What’s in a name? Plenty, it seems. The cellular system got its name by dividing cities into small cell sites. The frequencies overlapped across a city, handing off contact from one tower to another as you walk or drive so that millions of people can use cell phones simultaneously without losing a call.
Problem is, they were designed mainly to accommodate voice calls. And technology leaders feel the name is antiquated. New multipurpose handsets soon will easily switch between cellular networks, Wi-Fi, and WiMax, a longer-range broadband network. "I don’t think we have a good name," says Intel (INTC) Executive Vice-President Sean Maloney. "If it’s just doing voice, a cell phone is a great name."
Source: Business Week
Looks like the marketing holy wars are upon us. Who cares what companies call them, mom and dad are still going to call them phones. Most everyone will refer to them as phones. Features will be added by the phrase "on my phone" when speaking about products. Example:
I listen to music, on my phone
I browse the net, on my phone
I do email, on my phone
We haven’t reached the point yet where you can buy a phone for under $100 that does all the things I’ve listed well. When we do then there might be room for debate, but I bet even then people will just want to stick to "phone" or "mobile phone" or the shortened "mobile" which I prefer since it rolls off the tongue easier.