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05.16.07
Keyless Cell Phone
 By Barry Welford
Given the resources and efforts working to make the mobile web a reality, progress is disappointingly slow.
A study by InfoGin carried out among students at five UK universities has concluded something we've known all long: the mobile web is not working. Two-thirds of the 1,000 students surveyed said the mobile web was such a poor experience they gave up trying.
Whether new mobile devices can reverse these results remains to be seen. Can the Apple iPhone or the Google gPhone when they arrive give better user experiences? The all-new Microsoft oPhone seems most unlikely to attract a mass market and survive, one would have thought.
Despite the strong drive exhibited by the manufacturers and by the service providers on the mobile web, it may be time to stand back and re-examine the strategy. Product-driven strategies can produce mind-boggling technology, but is this what customers want. A customer-centric mindset may suggest different approaches.
The first step in this strategy review is to see where present technology for the mobile web fails to satisfy customers' needs if they are using a cellular phone. Here are just a few difficulties:
1. The screen is too small to give a good user experience.
2. The cost of downloading content can be prohibitive.
3. Batteries have only very limited time between recharging when used in these intensive applications, and
4. Navigating by using a miniature keyboard is challenging.
Many of the mobile Web commentators are comfortable with the complex tasks required by the mobile web. However does this reflect what most people really want?
Standing well back, perhaps most cellular phone clients really require something very much simpler. keyless cellular phoneSince those tiny keys are so difficult to manipulate, perhaps we should try to eliminate those too. The possible solution doesn't seem to be patented in the US so here is the idea for anyone who wishes to run with it.
The picture on the left shows the idea. It's a cellular phone, hinged as usual, but without keys. The base has the microphone and the flip lid has a speaker. It would work entirely by voice recognition technology. Receiving a call is just like always: flip the lid open and talk. To make a call, you would open the phone and say "Call Mum". The voice recognition software would also allow the use of commands just as is now achieved by using keys.
This ultra-simple phone should provide the cellular telephone service that most people are looking for. It may not meet the needs of the most expert mobile web explorers but they are in a distinct minority and there is a wide diversity of devices to keep them happy. All in all this keyless cell phone should be a winner in all respects.
Footnote: It should be noted that Telespree Communications of San Francisco, California has a US patent for a "portable cellular phone system having remote voice recognition". Perhaps anyone wishing to run with this idea should contact them to avoid any conflicts.
Comments
About the Author:
Barry Welford, President of SMM Strategic Marketing Montreal works with business owners and senior management on Internet Marketing strategy and action plans to grow their companies. He is a moderator at the Cre8asite Forums and writes on current issues on the Internet and on the Mobile Web in three blogs, BPWrap, StayGoLinks and The Other Bloke's Blog.
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