August 19, 2014 at 14:55Where does the phone design go?
Quite a long time ago I noticed that gadgets of a form factor other than the IPhone are gradually disappearing from the Russian mobile device market. The information below is the result of short research and reflection and does not claim to be anything supernatural.
The history of the development of phones is quite eventful. From the appearance of the first phone to its becoming a multifunctional device.
There have been quite a few historical articles describing some interesting exhibits that are breakthrough models of their time, such as IBM Simon .
In this case, the issue of the design of telephone sets is interesting, but not its internal component with respect to the OS, therefore, in essence, there will be no difference between phones and smartphones. So, the first phone is the Motorola MicroTAC.
Antenna, buttons, speaker, built-in hinged cover ... After that, there were many different phones made in this design.
The general introduction of mobile cellular communications can be called 1995. True, the dimensions of the devices of that time were somewhat shocking. However, already in 96, there was a significant development of phones, and, accordingly, a decrease in their size (Nokia 9000).
The next step was the stylization and minimization of telephones, in particular, colorization.
A decrease in the technical process and components led to a tendency to reduce the size of telephone sets (internal antennas were increasingly used).
The turning point can be considered the year 2000, marked by the appearance of a touch-sensitive mobile phone, released by Motorola.
In 2001, the world's first cell phone with a monochromatic display appeared. The color-illuminated display has become an alternative to boring black-and-gray displays (the Nokia 8250 can be attributed to such). And so, in 2002, there was a giant leap in the development of phones. Phones have got large color displays and cameras.
The next significant change is the appearance of “cots”.
Omitting the moment the “sliders” appeared, it can be noted that in 2007 Apple Inc introduced the first iPhone to the world.
Later, many different devices were introduced, with a QWERTY keyboard, without it at all, but in fact that's all.
If you go through the search for the main stores in Russia engaged in the sale of cell phones, you can find the almost complete disappearance of devices other than something like that.
Entering the IPhone market and its promotion has forced many companies to abandon the production of phones that have the design of old phones. For some reason, the design of the shovel is firmly in first place. Everything began to revolve around a large touch screen, a place for which was obtained by abandoning the physical keyboard.
An interesting fact is how the development of telephones and networks in other countries took place. I myself am familiar with these issues only by rumors, but in principle it is believed that to some extent there are many where the direction of development is the same. However, according to the articles and offers of stores, Japan adhered to the original path of development. The development of telephones mainly fell on the shoulders of companies providing communication services, which is why telephone manufacturers are represented there by their own companies (for example, DoCoMo). Wikipedia article (it just so happened)) shows the presence on their market of a large number of devices of various structures. What is remarkable, the leading position is occupied by "folding beds". From my point of view, these telephones have a number of advantages. It includes the compact size when folded, the screen is protected from external influences and the presence of a keyboard.
The qualitative difference between the devices and those representatives who were and remain on the Russian market is impressive.
The development of the apparatus of the “clamshell” form factor can now be described by similar characteristics, if you look at the Fujitsu F-02D:
This device has some features:
It is easy to see that this device can worthily compete with representatives of other form factors in the "filling", having an original design.
If you look at the Russian market and consider the representatives of "folding beds" that the list will not be very long. If you look at the offer of one of the popular Svyaznoy stores, it’s completely short:
From these devices you can expect something like:
If you use a search engine, the list is expanding, but representatives are basically the same and can not compete in opportunities with the main category. Of course, Motorola RAZR phones are a little pleased with the design, but this is rather the exception. Possessing GPS devices are generally practically absent:
About the last device there was already information on Habré, however it was not possible to find a post. It is this device that is currently the only actual competitor in terms of capabilities to the main representatives of the market. Nevertheless, its appearance on the market was not marked by any bright advertising event and, it seems, did not change much.
Brief historical background
The history of the development of phones is quite eventful. From the appearance of the first phone to its becoming a multifunctional device.
There have been quite a few historical articles describing some interesting exhibits that are breakthrough models of their time, such as IBM Simon .
In this case, the issue of the design of telephone sets is interesting, but not its internal component with respect to the OS, therefore, in essence, there will be no difference between phones and smartphones. So, the first phone is the Motorola MicroTAC.
Antenna, buttons, speaker, built-in hinged cover ... After that, there were many different phones made in this design.
The general introduction of mobile cellular communications can be called 1995. True, the dimensions of the devices of that time were somewhat shocking. However, already in 96, there was a significant development of phones, and, accordingly, a decrease in their size (Nokia 9000).
The next step was the stylization and minimization of telephones, in particular, colorization.
A decrease in the technical process and components led to a tendency to reduce the size of telephone sets (internal antennas were increasingly used).
The turning point can be considered the year 2000, marked by the appearance of a touch-sensitive mobile phone, released by Motorola.
In 2001, the world's first cell phone with a monochromatic display appeared. The color-illuminated display has become an alternative to boring black-and-gray displays (the Nokia 8250 can be attributed to such). And so, in 2002, there was a giant leap in the development of phones. Phones have got large color displays and cameras.
The next significant change is the appearance of “cots”.
Omitting the moment the “sliders” appeared, it can be noted that in 2007 Apple Inc introduced the first iPhone to the world.
Later, many different devices were introduced, with a QWERTY keyboard, without it at all, but in fact that's all.
What is observed now
If you go through the search for the main stores in Russia engaged in the sale of cell phones, you can find the almost complete disappearance of devices other than something like that.
Entering the IPhone market and its promotion has forced many companies to abandon the production of phones that have the design of old phones. For some reason, the design of the shovel is firmly in first place. Everything began to revolve around a large touch screen, a place for which was obtained by abandoning the physical keyboard.
An interesting fact is how the development of telephones and networks in other countries took place. I myself am familiar with these issues only by rumors, but in principle it is believed that to some extent there are many where the direction of development is the same. However, according to the articles and offers of stores, Japan adhered to the original path of development. The development of telephones mainly fell on the shoulders of companies providing communication services, which is why telephone manufacturers are represented there by their own companies (for example, DoCoMo). Wikipedia article (it just so happened)) shows the presence on their market of a large number of devices of various structures. What is remarkable, the leading position is occupied by "folding beds". From my point of view, these telephones have a number of advantages. It includes the compact size when folded, the screen is protected from external influences and the presence of a keyboard.
The qualitative difference between the devices and those representatives who were and remain on the Russian market is impressive.
The development of the apparatus of the “clamshell” form factor can now be described by similar characteristics, if you look at the Fujitsu F-02D:
- Dimensions and weight: 111 × 50 × 13.9 mm 130 g
- Display: 3.4 ", 480 × 854 pix, 3D, touch, TFT, 16 million colors
- External display: 174 × 64 pix, monochrome
- Camera: Main camera: 16.1 Mpix, autofocus with face detection
- FullHD video recording (1920 × 1080 pix)
- Camera for video calls: CMOS, VGA 0.3Mpix
- Multimedia: Play 3D photos and videos without special glasses
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n
- Bluetooth v3.0
- IR port
- GPS support
- microSD / microSDHC up to 32 Gb
- microHDMI connector
- MicroSIM slot
This device has some features:
- 3D display
- 3D shots
- The fingerprint scanner
- Auto open button
- FM transmitter (broadcast audio from the phone through the FM frequency)
- Waterproof IPX 5 / IPX 7 and IPX8
It is easy to see that this device can worthily compete with representatives of other form factors in the "filling", having an original design.
If you look at the Russian market and consider the representatives of "folding beds" that the list will not be very long. If you look at the offer of one of the popular Svyaznoy stores, it’s completely short:
- Samsung C3592
- Samsung E1272
- Philips E320
- ALCATEL 1030D
From these devices you can expect something like:
- Display: TFT, 2.4, 320x240
- Camera (MP): 2
- Built-in memory (Mb): 40
If you use a search engine, the list is expanding, but representatives are basically the same and can not compete in opportunities with the main category. Of course, Motorola RAZR phones are a little pleased with the design, but this is rather the exception. Possessing GPS devices are generally practically absent:
- Nokia 3710 Fold
- Samsung GALAXY Golden GT-I9235
About the last device there was already information on Habré, however it was not possible to find a post. It is this device that is currently the only actual competitor in terms of capabilities to the main representatives of the market. Nevertheless, its appearance on the market was not marked by any bright advertising event and, it seems, did not change much.