09-10-2006, 09:00 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Mike Mace on European vs. American Phone Use
"In last week's post about Palm's phone plans, I made a passing comment about the right way to display your mobile phone at dinner in Europe. It turned out to be the most popular part of the post, and produced a couple of requests that I say more comparing European and American attitudes toward mobile phones. I don't pretend to the world's expert on the subject, but I'll summarize what I've seen. Here goes..."
And so begins a detailed and excellent description by Michael Mace, former CCO of Palm, as to the differences between the mobile market in the US/North America and Europe. Based on my observations over many years, a lot of these are spot-on. For those of you who have always been wondering why certain mobile idiosyncrasies are the way they are, be sure to take a look at this article.
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09-10-2006, 09:29 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Mike Mace does a pretty good job dissecting the differences, but I think all you really need to know to understand them is summed up in his one comment:
"If you're still having trouble picturing the difference in attitudes, look at it this way � many people in Europe feel about their mobiles the way that Californians feel about their cars."
Bingo.
On the other hand, in reference to the comments he makes to the Club of Amsterdam blog, most of that's already been said, and by brighter minds, IMO.
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Old Market Researchers never die...they just get broken down by age and sex.
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09-10-2006, 10:28 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,183
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I moved to the US from the UK 2.5 years ago. I still don't understand why people like those lumpy clamshell phones with the 1.5 inch 'antenna' sticking out the top!
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09-11-2006, 12:17 AM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Brad Adrian
Mike Mace does a pretty good job dissecting the differences, but I think all you really need to know to understand them is summed up in his one comment:
"If you're still having trouble picturing the difference in attitudes, look at it this way � many people in Europe feel about their mobiles the way that Californians feel about their cars."
Bingo.
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I was actually going to just post on that same quote! Eerie....
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Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
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09-11-2006, 01:00 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 172
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by SteveHoward999
I moved to the US from the UK 2.5 years ago. I still don't understand why people like those lumpy clamshell phones with the 1.5 inch 'antenna' sticking out the top!
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That's because they've no taste and less sense.  Remember, most of the United States is kinda stuck in the early 1990s when it comes to cell phone features - they're only now discovering stuff which Europeans and Asia had considered obsolete 3-4 years ago.
I remember the last time I went overseas to Asia, about 10 years ago... and phones which had features like built-in cameras and keyboards for messaging only started showing up here about 2-3 years ago. Part of the problem is that the cell phone providers in North America are reluctant to deploy a lot of this technology, since it's GSM (versus their own home-brew CDMA and TDMA systems, which they're still paying license fees for, IIRC, which makes it difficult to completely discard due to the amount they've invested in infrastructure)... and some of it is because, as was pointed out by others, they've got customers in a stranglehold and don't need to innovate to keep their clients.
Of course, it's this same stranglehold which keeps telecom companies wanting to charge different rates for internet service (thus making them opposed to any idea of Net Neutrality) as well as keeping cable providers profitable. 
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09-11-2006, 02:42 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,124
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And yet, Japan still hasn't implemented number portability??
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09-11-2006, 04:12 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 539
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Quote:
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I saw a good example of this in the responses to my last post. I said all Europeans put their mobile phones on the table during a meal. I got replies from some countries agreeing with me, and others saying I was completely wrong. It turns out the table thing differs from country to country.
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erm, i think that's just due to the fact that most people i know and see carry their phones in their pants pocket, and so that it doesn't crack when you sit down, you take it out and put it in plain sight so that nobody can take it.
maybe americans can't understand that because they use those dorky belt-clip-thingies.
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09-11-2006, 04:46 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jon Westfall
I was actually going to just post on that same quote! Eerie....
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What scares you more? That we had the same insight, or that you are like me?
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Old Market Researchers never die...they just get broken down by age and sex.
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09-11-2006, 06:04 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,183
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by dMores
maybe americans can't understand that because they use those dorky belt-clip-thingies.
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That just proves the difference in fashion sense - or lack of it ;-)
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09-11-2006, 09:31 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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let me see if I have the general consensus here. American's, when it comes to cell phones, are without fashion sense, like lumpy phones with dorky holders and are generally stuck in the 90's.
Does that cover everything? :roll:
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