I Don’t Like Pink

It's not that I don't like pretty colors, but they certainly aren't my first consideration. This isn't unique to the mobile industry ... many car salesmen ask a potential woman purchaser first what her favorite color is. And I'm sure that there are women for whom this is a key decision making criterion. But let's face it: some men are just as enamored with image, but in a different direction. Motorola has been in tune with the male "fashion" sensibilities for its entire existence.

While pretty leaves or purple lights or other surface features may be attractive, anybody who knows me knows just how much I worry about my clothes.

So what do I want in a mobile?

1. The basics: good radio, good network, good battery life.

2. A reasonably sized device that will not call Australia when swimming around in a purse or pocket (candy bar phones are not great).

3. Good tactile response: I should not have to look at the thing to make a voice call. It should be readily orientable without looking at it (RAZR fails). It should feel sturdy.

4. A feature set that allows me access to my business stuff (email, documents, bookmarks) while allowing access to my personal life (camera and picture messaging, audiobooks and sometimes music). A good web browser and good application environment.

5. Actual sturdiness: it should survive a drop when I get out of the car after too much distraction from children. My baby should be able to chew it and have it survive unscathed (the baby, too).

6. Interaction with my life. The shared browser bookmarks, shared contacts, and so forth. Oh - and I use a Mac, so I want it all to work there as well.

7. If I can get all of the above, I'd like a little bit of physical personalization. Maybe cases that match different outfits, maybe some appliqué, maybe interchangable cases. But not pink - I wear that maybe once a month?

This isn't impossible; I'm investigating a few Nokias. But don't tell me that disco lights and flower stencils make it a "women's phone". Maybe a girl's phone? It's got the whole Hello Kitty mentality.