Modern Cell Phone

I recently got my hands on Samsung's latest addition— the oh-so-teeny Samsung Juke phone. As you can tell by the pictures, it is literally the size of a small chocolate bar and swivels open to be a long sleek Zoolander- type phone. This modern media player cell comes fully equipped with an iPod type scroll wheel for effortless navigation and a pretty chic exterior screen which reminds me of the Porsche phone. The most nifty features would have to be the VZ navigator which offers location based services and audible turn-by-turn directions so you'll never get lost again. And for those of you who like a few party pics in the evening, the built-in camera boasts night-shot, which makes the most out of pictures in low light. With 2GB of storage, the Juke can hold lots of tunes and will sync your music via your PC's USB port as well—unfortunately no iTunes songs allowed. And because it has bluetooth wireless technology, you can also purchase a stereo headset to listen to music without wires. Available in black, turquoise and red. Priced at $150 with a two year contract. Not too shabby considering you'll be channeling Derek Zoolander in more ways than one!

Modern Cell Phone

Las Vegas, Nevada, January 10th 2007- Could your next digital camera be a cell phone? The cell phone manufacturers would like that, but the US cell phone networks may not let it happen. Modern cell phones shoot at resolutions that dedicated digital still cameras reached only a couple of years ago: The Nokia N95 shoots 5-megapixel images, and Samsung has a cell phone that can shoot 10 megapixel images: the SCH-B600, which also includes a 3x optical zoom. But these high resolution cell phones aren’t coming out in the US: the SCH-B600 is being sold in Korea and Europe only. This is partly due to the cost (the SCH-B600 costs a hefty $900 in Korea) and the reluctance of the networks to have 10-megapixel images clogging up their networks. “How do I manage those files on a consistent basis on the network?” Says Ritch Blasi of Cingular, whose highest resolution cell phone is the 5-megapixel Nokia N75. “I could sell that camera phone, but if I’ve got one person using it on a cell site and I‘ve got 6 T1 (high speed Internet) connections going in there to accommodate that one person, it doesn’t make sense.” Although the cell networks are rolling out new technologies (such as the new high speed data technology called HSDPA) that increase the speed at which data can be transmitted, they don’t want multi-megabyte photos clogging up the network. So, they don’t offer every phone that the cell phone manufacturers produce. The cameras built into cell phones will continue to increase in resolution, though. “Customers are demanding something a little bit higher” says Drew Crowell of the PR company Golin Harris, who represent Sony Ericsson, who recently launched a 3.2-megapixel phone (the K790a) that hasn’t yet been picked up by any of the US networks. But he doesn’t see a big demand for anything much higher right now. ”I think the market here in the US is a lot different to overseas. I think that this phone fits the market in the US”.

Modern Cell Phone

The Motorola C139 is a GSM phone with compatibility with most operators including T-mobile and AT&T. It doesn’t play MP3s or do anything fancy at all. But it does have a color screen and support basic modern-day cell phone functions. So why should you care about the C139? It’s dirt cheap. It has a retail price of $55.99 but can be found on eBay for as low as $19.99 plus shipping. At that price, it’s almost cheap enough for it to be the world’s first disposable phone? So consider the C139 great for kids or anyone who is likely to destroy their phone easily. (Source: PC Magazine, April 24, 07))

Modern Cell Phone

Services, like products that contain technology, offer a challenge and opportunity for design. They used to be facilitated by people, but now they are often enabled by technology, meaning that the human/technology interactions need to be designed.
Takeshi Natsuno, Managing Director in charge of strategy for the i-mode cell phone service from DoCoMo in Japan, explains the phenomenal success of his venture. i-mode gained 33 million subscribers in Japan during the first three years of operation, combining phone services with internet access.
Chris Downs, Lavrans Løvlie and Ben Reason are founders of the London-based service design consultancy LiveWork. They explain their philosophy and process for designing services, describing service ecologies. These consist of tangible touch-points that make up the total experience of using the service. Fran Samalionis, a leader of the service design practice at IDEO,expands on this process with examples of a train service and an online bank.

Modern Cell Phone

The Cell-Secure is designed to fit all cup holders and provide a secure holder for all modern cell phones.

Modern Cell Phone

The Sidekick has always been a cool piece of technology, but it skyrocketed to stardom when it was discovered that Paris Hilton had one. Why exactly is it that she's famous? Does she sing and dance? Tell jokes? Create groundbreaking scientific discoveries? No? Oh yeah. She's famous just because. And because Paris had one, everyone in their teens and twenties wanted one, too. Alright, I admit it, she's just so darn cute, and if I had a hardware company, I'd certainly want my best gizmo to be seen next to Even without the Paris appeal, the Side kick is a worthy piece of equipment. And the new sk3 is truly spectacular - and recently was featured as the Time Magazine "Gadget of the Week". It's a bit smaller than the Sidekick 2, at 5.1 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches, fitting nicely into a shirt pocket and just sticking out of the top enough for you to show off that you have a new Side kick 3. That makes it bigger than most modern cell phones, but pretty sleek by my own standard. My ten-year-old Nokia measures 5 x 1.75 x 1, and I can only use it to talk and play Snakes. The Sidekick 3 weighs in at seven ounces, again heavier than a modern cell phone, but nothing to complain about. r.The form factor is sleeker and more attractive than the Side kick 2. This release lacks the rubber perimeter and has a plastic keyboard that is a lot easier to use than the older one that had the rubberized buttons. It's instantly recognizable as a Side kick, with many of the same design elements. The four-way pad on the left is still in place, and the main display still has the Menu, Jump, Cancel, and Done controls. However, there is no longer a jog dial on the right side; instead, there is a trackball, which is quite useful and easy to use - and makes this feel much more like a tiny laptop than just a cell phone with a lot of cool added features. The display is good, but still the same as the Sidekick 2.

Modern Cell Phone

Cell phones are the dominant form of communication today. Nearly everyone has one, and it is a common sight to see businessmen and teenagers alike walking down the street with a hands-free headset. Cell phones have greatly increased our security and availability and keep us connected to our modern world. The future of cell phones reflects its past - growth in leaps and bounds.Two companies, Pilotfish and Synaptics, have joined together to create a prototype phone with no buttons. This device, called Onyx, is sensitive to gestures and is covered in a touch screen. The phone also recognizes anatomy, so that when you lift it up to your ear it picks up a call. This drastic change in design is meant to stimulate other cell phone designers to get away from the two mundane basic types of devices. The cell phone is not an exception to design and fashion rules, and constant changes in looks allow for constant changes in technology. Water-proof cell phones (meant for showers) are already available in Japan. New prototypes also have the ability to entirely illuminate in different colors for different callers, in order to help "humanize" cellular technology.