Full-Web Experience? No Thanks, Give Me Symbian Any Day

I kinda disagree with you!

Inno you make really good points that I agree with, but the question here is, if you had a faster internet connection, wouldn’t you consume more internet?!! When I travel to Saudi for example, I use Zain as an operator and they’ve got really quick connections over there that beat my MTC dinosaur connection here… But I find that I’m consuming MUCH more bandwidth (I noticed cause I pay as I go!! :p)

But all in all I do kinda agree that mobiles are supposed to provide a certain level of internet experience.. If a person would need a more advanced one, thne (s)he should use a laptop! (or tablets and slates when they become more popular and developed!)

I’d have to add special mention of the apps Snaptu and Mobispine :).
Very good article.

I'm amazed at how little data you consume …. What percent is wifi?

Even when I was using S60 devices more regularly I was able to consumer 1-2GB without trying too hard. In addition to on handset though I would spend a fair bit tethering. The tethering usage is largely down thanks to the richer capability of the browser on the iPhone …

Agreed 100%…

In Saudi Arabia these are our data plan with one of the operators “Mobily” . which I think is quite expensive. but connectivity in general is good, I think we have HSDPA here
Package Monthly Fee (SR) Included Free (MB) additional MB
Internet Basic Free 0 $ 0.55
Internet 30 MB $2.66 30 $ 0.55
Internet 100 MB $6.66 100 $ 0.55
Internet 1 GB $26.66 1,024 $ 0.55
Internet 5 GB $53.33 5,120 $ 0.55
Unlimited Internet $93.33 Unlimited

okay, I pay INR 99.00 per month for Unlimited web (only on cellphone) GPRS/EDGE by one of the best private carrier service (AirTel) in India. If i am right INR 99.00 is appx about USD 2.14 and that's a killer :D

great article :) so true in every sense of the word !!

This is a simple case of sour grapes.

“it’s downright annoying when you’re convinced you know the ins-and-outs of a worldwide industry without having stepped a foot outside your front door.”

As an American web designer and developer, I’m offended at the notion that I have to practically live and work in another country to understand it’s technological needs and that somehow Americans are deficient if we don’t dumb down our work for those that don’t support it. The fact is, technology has, and always will be, about progress and novelty. There are practical applications for low-overhead apps such as military applications, third-world countries, and aerospace.

But the applications you’re griping about are everyday usage apps and the vast majority of users want the “full-web experience”. Just because your country fails to have the infrastructure or economic support to handle it, doesn’t make others ignorant.

If you don’t like it, do what everyone else does – read a newspaper.

David Kaplan

Rita, I totally get your point, in Czech Republic the data plans are also quite limited or unnecessarily expensive, so many people struggle with keeping within their limits.

However, you can't really credit Symbian for successful limitation of your data consumption, it's actually the selection of apps that you use. The system itself has nothing to do with it, does it? Some of these apps are already available for other platforms, others will no doubt come soon enough.

What I would very much like to see in new versions of Symbian would be some options to limit data traffic, like using the browser in “OperaMini”mode that would compress data before sending it to your phone. Or possibility to set different, less data intensive browsers to be system default browser, which you cannot do at the present time. That is what system solution would be…

Since Symbian^3&4 seem to aim at developing mobile markets, these features would in my opinion really help its cause.

This has to be one the best articles that I have read in recent times!

nice article. so why do america dismiss symbian. i need an answer to this question. how many apps are available for symbian? apple boasts over 100 000.

data plans on edge where i live are $0.o1/kb and $40.00 unlimited

Also we're aware that the mobile version of Symbian-Guru isn't available still – I hope to have this resolved today.

Great article Rita, thanks a lot. And there have been some good comments too.

I'm on WiFi most of the day so bandwidth isn't an issue with me, but I agree with the idea that companies that claim to be global often have a very narrow perspective, and while they don't mind selling their products globally, they don't offer the same services everywhere, or at the same prices, which is really an unacceptable situation. They're price gouging the people who can least afford to pay for it.

For example, I pay my carrier monthly fees for service and for BIS for my new BlackBerry. Those fees go to RIM, the manufacturer of my handset (which I bought for cash). However, RIM is not willing to let me access the free or paid downloads on BlackBerry App World because I don't live in one of the countries they chose to support. The bottom line is, they took my money for a high-end handset and take my BIS payment every month, but the country I live in isn't important enough for them to bother making it possible for us to download apps like people who live in North America or the EU. I'm locked out of many apps for no real reason except that RIM forces developers to release their products ONLY on App World.

The same is true for many popular music services and a host of other services, both on RIM and Nokia/Symbian, which aren't offered except in North America and Europe. And why does it cost to use Nokia Messenging PUSH in some countries but not others?

Manufacturers and service providers have to stop treating those of us who live in smaller countries like 2nd class citizens. We often pay dearly for the hardware and software we CAN get, much more than people in North America or EU have to pay. There's no reason to lock us out or treat us badly when we spend money on your products. You need to change your ways, because we resent this and we have long memories. As soon as some company comes along that appreciates our business and trades with us the same as they do in every other place, they'll get our business and you'll never see us again.

Exactly what I always want to says. I'm in Indonesia, one of the opera mini top users. I have data plan Rp 200.000 or $20 for 6 months with 200MB limit a month with Rp 5 / MB additional data. There're several operators use HSPDA with video call, but another only give 3G data access. I'm using Opera Mini for opening Google Reader, Opera Mobile for heavy web with JS, Nimbuzz, or eBuddy if network slow down. It's great how my tube 5800 manage to give me internet access anywhere, and never using wifi access. FYI, $20 is more than 2 days average payment here.

I do not totally agree with what you're saying. It's partially due to the selection of apps, of course, but the OS is a huge factor in it.
Think about it: Symbian wasn't designed to be an always connected OS at the time (a decade ago), and you can feel it when using it because almost all the default apps are usable without having a data plan. Can you say the same about the iPhone or Android ? The iPhone is what started the trend, and what made people realise that they can have full web access easily, but as Rita said the counterpart is that you are actually forced to buy a data plan when you go for an iPhone. Same for Android, and on Blackberrys half of the funtionnalities are unusable without a dedicated data plan.

Well said.
That's the reason why I'm still on Symbian while living in France. Even though I have a fairly cheap data plan, I know that when I go outside the country (especially to Africa) I cannot afford to let my phone connected to the web. In such scenarios the iPhone and all Android devices, as well as BlackBerrys and WinMo in a lesser extent, are very bad devices, because they are not fully usable.

Symbian S60 is not shiny and is outdated, yes, but it was built from the ground up to get things done no matter where you live. Give me Symbian any day too.

which city? postpaid or prepaid? And it must be basic WAP, not full EDGE. Do nimbuzz and NM run on it? In bombay, airtel is 25 bucks a day for unlimited EDGE. Thats 750 a month.

Rita, excellent article, bang on target.

I live in India and i hv subscribed to one of the aforementioned plans. I read a lot of bad stuff abt N97 (my current fone), abt the buggy s/w, borning interface etc etc…. but i hvnt faced a single crash on it till date.
being here, it is perfect to me in every way. fring, gravity and now free ovi maps and many more…..symbian is nvr tired of versatility it offers!
And lets be honest, the best of androids and iphones costs whopping INR 35K-50K ($700 – $1000!!!), and they cant do anything extra ground breaking that my 'humble' N97 can't!

Excellent piece… and in the countries with 3G it's hardly universal either (Iliving in a rural area).

Also in India you get WAP connections at dirt cheap rates. The iPhones & the Androids don't support WAP while Nokia does!

try searching AirTel NOP – i use it on prepaid and it runs gravity, nokia
messaging, google maps etc and is a full web experience =D
as i said its only for the phone

You got a RT from Mr Scoble.
Good job!

..and of course, an excellent post. This:

“Honestly, what good is a full-web experience when I can only open 10 full websites a month without going over my monthly allowance, and when I have to stare at my screen for 15 minutes before one page completely loads on my snail-speed connection?”

Says it all. Nice work Rita. Common sense prevails.

ah ok thanks.. so its different from Mobile Office right?

i find that this article highlights an important thing to keep in mind, global regions are not homogenous in their solutions, even as they may adopt common standards the manner in which they are applied is still significantly affected by cultural development within different regions.

nimbuzz does not work for me using the Airtel NOP … does it work for you? say i have a prepaid Airtel account , do you know any good plan for the IMs(any fring, nimbuzz..) to work over

Definitely true. In Mauritius we don't even have data plans, and the service hardly ever works (on the internationally well-regarded Orange network on top of that), so I essentially never use 3G/EDGE/GPRS to do anything. in fact, I simply stay stuck to a Wifi hotspots as pretty much all of my friends and family have Wifi in their homes. In fact, if it weren't for that I'd probably be dead from boredom. So yes, Symbian needs a BIG overhaul, but bu no means do you need internet *EVERYWHERE* if you're a casual user and have wifi hotspots neaby. I do miss internet occasionally as i can't use any IRC network over 3G…

Great post! I retweeted it – definitely eye-opening..

But let me play devil's advocate for a second.

I'm a data whore – I barely use my devices for voice anymore, and I text maybe 2-3 people regularly. The rest is all data, mostly Twitter, email, uploading full-size 5+ MP pictures, streamign Qik videos, maps, some web, some Internet radio.

I'm privileged not only to live in the US, but to live in the epicenter of technology that is San Francisco. I have all the latest devices (Nexus One, N97 mini, N900, iPhone 3GS) and I have 3 unlimited HSPA data plans.

But you know what? On my primary account, the one I actually use, the one with my personal phone number, I rarely exceed 250 MB per month – without a care in the world. In fact, out of my last 3 billing cycles I peaked at 184 MB per month, and I was mostly using the N900 without paying attention.

Why? Because most of the time I'm using WiFi (at home and at work), which besides being cheaper, is much faster than HSPA.

Android expects an “always on” mobile data connection, especially for syncing email/calendar/contacts, but this can be selectively turned off. The N900 can be setup to behave just like a Symbian phone (prompt before connection).

And the iPhone can be used without a mobile data connection – it's not ideal, but it's possible. I used it with data disabled (along with the E75, also with data disabled) while visiting Montreal for work for a week last spring, because roaming data rates are insane.

What saved me on that trip, once again, was WiFi – at the hotel (paid for by my employer), and at cafes (free). You learn to plan things a little – you just save your tweets and emails for later upload. You check the maps at the cafe before you start walking.

In fact, there's “not always on' version of the iPhone – it's called the iPod touch and it's incredibly usable, and incredibly popular, despite the lack of mobile data connection.

So I think you make a good point. Data whores the likes of me, who live in the US and Europe take a lot for granted when it comes to data. But it's perfectly possible to be thrifty with your data plan, even when using the latest “always on” devices, as long as you leverage WiFi.

Great post. I love seeing how well you have been able to handle the data restrictions that have been put in place. Optimization/compression tools like the ones that you use could free up a TON more bandwidth for the average American (I'm one). Unfortunately it is often more convenient for us to just drop another 10/15 bucks a month for the unlimited plan than to figure out better ways to use what we've got. In essence it is easier to just throw money at the issue than to figure out a better way to get the information we want without going overboard on data limitations. Not that the carriers over here mind…

Bravo! Totally agree with the great article. I guess we at Sri Lanka are much more luckier.
I get 350MB per month for $2 and each additional MB for $0.01, 1GB for $5 and so on.

Keep up the good work. I love this site!

Hi! Rita, I like you, you almost always talk about the right thing, and can see the stuff like it is. I think like you about this Gig Bloggers, sometime I wonder if they know about what they are talking about.
Here in Brazil, there are a lot of cell companies and a lot of type of services and price, but all of them have full time conection plans using EDGE and 3G, depend in which region you will be.
In my plan, with no limitation of data or time I do pay $ 26 per month and Use a Lot, as web(Nokia, Opera, Skyfie, Digia), as e-mail (Nokia messaging) and app downloads on my beloved 5800 XM.

Hmmm I had even lower data usage when using Nokia E70 (three years ago) here in the US, but that's only because I could not do anything useful before the apps crashed. I hope the Symbian is a much better experience now.

And so I forgot to get to my point…

My point is that this being data thrifty has little to do with Symbian, Android, Maemo, or iPhone!

It has a lot more to do with the apps you have installed and how you are using them – apps such as Gravity and Opera. There may be more data thrifty apps available for Symbian today, but its not inconceivable that similar apps may someday exist on Android, Maemo, and iPhone.

Oh, and my other point. Use WiFi – it's often free :)

PS: There's a reason I'm quick to dismiss any device without WiFi (like the original Palm Pixi or BlackBerry Storm).

Well, Symbian has a role to play with it in the first place, because despite how annoying it is, it asks me everytime I want to connect to the internet and doesn't let anything pass. It gives me FULL control over what app uses which connection and at what time, something other platforms don't allow. I had the N900 and I also have an iPod Touch and when they're both in sleep mode, in my bag, they connect to my wifi network when I get home. If they could access an edge or 3g connection, they'll do it nonetheless, and I have no control over that other than to turn WiFi off all together or delete the AP settings.

And you mention 3rd party apps. I actually said it's “symbian and the 3rd party apps available on symbian”. That selection of apps isn't available for any other platform. And i don't think we'll ever get data-efficient apps on other platforms than Symbian because iPhone, Android, BB,… developers are based in North America and don't care about making apps that limit data consumption because they don't have that problem to begin with.

I think I use about 100Mb-200Mb more as wifi from my home network, but that's about it. Finding a public hotspot and connecting to it can be such a royal PIA so I'd rather stick to my EDGE since I know either may that I'm not going much over my plan. As for tethering, this is out of the question, obviously :)

Yeah, I mentioned that in the article. But as far as I understood it's still quite limited in areas covered, plus it's only one operator.

I'm honored :)

do you think you would use much more over 3G? I'd think yes given my
own behavioral change with the enhanced experience of a higher speed
connection.

Yup, I remember going outside of the main Paris area and finding very floppy 3G signal (even on the way to the CDG airport which is like a 20-30mn train ride from the center of the city), and once when we ventured to a few remote areas we barely got one reception signal, so forget about 3G all-together, it was a struggle to get an EDGE connection.

Thanks James :)
As for Mr Scoble, that came as a surprise and there was a moment we thought the server might not handle it :p

Alot of Americans dismiss symbian because they like bright, shiny trinkets that they throw away after a short while. Not all Americans are like that, as evidenced by a smaller but passionate Symbian community. Apple boast 99,999 iFart apps and then there's the Google Map app. What iPhone users really want though is an app that allows them to connect to AT&T

AFAIK Nimbuzz and other IMs works on the 98 bucks Airtel Mobile Office Plan.

First, thanks for the comment. You raised some of the issues I knew I was going to get when writing the article itself ;)

1. Wifi
Yes, leveraging with WiFi is possible, and I do have an iPod Touch. From my *very* limited experience in Paris and in Lebanon, finding free wifi hotspots is like looking for a needle in the hay. In that respect also, the US is far ahead. I can't claim to know how the situation is in other emerging markets, but if it is similar to what I know, you couldn't really tamper your data usage by going WiFi. Heck, I'll tell you one thing, the main WiFi hotspot I use is my home, and I have a 256kbps ADSL connection with a 3Gb monthly bandwidth limit. 3Gb. Seriously. That gives you an idea about why WiFi hotspots are rare and cost $ to access them most of the time.

2. In regard to the whole problem being related to apps and not the platform itself, yes, you're right, to some extent. You point that you can enable/disable 3G on the iPhone or a BB or any other platform, true, but all of these require that you attend to their needs specifically. Meaning, I have to be aware that I need to turn OFF data, like u did when u went to Montreal. With Symbian, I have to be aware that I need to turn ON data, and that's all the difference in the world. As I pointed out as an answer to a commenter above, there are times when my iPod Touch is in my bag yet connects to WiFi when I get home, without asking me. What if I didn't want it to? I have to specifically ask it to turn off wifi. Same would apply to the iPhone and 3G I suppose. As an example, with the N900, whenever I connected to an AP, it would sign in to IM, update all the homescreen widgets, check my emails, and well, crap use 4Mb in 10 seconds. I'm not aware that there's a way to have it ask me which apps can use which connection, if there it, please tell me, because it was my main pet-peeve with it.

3. Coming back to apps again, as far as I know, there is no Twitter app on other platforms that allows you to choose not to show the person's image (that's way too much bandwidth usage), or that uses gzip compression. By nailing these 2, Gravity is definitely the most awesome client for me (if i leave it on 24/24, it uses like 3Mb/day which is ridiculous). Also, I don't see free navigation working offline on other platforms like Ovi Maps does. Or a decent push email client that lets me disable html usage. Opera Mini is a bit more ubiquitous, but still isn't available on all cited platforms. The fact of the matter is that most developers for the iPhone / Android / BB are based in North America or European cities. I doubt there's an active developer community for the iPhone in Vietnam for example, though I wouldn't mind being proven wrong ;) That fact alone means that there is very little hope that developers will bring data-thrifty apps to those platforms, as 1. they don't know the problem with data consumption exists in other parts of the world and 2. they think that all iPhones/Androids are sold with unlimited plans.

I hope I was able to explain my points clearly. Thanks again for the comment, because you helped me voice my opinion on aspects I didn't want to address in the post itself :)

Rita!!!!!! :D
Thank you, thank you. Did I mention thank you. I'm totally linking to this for an upcoming post at MMM, you are on point in so many ways here its not even funny. And your strategies are well worth the wisdom for those of us who have unlimited plans in 3G-awash areas as well :)

@Ricky: get that mobile version fixed :P

Rita,

Excellent points. You got me on all 3 counts :)

There's a huge variation in the availability of free WiFi worldwide. Even within the US and Europe (where I've mostly traveled), it can be hit and miss in some places.

I've seen some Android Twitter clients that let you turn images off… Now if only I remembered which ones!

Both Symbian and Maemo can be setup to ask you to choose a connection each time an application wants data. On Android and iPhone, it's up to the developer to code that into the apps.

tnkgrl

One more thing…. The new, free Ovi maps is fantastic for its offline features!

But there's nothing stopping Google from doing the same with its maps.

The difference is that Google would rather put its resources into giving everyone access to the cloud, than offer offline support. It's all about search and ads for them, and that requires a connection :)

So maybe (just maybe) we're close to a time when none of this will matter, because Google will not only offer free email, IM, maps, navigation, docs, but free data plans if you use these Google services.

Mark my words.

airtel NOP gives you full net on the phone except for the tethering. But didnt work afaik on windows mobiles.

Rita,

Great work on the post. Just proves that today's phones are so much data driven that they are literally useless on slow networks.

Using an iPhone or even the N900 over EDGE in India is frustrating.EDGE on AT&T and T-mobile USA is a lot faster. This has a lot to do with the Teledensity and usage patterns of consumers in the particular country.

I'm not sure if you have had a look at Opera's State of the Mobile Web report. The top phones in any country(except the USA) which consume data through Opera Mini are either Symbian or S40

Most of today's smartphones are designed for the developed markets for consumers with a great deal of purchasing power and most of these phones are sold on a contract and users get some bundled usage and charged extra beyond that.

Symbian handsets are very popular as they are mostly sold unlocked

Would be interesting to watch Symbian replace S40 in the entry level segment.

And I just lost 3G coverage and switched to EDGE as i was typing this :P

is the Airtel Mobile office plan for prepaid airtel ? just like aircel? Is this service new? actually im currently in the UK thats why my info about the Indian networks is a bit dated … please confirm

[...] will look like next should, and most likely will, shock the techie elite – or at least straighten their eyes out to reality a good bit better. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)The (Mobile) Bar Is RaisedHas [...]

[...] Full-Web Experience? No Thanks, Give Me Symbian Any Day Yes, it doesn’t have any of the bling or the ease of use of many recent platforms. But when it comes to getting things done for a good chunk of the world’s population without creating a humongous hole in their pocket, Symbian still has *it*, and no one can beat that for now. (tags: symbian india data) [...]

Hi Rita, I have been using services in emerging markets like India and as well as the US (Pittsburgh and New York City). I got my job done in both countries but I had to rely more on the WiFi(stationary) in India as compared to HSPA(mobile) in the US.

Like Tnkgrl mentioned before; Its just what you plan to on your device and what apps you prefer (you can use dabr or gravity or m.twitter for the same level of output i.e. tweet and see the huge data difference.)

2010 is the year of cloud and believe it or not its going to become universal with some amazing things coming our way. India is holding on to some issues with the HSPA auctions (Defense Ministry approval for frequencies) but as soon as it goes live no one is going to look back. China too is all for the cloud and Japan (4G) is altogether at a different level (could be a reason why Nokia backed out).

The reason why I love the cloud is that you just concentrate on productivity rather than wasting time updating your applications core data. Take ovi maps as an example: Once you get them today, you are bound to update them in about six months which I suppose takes a lot of time on a 256 ADSL connection and eats up that 3GB limit where as in google maps, nothing to worry. You open the app and you get the latest maps.

I know cloud has its own issues but it is the future and sooner or later it will be adopted by all. We can start a debate on the following issue here:

“Is the state of carrier service providers a reason for Nokia's success in the emerging markets?”

Interesting point about Maemo. Maybe I'll have to ask for a trial device again from Nokia Lebanon to test the new firmware and that connection setting.

As for Google, well, I've come to a point where I wouldn't be surprised by anything they do.

Ya, the Airtel Mobile Office Plan is only for prepaid customers and it was launched very recently.

“We often pay dearly for the hardware and software we CAN get, much more than people in North America or EU have to pay”
Definitely. That's another point that they don't get. We don't have subsidized handsets in Lebanon so we often pay the full 500$ – 700$ price for a phone, yet we keep being treated as crap with services coming our way 2 or 3 years after the important markets.

Actually Jonathan, I had 3G in Paris and I didn't use it all that much because it consumed battery power a bit too fast for my liking. I used to force edge-only most of the time, then switch to 3g when i had a big download or wanted to watch tv over 3g. So there are definitely things I would do that I don't dare doing now, like downloading files or maybe browsing on Opera Mobile instead of Opera Mini, or streaming youtube, if I knew I had 3G and a better bandwidth. Meanwhile, I've learned to live with the limitation and to make the most of what I have.

Always an honor to hear your good words Antoine. I'm looking forward to what you have to say about it on MMM.

And i live in the midle of europe in switzerland, without any dataplan. It doesnt cost too much, but i prefer do my job and not to surf in internet :-)

Actually I would better replace that last question with “does Nokia's success in emerging markets stem from their understanding and adapting to the state of the carrier service providers?”

Actually, the N900 does have an “always ask” option for connecting to the internet. Though I use it more for saving battery life than limiting data :). I agree you can't really use the N900 without a limited data plan though.

Also please all keep in mind that in emerging markets the minimun wage is WAY below what people get paid in first world countries. For example $15 is three times what most people earn a full day of hard work in mexico (you get that in 2 hours of work in the US), most people do not earn more than $150 a month, and moreover they have to pay more important stuff like water, electricity, rent, food, schools and other basic stuff for the whole family which is large most of time, and if that's not enough, mexico is known for having some of the most expensive basic services in the world, being cellular service one of them.

That's why Nokia is a big winner in emerging markets, they give basic phones to the masses who cannot even think of having a data plan, they just buy prepaid, which is also very popular here with the low class people which accounts for 50% of the population.

On the other hand the medium class which is like 40% of the population can pay some services like wifi, and then buy some phones that may be able to connect to it, the 5530 comes to mind here: cheap, and very well equiped. Still data plans are out of reach for most of this class.

Either, Nokia phones are the best option always, they are cheap and most important, there are many choices that can please almost anybody. If you want a cheap touchscreen, but have no wifi, there's the 5230, or if you want something cheap but very well equiped theres the 5800. Or if you want the most basic, the 1100 is for you!

If you want everything, you have the high end phones like the N900, N97, N86 and so on… Americans and europeans tend to forget that the wifi isnt as ubiquitious on other countries like in theirs, and that their cheap plans can be very expensive and out of reach for most people on other countries, even when some data services are from the stone age.

Cheers

[...] Full web experience? No thanks, give me Symbian any day (symbian​-guru​.com) [...]

i think that in many occasions people have to travel and live in other countries to really understand the differences that can exist. Its a fundamental part of life and life experiences.

when 90% of the world doesnt have the infrastructure or resources to support the “full web experience” of the top end smartphones, it makes the international strategies of smartphone manufacturers like iphone and htc look rather introverted and insular.

just recently, nokia announced a new cheap range of smartphones which will do very well in the emerging markets. These markets will shape the world in this coming century… if you do not accept this, then focussing on providing the “full web experience” will see you feeling left out at the end of it all.

It is not about dumbing down your work, its about making it more efficient. In countries where they have less resources than the US, they just make the most out of the little they have. In the US its much easier to just use/buy more bandwith or powerful equipment as its all readily available. There is not such a need for effeciency and there is less of a need to achieve it.

However, with the growth in the emerging markets you will actually end up at a disadvantge when compared to your third world counterparts as they will be more effecient than you, achieving much more, with much less.

Using heavy data networks and paying extra for new and powerful equipment is not actually innovative. Using limited euipment and resources to achieve the same thing however, is.

Great article

VERY good article. I live in the EU but am not so crazy about being connected; in fact, I’m willing to wait and do my job whenever I access a free WiFi, instead of paying for a 3G just to fulfill my “need” there and then. Fake needs, anyhow…
As for marketing plans… I’m not the one to say if emerging markets and their huge number of buyers will beat the fast-buying US/EU consumers. But it smells like success.

Anyhow, I joined this article wondering if my next phone would be Android or Symbian. Glad I found you, and the answer!