2005: Top 10 Cell Phone Wish List

< What's on your list? >

Top 10 Cell Phone Wish List

What's wrong with my mobile phone? I can think of ten things that
carriers and handset manufacturers need to fix.

Grace Aquino, PC World
Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Sometimes it's the little things that matter. When it comes to cell
phones, that statement holds very true. Certain aspects of my phone
and those I review, along with the services that power them, drive me
nuts. So I've come up with a wish list of sorts, things that would
make handsets work better for all of us. Here are my top ten requests.

10. Improve the Design

All mobile phones, regardless of the manufacturer, should have a
standard connector for the AC adapter.

Here's a situation where this would be useful: If you've invested in
accessories for one phone that you either lose or replace, you could
use those same tools with your new handset. Similarly, all cell phones
should also use a standard headphone jack. Some already do, but some
models are equipped with a very tiny jack that requires a special
adapter (another expense) to accommodate mainstream headphones.

Some people also gripe about the keys on dial pads being too slippery.
One solution to this problem is for handset makers to use a material
that has a better grip. Motorola's svelte Razr V3 (available from
Cingular now and T-Mobile soon), a World Class Award winner, has at
least partially addressed the issue with the rubber grips interwoven
on its dial pad.

Another design annoyance: the lack of easily accessible volume
controls. I've frequently encountered this in Nokia handsets. To
adjust volume on a Nokia phone, you have to use the dial pad and the
phone menu--a clunky process that's almost impossible to execute when
you're talking on the phone. Why not place volume control buttons on
the side of the handset?

9. Label Phones With the Model Name

It seems like such a no-brainer to put the model name on the phone.
But instead, I'm seeing phones splattered with the carrier's logo--for
example, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Sure,
the phone maker and model is provided when you buy the phone; it's
typically on the packaging. But what if you need that information
after you've discarded the box?

On many phones, the model name is under the hood--for example, beneath
the battery. But why make users go through the trouble of removing the
battery to find out what kind of phone they have? What about making it
easy for users to identify their specific phone model so that, for
example, they can find out if it's compatible with third-party
software? Put the make and model on the exterior of the phone, not
inside where the information isn't easily accessible.

8. Enable Every Aspect of Bluetooth

A Bluetooth headset is a nice option, but it's not the only thing
Bluetooth can support. If a phone has Bluetooth, why not let users get
everything they can out of the technology, including the ability to
wirelessly transfer files from a PC to the phone, or to use the phone
as an external modem?

Case in point: Some Verizon Wireless customers are unhappy about the
company's decision to strip away certain Bluetooth functions on
devices like the PalmOne Treo. By eliminating the possibility of using
Bluetooth to transfer files, Verizon is effectively encouraging
customers to subscribe to a data plan and use up their bandwidth
allotment to transfer files over the network.

7. Add a USB Port--and Supply a Cable

A USB hookup would come in handy for syncing and transferring files
(such as your phone book, pictures, and music) between a phone and a
PC. Unfortunately, many mobile phones lack a USB connection--although
PDA phones and a few high-end handsets offer this functionality. I
understand that this may help keep handset prices low, but if the
added cost is a concern, vendors should at least offer customers the
option of purchasing a standard USB cable and the software to smoothly
transfer files between handsets and PCs. Either way, they should still
equip handsets with the necessary port.

6. Simplify the User Interface

Many cell phones have layers upon layers of menus, which makes them
very cumbersome to use. Some menus tend to be hidden and require a
combination of keystrokes to access. Nokia, for example, uses tabbed
menus that can be easily overlooked because they're buried. Part of
the problem is the small display on cell phones. But there must be
some way to design a better user interface while keeping phones
compact. Vendors, back to the drawing board.

5. Enhance the Speaker and the Microphone

When it's windy or noisy, it's often difficult to hear the person on
the other end--and vice versa. Many of the phones I've reviewed lack
the necessary volume on both the sending and receiving ends. Yes, I've
seen phones with relatively powerful speakers, but I have yet to see a
phone with impeccable audio quality on both the speaker and the
microphone. The microphone should be able to tune out background
noise, such as howling wind, and the speaker should be sufficiently
powered so that you can hear your mates loud and clear.

4. Make It Easy to Unlock GSM Phones

Global System for Mobile handsets from Cingular and T-Mobile--the two
major GSM carriers in the U.S.--use a Subscriber Identity Module card
to store all the information that identifies a specific subscriber,
such as the phone number. In theory, users should be able to change
service providers without changing phones by replacing the old
carrier's SIM card with one from the new carrier. But this is often
impossible because the carriers "lock" the phones, preventing them
from reading another carrier's SIM card.

This practice is particularly inconvenient when I travel abroad and
would like to use a prepaid SIM from a foreign phone company, which
can cost a lot less than paying a U.S. carrier for overseas roaming.
Some carriers say that they will unlock your phone if you ask.

When I was shopping around at my local Cingular store, the sales reps
told me that Cingular doesn't unlock phones. But one rep suggested
that I could get a Cingular-branded handset unlocked at a third-party
phone store--for a fee. So that's one option. Another is to buy an
unlocked phone to begin with, usually from a third party that isn't a
major carrier. But generally these phones are pricier than the same
models purchased from a carrier.

3. Allow Data Backups on Carrier Servers

How many times have you lost or dropped your cell phone, or just
wanted to replace it? When you finally get a new handset, how do you
transfer your phone book, photos, ring tones, games, and other data to
the new phone?

Some high-end handsets and PDA phones come with a USB cable and PC
syncing software for data migration. Also, there's third-party
software, such as FutureDial's SnapSync and SnapMedia, that can sync
data between your phone and PC. But the software doesn't support all
handsets. If you're one of the unlucky ones, you have to re-key all
your data into the new phone. What if the carriers provided a data
backup service? If you could set up nightly automatic backups for your
cell phone, you'd avoid a whole lot of hassles.

2. Improve Network Coverage, Especially for Voice Calls

Although several of the major carriers have enhanced their network
coverage in the last year, some areas remain spotty. In San Francisco
alone, I've noticed that Cingular and T-Mobile coverage in parts of
the Noe Valley and the Western Addition neighborhoods is erratic,
especially indoors. Here's another pet peeve: When I lose the network
signal on my phone (for example, when I go inside a building or into
an elevator), it sometimes takes a while for the signal to return.

We should be at a point where voice coverage is 100 percent reliable,
especially in metro areas. Carriers should refocus their attention on
enhancing voice coverage instead of pounding away at faster data
networks. Okay, it'd be nice to have both; but let's not forget that
most of us still use our cell phones to talk to people.

1. Improve Overall Performance

The lengthy start-up time for mobile phones annoys me. And when I
punch in a number, many phones that I've tested are so pokey it's
almost like they're dialing in slow motion. Given all the features
that manufacturers are packing into handsets, they should be able to
include faster processors, more memory, and whatever else it would
take to boost performance--and allow me to power up my phone
instantly, like turning on the lights.
What bugs you about your cell phone and your service plan? Do you have
solutions to the problems I discussed above? Drop me a line.

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/...062205X,00.asp


===
"A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty."
-- Author Unknown

---

› See More: 2005: Top 10 Cell Phone Wish List

"Ablang" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> < What's on your list? >
>
> Top 10 Cell Phone Wish List
>
> What's wrong with my mobile phone? I can think of ten things that
> carriers and handset manufacturers need to fix.
>
> Grace Aquino, PC World
> Wednesday, June 22, 2005
>
> Sometimes it's the little things that matter. When it comes to cell
> phones, that statement holds very true. Certain aspects of my phone
> and those I review, along with the services that power them, drive me
> nuts. So I've come up with a wish list of sorts, things that would
> make handsets work better for all of us. Here are my top ten requests.
>
> 10. Improve the Design
>
> All mobile phones, regardless of the manufacturer, should have a
> standard connector for the AC adapter.
>
> Here's a situation where this would be useful: If you've invested in
> accessories for one phone that you either lose or replace, you could
> use those same tools with your new handset. Similarly, all cell phones
> should also use a standard headphone jack. Some already do, but some
> models are equipped with a very tiny jack that requires a special
> adapter (another expense) to accommodate mainstream headphones.
>
> Some people also gripe about the keys on dial pads being too slippery.
> One solution to this problem is for handset makers to use a material
> that has a better grip. Motorola's svelte Razr V3 (available from
> Cingular now and T-Mobile soon), a World Class Award winner, has at
> least partially addressed the issue with the rubber grips interwoven
> on its dial pad.
>
> Another design annoyance: the lack of easily accessible volume
> controls. I've frequently encountered this in Nokia handsets. To
> adjust volume on a Nokia phone, you have to use the dial pad and the
> phone menu--a clunky process that's almost impossible to execute when
> you're talking on the phone. Why not place volume control buttons on
> the side of the handset?


Already done on Lucky Goldstar phones
>
> 9. Label Phones With the Model Name
>
> It seems like such a no-brainer to put the model name on the phone.
> But instead, I'm seeing phones splattered with the carrier's logo--for
> example, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Sure,
> the phone maker and model is provided when you buy the phone; it's
> typically on the packaging. But what if you need that information
> after you've discarded the box?

Displays can be changed by the user. RTFM


>
> On many phones, the model name is under the hood--for example, beneath
> the battery. But why make users go through the trouble of removing the
> battery to find out what kind of phone they have? What about making it
> easy for users to identify their specific phone model so that, for
> example, they can find out if it's compatible with third-party
> software? Put the make and model on the exterior of the phone, not
> inside where the information isn't easily accessible.
>
> 8. Enable Every Aspect of Bluetooth
>
> A Bluetooth headset is a nice option, but it's not the only thing
> Bluetooth can support. If a phone has Bluetooth, why not let users get
> everything they can out of the technology, including the ability to
> wirelessly transfer files from a PC to the phone, or to use the phone
> as an external modem?
>
> Case in point: Some Verizon Wireless customers are unhappy about the
> company's decision to strip away certain Bluetooth functions on
> devices like the PalmOne Treo. By eliminating the possibility of using
> Bluetooth to transfer files, Verizon is effectively encouraging
> customers to subscribe to a data plan and use up their bandwidth
> allotment to transfer files over the network.
>
> 7. Add a USB Port--and Supply a Cable
>
> A USB hookup would come in handy for syncing and transferring files
> (such as your phone book, pictures, and music) between a phone and a
> PC. Unfortunately, many mobile phones lack a USB connection--although
> PDA phones and a few high-end handsets offer this functionality. I
> understand that this may help keep handset prices low, but if the
> added cost is a concern, vendors should at least offer customers the
> option of purchasing a standard USB cable and the software to smoothly
> transfer files between handsets and PCs. Either way, they should still
> equip handsets with the necessary port.
>
> 6. Simplify the User Interface
>
> Many cell phones have layers upon layers of menus, which makes them
> very cumbersome to use. Some menus tend to be hidden and require a
> combination of keystrokes to access. Nokia, for example, uses tabbed
> menus that can be easily overlooked because they're buried. Part of
> the problem is the small display on cell phones. But there must be
> some way to design a better user interface while keeping phones
> compact. Vendors, back to the drawing board.
>
> 5. Enhance the Speaker and the Microphone
>
> When it's windy or noisy, it's often difficult to hear the person on
> the other end--and vice versa. Many of the phones I've reviewed lack
> the necessary volume on both the sending and receiving ends. Yes, I've
> seen phones with relatively powerful speakers, but I have yet to see a
> phone with impeccable audio quality on both the speaker and the
> microphone. The microphone should be able to tune out background
> noise, such as howling wind, and the speaker should be sufficiently
> powered so that you can hear your mates loud and clear.
>
> 4. Make It Easy to Unlock GSM Phones
>
> Global System for Mobile handsets from Cingular and T-Mobile--the two
> major GSM carriers in the U.S.--use a Subscriber Identity Module card
> to store all the information that identifies a specific subscriber,
> such as the phone number. In theory, users should be able to change
> service providers without changing phones by replacing the old
> carrier's SIM card with one from the new carrier. But this is often
> impossible because the carriers "lock" the phones, preventing them
> from reading another carrier's SIM card.
>
> This practice is particularly inconvenient when I travel abroad and
> would like to use a prepaid SIM from a foreign phone company, which
> can cost a lot less than paying a U.S. carrier for overseas roaming.
> Some carriers say that they will unlock your phone if you ask.
>
> When I was shopping around at my local Cingular store, the sales reps
> told me that Cingular doesn't unlock phones. But one rep suggested
> that I could get a Cingular-branded handset unlocked at a third-party
> phone store--for a fee. So that's one option. Another is to buy an
> unlocked phone to begin with, usually from a third party that isn't a
> major carrier. But generally these phones are pricier than the same
> models purchased from a carrier.
>
> 3. Allow Data Backups on Carrier Servers
>
> How many times have you lost or dropped your cell phone, or just
> wanted to replace it? When you finally get a new handset, how do you
> transfer your phone book, photos, ring tones, games, and other data to
> the new phone?
>
> Some high-end handsets and PDA phones come with a USB cable and PC
> syncing software for data migration. Also, there's third-party
> software, such as FutureDial's SnapSync and SnapMedia, that can sync
> data between your phone and PC. But the software doesn't support all
> handsets. If you're one of the unlucky ones, you have to re-key all
> your data into the new phone. What if the carriers provided a data
> backup service? If you could set up nightly automatic backups for your
> cell phone, you'd avoid a whole lot of hassles.
>
> 2. Improve Network Coverage, Especially for Voice Calls
>
> Although several of the major carriers have enhanced their network
> coverage in the last year, some areas remain spotty. In San Francisco
> alone, I've noticed that Cingular and T-Mobile coverage in parts of
> the Noe Valley and the Western Addition neighborhoods is erratic,
> especially indoors. Here's another pet peeve: When I lose the network
> signal on my phone (for example, when I go inside a building or into
> an elevator), it sometimes takes a while for the signal to return.
>
> We should be at a point where voice coverage is 100 percent reliable,
> especially in metro areas. Carriers should refocus their attention on
> enhancing voice coverage instead of pounding away at faster data
> networks. Okay, it'd be nice to have both; but let's not forget that
> most of us still use our cell phones to talk to people.


Can be done, but you want to pay a higher bill?
>
> 1. Improve Overall Performance
>
> The lengthy start-up time for mobile phones annoys me. And when I
> punch in a number, many phones that I've tested are so pokey it's
> almost like they're dialing in slow motion. Given all the features
> that manufacturers are packing into handsets, they should be able to
> include faster processors, more memory, and whatever else it would
> take to boost performance--and allow me to power up my phone
> instantly, like turning on the lights.
> What bugs you about your cell phone and your service plan? Do you have
> solutions to the problems I discussed above? Drop me a line.
>
> http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/...062205X,00.asp
>
>
> ===
> "A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his
> hands are empty."
> -- Author Unknown

Per Ablang:
> < What's on your list? >

11) An easily-accessible button that turns the thing off for a preset period.
Period settable in Phone.Settings. One press=1 period, 2 presses=2 periods.

At the end of the time, the phone comes back to life all by itself.

e.g. set Period=10 minutes, go into a meeting, press it six times.... and you're
good for a hour of silence, but don't have to remember to turn it back on.
--
PeteCresswell

"(PeteCresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Per Ablang:
>> < What's on your list? >
>
> 11) An easily-accessible button that turns the thing off for a preset
> period.
> Period settable in Phone.Settings. One press=1 period, 2 presses=2
> periods.
>
> At the end of the time, the phone comes back to life all by itself.

12) A color screen that doesn't look "grey" in the sun and can easily be
read!

Most of the current color screens cannot be read in the sunlight.