[tt] CHE: Wired Campus: For Many Students, the Simplest Cell Phones Suffice

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Wired Campus: For Many Students, the Simplest Cell Phones Suffice
http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3282/for-many-students-the-simplest-cell-phones-suffice?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
August 29, 2008

There is something to be said for simplicity in an ever-more-wired
age. But it's typically the old folks you hear saying something
like: "I just want a cell phone that makes calls. I don't need one
that plays music, sends e-mail, takes pictures, surfs the Web,
contains a map of Tokyo, unlocks car doors, plays a crafty game of
poker, works like a credit card, and combs my hair." (Somewhere in
this wide world, technicians are no doubt working on the mobile
beautician.)

Youngsters have been branded as gizmophiles, attached to their
phones and their many uses. But a new survey from the University of
New Hampshire suggests that students use their phones in limited
ways -- mainly for talking, texting, keeping track of time, and a
handful of other basic functions.

Students in a market-research class taught by Chuck Martin, an
adjunct professor in the university's Whittemore School of Business
and Economics, asked 707 students from the college of engineering
(the geeks, that is) which functions they use on their cell phones.
Talking, texting, and the alarm clock were used by 80 to 90 percent
of those who responded. The calculator, camera, and "backlight as
flashlight" were used by around 50 percent. Far less important were
the Internet browser, the music player, the e-mail reader, and GPS,
at around 3 percent.

When asked what features they wanted in a cell phone, students
ranked long battery life and water resistance at the top, then GPS
features right after that. Maybe it's just cool to have a cell phone
that can do GPS, even though you never use it.

When asked what might prevent a student from buying a phone with an
array of cool features, most students cited price, then durability
and the quality of the service provider. So practical, these
students. --Scott Carlson
Posted on Friday August 29, 2008

Comments

1. "Maybe it's just cool to have a cell phone that can do GPS, even
  though you never use it."
  Or maybe they never use it because they can't afford a phone
  that has it as a feature. There's a strong correlation between
  use of cell phone features and access to them - the majority of
  the features on the list that students don't use (internet,
  email, GPS etc.) are the same ones that require an expensive
  data plan to go along with an expensive phone.
  -- Cameron Blevins Aug 29, 12:01 PM #
2. Same as having buying a home with a jetted tub -- it's nice to
  have, but we hardly use it. When we were looking at houses a
  couple months ago, the realtor kept bragging about the damn
  jetted tub. I finally asked her if she had one. She said yes.
  How often she or anyone in her family used it? Almost never, she
  admitted. Ugh!
  -- Nokeke Aug 29, 12:58 PM #
3. Note that this is survey research, so all you're really getting
  is perhaps how people think they use their phones. Not a great
  measure of actual usage, let alone meaning.
  -- Mark Aug 29, 01:53 PM #
4. With all due respect, I think this is a ridiculous conclusion.
  This study did not take into account the students' experience
  with various types of cell phones. More advanced cell phones,
  such as the iPhone, can offer students numerous benefits in
  regards to productivity, organization, and convenience. However,
  I imagine very few students in this survey had any knowledge of
  what they are missing out on.
  I suggest conducting a follow-up survey where you give the same
  students an iPhone for one month and then take it away. I am
  willing to wager an annual subscription to my company's services
  (OrgSync.com) that you will find a majority of those students
  very hesitant to return to using their antiquated simple cell
  phones.
  -- Eric Fortenberry Aug 29, 06:07 PM #
5. Of course the students aren't going to use their phones to surf
  the net if their phones are INCAPABLE of doing so in the first
  place! There is only one among thousands of models that make
  that function possible and most people, don't have it! (iPhone)
  -- Sean Aug 30, 02:26 AM #
6. orgsync sucks as a service. every time i tried it, it screwed up
  my calendar and contacts
  -- robb Aug 31, 01:58 PM #
7. The real issue is cost. Most parents are paying for their
  sons/daughters cell phones. Basic phone and text messaging is
  costly enough each month. Adding data plans adds cost. Not
  everyone can see the cost-benefit.
  -- Dwight Sep 2, 07:44 AM #
8. Orgsync does suck. Badly. This service is a waste of money. Eric
  Frankenberry should stop shilling on this blog.
  -- Eric V. Sep 2, 09:00 AM #
9. Nothing wrong with this survey. I have found that students here
  report the same use patterns. Talk and text, clock and
  flashlight--sounds about right.
  -- Ursten Von Gimmel Sep 2, 09:12 AM #
10. Any research worth it's weight has to be landed in some way in
  the real world. The class survey at UNH was at least much closer
  to reality than what Eric F. proposes. "Give the same students
  an IPhone" is code for destroying anything that resembles decent
  research. If the IPhone and a decent service are free, of course
  anyone would jump at that. Most of us make decisions on value of
  the dollar spent and what we actually will use, as opposed to
  bragging about but never use. You can't remove the cost factor
  in that relationship. The add ons are nice, but if they aren't
  used all that much then why buy them?
  -- Brian D. Sep 2, 09:57 AM #
11. With all due respect to #4, I think it's shameful to comment
  with a well-placed "plug" for your company.
  -- Jr. Sep 2, 10:34 AM #
12. Sufficient to each person is their use. I use the Internet
  browser all the time, and for one of my daughters the music
  player is a primary need. So much for this article.
  -- Al Sep 2, 12:04 PM #
13. I would like to apologize for the plug above, I was intending to
  provide background on my experience working with the student
  population. Lesson learned. I am merely passionate about
  technology and want to support the most innovative solutions.
  The costs of an iPhone and its services were definitely negated
  and clearly make it less feasible for students to afford the
  iPhone or any PDA for that matter.
  -- Eric Fortenberry Sep 3, 02:18 AM #
14. I agree with Cameron (#1). I'm pretty sure that if the cost of
  data plans went down that more students would be using all the
  bells and whistles.
  I think this may be a stronger indication of how lame mobile
  interfaces have been so far. The iPhone has changed this
  forever, so I'm excited to see what's to come in the next 5
  years...
  -- Alan Bradford Sep 3, 06:18 PM #