It seems that
mobile technology developers are in an everlasting race to get devices with
more pixels, more processors, more memory and bigger screens. The question left
often unanswered is what the customer really needs. Or even, do the customers
even now what they need, it is clear that perceived needs and real needs are
different issues. It is also clear that there are different needs for personal
and corporate use.
The combination
of camera and phone is extremely useful, the integration of GPS, digital
compass, and accelerometer helps navigating from one place to the other.
Manufacturers often like to indicate the number of pixels, or the resolution of
the camera. This however is only part of
the story, quality of the lens, flash and software are perhaps much more
important. The second camera for video
calls is often available, but who really uses this option?
GPS and digital
compass, it is great for applications spying on you, but if you do not have
good and on board stored maps and navigation software it is of limited use.
Mostly one needs navigation abroad, or in places with limited 3G coverage. As
far as I know, Nokia is the only company providing downloadable global map
coverage and integrated free car and pedestrian navigation software.
Some devices
have dual core processors, nice, but do you need this, it will drain the
battery even faster than the normal power hungry mobile device would do. Do you
remember the old mobile phones which would be up for ten days? I guess not. In my opinion battery life is one of the most
important issues at the moment, for all mobile devices, phones, tablets and
laptops. A huge amount of memory 16 or
64 Mb, it costs a lot of money, but do you need it? This is what one should be
able to calculate, especially as cloud storage is often available for free.
The Apps, Apple
boasts perhaps a million of apps, but what does this mean, how many are useful,
very often there are tens and tens of versions, different languages, some can
be just junk, often they are of no use at all. And certainly I do not like to
give my credit card details, a fact which became evident when user data and
credit card numbers were stolen.
My needs are
simple, easy and good quality telephone calls, point to point free downloadable
maps and navigation software. Good electronic mail and a fast browser, all
together with a battery life of ten hours full time use. Text input should be
simple, allowing for male fingers of average size, not the tiny fingers of a
child of seven. Touch screens are great, just what I wanted, but since the
screen now reacts to my finger and a pencil does not work the screen must be
big enough to point to the right spot. Even while driving on a bad road. An
issue which came up only recently, my privacy, so I need certainty that my
private life stays private, and my contacts, location and other data is not
skimmed by some smart app.
In short, all
the pixels, Megabytes, Apps and CPU’s will not help you make a phone call if
the the battery is empty when you need to make that important call. Also the
user interface must make it easy to operate the telephone, even in difficult
situations. Also tasks, appointments and email should be up to data and
synchronized between all mobile and desk-top devices.
For outdoor use
I would prefer a water and dust proof device, also use in extreme cold or hot
environments can be a point of importance. It is sometimes necessary to use a telephone
using gloves! The compass and GPS are of course a must for outdoor use, but
battery life can be a matter of life or death.
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