Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Stop the "Smartphone"

The most recent incarnation of mobile phones (cellular phones) are now called "smartphones" -- because they upgrade their predecessors.

But that terminology is not sustainable.

First - the phones are not so smart. They may seem so now, but in the next two years this crop will be functionally challenged and seem inadequate.

Next - these contraptions are no longer simply phones. They are computer, camera, GPS, audio recorder, music player, etc. The phone function & characteristics are not so central to product definition now.

We need a new name for them gizmo. A good name can be used for decades.

I suggest "commby"

Commby is "communications" paired with "By" because it's near (proximity). And it's a communication combination machine, with multiple functions.

Commby - a short sweet name for great technology.

Manufacturers are busy creating their own machines and devising proprietary names. This name should be open source. 

Where's my commby?