Entries categorized as ‘Mobile handsets’
Orange are promoting social networking and Internet access on pre pay so-called ‘featurephones’ (see photo on the right). Consumers care about what their phones can do not what artificial term the mobile industry chooses. No one can define the term ’smartphone’ unambigously and no one defines ’smartphone’ the same as anyone else. It’s meaningless.
On various briefing calls yesterday Nokia defended their (tenuous) position in high end phones by repeatedly claiming to be the leading maker of ’smartphones’ — but 45% of a non-existent category is a useless metric. Consumers certainly don’t get it: Series 60 (“smart”) and Series 40 (not, ‘featurephone’) look virtually identical on the surface, and neither looks comparable in their online abilities compared with Android, iPhone, Palm, the INQ1 or even Windows Mobile.
Instead, what matters is how good phones are at doing the Internet or for Facebook. Everyone must focus on ‘Internet phones’ in developing mobile strategy or mobile phone marketing.
Orange’s in-store Internet-centric messaging is strong, but they are missing a trick with their online store as there’s no option there to filter phones by features such as ‘Facebook’ or ‘Internet’.
Update Friday, August 14 – See this Forrester report by me for more on “smartphones”: The “Smartphone” Is Dead: Long Live Smart Phones And Smart Gadgets
Categories: Android · Mobile handsets · Nokia · Palm · Windows Mobile · iPhone
Nokia is in danger of trying to execute on a strategy that is spread too thin. The story today about Microsoft office arriving on Nokia phones joins yesterday’s piece in the FT Germany that Nokia plans to replace Symbian in its high end phones with Linux-based Maemo. Last month, a story appeared about Nokia offering Android-based phones — swiftly denied — that appeared to miss out on Nokia’s long term Maemo strategy. Beyond phones, Nokia has invested enormous resources into Ovi (maps & nagivation, digital music sales, email, media sharing, and the app store).
I struggle to see what benefit Microsoft Office will deliver on Nokia phones. Word, Excel and the rest are niche applications on mobile phones. Few use them as anything other than a document viewer even on those devices where the implementation is good. A better approach for Nokia would be to improve and enrich their phones’ Exchange support to improve email folder access and group calendaring. Perhaps, Office on Nokia is destined for a different class of device — a netbook — if so, Nokia must take care to avoid irrelevance.
Nokia must quickly revive its execution in core business areas such as high end Internet phones. Those devices may be small beer today, relatively, but they are tomorrow’s mid range phones, and next months’ entry level. If Nokia loses that high end Internet phone battle today it cedes its future.
Maemo should be a critical part of Nokia’s Internet phone strategy. It should be the device and software component of Nokia’s shift to Internet thinking and business models. And, given the pressure from rivals — Google & Android, Apple iPhone, Palm’s Pre, even Windows Mobile — the sooner Nokia brings new mobile phones to market that deliver a step change improvement in people’s experience of Nokia phones, the better.
Forrester clients will know I’ve analysed Maemo’s rise several times over the past couple of years — please get in touch for advice — most noticeably in these two reports:
“The N810’s importance is vastly greater than the niche, savvy, youth audience, to which it will appeal or that small sales of previous tablets indicate. With the Internet tablet range, Nokia is incubating both desktop-quality technologies, and a new business model that is independent of the constraints of the traditional mobile value chain.” Nokia Embraces the Whole Internet with the N810, November 2007.
“The Maemo-based tablets are a strategic play by Nokia. They are one of the most visible MIDs currently available. As Forrester advises, they deliver a strong communication and navigation application focus. With the extension of the platform to include cellular radio standards, future models threaten to replace high-end Internet-centric mobile phones.” Nokia to Evolve the Internet Tablet Range to Include Mobile Telephony, December 2008.
Categories: Android · Business models · Mobile handsets · Nokia · Palm · Windows Mobile · iPhone
The Nokia N97 is currently Nokia’s flagship phone for consumers. Key features are a large touch screen, sideways sliding qwerty keyboard, five megapixel camera and Symbian Series 50 5th Edition.
Somehow, Nokia appear to have convinced themselves that simply because the N97 is the current flagship, and the N95 8Gb was last year’s flagship, that owners of the latter should buy the N97. See the imagery below which also matches my impressions after talking with Nokia product managers.
Nokia phone upgrade positioning, summer 2009
I don’t buy it. The N95 8Gb was famous for its dual-slider mechanism and easy access music playback controls. The N95 is completely controllable one-handed, with the N97 it’s a struggle. N95 buyers were attracted by what was, at the time, a state of the art camera, but today’s top end phones have eight or twelve megapixels, not the five of the N97. The N97’s features and form factor are simply not a clear evolution from the N95.
Ironically, there is a model in Nokia’s current line-up that is the clear heir of the N95, but Nokia are not choosing to market it that way. The N86 has a near identical form factor to the N95, a better eight megapixel camera with variable aperture, and it has the same neat music control buttons. Like the N95, it runs Series 60 3rd edition and is completely controllable one-handed.
The N97 has had a lot of criticism. Most is deserved. But if Nokia had presented the N97 more modestly rather than as the all conquering flagship heir to the N95, I suspect the many critiques would have been more measured, and reviewers would have given Nokia a little slack.
Categories: Mobile handsets · Nokia
A valued uberreader spotted that a photo of a London bus in a previous post had been distorted by the iPhone camera.
The bus was moving right to left. It appears that by the time the iPhone camera recorded the bottom of the bus, the bus had moved to the left. So, the bus in the photo has an extremely slanted front, rather than the sheer vertical of the original.
The uberreader reader tested this theory by taking a photo of an office fan. The actual fan only has five blades, but in this photo the fan appears to have many more, due to the scan effect. This photo was taken with the iPhone held vertically and the fan must be spinning clockwise to create this visual illusion.
This is yet more evidence that cameraphones can’t be judged on megapixels alone. The lens, sensor, software, aperture control, type of flash and numerous other things are every bit as important.
Categories: Camera · Gadgets · Mobile handsets · iPhone
Earlier, I wanted to take a photo of an electrically-powered UPS delivery van. The vehicle was stationary while waiting to turn.
Even so, my phone camera was nearly fast enough… But still missed the shot.
The iPhone asked me whether I wanted to allow the camera to use my GPS location yes/no. The seconds delay from that extra dialog meant a bus obscured the van, and then the van turned and was gone.
The phone wasn’t fast enough.
Categories: Camera · Fail · Mobile · Mobile handsets · iPhone
As I tweeted earlier, at 4am this morning I caught someone getting into my car in front of the house. I knocked on the window of our front room and he ran. I bet he was extremely surprised someone was awake.
I thought about taking a photo. But the camera phone I had on me — an iPhone — was no good in the dark and my good camera was upstairs and I didn’t have to the time to find it: I’d have missed the opportunity. Late last year, someone hit my car coming out of a sideroad. I reached for my iPhone to take a photo of the other car and its number plate, but by the time I was ready the car had driven off.
“Make the most of now” is Vodafone’s smart slogan for mobile. It hits the rationale for mobile perfectly: Doing virtually anything costs more using a mobile, from making calls to sending emails, but the immediacy of now makes that higher cost worthwhile.
The speed of now is equally important. Mobile devices need to be really quick to use to make them usable “in the moment.” Mobile phones have a tremendous speed advantage over virtually any other device as they are often already in someone’s hand. If not, they’re placed in an easily accessible pocket, rather than in a bag, or left behind at home.
Good enough speed is rarely enough in those tight moments. And, this is one of those rare situations where subjective speed isn’t sufficient.
It’s actual sheer utility that’s essential. Mobile phones need to be fast as well as feeling fast.
Categories: Camera · Mobile · Mobile handsets
Catching up with blogging….
Almost two weeks ago we were driving back into London on the A40 — three lane urban motorway with no hard shoulder to stop safely — and we suddenly lost all power. I made it into the slow lane, just, and we sat on the grass verge.
Camera fail: I had a real camera with me in my bag, which I left the car with. But the shots below were taken using the cameraphone I had even closer to hand. In the moment, I simply didn’t think to reach for the good camera.
Mobile phones are great. I didn’t need to walk down the carriageway and GPS + Google Maps gave me the name of the road of the turning we’d just passed… which helped the highway patrol people to find us.
The AA were poor to begin with: I started the call saying we were stopped in a dangerous position and had a baby with us. But *after* taking all of our details, only then did they say they couldn’t help and we should call 999 to get the police to tow us somewhere safe!
More car tech fail: When the AA did show they were good, and ended up towing me home. But the AA man’s computer completely refused to talk to the car’s computer. So, the AA could tell one or more coils had blown, as had a fuse, but couldn’t be sure there wasn’t more damage.
Car politics: Apparently we were on the Met’s turf, not Highway. So, there was a delay while we waited for the police to give the OK for the Highway people — who actually turned up — to tow us:-
Categories: Camera · Fail · GPS · Mobile handsets
Way back when, every mobile gadget aimed to fill in little gaps in people’s day: dead times like waiting for a bus, walking to a train, or perhaps when out at lunch.
I’m struck by how the dead time opportunity no longer exists. Every morning I take the tube to work. Ten years ago people read newspapers, or books, or just stood and avoided eye contact. The latter may be just a London thing. Now, everyone is fiddling with their phone, tapping emails on a Blackberry, listening to music on mp3 players, or playing games on Nintendos. I even saw someone with a Sony Ebook reader on the way home last night. Result: There is no dead time left to fill. People already have multiple fun or work options that help them to avoid boredom.
So, 2009’s new mobile phones, other devices or mobile software have to displace an existing digital activity. In fact, they have to compete with multiple digital options as well as books, newspapers and the ubiquitous freesheets. This is hard. For Londoners, it’s never been easier to avoid eye contact underground.
We’re in the run up to MWC, when the great of the mobile industry will make their major 2009 product launches. To succeed, these products have to be: attractive to persuade people to buy them; be easy to take along all the time (so are light, small and have a long battery life); and deliver a compelling enough experience that people reach for that device or launch that application/game/music/movie/website/social network on a regular basis.
The death of dead time means that to succeed, companies have to father the birth of excellence.
Categories: Films · Gadgets · Games · Mobile · Mobile handsets · Music
Apple has repeatedly acted as a magnet for criticism with its trend towards offering hardware with non-user replaceable batteries. First with the iPod range, then the iPhone, and more recently with two of its MacBook laptops.
Rechargeable batteries do wear out. Each recharge has less capacity than previously. Typically, after 18 months of mobile phone use the battery will last for 70-80% of its original life. Hence the flak Apple has attracted.
But I’ve been pondering whether I’ve ever bought a replacement battery for any device I’ve owned: mobile phone, laptop, camera, mp3 player, games console or anything else. Or, if I’ve ever been issued with one by my employer for any of the various work laptops I’ve used.
I can think of only one instance, and it wasn’t for the Nokia mobile phone I used for four years, or for the two work laptops that managed under an hour of battery life by the time I gave them up.
Ironically, it was for my first generation iPod, which was shipped with a supposedly sealed in battery. Regardless, I bought a third party replacement, prised open the case, and fitted it.
Additional batteries are typically very expensive, hard to source, and the new batteries only become useful when most gadgets have been superseded by cheaper newer models of the gadget. Very few devices have a usable life of more than two to three years.
I really wonder if this is a case of most people’s perceptions being different from reality. Apple may be right here. But if our perception is at odds then Apple will still suffer reduced sales because of a perceived problem that doesn’t exist for most.
Postscript – Despite the above, I bet my iPhone will be the next device that needs a new battery mid life!
Categories: Gadgets · Laptops · Mobile handsets · iPhone
This year I learnt a pile of new things:
At least one hospital cares little about mobile phone use. As my son was being born, a phone rang in the corner of the operating theatre. My other half started blaming me, but the consultant answered her phone so ending the argument.
Hospital walls are too thick for good 3g reception. I spent many a night browsing online with my laptop in a hospital room on mobile broadband, but it kept falling back to 2G.
Some cameraphones really do have good enough cameras. On an increasing number of occasions I have left my real camera at home, instead taking a mobile. I even went to a wedding with just my cameraphone.
Working for a company that is bought by a larger competitor has plus sides. Can’t talk in detail here.
Flash/SSD drives for laptops transform the convenience of using laptops. It’s their quietness as much as their speed that makes them a pleasure to use. Hopefully in 2009 I’ll be saying how much better their reliability is as well. It’s too soon to say now.
TV set-top boxes are becoming louder than PCs. Plus, they crash about as often, based on my experience with a UK pay TV DVR supported by a little Google searching.
Babies can be distracted from using your laptop with a fake keyboard. But only a real mobile phone will satisfy them.
WiFi works better for location finding in cities than GPS. Mobile handset GPS’ have particularly poor reception indoors. Even dedicated GPS units struggle.
Dell’s next day on-site repair is less convenient than a drop off service. Having to wait at home for several days in succession during a repeated failure to repair a PC is a much greater waste of time than using a repair centre.
Categories: Camera · Gadgets · Kids · Mobile · Mobile handsets · Network · PC · TV
Orange are promoting social networking and Internet access on pre pay so-called ‘featurephones’ (see photo on the right). Consumers care about what their phones can do not what artificial term the mobile industry chooses. No one can define the term ’smartphone’ unambigously and no one defines ’smartphone’ the same as anyone else. It’s meaningless.
