Smaller = Better ?

It is no secret that over the years cell phones have gotten smaller and smaller. They used to be the size of bricks, now they can fit inside your fist.

It seemed to me that they reached a happy medium a few years ago, with the release of all of the smart phones. The Blackberries, LG's and iPhone's are all relatively the same size - able to fit in the palm of your hand, with a large enough screen to read comfortably.

I came across an article about the Orange Vegas - the cheapest, smallest touch screen phone on the market (for now), and I am just asking myself one thing. Why?

Why does the phone need to be that small? It seems like it would be a hassle just to use the thing.

Although it is Innovative (Jenkins) to come up with a device that is unlike any other, is it really appropriate aside from the fact that it is just showcasing the ability of its creators? Sure, we can make a phone that is so small that you would need a dialing wand to use, but is it necessary?

I guess it just depends on your frame of mind. If you have to be the one with all of the cool gadgets, then sure. If you care more about functionality and comfort, then you will go with something a bit larger.

What does this mean for the future? Do you think phones will stay about the same size, or keep getting smaller? Will we get to the point where phones are just built in to something else, or an ear piece that we wear at all times so we do not miss a call? The way things are going now, with people addicted to text messaging and just their cell phones in general, it is scary to think about the future...

Interpersonal relationships would totally shift. Face to face contact would deminish, and people would be more concerned with their mobile device than anything else. Constantly talking or texting on their devices, people would not have time to make any human interaction. The only face to face contact or human interaction would be about the devices - either talking about how cool they are, or getting them fixed or upgraded. That kind of goes into Ubiquitos Computing too... The device will do everything for you, so why do you need people?

It's scary to think about.