Motorola Develops Bare-Bones Phone

tunabomber writes "Whenever a review of the latest cellphone/camera/MP3 player/GPS receiver/fish finder/tazer convergence gadget is posted on Slashdot, the first posters are usually quick to chime in by saying they just want something with decent battery life, reception, ergonomics, etc. Those posters' prayers may now be answered, because Motorola's new 'dumb' phone has been designed with these traits in mind. Notable features include an E Ink display and dual antennae to improve reception. The phone is slated to become available before the end of the year."

Alternatively...

[jolyonr]

How about I just stick with my old Nokia 6310i

It's a neat idea to have a feature-free phone. But seriously, there are millions of those going on ebay cheap because silly people are upgrading to a phone that does polyphonic catatonic ringtones, online horoscopes, and realtime 3d su-doku. That's got to be cheaper than buying any new Motorola phone.

Jolyon

Re:Finally...

[Zarniwoop_Editor]

I Agree. I just want a simple phone with decent standby time and excellent reception. I don't need a camera or an MP3 player or a web browser. I just want a phone... seriously.

Re:That could be the case, but ....

[jolyonr]

Other than maybe needing to get a new battery for an old cellphone, you'll be surprised how well some of the older phones work. My 6310i is the phone I had two "upgrades" ago. When I went back to it I had forgotten that I only ever used to charge it once every two weeks on average and, at least with mine, the battery still works well after 3 years.

Jolyon

Mostly there, but not quite.

[krell]

The number rows (1,2,3) should be in perfect line-up rows on any phone so you don't have to look to hit the numbers. They are mostly lined up here, but there's no reason they could not have gone the rest of the way.

eink in the dark?

[amigabill]

The display is very easy to see even in full sunlight but uses much less energy than an LCD, Wilcox says.

What if it's dark out? Is there a backlight for use at night, or is it just not seeable then?

How durable is eink? Article says no glass or plastic cover is needed, will this thing resist wear and tear that might try and ruin it?

How about...

[kerb]

Custom built phone? Why not? Computer sellers allows custom built PCs specified by users and this is being done for desktops, servers and laptops. Why not phone as well?

Re:Alternatively...

[nine-times]

People aren't always upgrading their phones for the reasons you mentioned. I have a Razr. Do I use the camera? Nope. Play the games or check my e-mail? Uhn-uh. So why did I get a Razr? It's thin. At the time I got it, it was the thinnest thing available, and I carry around a bunch of equipment, so I'd like each thing to be thin and light.

There are advances in technology besides squeezing more crap into phones. They can get smaller, thinner, lighter, with better sound and reception. The power consumption might drop giving better battery life. Personally, I wouldn't mind getting an all-in-one device, but not until someone makes one that performs all of it's functions well. In the mean time, give me a small, light, efficient phone that does a good job at being a phone, and I'll buy it.

Re:Finally...

[dgatwood]

Actually, it looks awful, just like almost every other phone Motorola has ever designed. More info on the phone here [motorola.com]. Here's a preliminary list of flaws:

• No cover for the keypad. The #1 complaint non-techies have about phones is accidentally dialing someone.
• No mechanism for synchronizing contacts with your computer. This means that you have to manually key in your phone book using whatever kludge of an interface they provide.
• Uses special technology to boost battery life but provides less talk time and less standby timethan my three-year-old Sony Ericsson T616 that does have Bluetooth for synchronizing, plus a camera plus a terrible UI and lots of internet crap that I don't care about....
• Still has one of those dumb game-controller-style control pads. I shouldn't have to navigate any significant number of menus to get to what I use regularly---that would be the phone book and dialing. If I really need one of those control pads, that tells me that the UI sucks without even having to see it.
• Keypad in an arc. That may look cute, but it makes it prone to misdialing. Here's a hint, Moto: most people have longer fingers in the middle of their hands, not shorter fingers.
• Slimmest phone yet. I've already had problems with a Sony Ericsson T616 being so thin that the display gets distorted when I carry it in my back pocket and sit on it. And we're talking about something a fraction that thick? Give me a break.
• Voice prompts in multiple languages. Two words: battery life. Two more words: privacy problem. Two more words: noisy bus/car/aircraft.
• Still has the ability to download ringtones. Yes, despite the claim of this being a simplified phone, it's still the same bloated, menu-bound turd of a phone as everything else out there. Simple, my ass.

Bottom line: they tried to listen to customers and failed as usual. Here's what I want to see in a phone:

• Readable in any light. Okay, they finally got this one right, at least....
• Four week standby. This provides enough time that I won't ever have to carry a charger on vacations.
• 24 hour talk time. See previous point.
• No camera, internet functionality, IM, text messaging, etc. None of that crap.
• Simple user interface: if there isn't space for a dedicated button for the feature, drop the feature.
• Bluetooth synchronization for contacts.
• A slide switch to lock the phone, just like the hold switch on my iPod... or maybe a sturdy slide cover over the digits that disables all the other functionality except when it is fully open.
• No large LCD panel at all. It should have about two lines of display---enough for a phone number and a name.

Things I don't care about:

• Style---no, it isn't important to most people. It's a phone. It goes in my pocket and stays in my pocket unless I'm using it. I mean, I wouldn't want it to be hot pink, but short of something hideous, it serves a functional purpose and I don't care what it looks like. Who the heck did they survey for this? A bunch of teenage girls?
• Thickness---who cares? It goes in my pocket. Ditto for every guy I know. Most women I know similarly either carry them in pockets or purses. I'd rather my next phone thicker because it is less likely to snap in half that way.
• Camera---I have a real camera; 320x240 or even 640x480 looks hideous by comparison.
• Internet access---costs way too much to be useful.

Nope. This is more of the same disposable, bloated UI crap that the phone manufacturers have been shoveling at us for the past several years. Don't get me wrong---I'm not surprised that they don't get it, just a bit disappointed.

Yes, but it's still Motorola!

[KZigurs]

Niiice idea, niiiice... The only problem I see is that little tiny bit that this is done by motorola. So far the only mobile phones company that has consistently failed to deliver at least ONE GOOD HANDSET. Slow menus, bugs and crashes, idiotic features and unusable functionality. Strangely most popular in the good ol' USA.

Guys, please be so kind, go and get a GOOD phone. Samsung? Sony Ericsson? Nokia? Just whatever. Kill Motorola, please.