Handphone features

Because of the current slump in the telco scene, every new technology is greeted by legions of skeptics. For that, the industry has to take part of the blame. It has a habit of overhyping its own offerings, sometimes duping itself in the process, and thus resulting in further backlash.

However, we've seen enough of certain emerging features to think they have a chance at success. Few of them, if any at all, will become the mass market hit that SMS is. That said, for some users, the following features have the potential to enhance the way they use their phones.

1. MMS
Multimedia messaging service, or MMS, probably needs no introduction. The telco industry has hyped it like the second coming, while parts of the media have tried to dampen the excitement by comparing it with the spectacular WAP (Wireless Applicaton Protocol) flop. The truth probably lies somewhere between. For sure, the early stages may be tough depending on how the service providers price MMS messages. As an example, Singapore operator M1 charges at least AU$0.50 per MMS. But the idea of sending photographs via SMS is a simple message to communicate, and should appeal to the public. Mass market takeup may be a question of when, not if. Eventually, economies of scale will kick in, lowering both handset and per-use costs.

2.Mobile imaging
Will people be running around taking pictures with their phones anytime soon? Not quite, we reckon. But there are times when the mundane unexpectedly transforms into the magical, and you wished you had a camera to capture the moment. That's when the handy camera-integrated mobile comes in. Interestingly, research firm Strategic Analytics reported that camera-phones will outsell digital still cameras by 2004. In time, though, the casual, frequent but low-quality pictures of the phone-camera and the formal, high-quality but rarer shots of the dedicated camera will both have their places in history.

3.Bluetooth
As time has passed, we've seen more and more Bluetooth-enabled handsets. But the limited Bluetooth implementations of the Nokia 7650 and 8910 are not doing the budding technology any favors. The 8910 has trouble pairing up with a Compaq iPaq handheld, while the 7650 does not support Bluetooth headsets. The start-stop introduction of Bluetooth has shaken the faith of some, but we think there is still hope. Although incomplete, the new handsets from mobile leader Nokia may provide the launch pad for the takeoff.

4.Mini joystick
The nifty mini-joystick first came to prominence in the Ericsson T68, as a wobbly piece of plastic. Recently, the nav stick made another celebrated appearance, this time as a short rubber knob on the newly released Nokia 7650. What's so great about this little appendage? Like four-way rocker keys, the mini-joystick offers multi-directional control--albeit with a smaller footprint. Furthermore, many mini-joysticks are considered "five-way", so apart from allowing "up", "down", "left" and "right" motions, you can also depress the mini joystick to activate a fifth function. Also, did anyone notice that both Nokia and Sony Ericsson chose this interface for their color-screen, icon-based phone menus? With more color-display handsets due for arrival, we have high hopes for the mini-joystick.

5.Java
Java has come to mobile phones, but it faces challenges on several fronts. The telcos and phone makers are trying hard enough, but it will take some major education for the mass market to appreciate the technology. Siemens has been one of the strongest proponents, sponsoring developer initiatives and launching Java-enabled handsets. We expect a Java marketing blitz from them. One of the key applications of Java will probably be gaming, but most folks will likely be waiting for the one compelling application to get them hooked.

posting by Id4_dani