The wowPhone: A Product of Synergy and Lazy?


In a special issue (The World in 2008) of The Economist, I came across an article about a growing trend among cell phone users. The article, “Buying and Celling” by Tom Standage was in the business section of what I would consider a bland and colorless business and politics magazine. I have to admit the only reason I stopped at the page of the article was because of an accompanying photo showing two women standing in front of a Gucci building. But stepping back and looking at the whole package of the article, with its headline, photo, text, and other design attributes, I assessed that it was an attractive spread — granted it was very basic and minimalist. The headline was not eye-catching. The drop cap was not particularly inspiring. Even the deck wasn’t one to gawk over. But as a complete package, it worked, especially considering the source — The Economist, a magazine not exactly known for its frills.

Along with the photo, there is a bar graph on top of the image that delivers data on the amounts of bank branches, ATMs, and mobile subscriptions in countries like the USA and UK, to Kenya, China, and Mexico. The use of color in this graph is eye-catching and the idea of combining the infographic with the photo is innovative.

The article talks about the increasing capabilities of mobile phones in our ever-evolving technology-obsessed society. Standage first identifies the three main things most every person keeps with them: their keys, wallet, and cell phone. He then proposed the compaction of these items into one. The technology known as “Near Field Communication” (NFC) is a chip that would be embedded in phones, allowing them to be used as credit cards. The world over is beginning to take notice of the possibilities, remodeling their scanning equipment to allow for this advanced technology. In Japan, where this all began, people use contactless Suica cards “to pay for train fares and make purchases from shops and vending machines.” Japanese users are now beginning to incorporate Mobile Suica, which lets people’s phones act as Suica cards. Essentially this plays on the idea of scan-and-go credit and debit cards that are issued by banks in the United States and frequently used when purchasing gas or at convenience stores.

I think this synergy of mobile phone technology with quick-spending is more than likely to be a concept Americans will devour. It plays on our very desire for increased convenience. With the 2007 release of the Apple iPhone, a mobile device capable of email, internet access, playing video and music, taking photos, navigation, and oh yeah — making telephone calls, its obvious that people want to streamline these functions into one tool. With possibilities provided by the contacless NFC chip, the abilities of cell phones are beginning to seem endless. The article even goes on to say that the world’s biggest lock-makers are interested in working with the NFC capabilities.

The focus of the article poses many questions. What affects will this technology have on the sales of desktop computers and laptops, as they will eventually become obsolete? With our increasing reliance of products that do things for us, is it possible we’ll become dependent? Where will technology progress from here in terms of convergence? In terms of layout and design, how does the spread complement the subject of the article and does the combination of the graph and photo distract from the other? Another question — is it really that big of a pain to carry a wallet along with your phone?

Plus, I like my credit cards.