Smartphones and Handhelds
I should perhaps preface this by saying I love electronics. I'm renowned for my toys but at the same time I hate mobile devices so am certain I'm not the norm.
I always have to be contactable but I hate having my phone on 24/7 and I dislike working on the road immensely and it wasn't until more recently I actually lamentably got a laptop.
That said I've wondered this question for a long time so perhaps somebody can enlighten me. What on earth is the purpose in either smartphones or handhelds? By handhelds I'm referring to Blackberries, PocketPC's, etc.
What do people that actually have these devices use them for?
Perhaps it's just me but I've generally found one of two things. First if I only need something light and need to send emails on the road desperately or something then my regular mobile does the job fine if a computer is really unavailable, which is actually rare I've found. My phone also manages to browse the web in a pinch, manage contacts and appointments and staggeringly enables me to make phone calls, which are often what I really need if I want fast results. The interface isn't brilliant but it's usually just a reference thing anyway.
Second if ever I needed something more, like to alter a file why would I ever want to attempt it on anything with as painful an interface as a phone or handheld? If I need to work on the road why wouldn't I just turn to a laptop? Perhaps I just say that because due to the sheer number of presentations I do I found a laptop a necessity. Usually if I'm not at home my laptop, which fits comfortably in my briefcase or whichever bag I take to work that day, is no further away than my car or the office of whichever site I'm on. Again the net is never further than my phone away.
Maybe this just slots in with things I'll never get like mobile video players but am I missing something or is there some secret benefit? I know the market for these devices is somewhat tiny but what does that tiny market even really see in them at all? I'm assuming they fill some intermediate niche between ordinary cell phones and something the size of a laptop? Is it just a group of people who don't do enough work on the road, or are too frequently away from where they'd have a laptop, to make the argument that they should carry a laptop? I have to say I'm confused on their usefulness so what's so special about them that I can't see?
On a further completely unrelated matter am I the only person who finds it incredibly frustrating that you basically can't get a decent mobile phone without a camera anymore? I'm tired of having to turn over my main phone because cameras aren't permitted on certain sites.
I always have to be contactable but I hate having my phone on 24/7 and I dislike working on the road immensely and it wasn't until more recently I actually lamentably got a laptop.
That said I've wondered this question for a long time so perhaps somebody can enlighten me. What on earth is the purpose in either smartphones or handhelds? By handhelds I'm referring to Blackberries, PocketPC's, etc.
What do people that actually have these devices use them for?
Perhaps it's just me but I've generally found one of two things. First if I only need something light and need to send emails on the road desperately or something then my regular mobile does the job fine if a computer is really unavailable, which is actually rare I've found. My phone also manages to browse the web in a pinch, manage contacts and appointments and staggeringly enables me to make phone calls, which are often what I really need if I want fast results. The interface isn't brilliant but it's usually just a reference thing anyway.
Second if ever I needed something more, like to alter a file why would I ever want to attempt it on anything with as painful an interface as a phone or handheld? If I need to work on the road why wouldn't I just turn to a laptop? Perhaps I just say that because due to the sheer number of presentations I do I found a laptop a necessity. Usually if I'm not at home my laptop, which fits comfortably in my briefcase or whichever bag I take to work that day, is no further away than my car or the office of whichever site I'm on. Again the net is never further than my phone away.
Maybe this just slots in with things I'll never get like mobile video players but am I missing something or is there some secret benefit? I know the market for these devices is somewhat tiny but what does that tiny market even really see in them at all? I'm assuming they fill some intermediate niche between ordinary cell phones and something the size of a laptop? Is it just a group of people who don't do enough work on the road, or are too frequently away from where they'd have a laptop, to make the argument that they should carry a laptop? I have to say I'm confused on their usefulness so what's so special about them that I can't see?
On a further completely unrelated matter am I the only person who finds it incredibly frustrating that you basically can't get a decent mobile phone without a camera anymore? I'm tired of having to turn over my main phone because cameras aren't permitted on certain sites.
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