Dan's Papers - August 17, 2007

In June I decided to leave the east coast for the snow capped Teton's and trout filled rivers of Western Wyoming. While waiting at a La Guardia bar for a flight to Jackson Hole, I called one of my Jackson compadres and tried to make plans for arrival. After getting on the plane I shut my phone down off. I arrived in Denver half drunk and half dazed and attempted to check my messages. I flipped open the clamshell and nothing but darkness. I rubbed my eyes and made sure the phone was on but all that shone was a dark indigo nothingness. All contacts and messages lost to the digital void.

My phone, a raggedy ole LG pushing 18 months, was still able to send and receive calls but with an unresponsive screen you never know whose calling you. While trying to blindly navigate your contact list may not sound like fun, sometimes a game of cell phone roulette can make for a quality morning-after tale, especially if you dial an ex or even a sleeping grandparent.

While I'm still using my broken LG, it's not because I'm afraid of technology, but rather, not so impressed with it, due to the rampant discontent I hear from friends and strangers alike. The RAZR, one of Motorola's best selling phones, was once and still is one of the sleekest phones on the market. However, most people I know who own it complain about the lack of battery power and the slow reaction speed of the phone. Like a Porsche operating like a Yugo, the RAZR doesn't stand up to its sleek, modern design. After scouring cell phone FAQ messages boards, I found that the RAZR's companion, the sli-minimalist KRZR, offered all the problems of the RAZR without a single new feature.

With the evolution of technology taking place and advancements in wireless technology happening before our eyes, the real question when purchasing a new cell phone should be about quality product material, durability and user friendliness. One of the major problems with phones like the RAZR, KRZR and Chocolate is that, while ahead of the competition in design, their functionality is lacking, to say the least. Each of the phones offers Internet access, E-mail, mp3 and photograph options, however, none of them are bug-free, reliable nor compete with the individual functioning of mp3 players, laptops and palm pilots.

Another issue in the cell phone revolution is the availability of service. While high function, high style, top-of-the-line phones aren't exactly my bag, I can't help but think the iPhone is "rad." However, because of Apple's partnership with AT&T (formerly Cingular), potential clients currently with other providers would be forced to skip out on their contract and sign up for a two-year plan with AT&T (which may not benefit them at all). Besides, with Apple's track record of progressive evolution in other product lines, it's hard for me to believe that the first edition iPhone currently on the market will be obsolete within six months, possibly by the much-rumored Nano version of the phone (which would be significantly cheaper than the $499 4GB and the $599 8GB).

Another exciting new aspect of digital phone technology came this weekend when T-Mobile announced their new service HotSpot @ Home, which combines mobile phone and Internet calling technology by letting customers access phone lines through Wi-Fi connections. And here's the kicker - any time a customer calls through a Wi-Fi connection, it's free and doesn't count against your allotted minutes. Another vantage point, the T-Mobile HotSpot@Home plan is only $9.99 a month.

While the possibilities in digital technology are endless and the number of service providers seems to increase almost daily, as a consumer I am far from thrilled with the quality of the product, the customer service and the general unreliability of the software. One major issue cell phone manufacturers seem to have purposely forgotten is durability. The occasional fall is lethal to a phone's lifespan, even if it seems fine, a few months after a good fall and the typical phone is all but worthless. Because of my butter-finger tendencies, I think sticking with the broken blue screen is just what I need in the era of multimedia headsets. And besides, I can't imagine giving up my iPod and laptop for a $600 phone that attempts to act as both. In the future, my mind will change. But right now, the product's just not there.