The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Going Mobile, the latest in the Hitchhiker series by South African communications expert Arthur Goldstuck, aims to help its readers choose a mobile device and — more importantly — how to get the most out of it.
However, after the bestselling The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Internet and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Going Wireless, the head of the World Wide Worx research organisation now seem to lack inspiration. He serves up a couple of irrelevant chapters and, at some point, even forces his politically correct opinion on the unwary reader.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Getting Mobile begins as its predecessors did, with a chunk of illustrative historical context. But do we also need to go through technical descriptions on how a cellphone works in order to make a decision on which one suits us best? And do we want to hear about business structures, company profiles and shareholding arrangements on all network operators in South Africa to choose between Vodacom and MTN?
These facts fill a substantial part of the 200-page booklet, but don’t bring us any closer to its purpose: helping the layperson purchase a proper mobile device — such as a cellphone, PDA (personal digital assistant), smart phone or a laptop — and learning how to use it.
It is only from chapter four that Goldstuck starts to provide the really useful information, such as the tools to help us decipher the continuously changing and inscrutable mobile communications market.
A handy ”features-versus-needs matrix” shows which cellphone or PDA suits a user best, and a helpful chapter is dedicated to advice on choosing from the wide array of different bundles and contracts.
More importantly, Goldstuck point out the pitfalls we can encounter when lured into the wrong package deal. Among others, we are warned for concealed additional costs when signing up for a special offer. He uses the example of a supposed R99-per-month special, pointing out that unsuspicious buyers will soon be presented with a price tag that will, in fact, exceed the R100 mark by far. Also, extra compulsory charges such as caller-line identity and mandatory itemised billing are not part of the advertised price.
It is in chapter seven that Goldstuck disappoints again. To illustrate the unprecedented effects of SMSing on the world, he refers to a published news story about Iran disabling its nationwide SMS network during its 2005 presidential elections in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected President.
Nothing wrong with that, but then he suddenly vents his political opinion on Ahmadinejad, calling him a ”lunatic who claims supernatural powers”. Although many may agree, I don’t see the relevance to understanding the world of cellular and wireless communication.
On a positive note, the remaining chapters do — to a large extent — provide a road map for finding a suitable piece of communication technology.
Especially the contributions of external experts such as Peter Searll, CEO of Dashboard Fast Forward Research; Leon Perlman, founder and chairperson of the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association; Len Pienaar, CEO of mobile and transact solutions of First National Bank; and Tristão Abro, chief marketing of Virgin Mobile South Africa, are worthwhile.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Going Mobile does provide guidance to the most effective and efficient communications devices, but along the road you might just want to skip a couple of chapters.