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Russell Buckley and Carlo Longino on mobile technology.

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« Here’s Your Typical International Roaming Charge Complaint
» 2006 Predictions

Mobile Phone Evolution

Is It Really A Music Phone?

Posted by Carlo Longino on 12.12.06 | 9 Comments

Another post about the small things: can mobile phones really be considered viable and attractive music players as long as they don’t easily accept standard headphones? I’ve found this issue personally annoying for a long time, since I find most standard earphones very uncomfortable, if they’ll even fit in my ears. But I think it’s a bigger deal than my personal irritation: can a device really be taken seriously as a music player if you can’t use the headphones of your choice with it?

9 Comments

On 12.12.06 Nesjo said:
Quite right, Carlo. My Nokia e61 has plenty of mini-SD storage space but I’m not messing around with the stupid, proprietary Nokia connector for my noise-cancellation ‘phones.
On 12.12.06 Adam Richardson said:
It is a major inhibitor. I personally use a SE W810i and I got a small “pigtail” adaptor to plug in my preferred Etymotic earphones, but it is one more thing to carry around, and it adds weight in a weird way to the phone (makes it unbalanced). The standard earphones are a two piece affair that allow you to use any normal ones, but the cord from handset to where the “normal” headphones plug in is quite long, hence getting the pigtail. The handset manufacturers really need to get on the ball about this.

I wrote extensively about the W810i on my blog:
http://richardsona.squarespace.com/main/2006/11/6/i-have-seen-the-future.html
In general I think it’s a terrific phone, and for the time being I’ll put up with the headphone issue.
On 12.12.06 Mr bob said:
I agree, this is a pet peave of mine too. I have a Windows Mobile device with enough card to have a couple hundred MP3’s but I can’t use any headphones I want nor plug it into computer speakers to enjoy my collection. Last month I did a search for some kind of adapter, been to three stores and still haven’t found one.
On 12.12.06 Alessandro said:
Ciao

my Nokia N91 has the normal connector so no problem at all! Also my Nokia 5300 comes with the small adepter to the normal connector which works fine.
Alessandro
On 12.13.06 Stefan Constantinescu said:
Death to adapters! I think Nokia is starting to learn this. I think we will be seeing a lot of mini usb and 3.5mm audio ports popping up all over Nokia’s line.
On 12.13.06 Marc said:
Check out the iMuff - brilliant b/tooth headphones with built-in microphone.

It comes with a doo-dah for your iPod, but sync’s perfectly with every phone i’ve tried.
On 12.13.06 Ken said:
Absolutely this is an issue. My N80 is a great device in almost every way - except that I have to use a proprietary adapter to connect normal headphones to the device (actually, it’s two adaptors, depending on the headset I use - the Nokia dongle adapter which is 3.5mm, and also a 2.2mm to 3.5mm adapter if I want to use a headset with a microphone so I can take calls). What’s worse is that for some reason the adapter isn’t that good and most non-Nokia headsets I’ve tried with the adapter simply don’t work to well. Plus, I hate carrying the adapter around too - one more thing to lose/forget while traveling, and then suddenly my music device is of no use.
What many music phone manufacturers don’t seem to understand is that users often want to hear the music they’ve loaded onto the phone - and the dinky earbuds/headsets that typically come with a handset just don’t cut it.
On 12.13.06 Gabriel Brown said:
If you listen to lots of music on your phone, the battery dies and can’t make calls anymore.

I agree thou’ — Nokia (or whatever) earphones are anoying.
On 01.05.07 Joe Pemberton said:
Yes! Sony Ericsson has the same problem. Use a standard stereo plug, or even a standard mini-plug, but don’t force me to use your proprietary (often mediocre) headphones. (This is to be expected from Sony though, who are renowned for cumbersome and proprietary hardware and formats.)

Another glaring mistake in the interaction is that you can’t create a playlist or organize the media. Nothing can ruin a listening experience faster than hearing the Cingular ringer (that cannot be deleted, by the way) right in the middle of your favorite Snow Patrol set.

Until something revolutionary happens, the whole handset as an alternative to an iPod is not going to happen. Given the current track record of the carriers/OEMs, Apple can afford to wait about 6 months or a even a year with the iPhone and still have a jump on the competition.

The current model of carriers and OEMs partnering to create a compelling product has had mixed success — such as the limited adoption of the ROKR, even though it was marketed in an unprecedented way. The time it takes to create a vision and get the engineering muscle and UI design behind it has proven a very tough target.

Consider this: with ringtone sales on the decline for the first time in ever, carriers are the ones who stand to lose on R&D spent developing a music phone. OEMs typically serve the carriers, and it’s OEMs who stand to gain from a hot handset that could deliver a compelling music experience.

I think that’s precisely why everybody is holding their breath for Apple to get on the scene. Apple has a track record for combining the hardware and software engineering required, plus the critical user insight needed, to get it right. They have also figured out that an open system (accept standard music formats, accept standard headphones, sync with any PC) is better than a closed one.

Whoa, sorry for the fat rant. Cheers.