When a Phone Isn't Simply a Phone

Grok Headline matches for When a Phone Isn't Simply a Phone

Web Phone Adds Computer Telephony Phone
Features To Existing Web Applications

Web Phone Adds Computer Telephony Phone
Features To Existing Web Applications 03/30/2005 04:36 AM
Database Systems Corp. (DSC) has developed a Web Phone that connects browser applications with its phone systems. The Web Phone is a Windows application that bridges the gap between web applications that have no intrinsic phone functions and DSC's call center phone systems. [PRWEB Mar 30, 2005]

Coca-Cola Creates Custom Phone for Promo
(Phone Scoop)

Coca-Cola Creates Custom Phone for Promo
(Phone Scoop) 05/06/2004 07:18 AM
Coca-Cola Creates Custom Phone for Promo .. my cola tracks and talks to me .. Phonescoop

phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=853
track this site | 5 links

Iowa phone company tries to block
incoming cell phone calls

Iowa phone company tries to block
incoming cell phone calls 08/16/2004 05:48 PM
Iowa phone company plans to block cell phone call in a dispute with wireless carriers. The Iowa Utilities Board has prevented the plan for now.

Broadband Internet Phone Company,
VoIP2Save.com Announces Full Phone
Number Portability

Broadband Internet Phone Company,
VoIP2Save.com Announces Full Phone
Number Portability 07/22/2004 02:48 AM
"VoIP2Save.com" becomes first broadband internet phone company to offer total internet phone number portability to customers. VoIP2Save accuses rivals of holding customer phone numbers hostage because they cannot switch their phone numbers to other carriers. [PRWEB Jul 22, 2004]

Quick-'n-Dirty methods to determine
which competing label is better: "Cell
Phone" or "Mobile Phone"?

Quick-'n-Dirty methods to determine
which competing label is better: "Cell
Phone" or "Mobile Phone"? 04/28/2004 11:39 AM

On the SIGIA-L mailing list, Stephanie Berger recently asked: "My cohorts are not sure whether to use "cell phone" or "mobile phone". Any evidence that one is better than the other, or one is used more often than the other?"

This is a good example of the kind of labeling questions information architects face all the time. The answer to these labeling questions will depend on the target audience (a better label for whom?), on business requirements (maybe the business want to promote one term over the other) and on the context in which the label will be used.

I'll discuss the conversation that followed here and afterwards point to some useful tools for if you have a labeling question yourself.

Andres Sulleiro: "Without any empirical data I will go with my own opinion. [...] A quick survey of the phone carriers seems to suggest that "wireless" (as in "wireless phone", "wireless customer") is most common among US carriers, though you see some references to "mobile" as well. T-mobile, a European company, uses "mobile" which is more common in Europe as well as being the name of the carrier."

Method: check what other websites call it.

Jason Cho: "I think "cell" is more widespread in the US as Andrés noted. "Call my mobile" can sound pretentious to Yankee ears. But I would think everyone understands the term "mobile" on a business card."

Method: personal experience.

Peter Van Dijck (and others): "Google for "cell phone" (including quotes): 6,230,000, Google for "mobile phone": 6,360,000. Looks like a tie, assuming your audience is similar. Just pick one and make sure your search engine knows both terms."
Christina Wodtke: "Y ahoo for cell phone : 16,800,000, yahoo for mobile phone: 21,200,000. What does this really tell you? you'd have to know who each engine indexes, how much of the web, etc.. better to use a magic 8 ball. ;-)"

Method: check popularity of the terms on the web.

Peter Van Dijck: "My next step would be to find out what people search for on your site,
or if not available, on the web (assuming that's more or less your audience). Google adwords can help."

Method: Find out what people (preferably your target audience) search for.

Dave: "I like "mobile" for the reason that Christina stated (forward compatibility); USers and non-USers will equally understand it. Also, it is more interoperable w/ most of the vCard based addressbook programs out there. I don't know any that are using "cell" or "cellphone" ... I also like the clear and easy two word approach of "mobile phone" ... I'm always wanting to say "cellphone" where "cell phone" is really the more correct version. "cell" though just doesn't feel like a real word b/c the "cell" doesn't fit a meaning to me. I know what it means if I am forced to think about it, but it really doesn't mean anything to me at all."

Method: personal experience, check what software programs use.

Christina Wodtke: "> As can Ove rture's keyword tool (couldn't find URL straight away).

You also might consider some adaptation of the freelisting technique on a subset of your target. E.G., a write in survey: what portable electronics do you own, then analyze for use of "cell phone" and mobile phone".

Method: freelisting technique.

Eric Reiss: "Having worked closely with several telecommunications companies, including Tellabs (US), Nortel (Canada), ADVA (Germany), and NetTest (Denmark), this discussion is one I've heard before. Europeans generally don't recognize the term "cell phone." North Americans seem to accept both "cell" and "mobile." ATT insists on promoting the term "wireless." In most instances, we've agreed on the word "mobile" since it is understood by the widest audience. Nortel, for instance, used "cell" almost exclusively until the late 90s, but now leans toward "mobile." I think there is a trend here."

Method: ask the subject matter experts.

Pabini Gabriel-Petit: "There's also Wordtracker.
[...]
In this vein, you might try just walking up to people, holding up your cell/mobile phone, and asking them what they call it."

Method: Analyze what people search for.

Method: Find out what labels your users use.

Quick-'n-Dirty methods to determine which competing label is better.

So, as a review, here are some of the methods used to determine which label is better.

1. What do you think?
Method: personal experience/insights.

2. What do your users think?
Method: freelisting technique.
Method: Find out what labels your users use: show them the item you're trying to label and ask them what it is. (You could build an online tool for this).
Method: Find out what people (preferably your target audience) search for / check popularity of the terms on the web. Ove rture's keyword tool. Google adwords. Wordtracker. Google and Yahoo both list how often a term is used on the web (use quotes around your terms!).

3. What do the experts think?
Method: ask the subject matter experts.
Method: check what other websites/software call it.

Gotcha's: be careful when using these techniques. You are looking for a label that works for your audience and your business requirements. Most of these techniques use audiences that may be very different from yours, and most are indicative only (ie: they're not hard science). Use your judgement.

FreeHeadset.org launches program to
promote wireless phone safety by giving
away free cell phone headsets.

FreeHeadset.org launches program to
promote wireless phone safety by giving
away free cell phone headsets. 07/26/2004 02:22 AM
New laws that mandate the use of cell phone headsets have recently passed in several states. In response, FreeHeadset.org has developed a program to provide wireless phone users with a free cell phone headset. [PRWEB Jul 26, 2004]

AT&T Response To FCC Ruling On The
Phone-To-Phone VoIP Petition

AT&T Response To FCC Ruling On The
Phone-To-Phone VoIP Petition 04/23/2004 12:08 PM
Wi-Fi Technology Forum Apr 23 2004 3:47PM GMT

Cell Phone Users Interrupt Sex for Phone
Calls

Cell Phone Users Interrupt Sex for Phone
Calls 04/11/2005 08:07 PM
user survey reported

consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/cell_sex.html
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Local Dallas, TX Auto Dealer Receives
800 Phone Calls in One Day After
Featuring Vanity 800 Phone Number in
Radio and Television Jingles

Local Dallas, TX Auto Dealer Receives
800 Phone Calls in One Day After
Featuring Vanity 800 Phone Number in
Radio and Television Jingles 06/05/2005 11:17 PM
Empire Suzuki opened in the Dallas market in November 2004. In February 2005, Empire Suzuki launched their ad campaign featuring a vanity toll-free phone number, 1-800-NEW-RIDE in a jingle – written by Tom Georgalis, owner of Empire Suzuki. Within six weeks the dealership received over 5,500 calls, with an all time high of over 800 calls in a single day. Speak with Tom Georgalis, owner of Empire Suzuki, about his recent business success in Dallas. [PRWEB Jun 2, 2005]

Mobile Phone is a Day to Day Need for
Everyone to Stay Connected with Their
Loved One's. Mobile Phone Chargers from
BB-shopping Helps to Connect More to
Them

Mobile Phone is a Day to Day Need for
Everyone to Stay Connected with Their
Loved One's. Mobile Phone Chargers from
BB-shopping Helps to Connect More to
Them 02/05/2005 09:23 PM
BB-Shopping helps you buying best quality and long life Mobile Phone Chargers for dufferent Models and Variants of Mobiles. [PRWEB Feb 3, 2005]

Smartphone, Bluetooth Phone and Wi-Fi
Phone

Smartphone, Bluetooth Phone and Wi-Fi
Phone 01/03/2005 06:13 AM
Telecoms Korea Jan 3 2005 9:38AM GMT

Pride Communication Services, #1
Reseller of Krusell Leather Cell Phone
Cases, to Begin Selling Identity-Theft
Conscious Horizontic Plus Cell Phone
Case in April

Pride Communication Services, #1
Reseller of Krusell Leather Cell Phone
Cases, to Begin Selling Identity-Theft
Conscious Horizontic Plus Cell Phone
Case in April 03/29/2005 04:34 AM
To Better Accommodate the Needs of Today’s Identity Theft Conscious Cell Phone Users, Pride Communication Services (PCS), a Subsidiary Franchise of KaseIT and the Largest Reseller of KRUSELL Leather Cases, Announced Today that it Would Begin Selling the Horizontic Plus Cell Phone Case, KRUSELL’s Newest Offering, In its Online Store in April. [PRWEB Mar 29, 2005]

N.D. Phone Cos. Challenge Web Phone Co

N.D. Phone Cos. Challenge Web Phone Co 12/10/2003 02:16 AM
AP via ABCNEWS.com Dec 10 2003 1:38AM ET

N.D. phone cos. challenge web phone co

N.D. phone cos. challenge web phone co 12/10/2003 02:16 AM
AP via Seattle Post Intelligencer Dec 10 2003 1:02AM ET

The Chinese mobile phone industry's
shipment volume rose 64.2% year on year
to reach approximately 65.2 million
units as the PAS mobile phone shipment
broke a record high

The Chinese mobile phone industry's
shipment volume rose 64.2% year on year
to reach approximately 65.2 million
units as the PAS mobile phone shipment
broke a record high 06/11/2004 03:15 AM
Research and Markets are delighted to announce the addition of The Chinese Mobile Phone Industry, 1Q 2004 and Beyond to their offering [PRWEB Jun 11, 2004]

Nokia - Fun Features - Phone Features -
Nokia 3220 - Phone Models - Phones

Nokia - Fun Features - Phone Features -
Nokia 3220 - Phone Models - Phones 06/01/2004 05:46 AM
pgina del telfono hagan click donde dice "Wave Messaging" .. Nokia 3220

nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,58565,00.html
track this site | 4 links

Art for your phone.

Art for your phone. 03/28/2005 11:14 AM
Cell phone art is here. Not to be confused with art by or about cellphones, Wooster Collective is offering art for your cellphone. The project is designed to raise money for young artists, "in much the same way that a songwriter can earn money from radio play."

i just want a phone

i just want a phone 03/14/2005 05:39 PM
Am I the only person in the world that wants a small light cellphone with bluetooth?? It seems that the...

Web phone

Web phone 09/22/2004 11:17 PM
news.com.au Sep 23 2004 1:32AM GMT

Jay-Z's phone

Jay-Z's phone 12/17/2003 03:37 PM
To coincide with his new Black Album, Nokia is going to do a special version of their 3300 musicphone that comes with the entire record...

Your phone, only better

Your phone, only better 08/14/2004 04:35 AM
USA Today Aug 14 2004 9:01AM GMT

New 3G Phone for 3

New 3G Phone for 3 06/29/2004 03:43 PM
3G Jun 29 2004 6:44PM GMT

Phone Plus v6.0.0

Phone Plus v6.0.0 01/11/2004 10:12 AM
Phone Plus is a telephone dialer, speakerphone, and contact manager with full Caller ID support. The Caller ID and Speakerphone features are both optional. [Shareware $24.95 30 days 1.59 MB]

- To buy or not to buy a 3G phone?

- To buy or not to buy a 3G phone? 12/27/2004 09:55 PM
IT AsiaOne Dec 28 2004 1:37AM GMT

Should your PC be your phone?

Should your PC be your phone? 12/27/2004 07:17 PM
globetechnology.com Dec 27 2004 11:13PM GMT

NEC 802 3G Phone

NEC 802 3G Phone 09/22/2004 09:48 AM
3G Sep 22 2004 2:29PM GMT

New NEC 313 3G Phone

New NEC 313 3G Phone 02/18/2004 05:39 AM
3G Feb 18 2004 8:17AM GMT

"The Phone"

"The Phone" 06/30/2004 02:42 PM

My Phone Has A Virus

My Phone Has A Virus 05/13/2004 12:29 PM
I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty more stories of this nature as VoIP becomes even more common. Suddenly, people are realizing that when your voice calls go out over the internet, they become vulnerable to internet-style attacks. That means, if not well set up, it's easier to intercept and record VoIP calls or to hit them with a denial of service or virus attack. There are ways to protect against such things, but the fear is that many companies setting up their own VoIP phone system won't be that careful - and the next time the company gets hit with a bad virus, they won't even be able to call down to their IT department for help since the phones will be down too. It's likely that as this gets more attention, security companies will try to rush into the space and expand their current offerings to cover VoIP as well. Of course, so far current security offerings have had mixed results, so some may wonder how good they'll be on VoIP systems as well.

when will this phone available,what will
be the price let me know

when will this phone available,what will
be the price let me know 08/30/2004 01:52 PM
TechTree Aug 30 2004 6:07PM GMT

Domo-kun phone

Domo-kun phone 11/17/2003 05:46 AM
It's not clear to me whether this is a phone, a phone-cozy, a homemade phone-mod or a photoshop job, but whatever it is, I want one. Link (via KoKoRo)

But Does Anyone Want A Camera Phone?

But Does Anyone Want A Camera Phone? 05/11/2004 02:20 AM
There seem to be two opinions when it comes to camera phones: either people think they're going to be the greatest thing since the first internet browser or they're a silly waste-of-time trinket that's only going to make mobile phones (that don't work all that well already) more expensive. As with any such situation where there are extreme viewpoints, it often helps to have someone take a bit more of an objective look at what's really happening in the camera phone space. The summary seems to be that they're coming, no matter what. What people aren't quite as sure about is whether or not people want them. In fact, in areas where camera phones are being offered, there's really not much evidence that they're using them all that much. Also, while much of the push for camera phones has focused on how it will help the carriers by driving more wireless data usage, some providers have said they've seen no evidence to support that. Does this mean the whole camera phone concept is set to come crashing down before it's really begun? It's certainly possible. As with so much in the wireless space, the ridiculous level of hype has a tendency to do more damage than help. However, there are a few reasons why camera phones may work out after all. First off, people aren't buying camera phones for the camera. They're buying them for the phone. The camera just comes along with it. As such, handset makers and wireless carriers don't have to be nearly as concerned about the success of camera phones early on. It's almost a "stealth" way of seeding the market (if you can call this stealth). Next, whether or not users think they'll use camera phones isn't so much of an issue compared to whether or not they actually will use camera phones - and that will depend on the applications. People are going to realize that there are an awful lot of connected cameras out there - and that presents an opportunity. It's not the fact that everyone will have a camera in their hands, but the fact that those cameras are connected that will drive people to start creating applications that take advantage of that - whether for productivity, for safety or for fun. It's those applications that will make the camera phone worth while. I doubt that it will happen nearly as fast as most folks in the industry would like, but I certainly don't think it's the fad that some columnists/analysts are predicting will quickly go away.

Keep Telling Yourself: Above All, It's a
Phone

Keep Telling Yourself: Above All, It's a
Phone 06/19/2004 06:06 PM
Manufacturers are not only making smaller, lighter phones, but they are also adding features that make yesterday's models look like the clunky communicators on old "Star Trek" episodes.

Pay Phone Obsession

Pay Phone Obsession 05/13/2004 03:41 AM
You might remember pay phones. They're those public boxes on the street with telephones in them that people used to make calls in the age before mobile phones. Okay, so I'm only joking a bit, but even as phone companies struggle to figure out what to do with pay phones, (suggestion: turn them into WiFi hotspots!) there are some who are obsessed with the idea of calling random pay phones and talking to whoever picks up. For almost a decade, one man has been putting together a huge database of pay phone numbers. Of course, that database has actually turned out to be quite useful. People trying to track down callers (the article lists a mother finding her runaway daughter and a man tracking down a stalker among other things) have used the website to identify the location of a pay phone caller. Of course all this would be much easier if the phone companies published a directory of pay phones - but they don't see any reason to (despite the stories of people this self-built directory has helped).

ET phone earth?

ET phone earth? 09/02/2004 10:01 AM
Between Pisces and Aries, a strange signal from space. Communication from an extraterrestrial civilization? Probably not, and an article in Nature suggests it would make more sense to use FedEx.

What Happens When Anyone Can Be A Phone
Company?

What Happens When Anyone Can Be A Phone
Company? 04/19/2004 12:26 PM
Forget Ma Bell or the Baby Bells. We're reaching a point where just about anyone will be able to become a "phone company." We recently mentioned the decision by Streamcast, the makers of the Morpheus file sharing application, to launch their own phone service by private labeling a VoIP service - effectively becoming a VoIP virtual network operation (a VVNO?). The Morpheus phone service is now getting set to launch. The company claims that they don't want to replace a traditional phone line, but just want to make long distance cheaper (which, let's face it, means replacing the traditional phone line). Still, what strikes me is that there's really no logical fit between a file sharing program like Morpheus and a phone-based VoIP service (there's is quite similar to Vonage). However, they're still offering the phone service, because they found a company (i2Telecom) willing to let them brand their service. This basically means that we're reaching a point where anyone could theoretically create their own phone company offering similar, branded VoIP. The potential there, is what could become incredibly disruptive for the phone companies. While they're still focused on providing their own VoIP services, what do they do when everyone can become a competitor? Especially when others start offering VoIP as a loss-leader for something else? What if Amazon provides me free phone service if I keep up a pace of buying a certain amount every month? How does a phone company compete? It's increasingly looking like phone companies may have to follow a similar path and simply realize that their phone service (using VoIP) should be a loss leader for a broadband connection into the home.

Sharp 802 3G Phone

Sharp 802 3G Phone 09/22/2004 09:49 AM
3G Sep 22 2004 2:25PM GMT

How your phone could be hacked

How your phone could be hacked 04/25/2004 08:41 PM
ZDNet Apr 26 2004 0:36AM GMT

New 3G Phone from Kyocera

New 3G Phone from Kyocera 09/21/2004 06:55 AM
Wireless Watch Japan Sep 21 2004 9:41AM GMT
Grok Description matches for When a Phone Isn't Simply a Phone
GrokA matches for When a Phone Isn't Simply a Phone

When a Phone Isn't Simply a Phone

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: