Edited by Adam Jacobs, Wednesday, 12 Jan 2011, 16:36
I wrote a few days ago about my dismay at the mobile phone industry, and the way in which they seemingly go out of their way to discourage me from replacing my old phone with a whizzy new smartphone. I have just seen some more information that reinforces my impression that the mobile phone industry have seriously lost their way.
One of the supposed advantages of smartphones is that they are capable of delivering rich multimedia content, such as YouTube clips. This is a feature of smartphones that is specifically advertised by the mobile phone companies in an attempt to persuade you that you should buy one. Here is an example of an advert for one particular smartphone on the T-Mobile website. Note the specific reference to watching YouTube videos.
But hold on a minute, another page on the T-Mobile website describes their so-called "fair use policy" for using internet data from smartphones. In that page, they tell you, in the sort of tone normally reserved for telling off naughty schoolboys, that you really shouldn't be using your mobile phone for downloading video. I quote:
"If you want to download, stream and watch video clips, save that stuff for your home broadband."
So, T-Mobile, please could you make up your mind? Are smartphones intended to be used for viewing rich content or not? If they are not, then why are you advertising them for that purpose? And if they are, then why are you telling off your users when they use their phones for what you tell them they can do in your adverts?
This does not make me more likely to want to buy a smartphone.
Update 12 Jan 16:35
It would appear that T-Mobile have now become rather embarrassed about the page I linked to, and have changed it. You can see the original here.
More on mobile phones
I wrote a few days ago about my dismay at the mobile phone industry, and the way in which they seemingly go out of their way to discourage me from replacing my old phone with a whizzy new smartphone. I have just seen some more information that reinforces my impression that the mobile phone industry have seriously lost their way.
One of the supposed advantages of smartphones is that they are capable of delivering rich multimedia content, such as YouTube clips. This is a feature of smartphones that is specifically advertised by the mobile phone companies in an attempt to persuade you that you should buy one. Here is an example of an advert for one particular smartphone on the T-Mobile website. Note the specific reference to watching YouTube videos.
But hold on a minute, another page on the T-Mobile website describes their so-called "fair use policy" for using internet data from smartphones. In that page, they tell you, in the sort of tone normally reserved for telling off naughty schoolboys, that you really shouldn't be using your mobile phone for downloading video. I quote:
"If you want to download, stream and watch video clips, save that stuff for your home broadband."
So, T-Mobile, please could you make up your mind? Are smartphones intended to be used for viewing rich content or not? If they are not, then why are you advertising them for that purpose? And if they are, then why are you telling off your users when they use their phones for what you tell them they can do in your adverts?
This does not make me more likely to want to buy a smartphone.
Update 12 Jan 16:35
It would appear that T-Mobile have now become rather embarrassed about the page I linked to, and have changed it. You can see the original here.