Some of the trends in the screenphone
market include:
■ Touch-screen control
■ Bio-metric security features
■ Speech recognition
■ Directory assistance telephone
■ E-mail telephone
■ Personal message center
■ Evolving standards in security and data
processing
■ Advanced LCD technology
■ Cordless screenphones – Cordless
screenphones provide a complete cordless communication center for the home.
These are a combination of cordless telephone, answering machine, address book,
message center, and Internet appliance—all in one compact and portable unit.
Basically, the cordless screenphone
consists of a wireless web pad with color LCD touch screen and built-in
cordless speakerphone, plus a small base station. This consumer device is easy
to install and use, just as a normal cordless telephone. Installation is as
simple as connecting the base station to power and a phone line, and then
touching the screen to begin operating the device.
Once enabled, you can use it to make phone
calls, surf the Web, check your e-mail, and send voice clips—wirelessly. One
unusual aspect is that, unlike ordinary cordless phones, it communicates with
its base station via Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11b—both are 2.4 GHz short-range
spread spectrum digital wireless technology championed by makers of cell
phones, PDAs, and other portable devices.
The Screenphone Market
Worldwide Internet videophone shipments are
expected to reach 3.5 million units by the year 2004, with revenues exceeding
$600 million. However, Internet screenphones and videophones are expected to
ship 9.5 million units, with $2.2 billion in revenue by the same year.
The screenphone business is primarily
focused on the average person—especially those who cannot afford, or do not
need, all the power of a PC. It also focuses on small to medium-sized
companies. This market is not focused on the high-tech user. Screenphones are
priced at approximately $240, with a basic monthly service fee of $60 to $70.
One of the methods used to sell the
screenphone is direct selling (compensation plan), which many people think is a
flourishing and beneficial business. Of course, many big telecommunication
companies also provide the screenphone. Other businesses involved in this field
include device manufacturers, software vendors, network operators, and service
providers.
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