So far, the only smartphone I've seen with an option to restore the device to its factory default settings without also deleting all data stored on it is an iPhone. Almost every non-smartphone in existence has this feature. Similarly, Blackberry is the only smartphone with an auto-power-on feature for the alarm. Leaving these 2 basic features out of any "fully-featured" smartphone should be considered false advertising, along with the Palm Centro's unique inability to be powered off without removing the battery.
I know a certain amount of this falls on the manufacturer, but the idea here is for the FCC (and whatever its international counterparts are called) to draft a list of basic features that must be included for a device to legally be classed as a smartphone (which customers frequently must pay higher data plan, insurance, and contract termination fees for).-- 21 Quest, Oct 09 2010 [21] I think you are basically a free-market guy, aren't you? The market provides these features, just not all in the same model phone. So, you buy the one you want, you get happy. No?
So you are arguing for gov't regulation of the word (the requirements to use) 'smartphone,' (like using the word 'organic'), right?
The term 'certified organic' is regulated because consumers would have no other way to know the difference. With phones, the features are obvious, aren't they? (Btw, I have never owned a cellphone, smart, or otherwise (gasp!). I don't have these headaches.)-- Boomershine, Oct 09 2010 Actually that's just the problem. Smartphone feature lists indicate such things as GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, PC sync, corporate email support, battery life, and the operating system. Things you'd expect to be basic and included aren't listed, and by the time you realize the little things are missing you've already bought the phone. And I shouldn't have to buy an iPhone and all its problems just for that reset feature, or a Blackberry with its oft-occurring JavaScript errors (which require tethering to a computer to fix) for the alarm feature.-- 21 Quest, Oct 09 2010 Is it a problem of failure to read closely enough, or deliberately deceptive packaging/advertising?
I just have an aversion to getting the gov't involved if something can be fixed without it. You may have a point that this is a job the gov't can do best.-- Boomershine, Oct 09 2010 I don't know if it's deliberately deceptive in the sense that packages very rarely ever list features they don't have, but it's got to be a deliberate omission of the feature in the device. These manufacturers include the same features in all their non- smartphones, why leave it out of their smartphones?-- 21 Quest, Oct 09 2010 Calm down, [21]. Deep breaths. The red mist will go away eventually.
You need to put this sort of thing in perspective. If you demand stuff like this, pretty soon the Governemnt will be doing all sorts of crazy stuff, like limiting child labour, abolishing slavery, and even thinking about giving the vote to married women over the age of 40 (as long as they vote the way their husband tells them).
It would just be a slippery slope ...-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2010 [21]Y'know, I'm really beginning to see your point. I guess you're saying force manufacturers to give consumers clear and specific information about what they are getting. Hard to argue that.
Do you think there a lot of other products sold like this? That seems like a pretty naive question, but I thought if we came up with some other examples where this issue has occurred, we could examine the solutions (there must be some) applied to them.-- Boomershine, Oct 09 2010 // give consumers clear and specific information about what they are getting //
Maybe the Government should be forced to so the same, as in, "We're spending all your money, and what your kids will earn, you're screwed, and we DON'T CARE ! MUHWHAHAHA !"
As an election manifesto, it would be short, but honest.-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2010 [8th]//As an election manifesto, it would be short, but honest.//
Should bring in the votes, too, you'd think.-- Boomershine, Oct 09 2010 Information about phone features is readily availale on the internet. Buying a phone is a big decision, so doing some research beforehand is common sense. On the other hand, buying food is a small and quick decision, so mandating things like nutritional values and country of orgin makes sense.-- xaviergisz, Oct 09 2010 Maybe consumers could do a bit of research prior to purchasing their "essential" tecnobaubles?
That way the manufacturers would begin to provide those features that were being sought by customers. As it is, I suspect most mobile technology, smartphone or otherwise, spruiks many features that are mostly useless or overly complicated to access and use.
Buyers are apparently buying the advertised features of the technology, without regard for the fact they are actually seeking the benefits of a few of those features being present in the devices' capabilities. ( i.e. If you want a hole, you buy a drill. If you want a photograph, you buy a camera.)
Smartphones try to be too many things to too many people, therefore I'm giving this idea a [ + ]. I've had a few of them and have been largely disappointed. If you want an expensive paperweight, buy a smartphone.-- infidel, Oct 09 2010 Is this or is this not a rant?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 09 2010 Yes.-- mouseposture, Oct 09 2010 This is a call to action.-- 21 Quest, Oct 09 2010 Less a Let's All, more a Make Them All. ;-)-- 21 Quest, Oct 10 2010 When in Rome, [21Q].-- infidel, Oct 10 2010 When in Rome what ? Try to make the Italians do the same as everyone else ? You're on a loser there ..-- 8th of 7, Oct 10 2010 You don't have to tell me, [8th]...-- infidel, Oct 10 2010 I opened this assuming it was a joke based on the FCC/Broadcast radio's crazy plan to mandate FM receivers in cell phones, but you seem to be serious so let me be.
Shut up, sit down and don't encourage the government to get anywhere where market forces do a better job. There is a case for saying this idea is a WIBNI, but just throwing in the government to remove the niceness. But on to the idea...
Just so you know any Android phone will restore to factory default and then reinstall all your data as soon as you put in your password. This even works across different phones. To my knowledge iPhones do not, they are simply extensions of iTunes, so when the phone goes wrong you can just drop a clean image from iTunes down on your iPhone. To me that makes an iPhone not a SmartPhone, but a computer accessory, but that is just my opinion and it is not generally agreed to except maybe in countries like Japan where they lack personal computers so they don't like iPhones.
This is my opinion and it may be dumb, but I am not suggesting that it be backed by law because that is really stupid. By the end of the year there will be five(5) OS contenders for your SmartPhone dollars, BB, iOS, Android, WinM7 and Symbian. You and i will find issues with most and possibly all of them, but people will vote with their wallets and the market will produce better and better products till people are reasonably happy, that is unless somebody decides that they know best and starts mandating features.
PS I choose Android Driod I, rooted and overclocked, soon to be a Droid 2 World, but still waiting for the dual core 1.5Ghz demon that Motorola promised especially if it is hooked up to some high def projected 3D glasses.-- MisterQED, Oct 11 2010 [marked-for-deletion] let's all.-- jutta, Oct 11 2010 [IT] It is a judgement call as to whether Symbian is a SmartPhone OS, but it is the world most popular Mobile OS, so it deserves a spot on the list. The N8 has just released so they are definitely still trying. WebOS(2.0), is doubtful by the end of the year and WebOS(1.0) is so weak now.
But by some time next year it will be BB(V6.0, just came out with it but soon to be replaced), QNX(What BB is using in the Playbook and supposedly in future phones, WinM6.5/7, WebOS, Android, iOS, Meego and Symbion V3. Though I may have missed one.-- MisterQED, Oct 11 2010 Actually, the only data Android restores is your contacts and calendars. Apps still have to be manually redownloaded one at a time, and browser cookies, cache, form data and bookmarks get wiped out and have to be setup again.-- 21 Quest, Oct 11 2010 random, halfbakery