| Author |
Should Sony Ericsson simplify is model numbering? |
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
Reporting on 3GSM 2007, PhoneScoop had this to say about  :
We're starting to have a hard time keeping track of Sony Ericsson's model numbers, and this is what we do for a living. We have to wonder what chance the average consumer has at keeping them all straight.
Motorola is a success, and I bet part of it is its simple and catchy model naming: RAZR, SLVR, RIZR, etc. With you get alphabet soup (W, K, Z, J, P, V, M, D, S, F  ), followed by an arbitrary 3- or 4-digit number, followed by maybe another letter (i, a, c). Yikes!
When you use the phone selector on their web site, they categorize their devices as follows:
- talk and text
- camera
- music
- design
- web and e-mail
Why not have only this many letters, to differentiate the different segments, and lose the rest? (Some reclassification of existing models may be in order.)
- J = talk and text - entry-level
- K = camera - strictly CyberShot
- W = music - strictly Walkman
- Z = design - like "J" but flashier and mid-range
- P = web and e-mail - professional-level
Then put a single digit after the letter. Instead of W880, how about just W8? Instead of K550, why not just K5? It worked for Audi... That's actually catchy!
As for the trailing letter, the answer is simple. Make every phone quad-band, and for 3G phones, include botth WCDMA 2100 and UMTS 850/1900! Problem solved 
| |
|
QVGA
Joined: May 23, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Pakistan
PM, WWW
|
well, nokia is even worse in this department. |
mustafabay
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Egypt
PM |
Actually almost everyone is worse than All indexes tell you the formfactor except the W which is fine. Even Moto isn't that great, how many letters have now been added to the V3 or L7? All we need to know is the index for upcoming sliders.
I don't want a signature anymore. |
himlims_nl
Joined: Apr 06, 2004
Posts: > 500
PM |
i think sagem is the number one leader considering worst / unlogical phone types
|
tranced
Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Santo Domingo, wonDeRland
PM |
so what do you suggest? call the phones by their code names?
|
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
I'm not talking about who is better or worse than whom. I just want to see succeed, especially in the US where they trail behind Moto and Nokia.
In marketing, image is everything. A "catchy" product name is part of building up that image. My suggestion above would result in this. Like I said, it worked for Audi. They were failing with the 80/90/100/200, then began succeeding with A4/A6/A8.
And I don't understand why a different form factor should have a different letter. It makes much more sense to classify phones by function.
|
dancingfate
Joined: Sep 25, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Jakarta, Indonesia
PM |
@Hlcn Twst
If just using numbering like -- as you suggested(?) -- W8 or K5, only 1 digit to follow a letter, then it will be limited to 1-9 (0 is not counted). What's next after W9? W10? It's 2 digits then.
Regarding Motorola's 4 capital letters such as RAZR, it's followed by many confusing combination of letters and numbers such as V3, V3i, V3x, V3xx (I guest no more x then  ).
So, what do you suggest then, besides the above 1 letter n 1 digit?
Apple iPhone 4, HTC Evo 3D, HTC Sensation, HTC Inspire 4G, HTC Desire S, HTC Wildfire, S001, SO905iCS, T650 (Gold & Green), C901, W800, K660, K700, Beibei (G702), Severine (DEAD) |
antichrist
Joined: Sep 26, 2006
Posts: > 500
PM |
i like how named their phones. you know that every letter is for a specific category and the higher the number, the better the phone
|
QVGA
Joined: May 23, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Pakistan
PM, WWW
|
On 2007-03-07 17:54:49, antichrist wrote:
i like how named their phones. you know that every letter is for a specific category and the higher the number, the better the phone
Not really. K700, K610. The former is the worse.
W610, W880. The former is the better. |
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
If just using numbering like -- as you suggested(?) -- W8 or K5, only 1 digit to follow a letter, then it will be limited to 1-9 (0 is not counted). What's next after W9? W10? It's 2 digits then.
has 55 phones total on their UK web site. (Fewer than that in the US.) Many of those are discontinued or obsolete, e.g. T637, S710a. Will there be more than 9  phones? More than 9 professional phones? I doubt it. If push comes to shove, can split hairs and add 1 or 2 more categories of phones.
Regarding Motorola's 4 capital letters such as RAZR, it's followed by many confusing combination of letters and numbers such as V3, V3i, V3x, V3xx (I guest no more x then ).
Yes, Moto sure made a mess of something that started off simple, clean, and elegant. No one else should go down that path.
[ This Message was edited by: Hlcn Twst on 2007-03-07 17:08 ] |
Hlcn Twst
Joined: Jul 27, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Purgatory, Utah, USA
PM, WWW
|
you know that every letter is for a specific category...
Didn't I already say that?
and the higher the number, the better the phone
You can still do that with a 1-letter, 1-digit naming system: W8 is "better" than W2. K7 is "better" than K5. Etc.
[ This Message was edited by: Hlcn Twst on 2007-03-07 17:51 ] |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
PM, WWW
|
I'm wondering if naming the phones would be better, like LG do with their Chocolate, Shine, etc., although they do still have model numbers.
I can envisage a time in the not too distant future where all the lower end numbers have been used up and we end up with W8800001i and K801001i - type numbers, which could start to get silly!
Speaking of Nokia, aren't they about to release a phone called the 6110 or 6210 or something - which is actually the same number as one of their older models? That would be getting confusing!
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
|
milmino
Joined: Jun 14, 2004
Posts: 454
From: Kenya
PM, WWW
|
I guess use triple digits to indicate a new phone which may be a slight improvement or mid improvement of a phone as opposed to their flagship(perfected innovations) models ie K700 to K750 to K800. I also believe the naming may be way more complicated in the inner workings of the organization..
_________________
posted from a pc clone
[ This Message was edited by: milmino on 2007-03-07 18:26 ] |
*Jojo*
Joined: Oct 15, 2003
Posts: > 500
PM |
On 2007-03-07 17:05:52, QVGA wrote:
well, nokia is even worse in this department.
@Q - I don't think so dude . . . I remember Nokia havin' just all PLAIN numbers back then and NOTHIN' more . . . It is just ONLY now that they are releasing it's: E and N et al - series fone (E-90/communicator , E-50-E60 and E61) (N70, N71, N72, N73, N90, N91, N93 et al) . . .
If we are to compare 's latest models with those: say, K810i/W880 to N95 or E90 . . . Nokia will still have the SHORTEST model- fones to READ . . . shorter than those Motorolas bein' mentioned here by the author as well
[addsig] |
shaliron
Joined: Jan 15, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Melbourne, Australia
PM |
Well if you reckon SE is confusing, look at Samsung. Their entire portfolio is a mess. And then there's Sony's mp3 players 
And SE's numbering system is quite good IMO. For example:
-K3xx are low end phones.
-K5xx are mid range phones.
-K6xx is always going to be 3G phones.
-K7xx are 2G phones.
-K8xx are 4G phones.
You compare within each of the sub numbers.
By using a system like A1, B2 etc. you'd run out of numbers quite quickly. Even Nokia is going to have trouble soon with the N series.
A wooden spoon is a spoon made from wood. Source: WikipediaWinner of: Best Thread (Huge SE Portfolio) 2007, Best Post (Huge SE Portfolio) 2007, Best Signature 2007, and 2nd Best Nickname 2007. | |
|
Access the forum with a mobile phone via esato.mobi
|
Posted: 2007-03-07 16:53
jay0726 | 
