Why I (Still) Hate My Cell Phone

Reason Number 2:  Inconsistent call quality. A call can go from crystal clear to a garbled mess, usually at a critical point in the conversation.  Hopefully this will improve with 5G technologies (which should also help address my reason number 8 and 3).  As we are all aware, call satisfaction for any given call typically runs around 80% or so in our industry.  Being satisfied 4 out of 5 times might work in some circumstances, but when I use my phone for business that’s simply not good enough.  (And we’ve probably had the occasional personal relationship take a hit due to a bad cellular connection too.)  My recommendation here is simply get 5G up and going as quickly as we can.

And, the Number 1 Reason I still hate my cell phone is:  Underwhelming battery stamina. The damn battery always dies at the worst possible time!  And this takes me back to my love/hate relationships with these devices.  When they are working and network connectivity is reliable, they are a huge advantage - the catalysts of productivity.  When they’re unavailable due to a dead battery, it can have major consequences.  Now granted, I use my smartphone a lot, but I really, really, need the battery to last through a typical 8-hour business day.  When the battery dies in the middle of a call, when navigating to a meeting, or booking a hotel or flight reservation … well, I really hate my cell phone then.  It goes from productivity catalyst to useless paperweight in the span of hours. The primary drain on the batter is typically running the display, so clearly developing more power efficient and dynamic screen technology is something we need.  But that problem could be overcome if we can improve our battery technology.  Quite frankly, a 50% increase in battery life would get the job done for me.  Until then, I’m carrying around an external battery pack in case my phone gets low … which hopefully I’ve remembered to charge before I leave the house or the hotel.

So, there you have it.  The top ten reasons why I still hate my cell phone and what I’d like to see done about it by the manufacturers, software developers and network service providers.  

There are many others - too many to include here. Things such as the nefarious "Autocorrect" feature.  Which by many accounts could have taken the pole position in the list above.  Other responses pointed at the role of cell phones in everything from the disintegration of social skills to advent of "spousal tethering."

Many of these problems have frustrated me - and many other mobile customers - for two decades.  I’m hopeful we’ll have them solved before another two decades goes by.  Thanks for letting me vent, and if any of you are aware of solutions TODAY for any of these problems, get a hold of me here at Pipeline magazine.