Phones On Fire

by Tony Thomas

Cell phones are catching fire.  Literally.  The recent problems with the Galaxy Note involving their lithium ion batteries has generated quite a bit of fear and concern.   And for good reason.   Spontaneous combustion is not a feature that phone buyers look for in a cell phone.

Should we be concerned that this problem will spread to other phones?  We certainly should. 

Lithium Ion batteries are powerful.   They are what give us devices that last for many hours. That is also a big part of the problem. These batteries produce power via a chemical reaction involving highly volatile lithium.  If damaged or improperly charged,  these batteries can pose a safety risk.  And with skinnier cell phone designs with increased battery life,  the design tolerances are much tighter,  thus increasing the risk.

As a result, cell phone manufacturers are going to have to decide whether it is really worth producing skinny phones that may catch on fire. 

In the interim, let the buyer beware.

The Galaxy Note 7 is Dead (from The Verge):
http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/11/13202608/samsung-galaxy-note-7-discontinued

Why the Galaxy Note 7 Catches Fire (from CNet): 
https://www.cnet.com/news/why-is-samsung-galaxy-note-7-exploding-overheating/

The High Price of Cell Phones

by Tony Thomas

It is obvious that the price of cell phones is out of control.

You can buy a very nice tablet, or even a 32-inch television set, for much less than an average cell phone these days. In fact, a major retailer even gave away a big screen TV with every cell phone!

While there are some affordable cell phones, they are definitely in the minority. What makes them so expensive? Certainly, some of it blamed on miniaturization and aesthetics, but the profit margins are certainly high on cell phones. To get more than a paltry amount of memory, you have to pony up. That is ridiculous considering the fact that memory is actually pretty cheap these days.

Just as with eyeglasses, cell phones have become fashion statements and status symbols. As a result, people are willing to pay much more because of the “bling factor”. Where there is demand, the supply of high-end cell phones will follow.

Another thing that inflates their price is the fact that many cellular providers allow you to pay for cell phones monthly, thus lessening the sticker shock. It is nothing more than a mind trick. A parallel is that when you buy a $25,000 car, you look at the $350 a month payment rather than the total price of the car.

Personally, I carry, an older, low-end, Samsung cell phone and tether it to a Chromebook or tablet. The combined price of those items is much less than that of a brand new, feature-rich, cell phone.

It works for me. Your mileage may vary.

Apple v. Samsung - Verdict Fallout

I watched the Apple versus Samsung trial with considerable interest. As a consumer of electronics products, I knew its outcome would impact the entire marketplace. Samsung's suspicious internal memos were what ultimately caused Apple to win the case. It was clear from reading them that Samsung flew a little too close to the flame in trying to mimic Apple designs. However, I still don't believe that it should be possible for a company to patent a geometric shape under the category of "trade dress".

$1 billion? Seriously? Are the little bounce animation, pinch-to-zoom functionality and modified rectangular shape really worth 50 bucks a phone?  Is Apple going to become a patent farm trolling for dollars? Are you willing to pay hundreds of dollars per device to underwrite all of the patent claims? These are important questions and it remains to be seen how they are going to be answered by the average consumer. The bottom line is that the consumer is still king. Patents don't mean anything unless people are willing to pay for them.