Tom and others: I think cell phones have their space and useful applications and computers have their specific space and other useful applications. Thinking of using cell phones in class rooms for curriculum delivery seems to be quite a bit far fetched - with a small screen you can do only so much in my opinion. With a decent sized keyboard and a mouse with software that supports these types of input devices, you will always be way better off when working, say on spreadsheets, text documents or drawings. And these skills do provide a lot of benefit to people looking for jobs. There is, as well, the whole concept of a larger display, where multiple people can read information from it at the same time and such.
Using a cell phone to check email and surf the web may appeal to some more then others. I do believe on the other hand that SMS / Text messaging is a very powerful tool and very cost effective as well. I was recently in Uganda and there you can get access to market prices for crops in various towns via SMS - this may be of value for many people. And there are many more very good uses out there. Thinking of computers as a thing of the past is, in my opinion, something to discuss 15 to 20 years from now, but certainly not in the next 5 years. When thinking about costs there are a few other things to keep in mind as well: How long will the device be relevant? When does it need to be replaced? Currently cell phones still have very fast innovation cycles compared to computers, where the innovation cycle has slowed down dramatically over the past few years. I can still use my computer from 3 years ago very well for day to day word processing and so on, whereas if I require a sophisticated cell phone I need to replace it about once a year. Purchasing costs: The cost of a computer that will work fine for office type applications and internet access is approaching $200 to $300 already now. While a cell phone that can access the internet, and provides the user with a decent text entry capability still costs at least $200 if not much more (keep in mind many cell phones in the US and Europe are subsidized through contract term commitments, which doesn't apply to they way cell phones are marketed in developing nations). Ongoing costs: Cell phones still operate mainly on a per minute model, not only for voice, but for data traffic as well. This limits the free access of information, because it's not clear what the cost will be exactly, while many types of data access for computers are already priced at a flat-rate. Flat-rate data access makes it much easier to find sustainable business models in the communities. And of course the use of office applications has no other ongoing costs associated with it other than power and the use of printing materials (if required). It's much easier to budget for this then for metered services. Many PC manufacturers are now recognizing the value of building low-power-consuming computers and so the power requirements are decreasing as well. It's already pretty easy to build computers from off-the-shelf components that consume less then 20 Watts, and at prices below $400, including keyboard, mouse and display. I think each device has its place and for certain uses a cell phone is by far superior to a computer under certain circumstances and vice versa. It's misleading to assume that cell phones will replace computers in the economies of Europe and the US anytime soon and we should not expect that this will be different in other places around the world. What do you think? Mark -------------------------------------------- Mark Summer co-founder, Inveneo web: http://www.inveneo.org phone: +1-415-901-1969 x 1200 FWD: 603303 cell: +1-415-867-9751 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Thursday, July 21, 2005, Tom Abeles wrote: > I think that it is "nice" to think about the $100 computer. But one > needs to remember that cell phones are ubiquitous and relatively low > cost. One post secondary education institution is developing curricula > using the cell phone as the device of choice for their students. Cells > that are both WiFi and work on the cellular bands are on the market, and > some are predicting the $2 cell phone which is "printed", realizing that > these can be built up with the proper inks, which are even being used to > make mechanical devices. > > Also, think about iPods and where the next generation is going to be, > rather than trying to make the past cheaper. ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
