Russell Simmons, cell phone consultant, speaks...

“The purpose of a phone is a phone. Phones don’t work that well.”
Russell Simmons, Def Jam records co-founder and Motorola consultant, telling wireless execs to perfect voice-call quality before adding features. (source: Business Week, 4/5/04, pg. 5)

Give’m hell Russell!

My cell phone, which doubles as my home phone, doesn’t work that well. The coverage cuts in and out all the time. I find it frustrating (and so must the folks on the listening end). Yet, I put up with it because having one phone simplifies my life.

All these features that cell phone makers are adding to their phones befuddles me. I don’t understand why consumers want (or need for that matter) a mediocre camera, a mediocre game system, a mediocre internet browser, or a mediocre PDA with a mediocre phone. It’s like these cell phone manufacturers are trying to dazzle you with all these rich Corinthian leather-like features so that you will ignore the poor sound quality and the choppy cell reception.

I’d much prefer a cell phone that focuses on delivering the best, the clearest, and the most consistent service possible. Is that too much to ask?