I have Verizon Wireless as a cellphone provider and the cellphone I have is the Samsung Alias. I've had this phone for about a year now, and needless to say, it is at the edge of its rope. I could go on for days about it's problems but there are two really big ones. First off, it will shut off at the most random times. You are able to talk on this phone like any regular phone, or flip it so that you have a full keyboard for when you send texts. Sometimes when I'm flipping it so that I can send a text, it will cut off. Other times, I will actually be typing a text and it cuts off after I press a letter. At first, I thought it was when i pressed a specific letter, but I've come to find out it's any letter. Now mind you this doesn't always happen, or else I would have been so fed up by now, I would have gotten another phone. I would say once a month, for about two days, I have this problem. My second problem is that when I plug the phone into the charger, it doesn't do anything. When I first got my phone, it would turn on itself and begin charging. But now, I'm assuming since its so old, I have to actually turn it on to begin charging, and then turn it on again if I wanted to make a call or something while it's actually charging.
If I were to design my ideal smart phone, I would probably design something like a Blackberry Curve. It eliminates the problem of flipping it and it potentially turning off because the phone is wide enough to fit a full keyboard on it, but small enough to fit in your pocket. So the new design need not flip. Another design I would have, or at least try, is a battery powered phone. Instead of having to worry about problems such as the charger working properly or making sure it was plugged into the phone properly, why not put a battery in? Something the size of a double-A battery but more powerful. I say try because it would probably become a hassle buying these batteries every month or so, and people would much rather just have a charger, even though it might be more of a hassle. I will add, however, that chargers break too and its a pain in the butt, and sometimes really expensive, to buy another one.
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I think it is something in the circuitry that makes phones do that. I have a Motorola Razor and whenever I flip it open from time to time the screen goes white and then either gets stuck, restarts or I have to take the battery out. I believe this might be the a technical gap that the manufacturers do not tell users about or how to help prevent it from becoming a bothersome nuisance.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that your latest problems with your current phone stem not from the usability design, but from the technical implementation. I understand where you are coming from when it comes to cell phone quality control. This is an important issue that should be addressed, but I feel that it is more of an engineering and business processes problem rather than an interface or technology usability issue.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of separate batteries is interesting. I for one would like to see a cell phone charger than can charge individual batteries, so I can take a long a few extra rechargeable batteries with me for more usage, perhaps on a long trip or something like that. This is similar to your idea of using a battery that is similar to a double A.
I understand that your Samsung Alias, is not quality. I too once had a Samsung Alias and then swithced over to At&t. Now, my iPhone makes the Samsung Alias look like its 50 years old. Your problems are well discussed and your proposed solution seem like they will work; however, what about the Social-Technical Gaps in your design. Perhaps; there are not any gaps or you probably did not explicitly state them.
ReplyDeleteI agree on the inconvenience of needing specific chargers. I am quite worried about the implications that more batteries would have on the sustainability of cell phones. But in terms of collaboration, perhaps the technology could be more geared toward power users and leechers, where the power user would be the provider on a given day and as long as there is someone available, there can be the availability of power to charge your phone.
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