Devil's Advocate: Taking the mobile plunge

Martin Brampton was recently forced to choose a new mobile phone. But aren't the latest devices gimmicky, playing too heavily on photo messaging and the like? He was surprised...

Regular readers will remember my agonising over PDA and mobile phone combinations. Despite all my research, the Ericsson solution failed to provide what I wanted. Last week I was forced into some quick decision making, with no time for detailed research at all.

Having your phone and wallet stolen is a trying experience. Because motorcycle gear often has few pockets, I had acquired the habit of carrying a small bag of useful bits, including phone, wallet and prescription sunglasses. Leaving it lying round in public for a few seconds was enough for it to be spirited away. Although the miscellaneous jumble of papers from the wallet turned up a couple of days later, I think the rest is gone for good.

Without a phone, the immediate problem was how to cancel the credit cards and such like. That distracted me from another problem of which I had been only dimly aware. The phone itself is potentially a significant financial threat. While credit card companies limit the losses for which the cardholder is liable, mobile phone operators have typically tried to make the subscriber pay for calls made by thieves.

Once I was forced to take notice of this issue, it was evident that some unfortunate people had lost a phone for some time before realising. Thieves had incurred charges of hundreds of pounds on expensive calls to overseas locations. The legal situation is cloudy and it might be that operators’ insistence on charging for calls made by thieves could be resisted. But it is difficult for the individual to fight these large companies.

My priority should therefore have been to report the stolen phone, rather than the stolen credit cards. Luckily, because I was immediately aware of the theft, my lost phone was reported within two hours, and the SIM blocked. No fraudulent calls were made, leaving me with only the problem of replacing the mobile phone itself.

With no time for extensive research, I made a snap decision based on a quick look at features and taking into account the upgrade deals offered by the phone company. I made no attempt to match every item on my wish list, just looking for something that would provide some useful features. An integrated camera was something that appealed to me a lot. The choice quickly settled on the Nokia 3650.

Now I have to admit that my first impression is that this gadget is just astonishingly good. Although I knew all about the features available using current technology, actually starting to use them in daily life was a revelation. Unlike my old faithful Nokia Communicator, the 3650 is not a specialist device but simply an advanced phone aimed at the mass market. Yet inside the smart case is an extraordinarily powerful package of electronics.

The camera is enormous fun. Because it is always on hand, one is ready to take a photograph any time something interesting crops up. The quality of the image is limited but it is quite good enough to attach to an email or even to print at snapshot size. A rather wide-angle lens means that the camera has to be held embarrassingly close to portrait subjects, but results can be good. Integration with the name and address book is highly effective.

In fact, with a good colour screen and a sensible range of applications, I am persuaded that phones are on the point of a significant shift. Although the technology has gradually developed, suddenly there comes a point when the capabilities cause the device to be seen in a new light. It happened with the personal computer and I think it is now happening with the phone. And mobile operators are heavily subsidising some of these very capable new phones, with a view to pushing subscribers into a higher usage pattern.

Their chance of success looks good, although I have a sneaking suspicion that detailed encounters with the novel features will throw up some problems. In future weeks, I will look more carefully at the strengths and weaknesses of the various capabilities.

** Martin Brampton is a director and founder of Black Sheep Research (www.black-sheep-research.co.uk ), an independent consultancy providing research, writing and speaking services on a wide range of business and technology subjects. Martin was previously a director at Bloor Research, and has worked with IT as a user and analyst for over 20 years. He can be contacted at silicon@black-sheep-research.co.uk.

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