Just a Phone?

LiquidCoooled writes "Vodafone in the UK have released a mobile phone which caters to those people craving a simple handset. For far too long we have been overpowered by extras we don't need; this looks to be a very nice solution. These phones feature a large format screen and buttons and a simple interface making this phone more accessible to a larger audience." I'd sure prefer better sound and simpler menus to the useless camera and gimmicks built into my current phone.

Comments

Extras we don't need?

[croddy]

For far too long we have been overpowered by extras we don't need

speak for yourself; i for one am quite glad to be able to run midpSSH anywhere there's a tower within range!

I think it's nice...

[CustSerAssassin]

Those phones are nice... As a Radio Shack associate who sells cell phones all the time, I agree with the statement in the article that mentions the "older crowd"... I get practically cussed out half the time because a career or middle age adult comes in to buy a phone, and they are incensed that most phones have cameras and camcorders and mp3 downloads and picture messaging. Sprint PCS (my personal carrier) has gone back to the basics with a new line of Sanyo phones. One model has speaker phone with no external LCD, one has a 1 line external LCD with speaker phone, and one has an internal antenna and no external screen; while all of those are flip phones, to me they represent a fundamental shift in the marketing target of the cellular industry. The cameras and frills nailed the younger audience, and now they are attempting to increase their base to include the older generation. The shift has become such that phone service at home is becoming obsolete slowly but surely.

Re:I think it's nice...

[h4rm0ny]

I'm not a kid anymore, but I'm still in my twenties, thankyouverymuch, I'm about as IT literate as they come, and I still want a simple phone. My reasoning is as follows:

• If I want to do something I want to do it properly, e.g take a picture, then I'll use a proper camera, writing / reading emails, then I'll do it on something with a decent screen, keyboard and a good choice of fonts.
• If I work at a place where cameras are restricted (as I have done) then I don't want to have to leave my phone outside because it has a crappy camera built into it.
• I have a general aversion to piling multiple gadgets into one device because it screws the upgrade cycle. Likewise for if one of the gadgets breaks, I don't want to lose everything
• These additional features can impair the primary function I care about, e.g. using battery life.
• I don't like being forced to pay for things I don't want

I currently have an old Siemans phone. It has WAP and that's it for unused features. It's been kicked around an airport, dropped down a loo and is currently held together with sellotape. It still works and I'm still happy with it.
All I really want in a phone is good transmission, txting, a mighty battery life and the ability to throw it at a wall and still have it work. Nothing to do with age of inability - just awareness of my actual needs.

Just an Ear Phone

[Doc Ruby]

I'd like to see a Bluetooth earpiece that's "just a phone", with an "answer" button, and a speeddial scroller that says each name, then calls. With all the other functions, like PIM, internet, display, texting, etc, all in the phone carried in my pocket (or nerdbelt). Make it a stereo earset, and I'll feel like everything has converged in my ear, effortlessly. A pocket mainframe, with Bluetooth terminals and 3G WAN, is right where I want to be.