Digital Boomerang Singapore 

Stylish design has been the make or break of many mobile phones. Remember Motorola’s big block of a phone that could once be used as a weapon in a bar brawl? Well, no one does. No one really wants to admit they used to own one.

In fact, the success of Nokia and Ericsson is much attributed to their designs and how they fit into your lifestyle.

Nokia’s latest offerings including the 3310, 3330 and soon-to-be-launched 8310 all come with Xpress On interchangeable covers to suite your style.

Ericsson’s early success was very much due to their sleek flip cover design and their positioning on how it fits your life like it fits your hand. For a while, Ericsson faded out of the scene because of the lack of innovation in design but is hoping to make a quick comeback with the new T29s and A3618.

Motorola, on the other hand, saw sales of their handsets fall. Needless to say, their designs are much less fashionable and often perceived as too manly and boring.

Other manufacturers like Samsung and Siemens are learning the lesson quickly. Your technology can be amazing but no one wants to own it unless the packaging is attractive. Samsung’s new i-blue and Siemens’ SL45 are evidence of their increasing focus on stylish design.

New entrants to the market, like Sagem and Mitsubishi have studied the ingredients necessary for success and are launching phones that clearly focus on design. Sagem’s new range of phones including the MW3016 and MW3020 come with interchangeable faceplates.

Mitsubishi sees stylish design as one of the core elements of their Trium handset brand. Perhaps the President of Mitsubishi Electric Telecom Europe said it best, “Mobile phones are modern business cards that reflect the user’s personality and lifestyle”.

Obviously, fashion and style are important. No one wants to carry around a hideous gadget. Gadgets are meant to be oogled at and admired. Let’s face it, a cool phone with a cool cover can make a dinner conversation piece.

But is it overdone? Like the branded clothes we rush to buy and the Mercedes and BMWs that we clamour for, are phones fast-becoming a status symbol that define our income bracket and personality?

It sure seems that way. I have friends and colleagues that purchase phones based purely on their fashion quotient or their “coolness” factor. No, they don’t really care that the buttons are so tiny they are impossible to press. Nor does it concern them if the phone can store 20 or 50 messages. It’s whether the phone is “in” or “out”. Period.

So what’s the big deal? Fashion has been defining us for ages. Fashion houses have built their empires dishing out designs that they think we should wear or they think we can fit into.

Well the truth is, it’s no big deal. I guess I just kind of miss the “techy” world. A world where technology is all that matters and value-for-money technology is the sole force behind a purchase. But reality is that fashion has infiltrated geekdom and now it’s on the verge of taking over.

Can you imagine Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung and Siemens standing side by side with Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Tommy Hilfinger? Yes, I can. After all, Gucci has already started a line of fashion accessories for mobile phones and handheld devices. What’s stopping Gucci from designing phones for Siemens or Ericsson?

- First published on IT AsiaOne, This is IT

Share This