Are we getting cellphone 'bells and whistle's fatigue?

Stuart Corner
Monday, 28 May 2007 13:55

Opinion and Analysis

For years cellphone manufacturers have been boasting with each new, and increasingly frequent, launch of a new model about all the features and improvements, but now there seems to be a trend for simple alternatives.

Nokia set the ball rolling earlier this month with the launch  of the 3109 classic that adheres to "traditional design and familiar Nokia menu structure" and is aimed at "consumers and companies who appreciate simplicity and value for money."

Now, in Japan, leading operator NTT DoCoMo has unveiled its 3G FOMA Simpure (simple and pure) L2 handset "for users who prefer an easy-to-use model without highly sophisticated functions." However it is not that simple: it boasts outward and inward facing cameras, and the ability to record up to 90 minutes of video.

It was designed in collaboration with Tokyo-based French designer Gwenael Nicolas (whose works include Uniqlo's 'Black Shop' flagship retail store and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance handheld videogame console) and handset manufacturer LG Electronics and will hit the Japanese market at the end of July.

Vodafone has also introduced two low cost simple phones this month, but its target is not the affluent westerners in search of simplicity, but developing markets where cellphone cost is a huge barrier to uptake.

Do I detect a parallel here with software? New versions come out with ever more bells and whistles that most people neither want nor figure out how to use, The driving imperative seems to be to find ways of getting people to replace a perfectly good product that adequately meets their needs. It must be getting to the point now where many people are quite happy with their 'old' phone, but of course phones, and especially their batteries do have a limited life span.

I met someone this week who broke his 'old' (ie six month old) phone and was most miffed that it was now obsolete and irreplaceable.