Mark Bridge writes:
No-one really likes an anticlimax. That was my biggest complaint about the launch of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7. Plenty of potential, a nice new interface – but nothing much that wasn’t being done elsewhere.
It’s the same type of accusation that’s been levelled at Apple’s iPhone in the past. The user experience is exciting… but the technology can be bettered by other devices.
Last week Palm released version 1.4 of its webOS, which introduced video capture. As Henry Kelly might say, “you’re playing catch-up”. I had video recording on my mobile phone in 2003.
And now dear old Vodafone seems to be doing the same.
“Qik mobile video service now available through Vodafone”.
Excellent news. I’ll install it on my… oh, hang on, I downloaded it over 12 months ago.
“Foursquare now available on Vodafone mobiles”.
Yeah, it’s available and has been pretty much since Foursquare launched in the UK last year.
I realise there’s more to these stories than the 'now available' angle. These are partnerships that involve mutual benefits.
All I’m asking for is common sense and a little modesty. If you’re following someone else’s lead, please don’t try to convince me you’re doing something new. If you’re jumping on a bandwagon, don’t pretend you’re in the driving seat.
Thanks to their marketing efforts, I’m starting to doubt the innovative abilities of several mobile companies. They’d have been better off keeping quiet.
Or, as Aesop put it – around 2,500 years ago – don’t cry wolf.