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Ask HN: So what do you want in a mobile phone

3 points by virmundi 12y ago

I've been watching conversations about phones here for years. Most of it is the normal iPhone vs Android debate. Little of it has been innovative. Recently Amazon came out with the Fire. Reviews here were tepid to say the least. Tizen, by Samsung, seems to be viewed as nothing more than a cudgel. Even in the best comments it's met with Fire-like apprehension. So what does the community want? Some time ago there appeared to be a small faction of WebOS cohorts. Many panned that idea too. I realize that there is not a single, unified view of phones. I hope that this question provides a touchpoint for startups in the hardware/os space to reference for future ideas. Thanks.

GFischer 12y ago
I'm not happy with the lack of physical buttons, I had a Nokia N86, and I miss several features a lot: - slide-to-answer - one-handed operation for calling with no need to look at the phone - the camera button (something Windows Phone does right) http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n86_8mp-2713.php http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n86_8mp-2713.php for some time I thought the perfect form factor would be a slimmer Blackberry Torch with Android: http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_torch_9800-3203.php http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_torch_9800-3203.php However, I think I'm a very small minority. One group I do think isn't being adequately addressed is nearsighted 50 years-old (baby boomers in the U.S.?) My relatives in that age group struggle to use their latest phones (both iPhones and Android flagships) because of the tiny font sizes, and the lack of physical buttons hurts as well - I have an LG G2 mini, and the power button in the back and software buttons are a no-no for them. That age group still has the money and motivation to buy a high-tech phone, and aren't well-served by the market. Edit: however, you have to be very careful in your message, old people don't like to be called old :) or think of themselves as "old".
- msh 12y ago
  I would also like a torch formfactor with android. The closest I have come was my old experia pro.
dutchbrit 12y ago
I want a 100% open source solution (hardware + software). The OS itself should have a flexible permissions system for applications - why would an app need access to all my photo's or text messages for example while they only need a specific item? Interface should be as simple as possible.
Zigurd 12y ago
First, I second the call for totally open client code for all core functionality. I think it's find that Google keeps some apps like Maps closed for competitive reasons. But there is little or no secret sauce in the GMail client, it ought to be open and support web-of-trust and strong encryption. Second, I would like a phone that actually takes advantage of what the network can do. I should be able to set up virtual PBX-like groups, for example, have rolls for automated and human attendants, and have call control functions for moving calls around the group. I know that's boring old telephony stuff, but some people still dial and answer calls on these things. And I want an audio path for phone calls that the app processor can access and encrypt.
gregcohn 12y ago
Better network QoS and noise canceling. It's odd -- and somewhat appalling to me -- that there's all this innovation to which call quality (the point!) seems to be inversely correlated.

3 points by virmundi 12y ago

GFischer 12y ago

I'm not happy with the lack of physical buttons, I had a Nokia N86, and I miss several features a lot: - slide-to-answer - one-handed operation for calling with no need to look at the phone - the camera button (something Windows Phone does right) http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n86_8mp-2713.php http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n86_8mp-2713.php for some time I thought the perfect form factor would be a slimmer Blackberry Torch with Android: http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_torch_9800-3203.php http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_torch_9800-3203.php However, I think I'm a very small minority. One group I do think isn't being adequately addressed is nearsighted 50 years-old (baby boomers in the U.S.?) My relatives in that age group struggle to use their latest phones (both iPhones and Android flagships) because of the tiny font sizes, and the lack of physical buttons hurts as well - I have an LG G2 mini, and the power button in the back and software buttons are a no-no for them. That age group still has the money and motivation to buy a high-tech phone, and aren't well-served by the market. Edit: however, you have to be very careful in your message, old people don't like to be called old :) or think of themselves as "old".

msh 12y ago
I would also like a torch formfactor with android. The closest I have come was my old experia pro.

dutchbrit 12y ago

I want a 100% open source solution (hardware + software). The OS itself should have a flexible permissions system for applications - why would an app need access to all my photo's or text messages for example while they only need a specific item? Interface should be as simple as possible.

Zigurd 12y ago

First, I second the call for totally open client code for all core functionality. I think it's find that Google keeps some apps like Maps closed for competitive reasons. But there is little or no secret sauce in the GMail client, it ought to be open and support web-of-trust and strong encryption. Second, I would like a phone that actually takes advantage of what the network can do. I should be able to set up virtual PBX-like groups, for example, have rolls for automated and human attendants, and have call control functions for moving calls around the group. I know that's boring old telephony stuff, but some people still dial and answer calls on these things. And I want an audio path for phone calls that the app processor can access and encrypt.

gregcohn 12y ago

Better network QoS and noise canceling. It's odd -- and somewhat appalling to me -- that there's all this innovation to which call quality (the point!) seems to be inversely correlated.