Nick,
> Do you like it - care for it - grieve slightly when you "upgrade" - or is
> it just a lump of plastic and metal ? When you bought a new phone did you
> throw the old one away - or is it sitting around somewhere, to be smiled
> at slightly fondly when you come across it... Does your phone exist within
> your "bodyspace" or outside it? (That is clumsily put - perhaps it is
> simpler to say - are you always aware of exactly where it is?)
Yes, I do like my phone and I carry it with me all the time (and feel kind
of naked when I forget it once). I take it out and play with it whereever I
am to kill time - its my watch, my alarm clock (when on travel), my email
tool, my gameboy, my newspaper, my train schedule, my horoscope reader, and
so forth. I even take my i-mode phone with me when I go to Europe or the
States, although of course it doesn't work there. I also have cute straps on
my phone and I change wallpapers and ring tones from time to time.
> In short, do you have some sort of "emotional" link to it that you do not
> have to, for example, your video, television, landline phone, etc....
Yes. I think however that some people have similar bonds to their TV or
video or other gadgets, it just depends on how much they are addicted to it.
> If you answer (onlist or off) please say whether you are in Japan or not.
> (I am curious as to whether "Japanese" (or gaijin in Japan) attitudes are
> different to people in Europe or the US)
I live in Japan.
> I think the whole line of argument that goes "you can do this better on a
> computer so no-one will do it on a phone" is missing something(s) crucial
That could be true. Plus, whether the statement "you can do this better on a
computer so no-one will do it on a phone" is true or not depends on the
background of the individual user. For (western? young?) tech savvy people
who grew up with a PC, the argument might be correct. For people who
(almost) never used PCs and are not that familiar with technical stuff,
using email and data services on the cell phone might seem to be easier and,
most of all, faster. No ISP setup, no software installation, no booting --
just turn it on and use it the way you want. You simply don't have to be a
hacker to use a (Japanese) cell phone. The cell phone is also a very
personal tool -- more then the PC.
Another point would be handset design, size and mobility: ever tried to
carry your desktop PC with you all the time? And how ugly such a PC looks
when compared to the sleek and colorful cell phones.
The specific characteristics of mobile content (timely, location-specific,
personalized) allow for services that wouldn't be possible that way on a PC.
People use them on a cell phone not only because its easier but because you
can ONLY do it on a cell phone (or other handheld devices).
Andrea
--
Andrea Hoffmann - Associate Consultant - EGIS Japan
Mail: hoffmann_at_egis.co.jp WWW: http://egisjapan.com
Phone: (81) 3.32.64.10.60 - Fax: (81) 3.32.65.22.60
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Received on Thu Aug 9 03:13:32 2001