Accessory Incompatibility: My Old Accessories Won't Charge My New iPod!

Have you ever bought a consumer electronics gadget, purchased a bunch of accessories for it, and then discovered that once you upgraded to the latest model of your main device, the accessories no longer worked? I recall a few years ago, a colleague of mine complained of this very issue with his Sony Ericsson mobile phone: he had a proprietary 12-volt charger, a second AC charger, and even a desktop dock. But as soon as he upgraded to the latest Sony Ericsson model, he realized the company had changed its proprietary connector. All of his previously-purchased accessories were now useless.

The other day, we received an e-mail from a frustrated consumer with a similar problem. He had just invested in the latest, fourth-generation iPod nano. The connector itself hadn't changed. But he discovered that while his old Belkin FM transmitter and a speaker system from another manufacturer worked with the player, they wouldn't simultaneously charge it as they had with his old iPod. Angry and upset at the fact that he didn't know this prior to buying the new player, he came to us.

"I read an article that it was due a change in hardware but said nothing more," he wrote. "Maybe with the larger screen (smaller unit), more juice is being used and it cannot support the charge. But wouldn't it help it to hold a charge longer? And bottom line is that this issue does not seem to be addressed by Apple anywhere online."

Apple could not be reached in time for comment, but Greg Milkovich, Country Manager for Belkin Canada, confirmed to us that Apple did indeed change to 5-volt USB charging internally in October. Manufacturers were notified that Apple would be making this change so they had ample time to devise new, compatible accessories.

Milkovich says that all of Belkin's current power and FM transmitters use the 5-volt USB charging, but yes, some of the company's legacy products (and obviously legacy products from other manufacturers) will not charge the new models.

"This is the same for all manufacturers as we were all complying with the previous 12-volt firewire standard," Milkovich explains. "This is similar to the video change that Apple made last year where you used to have video out of the 3.5mm but is now out of the 30 pin."

So why the change? Sure, it works out well for third-party accessory makers (not to mention Apple itself) because they can market and sell a whole slew of fancy, new accessories (something they arguably would have been doing anyway). But it also leaves consumers who might have eaten up docks, transmitters, and other gadgetry like hotcakes frantically setting up eBay accounts to salvage some bucks from these now obselete items.

A third-party source (who asked not to be named) predicts two main reasons for the spec change: one being cost improvements, and the other being size. "The smaller size of the USB 5-volt allows for sleeker/smaller design," the source tells me.

So while dealing with incompatibility from one iteration of a product to the next can be frustrating, keep in mind that sometimes the changes made are essential for the manufacturer to make improvements to other aspects of the device. And with technology being so prolific these days, early adopters are bound to find someone who still has the previous generation product, and would welcome your now obselete accessory with open arms.

CTIA WIRELESS: A Handful of Handsets

Investigating "cool" new handsets at a show like CTIA is somewhat difficult for a Canadian company simply because we often don't know which models will be coming to the Canadian market, let alone when. Despite this minor roadblock, there were plenty of neat handset designs to see.

Before I get into the handsets, it's worth noting some consumer-friendly improvements that Microsoft has made to its Windows Mobile operating system, which is included in many smartphones. In fact, a Microsoft rep told us that this year, there will be 20 million Windows Mobile devices on the market! Although the majority of Microsoft's emphasis was placed on enterprise-level upgrades, Windows Mobile v. 6.1 provides some handy improvements for consumers that help simplify the user experience. The most notable improvement is such a small, yet appreciated feature: automatic Bluetooth pairing, which will not only turn Bluetooth on and search for nearby devices upon one-button activation, but will also enter the required four-digit pairing code (in Canada, it's typically "0000") for you! The rep noted that the adjustment was made based on consumer feedback. In a test group, he claimed that the change resulted in a 100% success rate for Bluetooth pairing, compared to the previous method, with was a bit more time consuming, and potentially confusing for the non tech-savvy individual. Future versions of the Bluetooth standard will likely do away with the four-digit pairing code altogether, but for now, this is certainly a handy feature for smartphone users.

Other Windows Mobile improvements include an e-mail wizard that contains a database of e-mail ISPs from all around the world that can automatically enter your incoming and outgoing server to save you the trouble. There's also support for e-mail services like Yahoo! Mail and Gmail. The Internet browser has also been optimized to improve Website rendering; and WiFi support has been ramped up.

Now, what about the handsets?

I was pleasantly surprised at the HTC booth. Recently, I reviewed the HTC Touch for here's how! magazine, and noted that what this touch-screen phone really needed was a slide-out keyboard. Lo and behold, situated right beside the HTC Touch in the company's booth was the new HTC Touch Dual, which is virtually identical but for a, you guessed it, slide-out keyboard. It's not a full QWERTY, but rather includes two-letters per key, so there's 20 function keys in all. HTC Senior Account Manager Brent Stephenson also confirmed that the TouchFLO technology, which I found a bit finicky in the original version, is continually improving. The Touch Dual operates on the GSM network, which means that should it come to Canada, it will be available through Rogers or Fido. Although Stephenson couldn't confirm Canadian information, he told me that the Touch Dual will be available in the U.S. in May, and will sell unlocked through Best Buy stores. Is this unlocked, direct-to-the-customer strategy an indication of a new direction for the wireless market? Something to think about....

Two other neat "touch" type phone (which is apparently all the rage these days) are LG's Venus and Vu, which officially launched into the Canadian market just prior to the show. I'm not a fan of dedicated touch-screen models, but after playing around with these two models for a few minutes, I found them really easy to manipulate. A slight vibration emits as soon as you activate a function with your finger, which I found oddly comforting. The Vu will automatically rotate the screen to fit a full QWERTY keyboard when typing, which is pretty neat. These are definitely two handsets worth keeping an eye on.

There were several new phone introductions from Samsung, but one of the most notable was the miCoach phone. As the product of a collaboration with sporting goods manufacturer adidas, the miCoach is designed for sports enthusiasts. In addition to doubling as music player while you're working out, it also provides personal training features, including a stride sensor and heart rate monitor, and can track data like time, distance, speed and calories burned. All you need is the adidas sensor, which can actually be attached to pretty much any running shoe on the market. Once connected, your virtual "coach" will motivate you to get in shape, letting you know audibly when you need to increase speed, or slow things down. The miCoach is currently only available in Europe, while pricing details and availability dates for North America have not been announced. The Instinct, which many are calling Samsung's "answer to the iPhone" also caused a stir at the show, even though it wasn't even on display. Available exclusively in the U.S. through Sprint, the phone includes features like touch-screen functionality with tactile feedback, a "favourites" menu for your most-often used functions, Visual Voicemail that lets you listen to messages in the order that you wish, and fast operation using the EVDO Rev A network.

From a Canadian perspective, there really wasn't anything new in the BlackBerry arena (bummer), but the company did highlight some neat, new applications for the device via third-party company partnerships. The one that seemed to garner a lot at attention was the ability to play the popular video game Guitar Hero on the phone. Now that is cool!

Finally, I must have popped into the Sony Ericsson booth about five times trying to get a look at the Xperia X1 in the flesh, which is the company's first Windows Mobile device. The Xperia X1 initially launched at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, and it won't be available in Canada until Q3 or Q4, nor in the U.S. until Q2. Given this, there were only a few demo units available, and I could never catch up with the one guy who had them! However, I was able to see the slick-looking device under glass, so I can speak to its attractiveness as an objet.

That's just a small cross-section of the phones on display at the show. Stay tuned to the April issue of Marketnews Magazine for more information on these, and other models specific to the Canadian market.

[Photo: LG Vu].

Canadians Aren't Happy With Cell Service

It seems Canucks can't make up our minds about whether we're satisfied with our cellular services or not. In 2006, J.D. Power and Associates reported that our level of satisfaction with both service providers and handsets improved from 2005. But the 2007 study is singing a different tune, citing that our satisfaction has decreased "considerably" over the past year (18 points, to be exact).

What's the reason? J.D. Power suspects customer expectations, in general, which I'm not buying. We've seen tons of new 3G technology offerings from every carrier, plus sleek and sexy handset designs. Rogers Wireless even introduced video calling this year, a North American first. What more do customers want? Maybe Canadians are upset because we don't get to snag the coveted iPhone just yet, but there's still tons of other neat options out there!

The other reason cited is cost. "Although an array of new service plan features, bundling options, and ways to reduce package prices have been made available in 2007, customers indicate that they are dissatisfied with the cost of these services," explained Charles Schade, Senior Director of Research at J.D. Power and Associates. That reason I might buy.

Although industry pundits have tried to convince me that service in Canada is actually cheaper than it is in the U.S., any Web search I conduct brings up tons of results from bloggers, consumers, or third-party research sites that beg to differ. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) references an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study that claims Canadians in fact do have the lowest wireless prices in North America. But, as I mentioned in the October issue of Marketnews Magazine, this excludes "high-usage" customers. I'm no statistical analyst, but I'm pretty sure the high-usage customers represent a significant chunk of the Canadian customer base. In fact, a recent CWTA study reveals that Canadians chat for, on average, 400 minutes per month.

Customer dissatisfaction aside, there are a few carriers and handset manufacturers that received kudos. For the first time in the history of J.D.'s study, Fido topped the list, fueled mainly by its attractive service plan options and pricing structure. Sasktel and Aliant followed at a close second and third spot, respectively. In 2006, Sasktel was first, Fido second, and Aliant fourth (Telus snagged the third spot).

When it comes to prepaid service providers, Sir Richard Branson's company Virgin Mobile took top spot for the third year in a row, followed by Telus and PC Mobile. (Aliant and Telus were second and third, respectively, last year).

What's interesting is that the average monthly fee a contract customer pays per month descreased by $7, from $74 in 2006 to $67 in 2007. Either customers are opting for cheaper plans, or simply not using their phones as often as before.

Congrats to Sony Ericsson, which climbed to the number-one spot in mobile phone brand satisfaction, all the way from fourth place last year. LG, which was ranked number-one in 2006, oddly fell to number-five. Blackberry ranked second, followed by Sanyo, and Samsung, in that order. Blackberry received a gold star for operability, while Sanyo can puff its chest in the durability race.

If mobile phone carriers can get anything out of this study, it's to place greater focus on satisfying customers, both existing and new. Number portability (this is the ability to switch carriers but still keep your existing number) + customer disstisfaction + expired contracts could = lost business. As for the handset manufacturers, keep pumping out those neat and sexy designs, and please run extensive hands-on tests of the phones before they're brought to market: I'm floored sometimes with how the most advanced phones don't get simple functions and button-design concepts right!

Are Cell Phones the New Digicam?

There has been a lot of speculation over the past year that camera phones are set to take over the entry-level digital camera market, and even the standard “MP3” player. And there’s a big possibility of this happening…eventually.

Think about it: cell phone cameras are now touting 3 and higher megapixel resolutions, and the quality of photos taken with them are surprisingly quite good. One of our writers sent me some great, landscape photos he took with a Sony Ericsson camera phone, and I was amazed at the quality. Had he not told me the pics were shot with a camera phone, I’d never have guessed. Camera-related functions are also getting more sophisticated: I’ve seen everything from flash, to exposure compensation, and even self-portrait assisting mirrors on the back of mobiles. But would I forego my point-and-shoot digital camera for a camera phone just yet? No way!

Don’t get me wrong: I like the thought of only having to carry around one device that “does it all”. But on the same token, does this device become a jack of all trades, master of none? And what if I lose it? The thought of all my pix, music, e-mails, text messages, and address book being gone at one swipe of a thief is frightening.

I use my cell phone for voice calls, and the occasional text message. That’s it. It has camera capabilities, but I can’t remember the last time I took a photo using it, although I do observe many doing just that at trade shows or out and about on the street. Checking my e-mails on a portable messaging device is great, but I’d never want to forego being able to do the same on the PC at work or home. The same goes for surfing the Web. And I like that I can put MP3s on my cell phone and play them back using headphones; yet any time I want music on the go, I load up my dedicated MP3 player.

Eventually, people may become used to performing all of these functions solely on one, multi-functional, device. But until the “super-duper” smart phone hits the Canadian market (and at a reasonable price!), we’ll be seeing entry-level digital cameras and MP3 players for years and years to come.