…or so say a group of British children who were recently polled:
Their survey also asked whether the students had video, music or photos on their phones, and four out of five said they had all three. When I asked a group of them what they wanted from a phone they had plenty of demands: “Multimedia, the internet, Bluetooth, MP3s.” What about simple phone calls? “Boring!!” they chorused.
If this is the way 12-13 year olds think about things, I have high hopes for where we’re headed in terms of the prevalence of richer mobile experiences.
Check out this video and hear the little buggers tell you for themselves (btw, are American kids this age so ornery about their mobile devices?):
Awesome reaction! Mobile features are the backchannel for school and family life. (Check danah boyd’s recent post: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2008/03/09/how_youth_find.html)
Who wants a phone call if it’s from their parents wanting them to come home on time?
I’m actually surprised email was asked for, but they’re probably too young to be expected to do work through email yet (unlike some teens).