Here's another species endangered by our cratering economy: the basic, mid-priced cellphone.
Pinched
wallets are putting the so-called feature phone--which includes a
camera, Bluetooth, text messaging and Web surfing capabilities--at
risk, says Avi Greengart, research director of mobile devices at
Current Analysis. Carriers, squeezed by the economy themselves, are
passing over their more modest handsets to back flashy smart phones.
And
in these grim times, consumers are likely to go for all or nothing,
opting for either a free phone or a pricey smart phone, Greengart
predicts. "The worse the economy, the more buying behavior will
consolidate," he says.
He notes that the trend is carving a new
winner's circle among handset makers. Those that offer high-end, high
profile phones---think Apple
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