Motorola has pulled the curtains off the MotoFone, a product I’ve had the privilege of working on with a great team of people. It’s a bold project: connecting the unconnected in developing countries, and it’s very exciting to see it so close to shipping. I really hope that it can make a difference to people’s lives.
Link: MotoFone (motorola.com)
I’m curious to know how much of research and design work was done in India for the project. Nokia had a runaway success with their 1100 variants in India, because they made a simple, trustable, unpretentious & uncomplicated device, which did what it was meant to do – calls and sms – really well.
not sure if the obsession with slimness works here. It would be good to see other features in it though – such as PTT, or preferred dialing numbers, which are not there in the Noke. Or if it enables other services, such as maintaining stock and sending sms’s on inventory and price quotes to prospective buyers and sellers.
Research work was done all around the world, including India. Nokia has an incredible brand in India – “Nokia” is used to talk about mobile phones in almost the same way “Kleenex” is used to talk about tissues, and you’re right: they have done a lot right with the 1100. The MotoFone will hopefully be a compelling and different option for consumers in Indian and other markets.