Snapturtle

The inventor of the cell phone feels that “cell technology is regressing”:http://news.com.com/2008-1082-995667.html?tag=fd_lede2_hed and I tend to agree with him. Even though I’m a huge fan of cell phone technology like bluetooth, GPRS, and cameras, I’d really like to see a phone that works 100% of the time BEFORE getting all my nifty phone gadgets.

*So you aren’t buying any camera phones. Instead of the “Swiss Army knife” of phones, what should the industry focus on?*
I think we are going to regress. We are going to start, first of all, with a really good cellular phone that works all the time. And we haven’t gotten quite there yet.

*Are you satisfied with voice coverage?*
We have not yet achieved the original dream. There was no technical reason why cellular shouldn’t be as reliable and as low in cost as a wired phone.

When are the cell companies in the US going to wake up and offer us 100% coverage? Never. Since people like me will continue to upgrade their handsets every few months, there is no incentive for the companies to focus on voice technology when their profits come from yearly contracts and phone sales.