This would be a cracking good combination of technologies. The buttons and display are used to control both functions. The device would be of the 'hands free' variety, using earphones to deliver both music and phone calls.
If there is an incoming call while you are listening to music, you are alerted by a discrete tone superimposed on the music, and have the option to take the call, or not.
In addition to being a useful and convenient little gadget, this device will be a powerful weapon for the man in the street (or woman on the train) in the battle against corporate telephone tyrrany.
Imagine: you are cold called by an insurance or double-glazing company. At the touch of a button (or even, with deluxe voice recognition software, on the utterance af a key phrase, such as "I'll just put you on hold"), a secondary MP3 player kicks in, and plays an endless loop of corporate favourites down the line until the unwelcome caller hangs up. Meanwhile, you can get on with the important business of listening to the end of Mahler's 28th ("The Intolerable"). The MP3 Phone would come pre-loaded with a selection of corporate classics ("Simply The Best", "You're Gorgeous" and "Hangin' on the Telephone") copyright cleared and recorded at low quality to conserve memory.
A further hammer blow can be struck against pompous bank officials who inform you that your call is being recorded for some dubious purpose or other. You can reply crisply that you, too are recording the conversation (with the aid of the MP3 encoder) to form the basis of any potential litigation. That should keep them on their toes.-- Mickey the Fish, Jul 10 2000 Ericsson MP3 player add-on http://mobile.erics...NoCombo&ProdId=939132Mb MMC, pause on incoming call, controlled through phone. [jutta, Jul 10 2000] Samsung phone @ amazon http://www.amazon.c...102-6069447-9827334(from DavidHM's annotation.) [jutta, Jul 10 2000] Motorola with FM radio http://www.time2talk.co.uk/mot_v2288e.htm(from DavidHM's annotation). [jutta, Jul 10 2000] Seiko UC-2000 https://www.techebl...e-are-5-cool-facts/ [hippo, Nov 02 2021] ...with pre-loaded MP3s of background noises which can be played while you're on the phone and want to sound like you're phoning from somewhere you're not.-- hippo, Jul 10 2000 I've seen a phone with a built in FM radio... I think it was a Motorolla...-- MrTheRich, Jul 13 2000 Ericsson has the MP3 add-on for their phones, pretty much as described (see link.)
At least one Korean vendor sells an earphone / microphone add-on with integrated FM radio.-- jutta, Jul 13 2000, last modified Mar 06 2001 jutta: Damn and Blast! Ah.. but I see they seem to have missed the recording and 'Simply The Best' features.-- Mickey the Fish, Jul 14 2000 Probably a case of "see next years model".-- Alcin, Sep 02 2000 This is not a concept: it's a real phone. Samsung produces a phone with voice dialing and MP3 player and you can even order it on Amazon (in the US) [see link --jutta]. The Motorola with FM radio (and there are others, too - I believe SAGEM in France offers a similar product) is at [see link --jutta]. Both are also WAP phones.-- DavidHM, Mar 05 2001 [admin: yeah, yeah, I know, I should fix this... DavidHM, use the little [link] button below the old links to create links to websites; embedded HTML doesn't play in the user annotations (and messes up the flow layout.) Sorry...]-- jutta, Mar 06 2001 Sorry, but Siemens have allready done this with their SL45. Check out their website: www.siemens.com
It's a great phone with excellent sound - and if it rings while your listening it turns down the music.-- TuneSmith, Apr 02 2001 [TuneSmith], you, too, can use [link] to link to other websites.-- jutta, Apr 02 2001 Wonder if halfbaker get licencing rights on the idea. It appreared on gear, then in the real world a year later....-- CasaLoco, Oct 26 2001 This is actually a pretty good idea. Soon, I think, the technology will have advanced enough to make this possible...-- hippo, Oct 26 2021 Judging by the small ratio of buns:age, I would say this idea won't be popular if it ever does go into production.-- pocmloc, Oct 26 2021 [poc] I dunno... - I really think you could make money selling this kind of device-- hippo, Oct 27 2021 7 up-votes in 21 years, that's one bun every three years, or half-a-bun every 18 months.
Though I see two more buns have come in the past day so you may be right, there may be slight growing interest in this kind of hybrid device.-- pocmloc, Oct 27 2021 //may be slight growing interest in this kind of hybrid device//
I think this sort of thinking is described as "Horizon Scanning". The general concept and possibilities all go into a sort of jumble before a useful product falls out. Personally, I think we need stepping stones - adding a clock to a personal CD player, that kind of thing.-- bs0u0155, Oct 28 2021 //adding a clock to a personal CD player, that kind of thing// - yes, and then maybe combining a pager with an PDA?-- hippo, Nov 02 2021 I dunno... - that sounds like science fiction to me (although this looks promising - see link)-- hippo, Nov 02 2021 random, halfbakery