Why Business phones are no longer a niche thing ?

Mobile phones are no longer a luxury as we all thought it to be once. Well, thats not the important thing. But what is definitely important to note is that even business phones - which were earlier the reserved for the upper class, have lost their niche status as well.

Think of Nokia N-series, Nokia E-series, Motorola, HTC, iMate, O2, Palm Treo. You need not be a Richie Rich to make one amongst these priced possessions yours. Competition pricing amongst the dealers have brought them within the reach of everyone. What was earlier priced at Rs.30000 or more, is now available from Rs.12000 onwards. As a result of this, even ordinary people and businessman are lapping it up.

Changing work trends and increasing incomes have increased the demand for such hi-fi phones and thats where the economies of scale pops up - the higher the volumes sold, lesser the cost becomes. But there's more than price that is bothering the customers.

The idea in an all in one phone seems irresistable - a touch screen, email, an operating system, wi-fi, camera, an in-built mp3 player etc. Thats why it is called a Smart Phone. Along with these features, the look and feel of the phone is also important for the customer.

It is for all these reasons that a high end phone in no longer a dream possession for a lay man.