Do Cell Phone Users Really Want Myriad Features?

By Laura Sydell

Published June 26, 2007 at 4:00 PM EDT

Besides being a phone, the Apple iPhone is also a camera, an MP3 player, a Web browser and an e-mail provider, and it has a touch-screen keypad. Competitors are promoting phones by highlighting the features of their cell phones that the iPhone lacks. And the phone isn't available in stores until June 29.

Expectations are high. But how much is too much? What do people really want on their mobile telephones? How many cool features can you cram onto one device that is still small enough to carry in a pocket? What do consumers really want from their cell phones?

Laura Sydell

Laura Sydell fell in love with the intimate storytelling qualities of radio, which combined her passion for theatre and writing with her addiction to news. Over her career she has covered politics, arts, media, religion, and entrepreneurship. Currently Sydell is the Digital Culture Correspondent for NPR's All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and NPR.org.

See stories by Laura Sydell

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