Presenting your attention the first article of the nascent section "Viewpoint", which our editorial staff hopes to replenish your forces. New section - it is an opportunity for readers to comment on any HPCru related to mobile technology and handheld computers theme. For publication in the "Viewpoint" does not necessarily have to be a professional journalist, it is sufficient competent to formulate its position, it is interesting to present its arguments, and formalized in a small article (whose title story, a curious beginning and ending.) So, if you wish to speak, meet our rules in the postscript of this article and send your "perspective" at editor@hpc.ru. And now on the agenda of the questions posed by our reader Vitaly Goncharuk: why, in fact, Bluetooth, GPRS and other wireless technologies are not very popular with owners of mobile devices?
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To mobile phone users hit by a huge number of new technologies, creating the impression that the developers are only concerned with what every day "sit and think up» GPRS, Bluetooth, Wi-fi, etc., without which the "average" owner of a mobile phone and the date can not live. But here's a paradox: if you ask my friends, it quickly became clear that almost none of them use the phone except for its original function - voice communications. Well, those who answered that they had used WAP, GPRS, etc. usually notice that they have done this out of pure curiosity and nothing more. So what is the reason for the situation when, as seems to be a very interesting mobile technology is not popular with consumers. Why should they, in spite of this, so strongly promoted by manufacturers of handsets with cellular operators? Few things in the story, you can see that the network is the first generation (1G, ie set of specific technologies) are, in fact, the service voice exchange, and no more. A transition to a network of second generation (2G) from a user perspective - is, by and large, only the improvement of its quality. After starting the 2G to improve mobile service was not appropriate, and the operators have switched to "squeezing" all the possibilities of existing networks, offering users a variety of additional services. But the thing - and to this day, according to most analyst reports, basic income (95%) they do not provide services based on latest technology and good old SMS (4-5%) and voice (93% and more). WAP, GPRS and other touted technologies based on them, in the aggregate do not and 1% of income. Well, about the huge losses associated with 3G is better not to be mentioned. And yet, despite everything, the flow of news about new technologies and pilot commissioning of 3G networks to "restricted areas" for some reason does not dry out, but rather only increases with each passing day. Explain this persistence, in spite of serious setbacks, it is possible that operators and handset manufacturers in the future consider the possibility of profit not only from its core products, but also from services and services that will be implemented based on their innovations. This is due primarily to the fact that the price of phones and connection packs is continuously declining and competition is increasing.
Each technology a human face!
I will assume that if the SMS service from the outset progressed operators are not as short messaging, as well as technology to exchange data between phones (than it actually is), then its share of the income providers would be much less than the current . But the SMS-service immediately got her a friendly destination array, which led to its popularity. So, the resounding success of market participants seem to have become seriously consider the prospect of providing services other than voice, and began to move ... no, not services, and, oddly enough, and technology.And without even thinking that the packaging of the phone which adorn the inscription «IrDa», «Bluetooch», «GPRS» says absolutely nothing the average user who "just yesterday from my friends learned how to send SMS». This creates a situation where a user bought the most advanced phone, just do not know why he "all these" technologies and where they can be applied. And if earlier it was possible to establish a consumer association of technology with certain services (eg, WAP - browse the Internet, etc.), an increase in the number of these same technologies such methods no longer work. All this has prompted Western handset manufacturers and operators to shift the focus and do not bet on impersonal technology, and the services and facilities with a "human face". Since opening the list of services of any foreign operator, you will not see among the menu bar «GPRS-access." Instead, it is likely to charm you open the Working with mail, "" Browsing the Web "and" Access to gaming services, etc. And, below it will follow a description of how many letters or pages, you can see for a specified price, rather than cost of 1 MB of traffic. As a result, we are now seeing a clear trend removal services and services to the forefront as compared with the technology. This is due to the desire of market participants receive their income, and that with the introduction of GPRS, high-speed third-generation networks (3G) and the development of smartphones, the number of services far exceeds the number of technologies that will overshadow and already no longer be associated with certain services. So that users will soon buy a particular product, focusing only they can understand services and services that go "package", but not on its technological advantages, which they simply can not appreciate. PS Here are the conditions of publication in the "Viewpoint" on HPCru:
- Fees for such materials are not provided
- The editors reserve the right to refuse the author in the publication of the text without further explanation
- Editorial correction produces a literary text
- All columns are published only with the real first and last name, a photograph of the author and email address. The authors, translation:
Vitaly Goncharuk, the technical project manager, SHAPE Services GmbH