Cell Phone Culture: Tokyo vs. Hong Kong vs. Vancouver

VANCOUVER: DUAL CULTURES

Based on my experience these past few years, Vancouver has developed a dual cell phone culture. On the one hand, you have many people who stick to what is available from their favorite mobile operator. They’ll look at what phone has just come out with Rogers Wireless or Bell Mobility, basing their purchasing decision on this availability. There are very few high-end phones being sold through these operators, other than certain smartphones and BlackBerry devices.

On the other hand, there is a growing market for higher-end mobile phones imported from other countries, primarily Hong Kong. Stores like Cellworldco and Cellular Baby have built a business around the importing of mobile phones. Arguably, this emergence of interest in more “unique” phones has come with greater immigration from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, among other areas.

Just as there are people who love the “free phone with contract” deals, there are also folks who drop hundreds of dollars on new handsets every few months. Two cultures, one city.

Other general observations:

• Music and style on the rise – Every major mobile operator is pushing their music phone range. Rogers tells us how many songs they can shove on the latest Walkman phone, whereas Telus has those ads proudly displaying attractive music phones. We love music and we want some style to go with it.
• Text messages – For whatever reason, text messages have become incredibly popular, especially among teens and other young people. Maybe you can blame this rise on devices like the Sidekick/Hiptop.
• Data is expensive – The roll-out of 3G mobile phone technology should help alleviate these costs, but wireless data is still very expensive in Canada. This is why features like mobile TV and video calling haven’t really caught on. Mobile web isn’t very popular either.
• Slider phones – People used to like the thin flip phone (RAZR), but preferences have started to shift toward slim slider phones. Samsung has a strong hold on this market, but devices like the LG Shine are certainly making headway too.

Let’s not even get started on the difference between consumer and corporate cell phones. Sticking strictly to the mainstream demographic, you can see how there are two separate but related mobile phone cultures in Vancouver. The same is likely true in other major North American cities. Yes, we like importing (and unlocking) the iPhone too.

NO BETTER, NO WORSE?

The politically correct thing to say would be that none of these three cities are superior to any other and none are inferior. Unfortunately, this isn’t really correct. With expensive data and lengthy contracts, Vancouver is definitely a step or two behind in the world of cell phones. Hong Kong has the advantage of selling a wide range of unlocked phones, but there doesn’t seem to be much in terms of added functionality or inexpensive options for more frugal individuals.

I almost want to say that Japan is the furthest ahead of the pack, especially with their focus on huge color displays and advanced functionality, but the necessity of a contract and costly early termination fees is a definite deterrent. I’m going to slide in that it is probably “dishonorable” to break a contract. The high cost of making voice calls isn’t attractive either. If more Japan phones were worldwide-friendly, I’d say that Tokyo has the most fascinating and advanced digital lifestyle and cell phone culture.

Has the iPhone changed things? Perhaps. But I still wouldn’t expect the iPhone to make it to Canada any time soon… not officially anyways. Canada still has some work to do in terms of infrastructure and pricing for data services. For most data plans, your data allotment would be decimated with the download of just one song on your iPhone and the plans aren’t exacty cheap ($40 and up for most basic plans). Even worse, carriers have been quoted in the mainstream media as saying that their plans are…get this…fair. We’ve got a long way to go baby, but we’re trying to get there.

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