Curt Sampson wrote:
>
> On Thu, 26 Jul 2001, Benjamin Kowarsch wrote:
>
>[...]
> I'd rather replace my phone yearly. Who wants to be stuck with a two-year
> old phone? Not me.
>
> > This is also a reason why phones should be modular and software or
> > smartcard upgradeable.
>
> The Japanese phones *are* software upgradable. How do you think all these
> recalls work? You just take your phone back in and get a new software
> load on it.
This is very interesting point in the discussion... I think SIM cards
are a good idea, as they allow you to move your phone number between
handsets without too much difficulty. This has some definite economic
implications that may be a little foreign to how the Japanese cell
phone market operates.
At the same time, while working with a major european telecomm.
equipment manufacturer, I sat in on a meeting where the CEO said,
point blankly, that it was cheaper to write off software faulty
handsets (presumedly letting the carrier/distributer witch-doctors
re-flash tehm) than to recall and re-flash them. At the time,
the really hit home due to the fact part of the manufacturing line
responsible for installing the firmware was the target of some
well placed corporate espionage.
Given the fact the Sony's recent earnings accouncments have been
partially blamed on handset recalls, it's pretty obvious to me
that a freeer and more open market that allows thrid parties to
innovate in ways the large corporations find impossible has
advantages (even for those large corporations).
> > Have you ever thought that Japanese(predominantly male) managers and
> > engineers are exploiting the young ladies with all those toy phones that
> > have to be thrown away and replaced simply because they want to keep their
> > bubble growing ?
>
> Oh, this kills me. Take a walk around Shibuya. You think phones are the
> only item subject to fashion around here?
>
> These girls aren't even going to notice spending 20,000 yen on a phone
> once a year. They're bying a new 60,000 yen Louis Vutton bag every
> three months.
Uh... yeah... and considering that these girls depend upon their cell
phone to earn the money they spend on the Fendi/LV/etc. trinkets, it
would be more correct to characterise this capital outlay (so to speak)
as a "business expense".
>
> > My GSM phone (Nokia 8810) is smaller than most Japanese phones and it is as
> > light as a Japanese phone....
> > Anyway, what weight are we talking here ? 110g versus 85g !
>
> Huh?! Are you saying your Nokia 8810 is 110g? That's a monster, in my
> book. The nice new colour P210i weighs 59g. I don't see how you can say
> a phone which weighs nearly twice as much as another is "as light."
>
> > I couldn't care less about 25g difference.
>
> I could, and do. I've got a P209i (60g), and I have several friends with
> a P209is (84g). I've compared the two and there's a pretty noticable
> difference, enough to give me a strong preference for mine.
One fact is obvious: lighter *is* better. To me, lighter means the
cell phone is less likely to break when dropped. Less weight means
less inertia/momentum... less momentum means the plastics that cell
phones are made of preform better as structural memebers (particularly
in the case of battery latches).
[ Did you check the archives? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
Received on Sat Jul 28 09:03:01 2001