 |
 |
Recent News (from the "no
wonder" smart phones are last on consumers' minds)
Survey finds cell phone frustrations By Reuters January 6, 2003,
8:40 PM PT U.S. cell phone users are frustrated by a host of service
problems, including poor call quality, billing errors and difficulties
placing calls to emergency services, a survey by Consumer Reports
found. The influential magazine, published by not-for-profit group
Consumers Union, said Monday that one-third of about 22,000 consumers
it surveyed said they were considering changing their mobile provider,
mainly because of service complaints. "The cell phone industry is
great on gee-whiz gadgets and gizmos, but it's failing on the nuts
and bolts of basic service that consumers need and depend on," Consumer
Union Chief Executive James Guest said in a conference call Monday.
Service shortfalls include the ability to successfully make a call
without dead zones, busy signals or getting calls dropped, and the
ability to reliably connect to 911 in an emergency
Wireless
musings
We
founded AirEight based on the following assumptions: - Carriers
will not dramatically improve the US wireless infrastructure over the next 12-18
months. A variety of reasons exist for this, including the restricted availability
of capital to build out infrastructure. Despite the rollout of 2.5G and 3G technologies,
for the foreseeable future, wireless applications must be designed for a low-bandwidth,
high-latency, intermittently connected wireless environment. Developers who assume
otherwise will fail.
- Corporations
don’t easily change habits (i.e., their business processes). A product or service
that requires a corporation to change a habit requires a phenomenal reason for
it to do so. Ultimately, such sea change products and services can be the most
lucrative of all, but they are also the most difficult and expensive to execute.
- Consumers
will rapidly adopt new devices offered by the carriers, both because they are
itnerested in the new features and carriers will rapidly make previous handsets
obsolete.
This
recent bit of news has me concerned, but I believe our assumptions will prove
true within the next six months.
Mobile Users Delay Handset Upgrades By Kristy Bassuener October 24, 2002 news@2
direct
Despite price declines for many wireless handsets, U.S. consumers are waiting
to buy their next phone, according to a new study from J.D. Power and Associates.
The firm found in its 2002 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study that the
average subscriber owns a phone model for 18 months, compared with 16 months of
use two years ago. The average price this year is about $75, compared with $100
in 1999, the study found. ''It's clear that wireless service carriers are using
mobile phones as an enticement to increase consumer traffic by applying discounts
either through rebates or free limited time offers,'' says Kirk Parsons, senior
director of wireless services at J.D. Power. ''The problem with this strategy
is that in most cases, the handsets being offered for discount are older models,
which typically do not have the latest technological advancements or design features.''
The study also ranks mobile phone brands for consumer satisfaction. Sanyo had
the highest overall satisfaction index score, followed by a tie between Motorola
and Samsung, with Kyocera coming in third.
My
current favorite device: The Sony Ericsson P
800
QUALCOMM
Congratulates Monet Mobile on Launch of First Commercial CDMA2000
1xEV-DO Network in the United States
Tuesday October 29, 1:30 pm ET -
Network Creates Foundation for Wireless Replacement of Traditional
Broadband Services - DULUTH, Minn., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
-- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - News), pioneer and world
leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless
technology, congratulates Monet Mobile, a Seattle-based wireless
Internet Service Provider, on its launch of the first commercial
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO network in the United States. The third-generation
(3G), high-speed data network was launched in a "wire-cutting" ceremony
held today in Duluth, Minn. More...
| |