Blackberry (2023) - "The world's smallest email terminal"

Summary

In a dynamic discussion, the speaker challenges the conventional marketing approach of a cell phone company, suggesting that their real product is 'minutes'. He proposes a revolutionary idea: integrating the internet into cell phones to make them indispensable tools for individualism and self-reliance, thus reducing reliance on traditional communication methods. The debate highlights technical challenges and a proposed solution involving a giant computer to manage email efficiently, reducing bandwidth usage significantly. The script ends with a humorous note on the prototype's functionality and size, teasing the potential of this innovative technology.

Takeaways

• 📱 The speaker believes that cell phones should be reimagined to be more useful, emphasizing individualism and self-reliance rather than just selling 'togetherness'.
• 🔄 The main competition for cell phones is not other mobile companies but landlines, which offer 'free minutes'.
• 💡 The idea is to integrate a computer and internet capabilities into a cell phone to make it a device that can replace the need to be in the office for communication.
• 🤔 The speaker questions the current state of technology, suggesting that an entire division has been working on making emails work on cell phones without success.
• 🚧 The speaker proposes a solution involving a 'giant computer' that acts as a massive client, hardwired to the internet, with the phone serving as a server.
• 📈 This proposed system would significantly reduce the load on servers and bandwidth usage, allowing for a large number of devices to operate simultaneously.
• 🛠️ The script describes a prototype, indicating that the idea is in the early stages of development and far from being a finished product.
• 👀 The speaker challenges the audience to try typing with their thumbs, suggesting a user interface designed for one-handed operation.
• 😅 There's a humorous moment where the speaker realizes that the device being discussed is not what he initially thought it was.
• 🤝 The conversation implies a need for collaboration and innovation to solve the problem of integrating email and other internet services into mobile devices.
• 🚫 The script highlights a technical limitation where current mobile networks are not designed to handle the demands of multiple devices checking for emails simultaneously.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented by the speaker about the cell phone market?

The speaker argues that the cell phone market is not just competing with other cell phone companies but also with home and office phones, which offer 'free minutes'. They suggest that the real product being sold is minutes, and the goal should be to reinvent the cell phone to make it more useful.

What is the proposed solution to make cell phones more useful according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests integrating a computer and internet capabilities into the cell phone, making it a device for total individualism that allows for various forms of communication without the need to go to the office.

What is the speaker's critique of the current marketing strategy?

The speaker believes that the marketing team is incorrectly selling 'togetherness' when they should be selling 'self-reliance', emphasizing the individual utility of the cell phone.

What is the speaker's view on the current state of technology for handling emails on cell phones?

The speaker is critical, stating that the world is trying to do emails on a cell phone, but the technology is not up to par, with only 11 phones working at the same time on the current network.

What technical issue is identified with the current approach to integrating phones with email?

The issue is that when phones act as clients on the network, they constantly pull on the servers asking if they received an email, which is inefficient and consumes bandwidth.

What is the proposed fix to the technical issue mentioned?

The fix involves building a giant computer that acts as a massive client, hardwired directly to the internet, with the phone acting as a server. This way, the computer pulls in and packages emails before sending them to the phone, reducing the engagement time with the network.

How does the proposed fix reduce the bandwidth usage compared to the current system?

By having a central computer handle the email pulling and packaging, the bandwidth usage is significantly reduced, to the point where it would be less than that of a local phone call.

What is the speaker's opinion on the feasibility of the proposed solution?

The speaker believes the solution is feasible but acknowledges that it is a long way off from being fully realized, as it is currently just a prototype.

What is the speaker's final comment on the prototype?

The speaker humorously refers to the prototype as the 'world's largest pager' and then corrects himself, calling it the 'world's smallest email terminal'.

What is the speaker's suggestion for typing on the new device?

The speaker suggests trying to type with your thumbs, indicating a shift towards more mobile and convenient typing methods.

What is the underlying theme of the conversation in the script?

The underlying theme is the evolution of communication technology, focusing on how to make cell phones more efficient and useful in a competitive market.