CANNES, France-In a race to differentiate their products in an increasingly crowded market, cell-phone developers are unveiling increasingly bizarre designs. In what would seem to be a triumph for obscure fashion over usability, Siemens’ SX1 handset-announced Thursday at the 3GSM show in Cannes-has moved the numbered keys away from the conventional position of below the screen, to around each side of the handset.
However, this controversial move by Siemens Mobile is small compared with what it has planned. According to Rudi Lamprecht, a member of the Siemens board, the company has ambitious plans to launch a range of cell phones specifically targeted at dedicated followers of fashion. The planned Xelibra range will, claimed Lamprecht, revitalize the stagnating mobile industry with a complete new range of fashion accessory handsets that will encourage consumers to purchase several handsets to suit a particular attire or lifestyle.
“We own more than one pair of shoes, so why wouldn’t this be true for cell phones?” asked Lamprecht.
Meanwhile, the mobile infrastructure division of Siemens was honest enough, against some other well-known suppliers, to admit that the industry must radically change its attitude toward how it would work with operators. The company insists that it is looking for real partnerships (a much touted phrase this week in Cannes) with its customers and is prepared to become involved with projects that are high risk/high reward to demonstrate its commitment to the mobile operator community.
Interestingly, Siemens almost dismissed the other current ‘hotspot’ for infrastructure developers-that of looking to manage and operate mobile networks.
“We have not yet implemented any outsourcing deals, and we’re not convinced it’s a profitable business for infrastructure suppliers,” said Lamprecht. “But, we could do it using our wide knowledge of IT from within the Siemens group.”
