Smart Phones Fox Frustrated Users

[bongme]

hi

People know about basic phone functions

Tuesday, 18 November, 2003

Mobiles phones are getting so smart that many people are struggling to use them properly.

Research shows that many features on smartphones go unused because the gadgets are so difficult to configure.

Users are frustrated by the fact their smartphone is almost as versatile as a PC, but few operators give them help to get the most out of the device.

Survey sponsors Intuwave said phone firms must give more support and help people get more from their handset.

Helping handset

Smartphones set themselves apart from more mundane mobiles by the sheer number of extras they have inside.

Gadgets such as the XDA II, Nokia 6600, SonyEricsson P900 and the Samsung i600 phones are all smartphones as they cram e-mail, multimedia messaging, camera, games, video and music player and more into one svelte package.

Those interviewed were found to be using many of the functions of their phone, with 50% sending multimedia messages, while 45% use them to manage their diary, or play games (28%) and browse the web (38%).

But the sheer number of features is proving too much for many others.

The Intuwave survey found that almost one-third of users, 30%, had problems working out the full range of features on their handset.

It also found that 29% of those questioned had no idea how to download programs to the smartphone to get it to do more.

It also found that many users, 19%, would like to send and receive e-mail on their phone, while 22% want to back-up information to a PC, but few could find out how.

'Caring revolution'

Intuwave points out that configuring the e-mail function on the SonyEricsson P800 involves 12 separate parameters. A mistake in just one of these can scupper any chance of using the device to send and receive mail.

Andrew Wyatt, a spokesman for Intuwave, said users were not getting the help they needed to use all the functions on their phone.

"There is a huge gap here," he said, "and it's high time we saw a mobile care revolution."

Mr Wyatt said it was in the interests of operators to ensure users were familiar with their phones and could get the most out of them, as people who were happy with their handset were likely to use it much more.

Bongme

[mickle]

I have to admit my new mobile has foxed me on a few occasions, getting used to it though now only had it a couple of weeks.

Part of it is down to user interface though, some phones have really illogical menus and stuff.

[Vlad (the impala)]

being a boring old fart, I've got a good, but 3 year old mobile phone - a Nokia - despite all the advertising I've no wish whatsoever to "upgrade" - I can make and receive calls and text, and if in need can use the ir link to my laptop to connect slowly to the net (ok for email) - I don't want or need polyfarting ringtones, colour displays - updates on "sporting" events, or to carry a brick around, just so I can use the crap internal camera to send ludicrously expensive image messages........its all marketing bollocks, and I'm happily resisting!

[detoxed]

being a boring old fart, I've got a good, but 3 year old mobile phone - a Nokia - despite all the advertising I've no wish whatsoever to "upgrade" - I can make and receive calls and text, and if in need can use the ir link to my laptop to connect slowly to the net (ok for email) - I don't want or need polyfarting ringtones, colour displays - updates on "sporting" events, or to carry a brick around, just so I can use the crap internal camera to send ludicrously expensive image messages........its all marketing bollocks, and I'm happily resisting!

I'm with you still have a nokia 3310 and honestly today's features are just scams. i notice these new phones mostly go to blinb bling totting youth then people who really need them.

Detoxed

[mickle]

I agree most of it is just puffery.

still my new phone is much smaller so it can go in my jeans pocket thats the biggest real life benefit for me.

It doesnt have a camera, but its colour,java,etc.. You can coo over it for a few minutes and then get bored.

I would like a combined pda/phone though that ran linux - that would really get me off

need a nerd emoticon

Edited November 18, 2003 by mickle

[detoxed]

Anyone remember when you could use the net as a phone line and make free calls (voice over ip i think it was called) ? Now they charge a small bundle for it. Imagine ou had PDA with wifi and hopped onto someone's network and made calls that way.Sure not as omnipresent as gsm but a ombination of both would be bliss yet stupid for those profit hungry bastards at the telecom .

Detoxed

[mickle]

I imagine that will happen at some point to be honest, a combination of mesh networks and portable wifi enabled gadgets.

Or phones could relay calls for other phones by bluetooth. E.g I call someone two streets away, my mobile connects to another user one street away and his mobile relays on the call thereby bypassing the cellular network completely.

Cybikos (kids toy like a pda) allready did this, you can send text messages that will hop through any available intermediate point to reach the destination.