In the past couple of days, I've had a few experiences (upon which I will not provide details, since readers will figure out what they are about as soon as they're finished reading this post) that reminded me of this pet peeve of mine: people with smartphones that do not know how to use them.
Imagine the following: you want to get a new phone. You've got plenty of money, or you've found a smokin' offer at your carrier, and you're ready to go buy it. You go buy the phone, then start playing around with it. But then you find you don't know how to install a new theme, or how to disable push mail.
Well, that's all because you chose a smartphone. So as to be clear for everyone, a smartphone is a cellphone running an operating system (either iOS, in which case it's an iPhone, Android, Symbian, in which case it's most likely a Nokia, Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7, or Blackberry OS). Since it's an OS that they are running, they're obviously not intended for casual users, who only use their phones for talking, texting, or taking pics, and who occasionally install new themes or games. And now I will expand my point of view.
Today, people in the search for a new phone have quite a few choices. In my opinion, unfortunately though, the well known phone brands have chosen to release fashion models or budget phones running OS'es. This is quite a bad choice, as it increases the price for more powerful terminals (the way I see it, if there were less phones running, say, Android, maybe the prices would be lower). Understandably, consumers looking for such models do not care for push email or complex applications and what not. And certain OS'es just make simpler tasks more difficult for the average Joe.
Let's take Symbian, for example. An "outdated" OS, which struggles to face its competitors, Android, iOS, BB OS and most recently, WP7. Nokia has started to release a great many budget models which would supposedly appeal to casual users or teens. But how can an operating system storing a link to the File Manager in the Office menu or needing additional settings in order to install older apps or themes be intended to non-computer-savvy people? Yes, the menu in Symbian OS isn't as intuitive as on "dumbphones" (phones not running one of these advanced OS'es), and, since themes are treated just like apps, having an installer and a security certificate, some settings must be modified when installing older themes or apps, or else the phone rejects them. Definitely NOT a good choice for normal (non-business) users.
Let's talk about iOS now. iOS is only used on the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The iPhone has become something of a symbol of wealth. If you have an iPhone, you must be rich, because you have had to pay for it (you or your parents), and then you have to pay the monthly bill which can get pretty costly if you're using a data contract. However many people own an iPhone, and that's because the software is much more intuitive, almost anyone can understand it. People just take it the way it is, pay for the few apps or games that they install and have absolutely no problem with it. More computer-oriented users go ahead and jailbreak it to achieve the device's full potential, but that's another story. But yes, even if an iPhone is expensive, it's the right choice if you don't care much about gadgets but you do want to spend a lot of money on a phone.
And now let's tackle Android. In the few years it has been on the market, Android OS has garnered quite a large fanbase. It is, just like iOS, and maybe even more, intuitive and can be used by anyone out of the box. Sure, there are a bit more things to it, such as homescreen widgets and additional settings, but it's doing a great job at attracting casual users. Again, those who want more from their Android-powered smartphone go ahead and root it, but for the rest, it's fine as it is. However (and I'm not meaning to hate on Android, in fact I prefer it over iOS), it's still a bit difficult to the average user, who seeks primarily a good phone, then a music player, or a device to play some games or surf the Web on. Apart from certain exceptions, prices for such smartphones are just a bit lower than that of the iPhone though (the exceptions being closer to a dumbphone).
Windows Phone 7? Clearly meant for business. For people who need Exchange connections to mail servers or VPNs. And the price tags support this statement.
And then there is Blackberry OS. The Blackberry is something of a status icon as well. But just HOW much does a normal user require a phone which handles push email and has a business-y look all over, including but not limited to the interface? And all my babble about application/theme installing (if possible, I have no experience with BBs) applies here as well.
Bottom line: no, I'm not being jealous on people who get smartphones, just 'cause I use a SE K800 (although it's not a bad phone at all). No, I'm not meaning to prevent them from using more advanced devices (even if there is hardly any sense in someone studying a particular area that they don't like. We can't all be IT guys, the ride is no fun.). I'm just expressing my opinion on the lack of necessity for cellphone companies to release budget smartphones. Nowadays there are many dumbphones that can handle this piece of the market in style (and here I would highly recommend Sony Ericsson phones. They may not be good with smartphones, but, having been centered on dumbphones for what, 11 years?, they have a great deal of experience with user experience. Their phones have a pleasant interface, intuitive menus, and lots of functions while leaving out those obviously not needed by the consumer and which would only make their usage of the terminal more difficult.), and are also reasonably priced. Just my 2 cents.
The next topic I will probably tackle in a post of such lengths will be the industry of dual SIM phones in my view.
