[chaslam]

A thread on here about the E1000 and A1000 got me thinking, alot. I remember the good old days when I actually used to get exited with the new announcement of a phone. I remember a couple of years ago being stuck in a huge dilemma between the A1000 and the E1000, both of which were breakthrough devices for their time. I spent hours decided which one I should get and to be quite frank, im still not sure which one now! I got the A1000 in the end, which I got for a xmas present. I couldnt wait to open it and I was so exited. The thought of it now makes my blood start going.

However, I dont know if you agree, but now it all seems a bit, well, boring? Every new phone thats released it just seems like its the same ol' same ol' and I never seem to get exited about anything anymore. It just seems that, since the N95, the other manufacturers have just given up. It just seems that new phones maybe look slighly different, have either a 3.2 or 5mp camera and dont really have anything to differentiate them in the market. The joys of the good ol' days were that the phones were actually different, and there was a substantial choice. For instance, you could get the E1000, the A1000, the 6630, the 6680, the LGs, the new generation of mp phones, like the Sharp and the Panasonic on vodafone, and more. Yet now, you walk into a phone shop and there is just 4 or 5 nokias, all with similar specs, several SE phones, again with similar specs and even design, and an LG or 2 and thats it. Where has the excitement gone?
Motorola have pretty much left the market. I cant remember the last handset that Motorola made that has actually made me consider even looking at it, which is a big shame. Motorola are the ones that got me, and probably a few of you guys aswell, that actually made me interested in phones, and to think back then they were the market leaders in 3G phones, and now they have been completely downed in the saturated 3G market.

Does anyone else agree with me? I cant remember the last time I couldnt wait to get a new handset and got that warm buzzing feeling inside knowing that I was about to get the phone that I dreamed about for weeks.

I guess what im trying to say is that everything now adays, I guess since the N95, everything just seems a bit uninspiring.

[Ben]

You're not wrong, there's definitely a lull in the market.

The high end has almost entirely filtered down into the mainstream, and as 3G becomes more popular it will, of course, become less exciting and more the norm. However, thanks to Apple the new high end has been defined and I think 2008 is the year we'll start to see some truly inspirational devices.

Nokia jumped the gun with the multimedia computer. Symbian is a fantastic OS for a smartphone, but it's a terrible OS for a computer. Number pads aren't exactly a great input device for a computer, and neither are styluses. They, along with HTC and some others, over promised and under performed. The specs are there, but we can't utilise them.

Hang in there. The future is all about real computing on hand held devices, and the iPhone is a stepping stone to what's coming next. 3G Mobile Broadband is taking off, finally, and we've even got WiMAX to look forward to. Exciting times will return!

[mike967angus]

I agree with both of you.
It maybe that all new designs have to pass focus groups etc and the manufacturers are scared to be too edgy with their handsets.
Noticed the Nokia Prism is drastically reduced in the shops now-Not my taste but at least it looks different.
The public in general are a conservative lot, and remember most peoples reaction to the first 3g handsets.
Just as peoples phones were getting smaller these monsters arrived and no matter how much you tried to explain the technology involved people were not interested.
I have noticed also that the handsets are getting larger again (Probably because they are 3g also) so once people get their heads around the idea the manufacturers may let the boffins and designers do their thing.
Ive got quite random and started searching abroad for different handsets.
Has anybody else tried this and with what results?

[miffed]

I do agree with you - but the funny thing is , although the 'birth of 3g' era seemed exciting at the time , I look back now and feel like we created our own buzz , the devices themselves were not actually that inspiring ( a few dodgy moto's , some funny shaped nokias with features missing , and some NEC stuff that should never have left the factory ! - it was all self propelled hype looking back
I honestly feel that the iPhone is the biggest "leap" we have ever undertaken in the mobile industry - it is THAT different from everything else , so that is one thng to be excited about
Also , the 3G broadband thing is great - in my mind, it symbolises 3G actually proving it is useful for something other than Video caling !
We have also seen Nokia launching "The Multimedia Computer" :D
(OK so in reality it is the same interface/OS that they use on all their phones , and have done for years ) but hey , now its "What computers have become" :rolleyes: - So over the next few years , we'll probably see no advancement from Nokia , but they'll come out with some exciting new names for the stuff they have been doing already ! :D

I think it's what we make it TBH

[Hands0n]

Can I disagree with any of the foregoing? No, not really :) Excitement is harder to come by, and I was astonished at how the 2.5G Apple iPhone did that to me all over again. I think that it is the sheer difference to any mobile that I have used before that is doing it. That and the potential should other apps be developed to exploit its true potential. A 3G one will likely be astonishing, if they follow the format for 3G devices (videocall capable, HSDPA, Bluetooth modem etc...).

The birth of 3G was seen by some like us and missed completely by the other 98% of the UK population. 3 themselves did the technology no favours by making a bit of a botch of things, particularly with their now infamous CS put in place to support embryonic 3G handsets from the likes of NEC who now figure nowhere in the market. That in itself is telling. Then we had Nokia going all designer on us - and that didn't work so well either. Motorola could have established a firm footing in 3G with their RAZR but missed that boat completely, opting for a 2G only. The 3G RAZR came out too late, the format had been done to death by then. and so it all went on.

Yes, indeed, we did indeed hype it up for ourselves - and I think that the Early Adopter market is the lifeline for new technologies like 3G. We still battle our corner with those who bleat "But I only want to make phone calls and send texts on it...". These same people also have a wired computer and probably wouldn't entertain wireless. And so, for these, the 3G experience is a complete mystery.

I do think that marketing 3G as Mobile Broadband has the right ring to it. This is, I have said for ages, the "Magic Bullet" that the mobile operators have been searching for over the near-five years 3G has been about. The big four are finally waking to it, led by the likes of T-Mobile, 3 and latterly Vodafone (albeit with a "promotional offer"). I keep saying it, so no apologies here, these mobile operators desperately need to establish a firm foothold in wireless data/broadband if they are not to be wiped off the face of the map by WiMAX in years to come. I do think that 2008 will be the defining year for them in that respect. Miss this particular boat and they'll be voice and text sellers until WiMAX takes over as a mobile technology completely.

Finally (!!) the size of handsets. Yes, these are increasing again, and for good reason. They need to position these for what is possible using 3G for Internet working. Here in front of me right now are a Nokia 6310 with its tiny screen, N95 with its larger screen and Apple iPhone with its cinematic sized screen. Physically, there is not a lot between them in size, really. But the screen size gives the impression of a gargantuan device in the iPhone. But stood against the N95, the iPhone more than makes up in thinness what the N95 does in height and width. In short, its an illusion. But if we are to truly enjoy mobile data we are going to need these slightly larger screens as browsing on the tiny screens is a disappointing experince.