Study: for most, all-in-one phones aren't
by Chris Ziegler 
posted Oct 31st 2006 at 12:35AM
Hey, isn't the idea of a cameraphone to have the luxury of leaving your big, fat digicam at home? With a smartphone, isn't the PDA supposed to be history? And doesn't that iPod belong in the circular file now that you've picked up that fancy musicphone? According to a newly released study by In-Stat, phones with extra goodness packed in aren't prompting their owners to leave other devices behind. In fact, over half of multimedia phone owners are still toting a dedicated MP3 player, some 75% of smartphone users lug a PDA as well, and a staggering 80% of cameraphone owners "regularly" carry their digital camera. Will the latest generation of superphones like the Nokia N95 start to change attitudes, or is the concept of a true all-in-one device nothing more than a myth?[Via ZDNet]
Filed under: Multimedia, Studies
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Luis Martinez @ Oct 31st 2006 1:27AM
I think this is the case because so far phone features for the most part are subpar to their dedicated counterparts. The new Nokias and Sony Ericsson though boost formidable cameras and SE has decent playback. The most popular phone as of now (RAZR) has a mediocre camera and a mediocre music player. I believe as the phones become higher spec'd and more advanced it might displace some of the dedicated electronics.
Just as with music player/ camera phones there are varying levels of smart phones. The most basic such as the Cingular 2125 are still kinda of limited in function and don't have the touchscreen abilities of the PDAs. Also software synchronization isn't up to par.
Anthony @ Oct 31st 2006 1:33AM
I did finally stop carrying around a camera when I travel for work because 2 megapixels is enough for me.
W/ most phones having USB 1, 30 times less memory & software that's less than user friendly, dedicated MP3 players are going to be around for quite some time (at least until "one more thing" in January).
But standalone PDA's? That's so 2001.
some dude @ Oct 31st 2006 1:37AM
I can see how the media stuff is useful if you don't feel like bringing more than device along. But I sure wish Nokia would focus on providing enough RAM in these devices to make it possible to even run the media applications. My E70 can hardly run the browser alone...it runs out of memory within a couple of pages. As you can imagine, you can forget running the media player with any another apps open in the background...such as "Contacts" or messaging. It's even more fun when the phone won't open any apps due to "out of memory" errors even when there aren't any other apps running. Thanks to Symbian 9.1's completely closed system, pretty much the only ones who can write software to fix these deficiencies are Nokia in the form of firmware updates.
I have a 2gb mini SD card. Why the HELL can't some of that space be used as RAM? All this nifty functionality is useless if you can't run the apps!
Omagus @ Oct 31st 2006 1:53AM
I can understand people carrying around dedicated cameras and mp3 players. But PDAs? Really? What's the point?
oliver @ Oct 31st 2006 1:44AM
For me, a phone is still a communication device. Calling, sms, email and in some cases web browsing / web services. I like phones that focus on these areas. I haven't been convinced by any phones that try to integrate mp3 playing or camera functionality. They just don't do it as well as my iPod or digicam.
Farwest @ Oct 31st 2006 6:59PM
Ummm... I have a PDA (Palm TX) and do carry it around and use is every day for recording my school work. I do not own a smartphone (just a Sony Ericsson w810i). I use my TX for taking quick notes and writing down assignments, surfing the web, watching videos, and occasionally listening to music. It takes care of a lot of my needs technology wise. So... Don't be putting down a PDA just because you don't use one.
IP @ Nov 18th 2006 12:33AM
Come on. There really isn't a decent phone that really has everything I need until recently. But still, all phones here in US is like 1-2 years behind. I still haven't seen N80 officially offered here, but ppl in the rest of the world are getting ready to buy N95 already. I bet N80 will be offered here around the same time N95 will be offered in Asia and Europe. The carriers here are pathetic. Not to mention 3G.
hobbang @ Oct 31st 2006 2:36AM
i've started to carry around a second phone as an mp3/video player and 3.2 mp camera now. but when the n95 comes around, plan on getting that.
Mark @ Oct 31st 2006 3:22AM
There will never be an "all in one" device. Sure, it's technically possible, but people will never be happy with an all-in-one device.
Case in point: I just picked up a SoftBank 705SC yesterday. This thing is awesome, besides the 2MP camera and a ton of features, it's got a viewer for Adobe PDF, MS Word, Powerpoint, and Excel files. I tested it, and it works. But, for obvious reasons, it's impossible for me to read an ebook when I'm on the subway on this thing. Yes you can zoom in on the PDF as much as you want, but you would have to constantly zoom out, scroll to the side, then zoom back in to try and read just a single page of something. It's frustrating, that it would never replace a device that can properly display computer files (such as a real laptop).
The 2MP camera on it works fine, but does it compare anywhere to a real digital camera set at 2MP? Heck NO!! I have to admit it's nice for a cell phone camera, but it comes nowhere near the quality of an equivalent sized pic (1600x1200) on my Sony Cybershot. Not even close!
Then listening to mp3's isn't as practical as it is on my iPod nano, and the battery on the cell phone doesn't last long at all if you listen to music.
Bottom line - there will always be multiple devices...
Aaron @ Oct 31st 2006 4:20AM
75% of smartphone users also carry about a standalone PDA? Really?
Maybe things are different in the US, but I know hundreds of (mostly Symbian) smartphone users and around three of them carry around a separate PDA.
Just look at the sales figures for standalone PDAs. They're declining very sharply.
akatsuki @ Oct 31st 2006 8:33AM
Hmmm.. maybe because they want to totally overcharge you to get MP3s on your musicphone and make you rebuy your music? Or did they discount those music phones.
Camera... sure. Crappy LED flashes make everyone look like ghouls. Rarely have autofocus and only now are 3mp phones coming to market that are the minimum for anything considered keepable.
And the Symbian OS is barely a smartphone OS in most of its implementations. Smartphone should either have stylus entry or a keyboard to be counted.
So why don't you link to this study and its methodology so we can see what is really going on?
shaun @ Oct 31st 2006 8:32AM
This is because the people making these devices aren't doing it right! They ignore customer concerns and leave out important features while focusing on proprietary software. Give me a budget, the same as any smartphone on the market, I'll give you a better device!
Joe @ Oct 31st 2006 6:12PM
How about a PDA with a built in phone?
Remy @ Oct 31st 2006 9:15AM
#10: The study is linked to in the zdnet page (the Via link).
75% lug around a pda?! Not likely. I'd like to know what the demographics were on this study.
And how are they classifying smartphone? Do they consider smartphones and pda phones to be different?
Eric @ Oct 31st 2006 9:48AM
I don't think the all-in-one is a myth -- we're just not there yet. It'll happen eventually. Everything gets smaller and better and pretty soon you'll wear a small "personal appliance" (no dildo jokes, please) that does it all. There's no reason that full featured phone, pda, and mp3 player can't exist in one awesome little device. And therefore, utility says they will. I think people do prefer one device to many. Cameras are a bit more difficult to incorporate well at tiny sizes, but are catching up.
maximus @ Oct 31st 2006 10:19AM
Two years ago i picked up the SE w800. I manager to ditch two items in my bag. My camera and ipod. I very rarely took pictures and with a 2gb card i could carrey plenty of music for my 1/2 train ride to/from work.
maximus @ Oct 31st 2006 10:19AM
One more thing...on the train I notice that everyone w/ a blackberry type device still has a simple phone. I would guess work is paying for the BB. I would like to see a survey of who carries two phones.
CodeMonkey @ Oct 31st 2006 10:22AM
all-in-one devices are just that. People have yet to modify their expectations to fit reality. Eg a camera phone will never match a dedicated camera, but then how many digital camera owners use their device to its full potential.
Personally I use a Nokia N80 as a radio, MP3 player, sat nav, camera, PDA and (of course) as a phone - I've been using it like this for 6 months and all it really lacks (for me anyway) is sufficient storage space.
Yes the camera is limited, but then so are my photography skills.
Donald @ Oct 31st 2006 10:27AM
3 reasons why we'll probably never see "the device" that does it all:
1) Lack of memory - both RAM (as previously mentioned, this is especially bad in S60 phones) and hard disk space. How many of those people will carry an mp3 player that has 20-30gb of memory? Cellphones currently top out at 8gb, and those either aren't out yet and wouldn't work well in NA (n91i) or require a high-end memory card that again, isn't out yet. (Are the 8gb Pro Duos out yet?)
2) General paranoia. If you have such a perfect device, you either back it up every night or run the risk of losing everything should that device break. And with so many things packed in, something WILL break.
3) It's not in the manufacturer's interest. If they release such a perfect device, everyone might buy it, but nothing else after that. The phone manufacturers want to keep their business strong, so they trickle out the "ultimate camera phone", "ultimate smartphone", "iPod killer phone", etc.
Alistair Bell @ Oct 31st 2006 12:50PM
I have to say I'm surprised. When I bought my Cingular 8125, it _did_ become the all-in-one gadget. Sure, the camera isn't great (but I never carried a camera anyway); music is good enough for me (it would be good to have more than the 1GB mini-SD I have in it, but it's enough for the purpose, and it's mostly podcasts anyway); and it's a great PDA. Actually I bought it mostly because I needed a PDA, music player and cellphone in that order, and I didn't want to carry more than one device.
The biggest reason I can think of that people would carry separate PDA and phone is that many smartphones are still rather brick-sized; but if you're carrying a PDA anyway, why not just use a Bluetooth headset and leave the PDA/phone on your belt/pocket/briefcase?
MBA @ Oct 31st 2006 12:34PM
Donald - "General paranoia. If you have such a perfect device, you either back it up every night or run the risk of losing everything should that device break. And with so many things packed in, something WILL break."
And there you have it folks...
E @ Oct 31st 2006 12:37PM
it'll happen... look at the PC. the PC started as a simple word processor and spreadsheet. after many years, it's evolved as a home theater, arcade, stereo system, mailbox, magazine, phone, etc etc. people were saying that computers will never replace those things not that long ago. cell phones are goin the same way... they have no choice. think about what it's gonna be like by the year 2016 (10 years (duh)). people will laugh at the crap that we have to deal with now. just look to the past to predict the future.
elfguy @ Oct 31st 2006 12:55PM
It's personal preference. For me I want a convergence device.
oliver @ Oct 31st 2006 1:02PM
@ E:
As integrated and amazing as computers are today, I still have a phone, and a TV, and a stereo. I even have books! Clearly, integration doesn't mean the death of separate devices.
Adam Clare @ Oct 31st 2006 3:58PM
I'd say my MDA (Vario) is very much an all in one device that has lived up to its promise. I use it for email, IM, music, movies, TV (SlingPlayer), web browsing, not to mention texting and talking.
I'm not to fond of the camera, but my standalone digital camera is a huge Panasonic Lumix (great camera, but way to big to carry around), so it's used fairly often.
I lost the charger for my laptop, so for three days while I was waiting for a new one to ship, the MDA was my primary computer and it was surprisingly functional.
SEUSERSERSD @ Oct 31st 2006 5:28PM
who the hell said all in one devices are impossible?
you freakin moron...
anyways, digital cameras in phones... suck? who the hell said THAT one? SE K800i/k790i takes very decent pictures and the samsung 9MP camera takes STUNNING pictures (I've had the chance to use it while I was at korea last month) and most SE phones, take upto 4GB of memory capacity, enabling a 1000 songs.
besides all that, the tech within 10 years will squeeze everything in one PDA looking device!
I seriously hate morons who read ENGADGET forums and say "all-in-one devices cannot be made because of tech barriers?" PLEASE, STFU AND READ THE FREAKIN ENGADGET FORUM YOU DOUCHE.
Farwest @ Oct 31st 2006 7:44PM
Thing is... The Treo could still benefit from a good revamp. Yes, the 750 has made its way to the market and I do agree it's quite nice, however there should still be a generous variety to choose from.
Can you picture a Palm TX with phone capabilities? That would be amazing in my opinion. It would be perfect for those who wouldn't mind losing the QWERTY keyboard and gaining a ginormous and high resolution screen (however also gaining the huge length and width of the device. That can be worked out too though). Still with these enhancements, you would most likely lose the TX's slim profile due to the need for a greater battery and/or the actual phone functions.
And not to PO the person who dislikes tech barriers, but there still exists that level of difficulty which inventors must work with in order to create that perfect package that will not only please the user of the device, but also satisfy the market as in terms of performance and originality. This takes time to perfect and the barrier is not in the actual technology but in design. Agree?
nasauti @ Oct 31st 2006 11:58PM
Actually, I'm quite the opposite... I broke my Digital camera this past March (do not play beach volleyball with a camera in your pocket... doh!). So when I went to HK this summer, I was going to buy a digital camera and a cell phone (I was using a Nokia 6030 and needed an upgrade)
Anyway, then I came upon the N73 and well, couldn't resist it. Decided to put my camera money and cell phone money together and there I have it, the N73.
And well, I spent a little bit more to get the 3.5mm adapter with the remote and boom, when I came back to Canada, I even sold my Ipod Nano. Now I'm happily carrying one device that let's me take solid pictures, listen to MP3 all day, watch shows/movies on the bus, synced with my outlook, and get great reception and battery life!
But and this is a big but, the camera is certainly still not up to par, not quite there, but even if I had bought a really small camera and a really small phone separately, I wouldn't carry the camera around with me on a daily basis. Now with the N73, I have the camera with me all the time without the extra weight!
Avaranger @ Nov 1st 2006 7:56AM
I think it's all the same. It's all about the style. My car is bigger than yours, looser... etc. Many (nearly) all people buy things they don't need.
http://www.twopandas.com/whats-hot-in-the-neighbourhood-1-11-2006
Convergenista @ Nov 8th 2006 8:41AM
I don't think there's one solution that's going to thrill every customer here. Please see "Competition and the Long Tail" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Tail#Competition_and_the_Long_Tail
What I'm looking for in an all-in-one:
1. Phone with excellent call quality and reliability 2. PIM with syncable Outlook-quality functionality
3. MP3 player with reasonably intuititve interface
4. Quick and easy text input interface
(no, T9 doesn't count)
4. True pocket-size and decent looks.
Honestly, the whole Broadband G3 thing is over my head. I don't travel that much, and am not important enough to HAVE to respond to emails the second they hit my inbox. And I'm just not that much of an instant-gratification girl (I can wait to get home to download that latest song or video).
And cameras? Meh. I'd rather capture the moment in words. (Like I said, everyone's different -- you need a camera, I don't).
The manufacturer that covers my bases is going to get my next small electronics dollar. Until then, I'll keep toting my touch-screen ipaq, my ipod mini, and my perfectly servicable Kyocera Kx1v. They all do their individual functions incredibly well, and are virtually indestructable (yeah, I'm a dropper), so I can hold out for another year or two.
I think there are more consumers like me out there -- who are waiting it out until things get better (sure the RAZR is cute and all, but what can it DO for me?).
PS -- I've been sorely tempted by the Cingular 3125, but without a little better text interface, I just can't go there. Cheers!
R @ Jan 11th 2007 11:59AM
Honestly, I wish that someone would build phones like Dell builds computers. I don't have a need for 50% of the hardware and software loaded, but it takes up space and it costs me more money, despite the fact that I don't want half of it!