bradKELLETT

I hear a lot of talk from people about the fact that the traditional ‘dumb phone’ will eventually be deleted from the market in favor of smartphones. While this is a valid point of view, I don’t entirely agree.

Sure, smartphone hardware and software are getting cheaper and easier for manufacturers to produce, but I think there will always be a place for non-smartphone devices in the market. Simplicity is key here – not everyone needs the full features of a smartphone, and while that remains true non-smartphones will always be produced, regardless of how cheap it becomes to make smartphones.

I have seen a trend over time of a general rise in the technology level even in cheap handsets, which is an obvious repercussion from the reduced cost of the components that make them. I wholeheartedly agree that even cheap handsets will eventually come with big, high-resolution screens and other treats, but I doubt that all handsets will become smartphones. The PIM features in non-smartphones have come a long way, and have reached a point where they will accommodate most users; transitioning to a smartphone user interface will do nothing but add a level of complexity that will ultimately drive the market away.

I am all for the advancement of technology, but only if it suits the needs of the consumer. There will have to be a radical change in the usability of smartphones before they truly become mainstream, perhaps the introduction of a ‘dumb’ mode that removes things like the ability to install new applications and the more complex PIM functionality would be beneficial. For the foreseeable future though, I think there will still be the constant flow of new non-smartphone devices.

I recently rediscovered a tool that has been around longer than any piece of technology that I own, but that I completely forgot about. I am normally the early adopter, the person pushing for new gadgets that change your life, but this is something decidedly low-tech. Despite this, using it has changed my life. The tool: the simple notebook.

That’s right, I went to the shops and purchased a nice suede covered notebook, and have been using it for everything. Jotting down small to-do lists, ideas for different projects, notes on the day’s meetings, directions on how to get to places I need to be, everything. This notebook has now become an integral part of the way I work, and I take it everywhere. I don’t think any other purchase of something to help organize my life has had this kind of impact on me in some time.

All this is not to say that I will be forgoing Microsoft Outlook and the smartphones I use every day though, for the simple notebook is still inferior for time management applications like Outlook’s calendar and such. I still make use of digital to-do lists as well, as so far I am yet to find a way to synchronize my notebook with my work’s groupware. The to-do lists on my PC/smartphone are more longer-term lists though, with the notebook being utilized for things I am doing right at that moment.

I implore everyone to reassess his or her use of technology for this kind of thing and see whether it is actually helping or hindering you. There is still a place for applications like OneNote in my life, but for the simpler things, I am in love with my notebook.

An issue was raised with me the other day about mobile phones for users with special needs, such as people with vision problems, hearing problems, and other such challenges. James Kendrick touches on the subject a little, but the solutions that he found are a little, well, poor.

What I want to see is better integration into the phone’s firmware of tools to help disabled people. While this may not necessarily be practical for regular ‘dumb’ phones, I imagine it wouldn’t prove to be such a problem with smartphones.

Not knowing people that face these kind of challenges personally, I can only speculate what functions would make handsets more accessible to this demographic. I would assume that screen reader functionality would be a great place to start for those with failing vision, and conversely, having more pronounced visual indicators of what is going on with the device would help those with hearing impairments. Enlarged keypads would help greatly for many people, but this isn’t really practical to apply to all handsets – so what about a phone specifically designed for disabled individuals?

I wonder if it would be at all feasible for a large manufacturer to introduce a phone specifically designed to help those that have issues with today’s small and fiddly phones. Surly there would be a market for it, but I don’t know the economics of it all. At least for a start, though, I think manufacturers need to become more aware of this demographic, and I believe that the first company to realize this will get a lot of recognition for its efforts – and maybe even make some money along the way.

Note: I have tried to use language that won’t offend anyone, but if anything in this piece offends you, please contact me and I will amend it.

I was interviewed today by a PR firm that handles Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, one of the largest and most technologically advanced network operators in the world, and one of the questions asked raised a very interesting point to me. NTT DoCoMo is rolling out two smartphones, a Blackberry and the HTC Z, and I was asked what impact this will make on the marketplace.

Going against initial assumptions that the very technology happy country that is Japan would jump on advanced devices like smartphones, previous releases, based mainly on Nokia’s S60 UI, have not done well at all. This is a trend that I imagine will continue, but I am really at a loss to explain why. The HTC Z is a very capable device – based on the Hermes reference design, it has all the specifications of a high-end non-smartphone – yet will most likely be outsold by a considerable amount by handsets with less organizational capabilities. This is certainly something that puzzles me, and I will be keeping a keen eye on what happens when these handsets are released to the market.

One handset that I have been very eager to get my grubby mitts on is the Nokia E61. This is Nokia’s first bar-style handset with a QWERTY keypad, and has a spec sheet that certainly aims to impress. Lucky me, the UPS man showed up on my doorstep this morning with a package containing a shiny new E61, click on to read my initial impressions/review, and post any questions you may have in the comments.

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