While in Japan it was very easy to see the pervasive use of mobile phones. Phones are something that everyone owns and uses, but a recent Wired article begs the question “have Japanese phones become too complex to use?” It was very easy to be impressed by the features the Japanese mobiles had, but one also had to beg the question ‘is this practical or required?’ Seeing features such as, videoconferencing, was amazing, but would this is something that I wouldn’t use in daily practice, making it more of a parlor trick than a feature. In the article Nobi Hayashi estimated that the average person only uses “5 to 10 percent” of their phones features, meaning things the average user has no use for are complicating the phone. Japanese users are quite proud and willing to show off the “cool” features their phone offers, but few use them. It is a nice trick to videoconference with a colleague across the room, but it doesn’t seem practical on a crowded train.
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/news/2008/06/japan_phones
