[Smartphone Talk]

[aznboyknowledge]

I just wanted to start this thread to see how other people feel about how the smartphone market has developed over the past couple of years. In this thread, I will share my opinion about smartphones today and I hope you can respond and add on to the conversation.

The smartphone market has been booming with craziness over the past couple of years. Ever since the iPhone came out as the "smartphone" it has definitely changed the world and moved technology even further ahead. Right now, I feel like the market is getting out of hand especially with all these patent wars going with Apple vs. Samsung over designs and Apple vs. Google with some operating system issues. I mean at this rate we won't have the choices anymore. Its literally iOS against Android. I know Microsoft is trying to get in the smartphone and tablet market with their Windows 8 but I really don't think they have what it takes to seriously take away something from iOS or Android. Is it me or is it just ridiculous?

What is even more ludicrous is how cellphone size changed? I mean when phones first came out they were bulky and big so it would be great to carry around a small phone. I remember the days where I just had a small little phone that I used to text. Now its like the bigger the better. Samsung and Sony are at war now to see who can make the bigger phone or something. First the Note at 5.3 inch was crazy but it was still acceptable. Note II at 5.5 inch was not that much of a difference I can still accept it. Right now with the Note III supposedly being launched in Sept 2013 at 5.99 inch I dont know. Sony with its Xperia Smartphone line has been up-ing the screen size as well from 5 inch to the newest Xperia at 6.44 inch. I mean come on man you can't even put that phone in your pocket. Phones are meant to be in your pocket. That's a tablet its not even a phablet anymore at that size. There also have been rumors that the next gen iPhone will go even bigger than 5 inch. Is this a competition to see who got the bigger screen now?

Additionally, I want to see how you feel about the following questions. You can answer them in any order.

1) What do you think of the different operating systems that smartphones and tablets use? (ie. iOS, Android, Windows 8)

2) With Firefox announcing their new operating system for a phone, what prospects do you see in Mozilla Firefox?

3) What is your own take on the smartphone increasing its size?

4) I think it was LG (but correct me if I am wrong), they are planning to release a phone that has a bendable screen. What does this mean for the future? Do you think we will eventually go to a similar stage as shown in the movie Total Recall where they have a cellphone implanted into their hand kind of thing?

5) If you were a phone company, what features would you put in your phone?

6) Can Apple keep up with Android's operating system? People claim that iOS 7 looks a lot like the Android OS right now.

7) Can Apple keep up in general and retain its market share in the smartphone industry when you have Samsung practically flooding the market with every size phone available?

8) Vega is another Korean phone company in which plans to make its way into the US market. Their phone sizes are similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note II or maybe even bigger than that. What do you think of this company and what kind of market share can it actually obtain?

9) What do you think the future for the smartphone market looks like? Where would each player in the market be? (ie. Apple, Samsung, Google, LG, Nokia, Firefox, Blackberry, HTC, Sony)

10) Can smartphones focusing solely on developing the best camera survive in the market? I am referring to this Nokia phone I read about that is not yet released but it is suppose to have a 41 megapixel camera (Nokia 808)

This about it for now. I will post more questions in the future :)

 

[Friedrich]

I remember back when i was a kid in the mid-to-late 90s, we had simple phones with no internet access. I think it had a simple black and white screen. They were not smartphones, of course.

Nowadays some of these phones seem better than some of the old computers i've had back in the day.


1) What do you think of the different operating systems that smartphones and tablets use? (ie. iOS, Android, Windows 8)

Android is my current system. I had a windows phone and i hated the crap out of it. The internet browser crashed constantly and the store was abysmal at best. Hard to navigate and the user interface was insanely annoying. Android is very straightforward, I don't have to go through 5 menus(exaggeration) just to make a phone call or use the internet browser. Android is 10x faster, better and just an all around better experience than Windows was for me.

I've never had iOS so i can't comment on that.

2) With Firefox announcing their new operating system for a phone, what prospects do you see in Mozilla Firefox?

Anything is possible, but i would proceed on that front with reserved optimism. I still prefer Google's Chrome over mozilla firefox.

3) What is your own take on the smartphone increasing its size?

It's good in the sense that the smartphone is becoming more flexible and the screen is becoming large enough and the phone is becoming powerful enough to tolerate even better apps and games. Many of the people i know rely on smartphones for all their computing/internet needs.

4) I think it was LG (but correct me if I am wrong), they are planning to release a phone that has a bendable screen. What does this mean for the future? Do you think we will eventually go to a similar stage as shown in the movie Total Recall where they have a cellphone implanted into their hand kind of thing?

It would be a pain in the *** to have my screen bend everytime i put any serious pressure on it. Making it more durable is always a good thing.

I don't look forward to implants and so forth, i think humanity is dependent enough on technology, we don't need to have devices like that implanted in us. Especially if shady people/governments can hack them or we become so reliant we don't know how to function without them.

5) If you were a phone company, what features would you put in your phone?

- Reliability, durability. Cost effectiveness is important. Moderate processing speed with good battery life. Try to keep costs low to make it accessible.

6) Can Apple keep up with Android's operating system? People claim that iOS 7 looks a lot like the Android OS right now.

Only with a huge change in strategy. Google's Android is much more accessible and is a more open platform.

7) Can Apple keep up in general and retain its market share in the smartphone industry when you have Samsung practically flooding the market with every size phone available?

iOS needs to change strategy to continue to compete. iOS costs more than it's worth, not enough variance whereas there are plenty of cheap but decent android devices. If you are the average guy on a budget, paying 150 dollars for an android phone is certainly a more attractive option.

8) Vega is another Korean phone company in which plans to make its way into the US market. Their phone sizes are similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note II or maybe even bigger than that. What do you think of this company and what kind of market share can it actually obtain?

It will mostly be stuck probably with the niche gaming/smartphone enthusiast market in my opinion, but that's yet to be seen.

9) What do you think the future for the smartphone market looks like? Where would each player in the market be? (ie. Apple, Samsung, Google, LG, Nokia, Firefox, Blackberry, HTC, Sony)

I see Samsung and Google taking the top spot with Apple coming up in second. the rest is to be seen. Technology changes too rapidly to really forecast companies with anything more than guessing.

10) Can smartphones focusing solely on developing the best camera survive in the market? I am referring to this Nokia phone I read about that is not yet released but it is suppose to have a 41 megapixel camera (Nokia 808)

The camera is a nice add-on, a feature that adds on to whatever is there. It's the icing, not the cake. You can't sell a camera that can make phone-calls, you need to make a phone that has a camera on it.