when looking at any technology, (at least) 6 questions are important:

1. “What is the problem to which this is the solution?”
2. “Whose problem is it?”
3. “Suppose we solve this problem, and solve it decisively. What new problems might be created because we have solved the problem?”
4. “Which people, and what institutions might be most seriously harmed by a technological solution?”
5. “What changes in language are being enforced by new technologies, and what is being gained and lost by such changes?”
   • (eg. “community” and “conversation” have changed meaning wrt internet)
   • “conversation” – “email isn’t a conversation, it’s just 2 guys typing messages to each other.”
   • “community” – on internet, people of similar interests. traditionally, people who do not necessarily have similar interests, but who must negotiate and accommodate their differences for the sake of social harmony.
6. “What sort of people and institutions acquire special economic and political power because of technological change?”
   • the transformation of a technology into a medium – the exploitation of a technology – always results in a realignment of power.
   • eg. television gives power to some, while depriving others.
   • media entrepreneurs are the most radical force in culture.

“The answers one gives may have an ideological cast, but the questions [are universal].”

There. I said it. I don’t have a cell phone.

My wife has one, for work, but I don’t have one. Never have.

Why?

The cell telcos in Canada basically suck. By design. Every transaction with the phone is intended, designed, counted on, to suck cash from my pockets into theirs.

Take the new family (i.e., her) cell phone. It’s a relatively uncrappy Samsung. Has a decent-ish built in camera. Actually takes pictures that don’t make me cringe. And I can take lots of pictures with it. But, if I actually want to KEEP any of those photos, they cost me 50 cents each, because the only way to get them off the phone is via Rogers’ email service. I can’t use the bluetooth functions of the phone. And the phone ships without a USB cable.

Hitting the “menu” button is another example of who actually owns the phone. What’s the most common action I’d want to do with the menu system? Probably look up a phone number in the contacts list. What’s the default-selected menu item when activating the Menu? Rogers Store. Yeah. By default, they expect me to shop for crap on the Rogers Store. When I’m done with that, maybe I’ll remember to look up that phone number…

Want to change the ringtone? SURE! Enter the Rogers Store. They’re only a couple of bucks. Never mind that you’ve got a computer capable of processing audio files, and should be able to add your own sound clips as audio files (I have the absolutely perfect ringtone sitting on my hard drive, but no way to push it to the phone).

Want to check email or view a web page? Sure! First, it’s painfully slow. Second, it’s even more painfully expensive. I’ll pass.

So, when a Canadian cell telco gets hit with a clue, and decides to make the phone work for me, instead of for them, I might have an incentive to get a phone.

On top of that, I hate phones in the first place. They’re all about “stop what you’re doing! someone else has something they need, right frakking now!” synchronous communication. Maybe I’m spoiled with email and IM, but there is very little of my communication with anyone that demands RIGHT FRAKKING NOW responses. I don’t really look forward to bringing that level of intrusiveness with me in my pocket…

Maybe an iPhone with the ringer turned off most of the time? Except I have very little faith in Canadian cell telcos to not completely screw up the iPhone by locking stuff down in order to maximize revenue generation. In the meantime, this is my ideal phone: