with it. How many phones don't have cameras? Of the higher end phones I think the answer is none.

[Rocco Augusto]

doesnt it use microSD memory cards? in theory cant you just get a lrger one and hold more songs? either way i prefer my 5600, it holds a lot of songs and i dont need itunes ;)

[Kris Kumar]

When will manufacturers stop following the hype and start using some common sense. :roll:

As a normal cell phone user, I feel stranded between the cell phones with features either dictated by business users or by teenagers. On one end the manufacturers think RIM is cool and are chasing RIM and on the other end they think camera, ring tones and songs are cool. While back it swappable face plates for the phones.

[Jerry Raia]

While back it swappable face plates for the phones.

Well maybe they are a bit confused. I mean when people line up to get flashing light keypads and blinking antennas they might be getting the wrong idea. :lol:

[Mike Temporale]

doesnt it use microSD memory cards? in theory cant you just get a lrger one and hold more songs? either way i prefer my 5600, it holds a lot of songs and i dont need itunes ;)

Not that I noticed. It doesn't appear to have any memory expansion capabilities what so ever. :roll:

[Mark Larson]

I believe there is a 100 song limit in the iTunes software on the phone. No such limit on the E398. ;)

[Jerry Raia]

It doesn't appear to have any memory expansion capabilities what so ever. :roll:

I'm shocked that Motorola would put out such a product! :pukeface:

[Mark Larson]

I believe there is a 100 song limit in the iTunes software on the phone. No such limit on the E398. ;)

[Rebecca]

As a dieheart iPod fan, here are my coments:

Yes there is a 100 song software limitation for this phone. But sooner or latter some hacker is going to get around that.


As a fan of iPod and Smartphones I consider this to be a disgrace to both phones and iPods. It is way to ugly to be related to iPods and its capability is way too limited by todays standards for phones.

I am going to get an iPod Nano because I love the styling and I won't be carrying my beloved SMT 5600 when working out.

If you want to go the illegal way just buy the music remove the DRM from apple and play it on the Smartphone using an .aac capable player (many are free).

[Mike Temporale]

Yes there is a 100 song software limitation for this phone. But sooner or latter some hacker is going to get around that.

I don't think it's a software issue. Isn't it just a memory limitation? I read somewhere that it has 512MB.

[Kris Kumar]

As a fan of iPod and Smartphones I consider this to be a disgrace to both phones and iPods. It is way to ugly to be related to iPods and its capability is way too limited by todays standards for phones.

I am surprised that Apple is associating with Moto on this particular model.

[lagsun]

I am surprised that Apple is associating with Moto on this particular model.

I don't think Apple has much to lose. t's not an Apple product and only has an iTunes client on the phone. Plus it won't cannibalize sales of iPods. It might even expand their audience by getting new people to iTunes to purchase music and then eventually upgrade to an iPod. Maybe.

Frankly I'm not sure if there is a market for music phones. I mean I have and can play songs on my SMT-5600 but I'd much rather have a Nano and given its size it will allow me to carry multiple devices....

[qyv42]

You can replace the memory card on the Moto ROKR with a larger one, but the 100 song limit is hard-coded. It isn't an estimate - it's literally 100 songs only, ever, regardless of memory.

[Mike Temporale]

You can replace the memory card on the Moto ROKR with a larger one, but the 100 song limit is hard-coded. It isn't an estimate - it's literally 100 songs only, ever, regardless of memory.

Ah, thanks. Then I agree with Rebecca's thoughts. Some hacker will find a way to break that limit.

[Rebecca]

I read on iLounge that originally Apple had planned a 25 song limit to prevent the phone from hurting iPod sales.

After talks Moto and Apple agreed on the 100 songs limits, but apparently Motorolas staff were not so happy about this.

If I buy the Phone and the songs I should be able to fit whatever amount the phone and memory card can hold. Definitely this phone is going to be hacked sooner or latter.

My combo will be a 4GB nano+SMT5600.

[Jerry Raia]

There is another issue here to consider. Moto's track record in the quality department is somewhat, shall we say, dismal. I wouldn't run out and buy this thing even if it is all the things you have ever wanted until some feedback in the quality area arrives. :wink:

[Rebecca]

What's Motorola's next phone? Let me guess, the SUCKR

[Mike Temporale]

What's Motorola's next phone? Let me guess, the SUCKR

I think thats spelt SUKR :) :lol:

[Kris Kumar]

Off Topic:

Gizmodo: iPod Nano Gutted (http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/ipod-nano/ipod-nano-gutted-124700.php)

[lagsun]

Just noticed the Rokr is being sold at Amazon with a $150 rebate. So at $99 it's the price of a Shuffle...

[Ned]

"USA Today looks at the convergence of cell phones... David Chamberlain, at In-Stat said, "People are not really flocking to phones with new features. They just want to talk on the phone." According to a recent In-Stat survey, there is relatively little interest so far in new phone add-ons, such as video."

Are these companies just making stuff up as they go or do they really know what we want?

The discussion has gotten away from the original post quite a bit and I wanted to make some personal observations concerning Jerry's original post.

I got my phone to make calls and do email. It turns out I do some text messaging too, but only with my youngest who seems to like to text message me instead of talk with me during the day, but that's another tale. I get about 10 emails per day from clients on the phone who use my address on the phone for emergency information which I need to help them with a follow-up phone call.

The phone is a quad gsm phone. I got that kind of phone because I travel all over the country and to Europe, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The phone is also a flip. I don't find talking to a candy bar style phone comfortable without a headset and when closed I want my phone to be small.

Incidentally the phone has a camera. It just came that way. I used it once, when a trash truck rear-ended me and I wanted so photos for the insurance company.

I have a Palm and an MP3 player. I have no, make that NO interest in a phone which can be a phone, PDA and MP3 player, or any combination thereof.

I want my phone to be small. I always carry the phone. I don't always take the other units. I want to be able to carry the phone in a jacket or shirt pocket or a pants front pocket so I can take it anywhere. At work I always have my Palm, but I don't need it during other times such as social engagements, and I don't want to carry anything that large then, like a Treo. I do want my PDA to have a large screen, so a small PDA doesn't cut it for me. I have more than 30 programs on my Palm and many really utilize the large T5 screen including the 5 I use every day in addition to the calendar and contact list.

I want my phone's battery to last a long time through standby and calls (I have a 2000 min/month plan and pretty much use up the minutes.) and if you add a PDA and/or MP3 player to the phone you've shot the battery or made the phone too large to have a really big battery.

As for the MP3 player, for me the small ones are of little value. I use it only when I travel or go to the gym. I like lots of kinds of music and my playlists are eclectic. I don't walk around with it or to and from work. My MP3 player is a 20G unit with 16G used.

I have talked with many people over time about what they want in a phone and have followed this and other forums. I have concluded that the cell manufacturers are indeed either making up stuff as they go or clueless about what people want.