Mobile Phone Users Struggle With Hardware Adoption

Ian Lamont writes "A Google executive speaking at the Emerging Technology conference has described a problem that mobile phone carriers and manufacturers have been struggling with over the last few years: Users aren't taking advantage of many phones' hardware-based features. Rich Miner, Google's group manager of mobile platforms, stated that 80% of mobile phones being sold today have cameras on them, yet the number of people who actually know how to use them or get the images off the phones ranges between 10% and 50%, depending on the model. Miner listed several reasons for this state of affairs, including bad UIs and small screens, but added that the participation of companies with software expertise — including Google — would help increase usage of such features."

Join the Free world

[David Gerard]

It's obvious what we need: something that gives you the freedom you need, on an open platform, with full open hardware and free software, all the way down the stack, so that users can get the features they want, and innovative developers can create interfaces that let people take full advantage of them in the most intuitive and obvious way possible. The GNUPhone. Operated from the command line. [today.com]

Re:People don't care

[kaizokuace]

I still prefer my Dick Tracey two way radio wrist watch.

Re:People don't care

[slacktide]

Quit whining, pop a Geritol, drink your Metamucil, and buy a Jitterbug [jitterbug.com] Have fun at Bingo, I'll be standing on your lawn using my Iphone.

Re:People don't care

[Nursie]

That's fair, but it's a special case.

Then again, my phone has no camera. But then it's a Neo Freerunner, so I'm probably supposed to solder one on myself.