Worst of the Week: Smartphones vs. alarm clocks and other epic battles

Hello!
And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There’s a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way. We hope you enjoy it!
And without further ado:
So now that I’ve officially graduated from the ranks of feature-phone owners and into the proud aristocracy of smartphone possessors, I have finally come to understand the potential of the cellphone to change the way people carry out their everyday activities.
Now, I know this comes as a surprise to basically no one, but I think it’s worth discussing based on the incredible advances in the smartphone market during the past few years. Also, I think the best way to tabulate the affect of the smartphone on society is to look at the services and devices that it can potentially eliminate or replace.
Unfortunately, this topic segues into the long-running and fantastically boring question of whether people prefer to carry an all-in-one device that can do most things relatively well, or if they would rather invest in a lot of devices that can do specific tasks really well. On this question I can only speak for myself, and I know that if I already have a phone that also doubles as a digital music player that works pretty well, I’m definitely not going to spend any more money on a separate digital music player that works slightly better.
Thus, I think it’s fair to say I’m both extremely cheap and willing to settle.
So, that brings me to the point of today’s Worst of the Week: What are the services and devices that the smartphone will replace? Let’s take a look:
1. The wired phone. This one is obvious and a no-brainer, and in fact the trend is already well-established. In a survey conducted during the first six months of 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Center for Health Statistics estimated that one out of every six households in the country relies solely on at least one wireless handset for communications. So there you go.
2. The wristwatch. Again, this is obvious. But the real question is, will cellphones eventually morph into wristwatches? Let’s hope not.
3. The alarm clock. This is one of those items that must work no matter what, and as smartphones become more reliable and less prone to bugs, I suspect more and more people will simply switch to their phone after their current alarm clock gives out.
4. Digital cameras. Now, I know there has also been a lot of discussion on this topic, and I know that professional photographers, or those aspiring to be, will never give up their telephoto lenses. But for the rest of us, I suspect the day will come when cellphones provide a suitable alternative. Based on the blurry pics my current phone generates, I suspect this day is still some ways off, but keep in mind cameraphones are only a few years old. They will get better.
5. In-car navigation systems. First of all, let me say that I would never purchase one of these, mainly because I’m too cheap. But my current smartphone already provides GPS-based mapping and driving directions, and I just can’t see a reason to get a separate system for the car. (Also, this same argument applies to actual, physical city maps. Topographic maps for hiking and other outdoor adventures are another story.)
6. Satellite radio. If you’ve ever used Slacker Mobile or Pandora Mobile and plugged your phone into your car’s audio system (I use a cassette tape adaptor because they’re like $4 and work fine) you will immediately understand why the future of satellite radio is finite.
7. Digital music players. Now, I know that everyone thinks that iPods are really neat, and the folks at Apple are geniuses, but I propose that one of the main reasons Apple decided to develop an iPhone was to protect its digital music business from encroachment by cellphones. And, again, why would I spend $100 for a digital music player when my phone already plays music?
8. Wired Internet connections. This is another one that may take some time. Probably a long time. And I understand that wireless networks will have to become a lot more robust to handle everyone’s Internet traffic. But if cellphones are replacing wired phones, I expect the same will eventually happen to wired Internet connections. Evidence? Comcast’s and Time Warner’s investments in Clearwire.
9. Game Boys and PSPs. Let’s just ignore Nokia’s N-Gage device for a minute and just consider the fact that it would be cheaper to outfit a teenager with a phone that plays games rather than a phone and a game player. ‘Nuff said.
Obviously I could go on – portable DVD players, language translation books and services, tour guides and maps, TV remotes, calculators, calendars, video cameras – but I think you get the point.
And the point is that these cellphone things are going to be big one day. Mark my words.
OK! Enough of that.
Thanks for checking out this Worst of the Week column. And now, some extras:
–Best announcement ever: Bikinis Blast into the App Store.
–A company called Readyping announced a new service, www.readyping.com, that allows restaurants to “easily and safely send their customers a text message when their table is ready.” One word: Brilliant.
I welcome your comments. Please send me an e-mail at mdano@crain.com. Or, if you prefer, leave a comment in the space below.