A WiMax Zune Phone? > Bleh

Bleh

Why? If you don't want it, don't buy it.

reply to mrchris

I do. I carry a cell phone, a blackberry, and an Mp3 player with me to work, its a pain. Plus I have a small Canon digital that I carry with me when I need to take photos and video. It'd be great if it was all in one device with equal functionality, that also fit comfortably in my pocket.

The reason I have a cell phone and a blackberry is that the blackberry is too bulky to keep in my pocket. So if I have a nice big jacket pocket I'll throw it in there and not touch it unless I need email, but my cell phone (RAZR) I can comfortably fit in my hip pocket, and use frequently without difficulty.

Like I said, if you're not using this, why do you care if they make it for others?

reply to M A R S
It's 2007 and phones sound marginally better than they did in 1950. In 1925, one could make a recording of superior quality to that of a telephone microphone in 2007.

I hate telephones. Add everything and the kitchen sink to it before making them sound less like garbage.

reply to mrchris
BINGO!

reply to thender2
actually, you may be surprised to learn that there is a certain level of "comfort noise" inserted into the signals of digital cell phones and many VOIP services...

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_noise

...and yes, ever since the introduction of quality magnetic tape, audio recording has improved dramatically...

according to this article, however, it was 1926
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_tape
I also suggest reading the very 1st "See Also" link on that page... great bits of music history...

...I gather you're an audio freak, probably like me, (though from reading a couple posts in the A/V forum, it seems you have more resources to devote to the passion...) but I gotta say I rather enjoy a little bit of hiss or static on a phone line just so I know it's actually working.
Of course, the best option would be to have Neumann U87's (or whatever your favorite mic is) on both ends

agree also that such a simple device has become too crowded with features while ignoring its basic function. If I had to pick one thing, I'd say voice dialing is the single greatest improvement in telephone technology. I can speak ANY name in my phonebook and my phone will recognize it about 90% of the time... even the weirder titles I've given some people.

reply to Ahrenl

umm.. and so wouldn't you rather just carry one device that fits snuggly in you pocket?

As for sound quality, while I do enjoy high end audio (though I'm certainly no audiophile) I could care less what my phone sound quality is, except for weather I can hear the other person and they can hear me. I'd actually prefer it to be worse, maybe it would keep people from trying to use their phone's during concerts.. Not that I get to go to a lot of concerts, but there's always some Douche bag yelling "WHAT!?" into a cell phone while the music is playing. Wtf is that about?

reply to Ahrenl
And whatever device comes out that does all of that will (at least for the foreseeable future) do all of those things -- half-assed.

No question.. but what's your solution? Just give up? Or have them keep making new and better one's until they get it. The iPhone, no matter how much it pains me to say, looks like it actually gets pretty close. Now we just need Motorola to make it a little smaller, and without all the apple crap on it.

My solution is for people to stop buying these half-assed devices and wait until someone gets it right. I think a lot of companies aren't even motivated to make the right product because they know most people are willing to accept devices that are like swiss army knives --- they do a lot but don't do any of it well.
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I block ALL trolls.

reply to amungus

reply to Count Zero
You don't think they could put out a $10,000,000 cell phone that could do it all perfectly? It's a balancing act between cost and utility, and the only way cost comes down is through iteration.

YOU don't have to buy the crap, just let other people keep financing the building of cost efficiency until it gets to where you like. The same reason I haven't run out and bought a cell phone/ipod/camera is because I don't like where they are right now; but guess what, they keep getting better. I also refuse to spend tons of money on my phone.

Well I agree -- I'm not going to give them any money for their current crop of products, obviously some people will but if too many people rush out to buy the things they might not see that doing things in their half-assed ways is not good enough, Apple is sort of pushing things forwards with the iPhone but since it hasn't been released yet we can't really say how far.
--
'ATM' Troll: noun - one who does not own an Apple product but loves to preach about how proprietary, un-upgradable, imperfect or otherwise un-American Apple's products are without any truth or basis for such statements.
I block ALL trolls.