Phase II Tops List of Wireless Phone Features

The following is a press release issued by wireless phone retailer LetsTalk.com on a survey they commissioned about why people buy wireless phones. Note that Harris Interactive gave those surveyed a list of six features from which to chose--the people didn't make up their own answers. We surmise that not many persons even realize that wireless phones are capable of locating them, or what "Phase II" really is. Had the survey company not offered the choices, we feel the results would have been vastly different. The graph is our own addition to the information.

San Francisco, CA (November 6, 2001) - Three out of five Americans believe that the most important feature they would like to have in their wireless phone is the ability to have 911 dispatchers locate them in case of an emergency, according to a national study conducted by Harris Interactive. The study, commissioned by wireless retailer and enterprise solutions provider LetsTalk.com, asked more than 1,000 people what they felt was the most important feature in a wireless phone. Participants were able to rank their top three choices from 6 features.

"This survey shows that in the minds of Americans new features such as video games, MP3 players, and email take a back seat to safety and security," said Delly Tamer, CEO and President of LetsTalk.com. "While wireless carriers face significant expense and complex issues regarding the implementation of E-911 capabilities, this survey shows that it is a feature in great demand."

Harris Interactive conducted the survey on behalf of LetsTalk.com between October 11 and October 14, 2001, interviewing a representative sample of 1,006 Americans 18 years old or older. Each respondent was asked to choose "which feature is the most important to have in a wireless or cellular phone."

• 59% chose "the ability to have 911 dispatchers locate your phone in the case of an emergency" as the most important feature [what we call "Phase II"]
• 7% chose the ability to send and receive email
• 4% chose "a phone that also has a camera built-in, so you can take pictures and email those pictures to your friends"
• 1% chose "FM Radio," "MP3 Player" and "Video Games" each

When people were asked what their second choice was:

• 23% chose the ability to send and receive email
• 11% chose the built-in camera
• 6% chose E911 [Phase II]
• 5% chose FM Radio
• 3% chose "video games" and "MP3" player

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