What Must Your Next Mobile Phone Have?

[Jason Dunn]

Survey time! I'm curious about what sorts of hardware features people are looking for in their next mobile phone purchase. If I left something out, please add it as a comment. Why are these features important to you?

[CTSLICK]

I still don't understand the attraction of a camera on a phone...aside from the gee-whiz factor.

[aroma]

I still don't understand the attraction of a camera on a phone...aside from the gee-whiz factor.

I agree... I can do without the camera. Now if I could just find a decent BT phone with my carrier.

- Aaron

[PJE]

This is what I'd like to see in a Smartphone:

* Bluetooth.
* QVGA screen - allows PocketPC software to be ported more easily (2.8"?)
* Small(er) form factor.
* Qwerty thumb board option.
* More memory - Plus memory card slot (dual?).
* Sony style rotary scroll wheel.
* Camera option, but not obligatory. How about making the camera a module which can be clicked into and removed from the phone, but have most of the electronics embedded in the phone. i.e. removable sensor & lens.

Regards,

PJE

[g0097]

The memory card slot and the camera are more important to me than the bluetooth right now. I don't have unlimited data like some luck others so surfing the net via bluetooth through my phone and pocket pc has taken a backseat in my list of important tasks. The camera on the phone is great to have and I love to snap a picture of what I am doing right then and there and send it to my friends. It works much better than the "You would not beleive what I just saw!" calls I usually make. :D The memory card slot is a must because I want to install apps!! I want to add however that I want my next smartphone to be a flip phone. I just like the style better.

[David McNamee]

The items from the survey in order of importance:

3. Integrated Camera

This is a nice to have. That's not to say I wouldn't buy a camera phone. It just isn't a determining feature for me.

2. Bluetooth

I've been trying to care more about Bluetooth ever since I got my iPaq 2215. I've found that I really like the personal area network concept. On a phone, I suppose being able to use a Bluetooth earpiece would be nice, so I can stop getting wires caught on doorknobs. However, if ActiveSync ever supports having more than one device connected and my Tablet PC, Pocket PC, and Smartphone can live in blissful synchronicity, Bluetooth will jump to the top of my list.

1. Memory Expansion Slot

You can never have to much memory. Music, video, additional programs all need room, and that makes an expansion slot a must-have. It would be best if the slot supported SDIO, but there has to be a slot. No slot, no sale!

[greenmozart]

The only reason I want a SmartPhone is to easily sync my CONTACTS, read e-mail and SMS alerts and have basic remote access to my servers (IT Mgr). My PPC fulfills the other roles of digital media player, document storage, etc. I'd be thrilled to have BT and would like a camera so I could set up a moblog but it's not that important to me.

[DubWireless]

i'm with PJE on the rotary scroll wheel - it's one of the nicest features on the SonyEricsson P800 (although they could have used a less pointy wheel - i have indents on my thumb after using it for a while!!)

althought the enhancements just made to PocketPCThoughts and SmartphoneThoughts with each numeric key on the Smartphone jumping to an individual story on the mobile version is fantastic :)

bluetooth - must have for me - i miss it very much on the Tanager - i'd use the BT pass-through connection (and hope they also include a Network profile so it would work on the BT access point), the handy syncing and the option of a headset

memory card - absolutely and SD is great - have a better position for the SD slot though especially with the SDIO kit coming on-stream - having these things poking out the side turns the form factor into the most unergonomic design ever

camera - not that important to me - but nice to have - aim high and get the 1.3megapixels though (that have started to arrive in Japanise phones recently)

[spg]

For me a memory slot is a must have... with bluetooth the up-and-coming must have. So far I don't have enough other Bluetooth enabled devices for that to matter, but in the future I think that will change.

[revolution.cx]

I'm extremely disappointed in bluetooth. Maybe they'll clean it up and it will have a future as some sort of consumer wireless standard. Or maybe I'm just clueless.

So far I've just used a Microsoft Wireless Desktop for Bluetooth, an iPaq 1940 and an iPaq 54xx.

I can configure a Windows 2000 server with 2 NAT subnets that can talk to each other, but I can't get my Pocket PC to talk to my desktop via bluetooth.

Granted some of this is the fault of MS's bluetooth stack but how is it that bluetooth can seem more complicated than TCP/IP + WiFi?

Whoops, hijacking this thread.

I want wifi + a camera + a memory slot + a zoomable hi-res anti-aliased display.

[mores]

why does everyone think of bluetooth as a networking-alternative? and since it handles this not very well people tend to say bluetooth sucks alltogether.

the most important part of bluetooth on a phone is the ability to use a wireless headset.
and i tell you ANYONE who's used one of those for a day or two won't ever want to go back to holding a handset up to their ear.

loox + t68i via bluetooth, works brilliantly.
too bad i busted my bt headset. :cry:

[tadams]

Memory slot and BT... don't really need a camera, though.

[revolution.cx]

why does everyone think of bluetooth as a networking-alternative? and since it handles this not very well people tend to say bluetooth sucks alltogether.

the most important part of bluetooth on a phone is the ability to use a wireless headset.
and i tell you ANYONE who's used one of those for a day or two won't ever want to go back to holding a handset up to their ear.

loox + t68i via bluetooth, works brilliantly.
too bad i busted my bt headset. :cry:

Because it's designed, sold and marketed as one?