I never say that cMode as it stands has got anything over coins. In fact,
my *main* point was inspired by the obvious fact that cMode comes nowhere
near the convenience of coins, in its present, not-ready-for-prime-time,
incarnation.
I said (try actually reading that "excessive quoting" before removing it)
that cMode AS IT WILL FINALLY FLY -- one point, one click, item goes on
your phone bill -- would be quite a bit more convenient than fishing change
out of your pocket and slotting it.
1 second, as opposed to 5-10 seconds. Never running out of change. Never
having the wrong change. Never dropping your change. Paying using an
instrument that, if what I'm seeing on the streets here is any indication,
is often already right in people's hands at the point of impulse buy. In
fact, it saves them putting their keitai in their pocket before taking out
their wallet, a whole step I neglected to include in my scenario.
My own experience of fumbling might be more frequent than average (and I was
admittedly going for laughs as well as a point). I am a notorious space
cadet, after all. I nevertheless stand by my reasoning.
Still got problems with this? Go out to a vending machine, put one end of
your keitai up against a drink machine button, and push a button on your
keitai, to simulate that part of the experience.
Time yourself.
Then actually buy a drink, also timing yourself.
I think your remaining objections would come down to this: to put in the
needed vending machine infrastructure and get phones capable of this on the
market, you'd need a near-monopoly mobile telecom provider, with a lockhold
on online payment-clearing mechanisms, in a country with a high density of
vending machines undergoing constant monitoring and maintenance, and a
mobile phone market with a high rate of churn, plus lots and lots of
capital.
Capital provided in part, perhaps, by a tie-up with a huge international
supplier of goods mostly sold through vending machines. Preferably drinks.
Preferably the number one maker of canned drinks in the world.
Maybe I'm missing some showstopper condition, but I think success is
spelled: DoCoCaCoMoLa.
With a 2 yen keitai-use surcharge, this might have an ROI measured in
months, not years.
Is this patentable? Hell yes it's patentable -- after all, besides being
"useful" and "novel", it has already, in this forum full of smart people,
passed the test of being "non-obvious". They can make money on this for
years, surcharge or no. Today I bought a tachigui soba bowl using coin-op,
a drink using coin-op, and a train-ticket using coin-op. I'd have preferred
one point, one click and one bill in each case.
-michael
----- Original Message -----
From: <drew.freyman@nokia.com>
To: <keitai-l@appelsiini.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 8:13 PM
Subject: (keitai-l) Re: DoCoCaCoMoLa according to The Florentine (was Re:
Re: Cmode experience)
> Michael, sounds like your experience with coins may be quite unique. I
> think most men reach in pocket, pull out change, insert change, press
> button, retrieve drink in a 5-10s time span. cMode, even in optimum
> circumstances, takes minutes. In women's case insert reach in purse, pull
> out change purse in place of pocket...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ext Michael Turner [mailto:leap@gol.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 9:27 PM
> To: keitai-l@appelsiini.net
> Subject: (keitai-l) Re: DoCoCaCoMoLa according to The Florentine (was
> Re: Re: Cmode experience)
>
>
>
> > Seems silly, and more effort to use your phone to buy a coke.
>
> Today I bought some soda. Here's how it went, and it was pretty typical.
>
> (1) I reached into my back pocket. The wallet snagged a little, as it
often
> does when it's fat with coins.
>
> (2) I fished out some coins, what I thought was the right amount, and put
> them in, fumbling slightly, but eventually getting them all in. Luckily,
I
> had enough coins (but then, having as many as I did, the wallet snagged.)
>
> [ excessive quoting removed ]
>
>
> [ Need archives? How to unsubscribe? http://www.appelsiini.net/keitai-l/ ]
>
>
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Received on Tue Sep 18 15:21:13 2001