RayW
Premium
join:2001-09-01
Layton, UT
clubs: | Cost is one issue
Cell phones cost too much already. While some people like the idea of all-in-one, I have always preferred a choice instead of being locked into one item/company for everything.
--
I am not lost, I find myself every time. |
|
N3OGH
Bear patrol must be working like a charm
Premium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs | V Cast not worth the $15/mo
I've had a Verizon wireless phone with V Cast on it for a few months now, and the service just isn't worth the $15/mo they're charging for it. I plan on dropping it, well...today..... |
|
Hugh Dunnit
join:2005-06-17
Danbury, CT
| phones are overpriced and change too often
The new technologies require new phones, which in many cases are $300-$500 dollars and become outdated in 6 months. If you sign up for a new carrier or a new contract they eat some of that cost, but how many people want to do this on a consistent basis?
I would guess the majority of people are fine with their current phone that simply makes calls, and maybe takes a blurry picture or two.
If you had the option of a new "multi-media" phone or a video iPod (soon to be with 4in screen) I'd pick the ipod. |
|
KoolMoe
Aw Man
Premium
join:2001-02-14
Annapolis, MD
clubs:
 ·Verizon FIOS
 ·Speakeasy
| Silly stuff
I think making a cellphone a music player makes good sense. Why carry an iPod (or similar) and a phone? Eventually they'll be one item - probably when Apple makes the iPhone.
But video on a cellphone, I don't get it. Yeah, people walking/driving around staring at their little cellphone windows makes a lot of sense... Like just talking while driving isn't dangerous enough!
Yay, cool, I can watch music videos on cellphones. Whoa - what a great century we live in 
Mobile video may have a place but I don't look forward to everyone being that much of a media head. Stop watching the pixels for a minute and enjoy the reality around you...
KM
--
Lake George Poetry |
|
tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
Premium
join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One
| reply to Hugh Dunnit
Re: phones are overpriced and change too often
said by Hugh Dunnit  :If you had the option of a new "multi-media" phone or a video iPod (soon to be with 4in screen) I'd pick the ipod. Makes sense. If I had the choice between buying a blender with a toaster built in or a toaster oven, I'd get the toaster oven. 
Okay, bad comparison. Forgive me, it's early.
--
Copyright infringement is illegal. Murder is illegal. Therefore, file sharing is murder. |
|
kfsutops
Premium
join:2002-08-19
Brandon, FL
clubs:
| reply to KoolMoe
Re: Silly stuff
said by KoolMoe :I think making a cellphone a music player makes good sense. Why carry an iPod (or similar) and a phone? Eventually they'll be one item - probably when Apple makes the iPhone. Sure it's a good idea, but it will never be all that mainstream. People want to put their own music on their devices. The cell phone companies want you to pay for anything you do with your phone. Even the phones with iTunes don't sell very well. You can only put 100 songs on it. Nuts..there is space to put more..why the limitation? Because the phone companies want you to pay for it.
As for streaming TV...$15..no freakin way. You still can't get great streaming quality on the internet with broadband. Why would I expect it to be such a great product on a cell phone.
--
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots" |
|
cableties
Premium
join:2005-01-27 | yeah, silly.
Here I am, saving fora new 55" HDTV, and the industry thinks that I want a 1.5" video player...
Another, "let's take an old idea, make it smaller and new, and charge for it!"
(blech, coffee at work is awful) |
|
competence
join:2004-11-24
123456 |  >>>Older Generations
most generations dont care for it because it isnt as fascinating to them as it is to my generation and we can make more use for it 17 year old > 40 year old. |
|
chemaupr
join:2005-06-06
Alexandria, VA
| VCast priced... yes.. but good service... ask my wife that spends over 10 hrs a week at ice skating, ballet, and swiming class with my daughters... There is so much you can do. But at least with VCast she can watch some fun stuff.. yes she can read a book... but she is not a reader...
I have a treo 700w and I enjoy streaming live news on it when I'm on travel or at my lunch...
Is just a matter of preference,,, some may prefere to pay 300 bucks for a 30gig iPod and store X amount of music they will never listen. or Pay $400 and have a cell, video player, mp3 player, mobile email access, PDA, Word Editing, Power Point, PDF reader...... |
|
Omega
Displaced Ohioan
Premium
join:2002-07-30
Cheyenne, WY
clubs:
 ·Bresnan Online
 ·Verizon Wireless B..
·Comcast
·AT&T Midwest
| I don't know about you....
I am a college-aged person. I grew up with the advancing changes in technology.
But, I don't want my cell phone to have 50 million uses. I want to place and receive calls with it, thats all. A phone is a phone, and doesn't have to become a TV, mp3 player or game console.
While I admit the camera phone was a nice addition, it isn't nessicary.
--
My site
" |
|
chemaupr
join:2005-06-06
Alexandria, VA
1 edit | I understand what your coment about a "phn is a phn". But when I think about Cell Phones, I'm thinking about a mobile device and the more thnings it can do for me (assuming it performs GOOD) the better for me.
I used to carry, and mp3 a planer and my laptop, mainly for accessing email. Now, I will even live the laptop for short trips...
My Treo has a 2 gig SD Memory and 1 gig of music that I DO LISTEN instead of 5000 tracks that well... just do the math.
For many a cell phn will be just that a cell phn as you mention. |
|
jbjetta
Premium
join:2004-07-23
Laurel, MD
| Its all about cost
The reason US users don't care is cost. I am with VZW and either I wait till this winter to get my $100 off on an upgraded phone, or spend 400 retail and loose my discount for "upgrading early" (yeah I like that deal.) on top of the 14.99 a month for VCAST, 9.99 a month for text messaging that I actually like to use. And a reasonably sized phone plan and your bill is easily over 100 a month.
Given the retail cost of phones in Japan and Korea and their pricing structures, its no wonder why they adopted all of this faster. |
|
viperpa33s
Why Me?
Premium
join:2002-12-20
Bradenton, FL
·Bright House
| Particularly don't care
I particularly don't care about downloading music and videos. I have Verizon and the V cast service is not even available in my area. The real problem I have with Verizon is I can't transfer the mp3's I already own to the cell phone. My phone has the option to use a external card which I heard Verizon disables.
When are companies going to learn that giving customers more choices makes a better customer. |
|
BillRoland
Premium
join:2001-01-21
Ocala, FL
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| Makes sense
I've said it before and I will say it again: the majority of people want a phone that works best as a phone. SMS and MMS are niche markets, as are other "premium" services. 3G availability is not going to create a voracious appetite for music and video services from cell companies. Who wants to listen to music on a hollow sounding cell phone (I guess with ear phones it would sound better) or try to watch video on a 2 inch screen, much less pay for it?
The fact of the matter is that these companies are trying to create a market that doesn't exist.
--
"Don't steal. The government hates competition." |
|
NPGMBR
join:2001-03-28
Arlington, VA
| reply to chemaupr
Re: I don't know about you....
I agree with you both. I want my phone to be best at its primary function which is making calls. However, I'd like my Dell DJ MP3 player to do more than an it currently does and also wish my laptop was just a little more mobile.
So, I'm eagerly waiting to get an upfront and personal look at this new device from Microsoft (the Origami Project) when it is released. I'm hoping that it will become my new MP3 player/media storage/calendar/E-mail/Internet access device. |
|
desreversti
join:2002-09-03
San Antonio, TX
| reply to jbjetta
Re: Its all about cost
I remember reading yesterday that some South Korean mobile phone operators created some unlimited phone data packages recently with the cheapest one clocking in at $31 a month (if I remember correctly) after some teen killed himself for racking up data charges over the $2,000 mark. The article might have been on engadget or some place like that.
Personally, I am grandfathered into Ev-do and I pay nothing for that and unlimited text messaging. However, Sprint charges 15/mo. for their ev-do phone service (and for any line on a plan that has ev-do or any data services, the cost is cut in half) as opposed to the article which suggests quite a bit more (probably based off the price of a connection card with its monthly usage). Personally, I use my data services a lot with my pocket pc. I can stream all my music at a bitrate of 128kbit up to 256kbit for the most part and combined with my FM transmitter, I rarely use CDs. I also watch cable tv on my PPC-6700 for free via Orb. In fact, I am writing this reply from it. Of course though, whenever I goout on a run, I use my flash-based mp3 play since it is a bit lighter.
On one last note, I looked at a brochure for Cingular's data plan and they were pitiful. Only a few megabytes a month with a high cost? I at least get 1-1.5gb a month of usage just using my phohe. |
|
Pz_
join:2001-03-31
Brownsburg, IN
clubs:
| reply to jbjetta
Where have I heard that before? Oh yes, with HSI as well. Just like everything else that these US companies do, they want us to pay more to get less.
I don't think I am the target audience anyway. I have never (nor will I ever) pay $2.99 for a ringtone or buy a wallpaper or anything else that they are offering. I have copied everything I want through a data cable or bluetooth. (when not crippled by the manufacturer) Even then it just slows me down a bit. |
|
macken 657
join:2006-01-29
Ballwin, MO | reply to KoolMoe
Re: Silly stuff
agreed - I enjoyed the movie 'war of the worlds' on the big screen, but I think the effect will be lost on a 2" screen |
|
amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs:
| how come....
nobody has mentioned the one thing that this really is...
a stop gap measure before we finally have 2-way full duplex video phone capability. that's the one use for it that I see. Sure having an mp3 player built in would be kinda neat, but what if I want to keep listening to music WHILE I'm on the phone???
Doesn't work that way from what I gather... that's why those 2 devices will remain seperate for me... If I'm driving for instance, and had this phone plugged into my car stereo, listening to 9billion songs while I'm on the road to Mars, I don't want to push pause while I talk, I want that music playing in the background, or turned OFF entirely by my own free will. If it's someone I DON'T want to talk to, I DEFINITELY want the tunes to keep playing...
Camera feature is kinda neat, but I would rather have a nice cybershot, or the minolta equivalent type camera that just takes good pictures no matter how inept I may be with cameras...
Sure, I love gadgets and all that, but I don't watch much tv as it is... I simply can't imagine experiencing say, Battlestar Galactica on a 2" VIEWFINDER SIZED screen either on an ipod, or a telephone.
Anyone desperate to watch shows about 'reality' or housewifes, swapping etc. needs to take a trip to Colorado or something, get out and experience their own reality instead of living in such a material world.
I wish to make calls, recieve them, ocasionally text, and that's about it. I like the fact that phones have the following features:::
1. an OFF button
2. a removeable battery so you can replace the little suckers when they go out.
3. A microphone
4. A speaker (speakerphone option is also cool)
5. a clock
6. calendars/alarms...
7. a phonebook/contact list
8. ANALOG capability (even though batteries weren't designed for them... I almost miss my old nokia) because there are still MILES of territory that is ONLY covered by good old fashioned, far reaching, life saving, analog towers.
9. Caller ID.
That's it. No more. If it had video capabilities, I would like for it to be able to do it in real time.
Imagine being able to show people what you were doing instead of just describing... "who's at the party???" .."these idiots...let's meet out somewhere else.." |
|
gudel
System Lord
join:2004-06-03
Santa Barbara, CA
·Cox HSI
| video?
I don't really care about video cell phone either.
the damn thing does cost a lot. $200-$300? Just give me a great coverage and a phone that works as a phone!
I'm not too thrilled watching porn in a 2x2 screen  |
|
