Mobile Working Experiences
The realities of remote working
Friday 7 December 2007, 1:01 PM
Mobile Manufacturers - Obsessed by cool?
Love it or hate it - Apple have certainly upped the ante in the race to be cool amongst mobile phones. Copycat (or better!) products from LG, HTC, Samsung and others seem to illustrate that the vendors are all focussing their efforts on developing smarter and cooler phones. Even Blackberry are looking at the consumer market with serious intent...
However as the phones get smarter and cooler they seem to be prone to be more complex and fragile. Are the manufacturers missing a trick in their R&D?
I have the dubious pleasure of sitting in on a lot of focus groups with mobile users and I am always surprised at how many users want and need a phone that is robust. For example - many still treasure their Nokia 6310s and go all nostalgic when they talk about its reliability. Even more importantly - many people who work in manual businesses need a phone that is robust so that it can survive the workplace. A garage mechanic who was given a free upgrade to an XDA by his supplier ruefully commented that it didn't look or work nearly as well when it had been dropped in a puddle of engine oil....
Many years ago - Panasonic launched their Toughbook range of laptops, at the time laptops were getting smaller, lighter and funkier -so a collective eyebrow was duly raised. They are now established as THE laptop to use for on the road engineers or anyone who needs the a robust machine - and they command a premium price!
I noticed that JCB have recently launched a toughphone in conjunction with a small mobile manufacturer- what a great brand extension! I only wonder why one of the manufacturers did not spot it first... which got me thinking whether they are all obsessed with style and reaching the hallowed top right corner of Charles and Rupert's Axis of Awesome!
Do you have a favourite phone from the past? Any views on the on-going reliability of new phones? Would you buy a rubberized phone capable of withstanding a few serious knocks and scrapes?
However as the phones get smarter and cooler they seem to be prone to be more complex and fragile. Are the manufacturers missing a trick in their R&D?
I have the dubious pleasure of sitting in on a lot of focus groups with mobile users and I am always surprised at how many users want and need a phone that is robust. For example - many still treasure their Nokia 6310s and go all nostalgic when they talk about its reliability. Even more importantly - many people who work in manual businesses need a phone that is robust so that it can survive the workplace. A garage mechanic who was given a free upgrade to an XDA by his supplier ruefully commented that it didn't look or work nearly as well when it had been dropped in a puddle of engine oil....
Many years ago - Panasonic launched their Toughbook range of laptops, at the time laptops were getting smaller, lighter and funkier -so a collective eyebrow was duly raised. They are now established as THE laptop to use for on the road engineers or anyone who needs the a robust machine - and they command a premium price!
I noticed that JCB have recently launched a toughphone in conjunction with a small mobile manufacturer- what a great brand extension! I only wonder why one of the manufacturers did not spot it first... which got me thinking whether they are all obsessed with style and reaching the hallowed top right corner of Charles and Rupert's Axis of Awesome!
Do you have a favourite phone from the past? Any views on the on-going reliability of new phones? Would you buy a rubberized phone capable of withstanding a few serious knocks and scrapes?
