Slashdot Mirror
Mobile Phone as Home Computer?
theodp writes "Citing millions of Japanese consumers as proof it can work, MIT's Philip Greenspun hasissued a call for comments on his hypothesis that the mobile phone can function as a home computer for a substantial number of consumers if it's paired up with an appliance that drives the phone from a full-size keyboard and display."
.. who thinks that this endless pushing of features onto our mobile phones are stupid?
Why turn our phones into games consoles, video cameras, mp3 players, computers and whatever else we can fit into it, if it doesn't do anything well? We've got digital cameras that can play mp3s badly, mp3 players that can take photos badly, phones that play mp3s and take photos badly. Most people I know who want to listen to mp3s will use an ipod or zen, since the quality is higher and they have more storage, and most people I know who actually take many photos carry round a digital camera. Most people I know who have a camera phone have used the camera only once or twice.
On my ideal phone it would have a phone book, ability to phone people, and the ability to function as a modem for my laptop. Just a plain old black and white screen would be fine though. Maybe there should be an ability to keep a small diary/timetable on it, since we carry it round and it could function as an alerting device.
>The hiptop is the Hotel California of mobile devices.
To clarify why my comment above is relevant to Greenspun's article, if this type of model (lock-in) carries over into a device that does all your computing needs, that would be scary for consumers.
Right now desktop systems are pretty open. You can write your own programs for them, for example. Phones are much less open. OK, all that is obvious.
What's not well known outside the hiptop user community is just how closed some systems can be.
My understanding of the Danger hiptop is this: To put programs you write yourself on a Danger hiptop, you must become a registered developer, and even then you can not share your programs with other users unless they are also registered developers, or unless Danger gives its official stamp of approval that your application will be THE representative application for its category (calculator, etc.) in their commercial catalog. If they have a choice of approving a free calculator program, versus a less nice commercial calculator that their carrier customers will make money from, which one do you think they approve of? That's right, the commercial one.
Imagine if this model became the model for desktop computing. Everything goes through an approval process, where approval is based on the business interests of some gatekeepers. Not very good for consumers. So while the form factor may be capable as Greenspun suggests, let's hope the business models to not follow.
All my /. posts, including this one, are from my phone. Right now I'm at a RR crossing waiting.
I am the one in the car behind you. The train has gone & the gates have opened. You are
blocking traffic. I can't honk any louder.