Disqus
are they going to make this bad boy smaller?
First it was the rumours following Apple that they were/are going to release a mini version of the iPhone – something like what the iPod Nano is to the iPod Classic. Now it’s the turn of more rumours regarding Palm, with a mini-device (the ‘Pixie’ if we are to believe rumours) that could be in the offing. Clearly, the strategy here is to shrink a smartphone – which is an interesting concept, if perhaps flawed in some respects.
The other end of the argument (and a more traditional one to-date) is that small form factor handsets have a reduced (fixed) feature-set, and truly are very small indeed.
So then which is best? Are you best off cramming smartphone features in to a physically-smaller device, or should you put a basic O/S in there, and make it truly tiny (leaving your smartphones to larger form-factors)?
Well, there are multiple arguments for and against for each option, and probably in truth all have a place in the market. However the difference for the newer Smartphones we are seeing (the Palm Pre and Apple iPhone) is that there is a solid platform being put in there, to allow the form factor of devices (and their feature-sets) to be scaled simply and easily.
My personal feeling is that if I want a tiny device, I’m happy to treat if for voice and text, and then carry a smartphone (which should be media-savvy and well-connected) for the heavy lifting. I think when you try and cram ALL features in to one device, you end up with a device that isn’t great at anything!
What does the ‘IntoMobile massive’ say? Is the way of the future going to be a few platforms and O/Ss, with scaling of the physical device? Or are we going to see basic/small devices prosper – answers on a postcard please……
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
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