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Concorde moments for tech: -When RIM stopped making the blackberry 7520, which (paired with nextel, with push-to-talk) was the best phone, with the best UI, ev

by blhack 9y ago

Concorde moments for tech: -When RIM stopped making the blackberry 7520, which (paired with nextel, with push-to-talk) was the best phone, with the best UI, ever made. They made the phones thinner, and shinier...and less useful in the process. -Dropping 3.5mm headphone jacks, an example of a standard that works, and has worked, flawlessly, for a very long time (I know this horse is beaten to death). -Getting rid of iPods for "iPod touch" (neutered iPhones)

raldi 9y ago
Why don't we have push-to-talk on every Android and iPhone in 2017?
- blhack 9y ago
  Because it was all replaced with a software implementation of it that wasn't as good, which soured people against the idea.
  - raldi 9y ago
    What are you referring to?
    - csours 9y ago
      Push to talk by Nextel had it's own allocated bandwidth. Bandwidth = MONEY, so they shut down PTT and sold the bandwidth. In the manufacturing plant where I worked, we went from being almost able to understand people on Nextel PTT to completely unable to understand people with the software implementation. The plant has since switched to local walkie talkies with repeaters - with Nextel you could easily start chatting with anyone else on the network, pretty much anywhere.
    - blhack 9y ago
      Csours explained it. For a while, when nextel disappeared and the PTT bandwidth got reallocated, the other carriers tried to sell "PTT" as well, but it was contained in an app like Zello (or their own proprietary app). Old Nextel PTT phones had dedicated hardware buttons specifically for it. So you didnt' have to unlock a phone, find the app, open it, etc. Your phone was a walkie talkie.
- microcolonel 9y ago
  Because Nextel became Sprint, and Androids and iPhones are PCs with a telephone modem in them, not telephones with an app platform in them. Telephony has clearly taken a back seat, when's the last time you even heard a layman about "call quality"?
morsch 9y ago
What's the appeal of push-to-talk? I can't really imagine it solves any problem I'm having; is it my lack of imagination or is a domain-specific thing, maybe some businesses that need it?
- blhack 9y ago
  With a normal call, you follow typical social conventions of: ring ring ring ring pickup "Hello" "Hey Morsch, what time are you doing $foo task by today?" "Probably 6:30pm." "Okay thanks." "Do you need anything else?" "No, that's it, I'll talk to you later." "Alright bye." "bye" hangup With PTT, there is a social convention surrounding it too that allows you to be much more abbreviated without coming across as rude: chirp (being talking immediately and assume that morsch hears you "MOrsch you out there?" "Yeah what's up?" "What time are you doing $foo" "6:30" "Thanks." end. PTT occupied a space between a phone call and an SMS/email. It was like SMS, but urgent, and you didn't need to pick up your phone and type a response. It's the same reason logistics, stage production, building, etc. all use walkie-talkies instead of phones or SMS. PTT was that sort of goodness, but it was global.

by blhack 9y ago

raldi 9y ago

Why don't we have push-to-talk on every Android and iPhone in 2017?

blhack 9y ago
Because it was all replaced with a software implementation of it that wasn't as good, which soured people against the idea.
- raldi 9y ago
  What are you referring to?
  - csours 9y ago
    Push to talk by Nextel had it's own allocated bandwidth. Bandwidth = MONEY, so they shut down PTT and sold the bandwidth. In the manufacturing plant where I worked, we went from being almost able to understand people on Nextel PTT to completely unable to understand people with the software implementation. The plant has since switched to local walkie talkies with repeaters - with Nextel you could easily start chatting with anyone else on the network, pretty much anywhere.
  - blhack 9y ago
    Csours explained it. For a while, when nextel disappeared and the PTT bandwidth got reallocated, the other carriers tried to sell "PTT" as well, but it was contained in an app like Zello (or their own proprietary app). Old Nextel PTT phones had dedicated hardware buttons specifically for it. So you didnt' have to unlock a phone, find the app, open it, etc. Your phone was a walkie talkie.
microcolonel 9y ago
Because Nextel became Sprint, and Androids and iPhones are PCs with a telephone modem in them, not telephones with an app platform in them. Telephony has clearly taken a back seat, when's the last time you even heard a layman about "call quality"?

morsch 9y ago

What's the appeal of push-to-talk? I can't really imagine it solves any problem I'm having; is it my lack of imagination or is a domain-specific thing, maybe some businesses that need it?

blhack 9y ago
With a normal call, you follow typical social conventions of: ring ring ring ring pickup "Hello" "Hey Morsch, what time are you doing $foo task by today?" "Probably 6:30pm." "Okay thanks." "Do you need anything else?" "No, that's it, I'll talk to you later." "Alright bye." "bye" hangup With PTT, there is a social convention surrounding it too that allows you to be much more abbreviated without coming across as rude: chirp (being talking immediately and assume that morsch hears you "MOrsch you out there?" "Yeah what's up?" "What time are you doing $foo" "6:30" "Thanks." end. PTT occupied a space between a phone call and an SMS/email. It was like SMS, but urgent, and you didn't need to pick up your phone and type a response. It's the same reason logistics, stage production, building, etc. all use walkie-talkies instead of phones or SMS. PTT was that sort of goodness, but it was global.