7 Reasons why touch-screens suck for a cell phone

1. Fingerprints

We get beautiful widescreen displays onto which we can watch full length movies, but a touch-screen is always dirty with fingerprints. Even if we use a stylus, eventually we’ll get lazy and press a few buttons with our fingers, especially if it’s to make a phone call.

2. Precision

Fingers are much less precise on a screen than on a keypad. With a keypad, we can actually feel the keys making their ‘click’ when we press them, and even with large fingers it’s usually easy to apply pressure on the right keys. On a touch-screen however, we have no tangible reference when pressing the keys. While the iPhone is supposed to come with a software to help correct typos, it will have to work like magic if we’re to type on an on-screen keyboard with our big fingers.

3. Large on-screen keyboard

On my touch-screen PDA, the on-screen keyboard takes about one third of the display. The keys are so small I can’t even dream of typing on the keyboard with my fingers. On touch-screen cell phones, the keyboard will probably take much more of the available display to make it easier to press the buttons, thus leaving us with only a small viewable area while using the keyboard.

4. Scratches

I carry my cell phone in my pockets a lot. Imagine if it were an iPhone? Without any kind of protection, the screen would get scratched by my spare change and keys a lot. Furthermore, unless they find a way to make the screen very robust, they’re going to get scratched by fingernails.

5. Stylus

Alright, the new touch-screen cell phones probably won’t require a stylus. Styluses are far more precise than fingers on a touch-screen though, but they are a hassle to carry - we always end up losing them. Steve Jobs was right in his keynote when he said styluses are a pain to carry around and to take out every time we want to dial a number. He’s doing the right thing making the iPhone operable without a stylus.

6. Look ‘ma, no … eyes?

Real keypads make it easy to dial without looking. With an on-screen keypad, we’ll have to keep both eyes on the screen while dialing.

7. Screen protectors

A cell phone is a device I want to carry in my pockets, leave under a pile of junk and lose somewhere in my car. The touch-screen looks like it would make the phone much less robust, and without a screen protector I would probably break it under a few months. The screen protector is also needed to help prevent scratches.

I don’t think touch-screens will ever replace the need for a good keypad. Apple’s new patented touch-screen technology called ‘multi-touch’ might be worth trying, but so far my experience with touch-screens has been average. I even bought a thumb-keyboard extension for my PDA because the on-screen keyboard and text recognition software were troublesome to use.

The blogosphere is currently exploding with opinions on Apple’s latest gadget: the iPhone. Before reading what other bloggers think of the iPhone, I want to produce my very own unbiased opinion first. Here’s my take on the iPhone:

The good

	Web tablet. I was surprised to hear the iPhone would also serve as a web tablet with Wifi connectivity. This is great news for people not wanting to carry their laptop computer around when they travel or for the casual geek who needs his daily fix of slashdot at the cafe.
	iPod functionalities. The iPhone being backed up by the iPod brand will be a sure success. The iPod has already proven its point in the music industry and it is currently the most famous music player around. Adding all of the iPod functionalities in the iPhone will surely boost its sales.
	OS X. While I personally dislike the OS X operating system for its over-user-friendliness, I think it makes a great operating system for a casual user. The integrated web browsing capabilities of the iPhone will be very well-supported by OS X, and the operating system leaves to door open for all kind of marvelous software.

The bad

	Closed to independent developers. Apparently, the iPhone will be closed to independent software developer. That means one thing: less software available. If this is true, we’ll see how fast Apple and licensed developers can release new applications for the iPhone.
	Greasy touch screen. I dislike touch screens. They get all dirty with finger grease. The only touch screens I find acceptable are those that use a stylus like on a Palm or on a Nintendo DS, but they are annoying to carry and I don’t see myself dialing a phone number with a stylus. I will miss the keypad on the iPhone.
	Cingular only (initial launch). I was hoping the iPhone would launch as an unlocked phone, bringing the cellular phone market into a new era. Apple had the power to do it. Locked cell phones are only beneficial to carriers and are currently a real pain for users.
	No 3G? From what I’ve seen of the iPhone, it will only support EDGE, a relatively slow data transmission technology. Whether EDGE is considered 2G or 3G depends on the carrier and is up for another debate. A phone of this caliber should at least offer the latest data transfer technology available for downloading music over cellular networks, such as W-CDMA. I hope they manage to slip the feature in before the phone launches next June.

The ugly

Despite the fact that the iPhone is not the revolution I was hoping for, and despite all its drawbacks, I still want one. It looks slick, it offers a lot of functionalities and it combines three things I like: the internet, music and communications. However, I will not spend $599 on a device I can only use with one carrier. I’ll wait until an unlocked version is available.

As cellular technology develops, some social debates erupt. It’s been in the news for some time now and parents and children are protesting against it: the ban on cellular phones in schools. How should the matter of cell phones in schools be handled?

Cellular phones in schools are a problem. Students are using them a lot and most of them couldn’t imagine living without a cellular phone. This brings the following issues:

The Bad

1. Cell phones are a distraction - The students use short message service (SMS) and not everyone remember to turn off their phone during class.
2. Cheating - Students can share information during exams. They can also store any information they want on their cellular phone.
3. Invasion of privacy - Camera phones are very popular, and they are sometimes used in an inappropriate way in schools, for example in bathrooms.
4. Harassment - Text messaging is used as a form of harrasment or bullying.
5. Stealing - Mobile phones are usually worth over $100 and not every family can afford to buy one for their children. These two factors often lead to cell phone theft.

One could argue that cheating has always been and will always be and that and bullying existed before cell phones came to schools. Cell phones only emphasize existing issues.

The Good

1. Feeling of security - Knowing that your children are reachable anytime is quite reassuring for a parent, especially after events such as the Columbine shooting and the September 11th tragedy.
2. It brings families together - Families don’t seem to have much time to spend together anymore. With overtime and after-school activities, having the ability to communicate with any one of your family member helps bringing families together.
3. Cellphones are convenient - Everybody is more busy nowadays. Students are involved in activities after school, and practices and meeting time tend to vary a lot. It is very convenient for a student who does not have access to public transportation to call their parents for a ride when they need one.

Again, one could say that parents should trust the school’s representatives with their children’s safety and that families should try to spend more time together instead of having to talk over electromagnetic waves. Yes, you can still live on without a cell phone.

Most students use their phone responsibly. Instead of enforcing a ban, teach them how to use their mobile phone in society. That way, when they get out of school, they will be more aware of the people around them when they make or receive phone calls. I bet they will behave better than 75% of the adults with cell phones out there.

New technologies are a part of our lives, and responsible use should be learned in school.

Today is mother’s day. A lot of cell phone companies have targeted daughters and sons with advertisements in which they claim cell phones are the perfect gift for mothers.

That got me thinking. My mother is in her fifties and she does not own a cellular phone. She does not even own a computer. She doesn’t feel the need for them, although she’s not computer illiterate.

How does she compare to other people of her generation? Are a lot of them really interested in cell phones? Are they keeping up with current technologies?

Does your mom use a cell phone?

Peter Davidson asks on his blog “Do you wear your bluetooth headset around?“. He wants to know how we perceive people who do that in public.

For some reason, the very first impression I get of these people is that they’re full of themselves. I can’t help it - when I see people walking around at the grocery store, seemingly talking to themselves, I can’t help but to think they live in their own world.

Unless you are a very busy person and are on the job 24/7, I don’t see why you would want to wear your bluetooth headset around. I don’t understand people calling their relatives for chitchat while waiting in a line either.

As for women wearing these headsets, I perceive them as professional, workaholic, and can’t help but to think they’re single and have few friends. What a biased perception!

This is a somewhat harsh view, but I am just relating my very first impression of people I see wearing their bluetooth headset in public. I know that my view is totally biased and full of prejudice. I know some people who glued their bluetooth headset to their ear and they’re actually quite sociable and pleasant persons.

As for me, while I don’t wear a bluetooth headset, I wear headphones every time I leave my house. Especially when I go to the grocery store or where I have to stand in line. I guess I’m no better than people who wear their bluetooth headset around :)

From Cinemas mull cell phone ban:

“With theatergoers on the edge of their seats, the film reaches its climax as the villain turns to the hero and utters his last words, which cannot be heard over the unexpected, annoying ring of cell phone.

Such disturbances could become a thing of the past. The motion picture industry is considering implementing technology designed to block or restrict cell phone reception in cinemas.

[…]

Most movie theaters have on-screen reminders and lobby signs asking customers to silence their cell phones. Wireless provider Cingular even sponsors pre-film ads to encourage proper etiquette.

Parents with young children may want to stay connected to baby sitters in the event of emergency. Doctors on call would also need to be reachable.

“Their right to go to the movies on call ends at the tip of my ears,” said Joseph Tecce, a psychology professor at Boston College. “Cell phones have created and nurtured a greater atmosphere of entitlement.”"

Seriously, it’s not hard to remember to turn off your cell phone when you go to a movie. With all the signs and advertising around, some people just don’t get it. Just put your phone on vibrate if you don’t want to miss a call!