Although touch screen mobile phones are the latest hot gadget, it doesn’t seem like such a long time ago that everyone and their dog were going on and on about the Blackberry. When it first came out, somehow it seemed to capture the “zeitgeist” and seemingly everyone either had one or wanted one. There were even cases reported of “Blackberry thumb”, where people were suffering from symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) from too much typing ad scrolling with the little thumbwheel.
Of course, the Blackberry was fairly groundbreaking, so it’s understandable why people got excited. That scrolling thumbwheel, the qwerty keyboard and the wide range of applications that could be downloaded and installed direct onto the device were all new features that hadn’t been seen before and they all captured the imagination of the public.
But now Blackberries are starting to become a little bit passe. If you want to keep up with the Jones’s, what you need now is a touch screen mobile phone.
The innovators behind the touch screen mobile phone were of course Apple, with the iPhone. The iPhone has been nothing short of a phenomenon. Ever since the first generation iPhone was launched just a few years ago, sales have continued to grow, first with the release of the iPhone 3G and then again in 2009 with the release of the higher-spec 3GS.
Now trying to capitalise on from the success of the iPhone and trying to capture their own slice of the market, most phone manufacturers (including Blackberry) have followed suit by releasing their own touch screen mobile phones onto the awaiting public. Apple still of course dominates the market, but there are plenty of other manufacturers snapping at their heels, capturing some of the market share.
So why are touch screen mobile phones so popular? And what sorts of things should you look out for or be aware of when buying one?
First of all, these phones are generally very easy to use, although some are more intuitive than others. One of the reasons why the iPhone is so popular is that it just works in the way you would expect it to. If you’re not sure how to do something, just guess and you’ll probably be right. Apple are very good at this. Pretty much every device they bring out is a lesson in ergonomics and usability and the iPhone is no different. Other manufacturers struggle to compete with this level of user friendliness. Somehow, none of the other touch screen mobile phones out there seem to be quite as intuitive to use as the iPhone.
Design is of course not just about functionality and usability, it is also about looks. People like to buy things not just because they work, but also because they look good and have the “wow” factor. Most touch screen mobile phones look pretty cool.
Put those elements together and you have a winning product. And the iPhone is certainly a winning product. Next time you’re on a busy train, count how many people you see with an iPhone and you’ll see what I mean.
Of course, there are some things to beware of with a touch screen mobile phone. First of all, they all use glass screens and guess what, glass is breakable. If you’re a complete klutz like I am, someone who is always dropping their phone, then its only a matter of time before instead of having a touch screen mobile phone, you’ve got a broken screen mobile phone.
Then of course there’s the lack of an actual keyboard. If you are used to the Blackberry-type qwerty keyboard and do a lot of texting or e-mailing from your phone, typing on glass can take some getting used to. Some people never get used to it.
And of course, these phones are not cheap. Because they are more expensive to manufacture than standard phones, that cost is passed on to the consumers. Some touch screen mobile phones are cheaper than others, but its the cheaper ones that tend to have problems and break more easily.
One thing seems certain however and that is that touch screen technology is going to become more widespread and feature on more and more consumer electronics items. Apple recently launched the iPad in a blaze of publicity and although it’s early days and people don’t seem sure exactly what do with it yet, it’s probably only a matter of time before it becomes as prevalent as the iPod and the iPhone.
So aside from the iPhone that we all know and love, what are some of the top touch screen mobile phones for 2010?
Well, many of them will be capitalising on Google’s new Android operating system. A whole raft of Android phones either have been, or are about to be, released by a wide range of manufacturers.
Then of course there is Microsoft, who have recently announced the Windows Phone 7, which uses Microsoft’s own mobile operating system. It won’t be available until Christmas (if Microsoft release it on schedule – not something they generally have a great track record with!). A couple of interesting features with this phone will be the inclusion of Xbox Live (for multiplayer game playing) and an integrated Zune (for playing music & watching videos). Will it give the iPhone a run for its money? That remains to be seen.
Another manufacturer gambling on its own operating system is Samsung, with the Samsung Wave. They are taking a huge risk by going up against the big boys of Apple, Microsoft and the open-source Google Android. But the phone itself is gorgeous and by retaining control of their environment, they might just have an iPhone-killer on their hands.
Other phones to watch out for are the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro, a range of models from HTC (including the Legend, Desire and HD Mini), the Samsung Bean, the Sony Ericsson Vivz and the Milestone from Motorola, a similar phone to the Droid, hich they recently launched in the US.
So there’s plenty of good stuff to keep an eye on in the world of touch screen mobile phones!
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