 |
| CNN WEB SITES: |
|
| TIME INC. SITES: |
| MORE SERVICES: |
| video on demand |
| video archive |
| audio on demand |
| news email services |
| free email accounts |
| desktop headlines |
| pointcast |
| pagenet |
| DISCUSSION: |
| message boards |
| chat |
| feedback |
| SITE GUIDES: |
| help |
| contents |
| search |
| FASTER ACCESS: |
| europe |
| japan |
| WEB SERVICES: |
From...
Users: Phones are smart enough already
July 15, 1998
Web posted at: 9:00 AM EDT
by Kim Girard
(IDG) -- Although some vendors are pushing new devices that combine the function of a phone with that of a personal digital assistant, users are questioning whether they really need more from their cell phones.
Nokia Corp. and Ericsson, Inc. last week announced a plan to jointly develop handheld phone/data devices with Concord, Mass.-based handheld manufacturer Psion PLC, using Psion's EPOC operating system. Motorola, Inc. also intends to join the alliance.
The joint venture, called Sybian Ltd., will license EPOC to smart phone and communicator manufacturers. The category includes devices such as the Nokia 9000 Communicator, a phone that can be used for E-mail, faxing and contact management that operates on a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network and other devices with enhanced paging, messaging and data functions.
But most users "don't even use memory dialing" on the cell phone they currently use, said Iain Gillott, an analyst at International Data Corp. (IDC) in Austin, Texas. "They pick it up, make a phone call and turn it off." Gillott also questioned the worthiness of telephones that store a lot of original data on the device, instead of letting the user download the information from the Internet or a corporate network as needed for temporary use.
Devices such as the Nokia 9000, which costs about $900 and provides telephone, fax, E-mail and Internet access and contact information, don't make sense when a user could buy a $150 cell phone and a 3Com Corp. PalmPilot for $200 to $300, Gillott said.
But the question is often one of personal choice: whether a user prefers to carry one or two devices -- and the quality of those devices.
Size matters
| MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE | ||
|---|---|---|
|
IDG.net home page | |
| Computerworld's home page | ||
| Computerworld "Emmerce" | ||
| Industry Standard daily Media Grok | ||
| Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net | ||
| IDG.net's personal news page | ||
| Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you | ||
|
Search IDG.net in 12 languages | ||
| News Radio | ||
|
Computerworld Minute audio news for managers | |
|
|
PC World News Radio | |
But "if a larger screen makes the cell phone bigger, I don't want that," Barrett said. He has been looking into wireless cellular service plans for Rosenbluth's users. "Until that issue is resolved, I am willing to have two devices."
"If you are trying to build one little box to be a jack-of-all- trades, it will be the master of none," said Stanley Dobrowski, supervisor of data processing operations at the Bergen County Utilities Authority in Little Ferry, N.J. He uses a variety of Hewlett-Packard Co. palmtops and also carries a Motorola cell phone. "To be able to talk into my palmtop doesn't do anything for me."
Still, some users are demanding more functionality from their phones. According to recent IDC research, about 11% of 1,000 business users surveyed want to connect to the Internet using a phone, while nearly 24% wanted to access E-mail on a handset.
Overall, users want their data stored on a network, instead of on a device, if they are going to use a handset, said IDC analyst Julie Rietman.
"The information is quicker to roll out," she said.
"It's on the server," and the size and weight of the phone doesn't increase to accommodate storage, Rietman said.