Should The Connection Be Separate From The Device

from the simple-proposal dept

For years, we've been talking about the idea of the personal wireless hub, where you would have a single (small) device that would connect you with a wireless network - and in turn, that device would have a personal area wireless connection to connect whatever other devices to that wireless connection. This way, you could have the appropriate device for the appropriate situation. Of course, it would also mean carrying around more gadgets. Still, while this idea was originally suggested by a company named IXI, since then it's picked up fans like Samsung and Motorola. Well, in something of an update to that idea, Charlie Demerjian at the Inquirer is pointing out that the carriers are screwed up in their thinking by pushing increasingly complex mobile phones that bolt on various additional functions that don't necessarily make sense. He suggests this is completely backwards from what consumers want: smaller phones with longer battery life - while these "smarter" phones are generally larger with shorter battery life (and a lot more expensive - often requiring a larger subsidy from the carrier). Of course, from the perspective of carriers, they want to encourage more network usage to up their revenue from each user. Unlike so many complaining article, he also comes up with a perfectly good suggestion, playing off the personal wireless hub idea. Instead of focusing on selling a fancier and fancier phone, he suggests the carriers just give out a cheap little wireless device that can easily connect to just about any device and automatically gives it wireless capabilities (on their network, of course). This lets users still get the cheap, small, long life battery they want, while also encourage people to use even more data by connecting up more appropriate data devices. Of course, he suggests all this as if no one else has thought of it - and (as mentioned) Samsung and Motorola are moving forward with the idea - and are even trying to merge the idea of this separate device directly into an inexpensive phone (which makes more sense) which can then connect locally (using Bluetooth, I imagine) to the appropriate device. I don't think the carriers are really against such an idea, it's just that the technology is not yet ready for prime time.