Hybrid Handhelds: Convergence In Your Pocket
Nothing all that new, but Red Herring’s latest briefing covers the trend of hybrid portable devices. People have been talking about converged devices for many years, but it seems that they’re finally raeching the stage where consumers are willing to try them out. They point out that Danger may have a lead over the others due to their unique pricing structure of giving away the device at cost, and making money via fees from their carrier partners. As we’ve stated before, this is a longer term view, that realizes it’s important to get some consumer acceptance out there before focusing too much on ROI. Not that ROI isn’t important, but many wireless companies today are looking to recoup their costs so quickly that they end up shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to actually creating a sustainable business. They price things at such levels that they’re almost guaranteeing failure.
