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November 13, 2003
the women phone
I was surfing for mobile phones today when a friend of mine sent me an old press article entitled "feminine mobile phone." Apparently, Samsung's "women phone" is the first phone explicitly designed for women, to meet women's needs. What makes it designed for women? Apparently,"female-specific functions" such as the Pink Schedule and Calorie Calculator! ::shudder::
Why is it that all of the calorie counters and atkins dieters i know are men?
Posted by zephoria at 06:36 PM in General | Permalink
Comments
Are the phone's designers the same people who had all those "wonderful" ideas for video games for girls?
I feel offended. It's probably an over-reaction, but it just feels like a cheap shot.
When it doesn't sell, they'll see.
Posted by: Jennifer at Nov 13, 2003 8:03:58 PM
Yeah, that's just creepy and weird.
Posted by: Gina at Nov 13, 2003 9:10:43 PM
So much for the phone for "any modern woman." I mean, does anyone know a modern woman who'd use *a phone* to keep a record of her monthlies? Talk about ridiculous. That's like asking a man to keep a record of his prostate exams on the heads-up display of his car. Forgive me, but I'd really like to know if there were *any* thinking women on that production team.
Still, do you think any of the 48 ring tones include a Barbie voice saying, "Math is hard!" That might make it a true collector item ;-)
Posted by: Jenny Berger at Nov 13, 2003 9:41:26 PM
Honey - it vibrates.
Posted by: anon at Nov 13, 2003 10:05:43 PM
Not only will it record *your* menstrual cycle, but you can record those of your friends!
Pretty funny.
Posted by: claire at Nov 14, 2003 12:30:34 AM
Oh, so THAT'S what a "Pink schedule" is...
I liked the sound of the Purring Kitty plugin you can buy for your Nokia phone - it sets your phone to vibrate when you like, for as long as you like. I thik it even does pulsations, if that pleases you.
Posted by: Jill at Nov 14, 2003 3:13:38 AM
Yes, "Pink Schedule" had me stumped too.
Posted by: Caterina Fake at Nov 14, 2003 9:10:16 AM
A friendly young necklace-seller in Prague once offered me postcards with cute cats on the front and mysterious stuff on the back. When I asked what they were, she was very surprised by my ignorance--"Why, they're menstruation calendars, of course!" So maybe this phone is designed for women who use the rhythm method of birth control..
Posted by: Betsy Devine at Nov 14, 2003 9:48:44 AM
Hmmm...using the rhythm method of birth control seems a little too analog for the "modern woman" who, the company feels, would most likely buy this phone. Perhaps that's a cultural gap that this phone is trying to bridge? Flattering women into thinking they're so "modern" even when they use a rather technologically primitive method of birth control?
Posted by: Jenny Berger at Nov 14, 2003 12:11:59 PM
I don't think you necessarily have to be practicing the rhythm method to want to track your 'pink schedule.' (retch) I actually have software on my PDA that helps me keep track. And it's much more discreet than putting big "X" marks on my old paper calendar. But that comprises maybe less than 1% of my total PDA use. If my PDA was branded as a "Woman's PDA" I would never have purchased it.
What's offensive about the phone is that it COMES with that kind of software. It's the assumption that of COURSE women would LOVE to track that and count their calories. What if I'm not dieting? Or if I'm post-menopause? Or would rather track my golf handicap or my fantasy football team? Oh wait, that'll probably be on the Man's phone.
Posted by: kimberly at Nov 14, 2003 1:26:38 PM
Kimberly wrote: "If my PDA was branded as a "Woman's PDA" I would never have purchased it."
Hmmm...is this phone even available in the US? I got the impression this phone was being marketed to a non-US audience, but I can't recall if this was explicitly mentioned. The fact that this phone exists seems more and more like a culture clash rather than a concerted attempt to piss off modern women. I can't imagine a cell phone company selling in the US actually naming this sort of function a "Pink" anything...even teenage girls would laugh it off the clearance rack. Of course, I can't imagine a US-market-focused company even including this function in the first place. From what I've seen these companies want to stay as far away from female-centric stuff as possible, leaving the Pink Schedule development to third parties.
So, now I have to wonder if women in certain countries other than the US (particularly Asian countries) are just the opposite of the women voicing their opinions here -- would they not buy this phone if it *wasn't* specifically called a Woman's Phone? Would they also expect to have such feminine maintenance software as standard on the device? Would not having these things actually dissuade them from purchasing?
Posted by: Jenny Berger at Nov 14, 2003 5:50:58 PM
Did anyone happen to notice the girlied up phone that Sara Jessica Parker sported on the last season of Sex in the City? The developers might have missed the mark with the software, but the phone itself....
Bet a whole lot of those will be in xmess stockings.
Posted by: Vicki Smith AKA CalGal at Nov 14, 2003 10:40:09 PM
Now that my belly's full of good food and I'm (relatively) at rest, I thought more about my own comment. More specifically, what would make me say I wouldn't purchase a woman's phone or a woman's pda? It's because I think it would be a dumbed down version of the regular PDA. Because I'd think the regular one -- can we call it the Man's PDA? -- would be more powerful and versatile. Pretty strong stereotype, huh?
Granted, this stereotype I've discovered is strengthened by items LIKE the woman's phone, featuring estrogen-friendly apps. But now I realize I need to step back and realize that when "women's tech" doesn't necessarily mean softer, gentler versions of men's tech. Just like we women in tech aren't always softer and gentler than our male counterparts.
Pretty heavy thinking on my part for a Friday night. Thanks for helping me look inward!
Posted by: kimberly at Nov 14, 2003 11:21:53 PM
This phone was marketed here in Iceland last winter, so it was at least partly aimed at the european market. I remember some ads promoting this as a valentines gift. The discussion in this forum doesn't come close to the ridicule the ads and the phone got here at the time. And I don't know anyone who actually owns one.
And it is not the look of the phone, the phone itself is kinda cute and women here, and specifically teenage girls like their phones to be personalized, girly, hip, cool etc. As a result the most popular phones here are the ones where you can switch the covers, like the Nokia phones. Thus the phone is treated like any other accessory - Go to the mall, buy a new outfit, and buy a matching cover for your phone.
Posted by: Helga at Nov 15, 2003 4:35:38 AM
If that phone becomes highly successful it just shows how disconnected I must be with reality.
Once I started reading about it, all I could think was "crap."
Posted by: aaron wall at Nov 16, 2003 3:48:57 PM
This phone is selling like hotcakes among the upper middle and higher economic classes in Eastern Europe and Asia. It's tiny, it's elegant, it's expensive, it's a status symbol. There's nothing else on the market like it, except maybe the Siemens SL55, which isn't nearly as elegant OR expensive. This phone is a way of saying "my boyfriend / husband is rich and buys me goodies". It's like the new generation Motorola Startac. This topic just shows how much you girls are in touch with women sentiment in general (you aren't).
Posted by: Lucy at Nov 17, 2003 2:19:46 AM
Hmm. I think the phone is kinda pretty - and that's all good by me.
I *do* find it a bit off that it includes a "pink schedule" (what a silly name for something so practical!) and the calorie counter actually offends me. I also don't think that products marketed by gender are a particularly good idea - except for, say, pads or tampons - but it doesn't take a lot of imagination to say that mobile tech does look stereotypically masculine by default (just think of cyborg-wearables as an extreme).
The key here is figuring out who actually *wants* and *likes* their tech in "feminine" versions ... and I'm not willing to say they are stupid!
Posted by: Anne at Nov 17, 2003 12:03:35 PM
Oh boy. If this is what a rich boyfriend/husband typically buys for his gal, I think it'd be time to find another boyfriend/husband -- preferrably one with a shred of sense and fiscal responsibility. Personally, I can think of many other things that one could buy to express ownership (of either the purchaser or the recipient) than a tacky, apparently overpriced cell phone. And as a single mom, I can think of many more uses for the money that are far more rewarding as they are practical.
Not in tune with women's sentiment in general? Apparently not, if the general sentiment is one of finite materialism. Praise the gods for that.
Posted by: Jenny Berger at Nov 17, 2003 12:19:08 PM
do you prefer infinite materialism? hihihihihihi!
Posted by: Lucy at Nov 18, 2003 3:10:09 PM
very nice and informal comments
Posted by: Abel Dustin at Aug 23, 2004 7:51:21 AM
