We all (most of us a least) remember the comically large Zach Morris brick phone from the 80s, and the equally comically large car phones which were roughly the size and weight of a cinderblock. During the late 90s as the technology advanced and cell phones became more and more affordable, the trend was for the devices to become smaller, thinner, and lighter.
Then the iPhone came along, and everyone either wanted one or something similar. Now the screen size arms race is driving the size of these devices bigger and bigger, and we’re now pushing almost 5 inch screens.
I helped my mother pick out a smart phone a couple days ago. She ended up choosing a Droid Razr Maxx. For an elderly woman, the larger screen was a real plus. While the phone is big, in the sense of being wide to house the screen, it is very thin and very light. Thinner and lighter, in fact, than was my wife’s 1st generation iPhone.
I rather suspect that you’re going to end up seeing tablets with earpieces (or bluetooth earbuds).
I have a Motorola Razr Maxx and the few times a month I use it as a phone (last month, for instance, my wife and I combined used up a grand total of seven minutes’ worth of phone calls) I had it on speakerphone. Basically my cellphone is a golf-related GPS device that also takes the occasional phone call. (And if my 10" tablet took phone calls I’d use it instead.)
I’m darned happy with a 4.5" screen. I might consider up to a 5" screen in the future, but I think that’s about it. I’m a girl, though, and keep it mostly in my bag, on my desk, or on the side table at home, so pocket-friendly is not really a consideration for me.
I’d be happy if the next version of the iPhone were a tad bigger. Not too much bigger because it’d become too large for comfort and convenience but I read ebooks on my phone and a bit bigger would be great.
The only thing preventing me from getting the Galaxy Note is that Verizon doesn’t offer it. Once it does, I’m going to jump on it, and I’m not the only one waiting. Many of my colleagues in the medical field are drooling for it, but there’s no way we’re going to switch to AT&T to get it.
It’s not as large as a tablet, so more portable, easily fitting in a lab coat pocket, but large enough that we don’t have to squint when reading content. An added plus is it’s a phone, so I’d need only one device, instead of a tablet and a phone.
At some point, some company will develop the technology for a collapsible screen. So you can have a full size screen when you want to use it and then fold or roll it up so it’ll fit in your pocket when you’re not using it.
It was discontinued, but I still use mine. I absolutely love the screen and doubt I could ever go back to a smaller one. You just get used to reading and watching content, without constantly magnifying it. The Note is on my radar, as the Streak’s software isn’t being updated anymore except through enthusiasts and I like to be as current as I can.
I wear blazers and such most of the time, so its size isn’t an issue. I probably use it more as a source of content, than I do a phone, but like others noted, it saves me from carrying multiple devices.
