Multimedia Cell Phones Leave Early Adopters Cold

Early technology adopters aren't rushing to jump on the multimedia handset bandwagon, according to a recent In-Stat survey. Only 9% of those surveyed were excited about buying a cell phone with MP3 music capability, and only 11% were excited about phones with TV functionality.

Price is suspected as a factor that is dampening enthusiasm, as well as the sheer novelty of multimedia handsets. The survey did, however, uncover one bright spot for multimedia carriers: early adopters expressed strong interest in receiving news and weather updates on their mobile devices.

None of this can be good news for Microsoft, which is counting on its Windows Mobile smartphone software to challenge Apple's iPod and other portable media devices. In fact, Bill Gates recently told a German newspaper that "[i]f you were to ask me which mobile device will take top place for listening to music, I'd bet on the mobile phone for sure."

Source: 3G Portal