Yesterday was a pretty good day in terms of media coverage for this blog.
With my introductory coverage of AT&T's HomeManager, I was swarmed with end user emails asking me questions like:
1. Will it sync with my iPhone?
No
2. Who's gonna use it for email?
Hmmmm..... I don't know, but I do know that some times journalists or bloggers like me get a bit too wrapped up in being so far ahead of the pack, that we don't think about the potentially millions of customers who don't get 150 emails a day, carry a BlackBerry or iPhone, and leave their computers on 24 x 7 to stay perpetually wired. Maybe (and probably) mainstream America just needs to occassionally check or respond to an email on a device like this.
3. The retail price of $299 is sort of high.
You can get a nice digital photoframe like this one at Amazon for $105. Add in lots more electronics and capabilities, and a wireless base station and phone and all of a sudden $299 seems like a pretty good deal - for the right family.
Still, I think the price point is high. But no..... look at the utility you do get for this introductory price point. Considering that the frame itself is a phone in its own right, the price does offer more value. But wait..... let me flip-flop. Each addititional phone is $69. Now, with the base system and another phone (or two) the price point now comes to $450.
Ugh! That's lots of money - especially these days, to the average working American family.
4. Why didn't AT&T partner with Apple with a competing product?
Seems like a logical choice to me. What if the Apple version could sync with iPhoto? What if the Apple version of the frame could sync with all of MobileMe? What if the touch capability on the make pretend Apple version I have in mind would have the same sensory touch as my iPhone. Would it extend the halo effect of both the AT&T and Apple brands?
Remember folks, the above descriptor was just a fantacy, but sure seems like a good idea to me. Or maybe....just maybe... AppleTV morphs into the base station for the phone system and from there you get an iPhone that can be part of your home line and then lets you transition to the 3G system once you are, say 50 feet away from your home?
Maybe. Just maybe, this becomes a way for AT&T to give consumers more value on their wireless plan and keep them "wired" at home with a residential phone number that becomes or transitions to your mobile number.
Do you have questions, issues, or ideas for what HomeManage could have been or should be in the future?
Do you plan to buy a HomeManager?
eMail me your answers: alan at weinkrantz dot com
