Face the Facts
Samsung’s new ad campaign carries the slogan “Face your friends” with their picture caller ID “technology” on their new mobile phones. And frankly, I’m flabbergasted. Anyone who knows me a little, knows I value functionality more than my naggin’ grandma. So help me figure out this one.
First of all, caller ID does have a function, it saves the 2 seconds you need to identify the caller. A picture does not add much to that. Second, you can’t see the picture any longer than that anyway, the very second you flip the phone open, and you hold it against your ear, it’s the bystanders seeing the picture, not you.
So here are a few theories of my own:
– They’re trying to sell more in-ear headsets, so you can keep looking at the picture of your horrible mother-in-law, while talking.
– They’re counting on lots of users who just buy it to show off, very along the lines of those stupid blinking LED’s which the user doesn’t see anyway, because it’s inside his/her pocket/bag the whole time. Its only function is to bother other people EVEN MORE, like using it in the movie theatre or somewhere else where you’re not supposed to be using it in the first place.
– I’m all wrong and it _does_ add something. It’s not a picture, but a movie of this “friend” talking, you just have to record it yourself first. Or you can take a picture, and using some advanced licensed software from Samsung you got free with the purchase of the phone, you can make the mouth wiggle and move a bit, simulating cartoon style talking motions.