Moto Razr - Just style, not substance...

A couple of good reads about product design in the cellphone world are "Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip" in the New York Times, and Mark Hurst's additional comments on his Good Experience Blog. One of the most interesting cases from both articles is the Motorola Razr, which was hugely popular for a while, then dropped out of favor astoundingly quickly. Mark Hurst points out why: "the Razr was a fashion statement, not a usable device." It's true that the Razr (along with most Motorola phones) had a horrible user interface - and also true that when it came out, it was dead sexy. But while usability lasts, fashion is flaky - and once the Razr was no longer the flavor of the month, there was nothing left. The iPhone, the other inevitable example of cell phone design, has both - it's got the good looks, but also the delightful user interface to back it up once those looks lose their luster. From the NYT article, it looks like other phone makers are starting to get the idea too - and it's about time!