The occasional scrivener

Mobile Luddites

Russ slams “mobile Luddites” apropos this Slashdot article.

He’s especially riled by this comment. Read his response for FCC-non-compliant goodness.

I think we can all agree with Russ was that his point was not to denigrate those that need or want “just a phone”, but to point out that the Slashdot crowd should be welcoming advanced phones with open arms.

I’m with Russ here, even if my job isn’t as closely involved with mobile tech as his is. But I’d find it very hard to use a phone lacking Series 60 capabilities for any length of time. In fact, just this morning I dug up the brick from it’s resting place in the cellar do get a nice dose of UIQ.

But I can’t understand the American pining for simple phones. Aren’t there any over there? In Sweden, anyone with a hankering for a simple phone can go to a store and buy a Nokia 3310 with a pre-paid card for around $60.

Phonehouse has a range of pre-paid phones. For example, the Sony-Ericsson T610 (colour screen, camera, polyphonic ringtones) is a mere 999 SEK ($150).

The cost of calls is generally higher with pre-paid cards, but you don’t need a billing relationship with a carrier. Most cards support voice and SMS, but some offer GPRS too.

For an even cheaper deal, you can buy a used phone and a separate pre-paid card. Wham, instant mobile presence.

Can’t you do that in the US?

Another issue reflected in the Slashdot debate and in the comments to Russ’ post is that many advanced phones are hard to use and expensive. This is generally true, but only by buying and using these phones and reporting their faults will there be a chance of improvement.

A part of this attitude towards mobile carriers is that they don’t seem to “get” the Internet. According to Slashdot wisdom, everything from information to bandwidth to servers should be really cheap, if not free. The mobile phone business seems to defy this. Phones are getting more advanced but also more expensive. Calls are not getting cheaper. Customer service is bad.

Rui makes a convincing argument that the mobile communications business is different from the “Internet” business. You can’t just take a phone and plug it in the network. For better or for worse, you need to get it certified and accepted by regulators and carriers. This means that the “Bellheads” (old-style telcos) can perpetuate their knowledge and corporate culture over the “Netheads” (Internet companies).

(Read the classic Wired article Bellhead vs. Netheads for more info on the telco schism.)

Netheads hate this. Witness the interest for “mesh radio” and ubiquitous wi-fi coverage in the US. Well, in Sweden we have that. It’s called 3G and it’s expensive and slow. But I don’t think there’s a better way right now. For what it’s worth, Chris Davies agrees.

Posted at 17:01, in the comm » mobile category. Comments [0]
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