robertharvey@my-deja.comtyped


> I am getting heartily sick of the me-too model chasing of mobile phone
> manufacturers. While I don't suppose any of them read this group, I
> would like to put my suggestions forward for what I would like from a
> phone.

> * Longer battery life. Every time battery technology advances, they
> make the phones smaller. My old timeport, with a double-size battery,
> could last 25 days on standby. How about forking the design tree? -
> if batteries get better give us a CHOICE between smaller phones or
> longer life on large phones.

If you look at the phones with fewer useless features, you'll see the
batteries last a lot longer...

> * standard acessories. Why should I not use my five-year old car kit,
> charging cable, headset, charger? Come to that, why can I not use a
> standard wall brick for charging all makes of phone, and the same USB
> cable on them all?

It's a game the manufacturers play to corner the accessories market and
possibly to get you hooked onto their brand, buggrit.

> * on the subject of USB, another neat idea would be a flip-out
> connector like some USB memory sticks, so you don't need a USB cable
> at all. Or put /all/ the phone book information on a standard card,
> like SD, so you don't need to connect the phone anyway.

Too simple, too elegant. Let's *force* you into buying *our* accessories...

> * A phone that is a phone. I don't want to play music, take movies,
> watch TV. I already own a torch and a clock. I just want a phone that
> works in every corner of every country I visit.

Look, most phones are designed for 17-year-olds. You and I have met.
Neither has been 17 for several decades...

> * A phone that takes more than one SIM, with both active at once. I
> want to put my company SIM in one hole, and my private one in another,
> and answer calls on both numbers. Technically most phones can handle
> multiple incoming numbers. Commercially the providers don't want to
> co-operate.

I think your last sentence has hit the proverbial nail on its head.

> * A phone with a simple method of changing the number of rings before
> it goes to voicemail, and lets you pick up a call while it is being
> recorded to voicemail.

Is that currently a feature of the phone, or the network provider? I
thought it was the latter...

> * True voice operation - to let you turn it on, answer calls, dial
> arbitrary numbers. Not just a handful of voice tags in your phone
> book.

That's a bit radical...

> * A standard phone book format that can be transferred between phones,
> and between manufacturers without synchronising with desktop
> software. If I wanted to use microsoft outlook I would. I don't want
> to be bullied into it.

SIM cards that took longer names and more information would be a good start...

> * Big, clear, display. Some of us are getting older and a display
> that does not need a magnifying glass and a darkened room would be
> useful.

I saw something om Auntie's website yesterday about a mobile phone that
was being launched for the 'over 50s'. It looked more like it was
designed for the over 75s and probably is not suitable for someone who
works, let alone goes to the USA (IIRC it is only dual band). I'll hunt
out the URL though.

> The EU wants to put a stop to the roaming charge rip-off within
> europe. Perhaps they could turn their thoughts to standard sockets
> and standard data formats next.

Indeed, then do the same for cameras...

--
Helen D. Vecht: helenvecht@zetnet.co.uk
Edgware.