But that’s where cell phone technology is today – a long way from the elusive, dinosaur-like 1970s and 80s models, that were only found in the hands of a few and could do little more than make a simple phone call.

Today, manufacturers like Samsung and Seiko are releasing wrist-worn models. High school halls sound like rock concerts with phones equipped with mp3 players and mixable musical ring tones. And few roadways or airports come without the throng of drivers chatting away at the wheel or checking their email and flight status. But was all of this handheld convenience really what the original cell phone pioneers had in mind?

According to Cooper, no. "The last thing the public is asking for is a phone that is also an MP3 player, a flash camera and a voice recorder," Cooper said in a ZDNet Article regarding the 30-year anniversary of the first public cell phone call (actually a marketing maneuver for Motorola, Cooper’s then-employer, to a competitor also working on cell phone technology at AT&T Bell Labs). "[Today’s handsets] are so complex that it's even hard for a techie to use them."

And he’s right. What was supposed to be a simple 12-key phone has turned into a user nightmare. Each key is linked to multiple functions, and each function requires multiple keystrokes. Every phone is different. Finding the Off and On keys for the first time means consulting the user’s manual or a training class. Reading the display requires a magnifying glass. And looking up the babysitter’s phone number while driving a car? No wonder municipalities are banning them from the person behind the wheel.

Some ergonomically-savvy manufacturers, including Eatoni Ergonomics whose predictive text entry software potentially saves the user from repetitive digit punching (The Ergonomics Report, February 2003), are moving cell phones in the right direction. But the consumer who just wants to pick up a phone and make a quick and convenient call may still be too bogged down by accessories to easily accomplish this feat. Nary a phone exists on the market today that isn’t at least web compatible, if not loaded up with a camera, games and a virtual personal assistant.

Trying to double as portable offices and entertainment centers, today’s miniscule cell phone designs have crammed everything imaginable into a handy four-ounce package. But from an ergonomics perspective, they’ve forgotten the most important part of the package – the user. The technology is impressive, the lightweight size is convenient, but, as one Ergoweb Inc. ergonomist put it, “It's not that I'm going to get a [musculoskeletal disorder]; it’s that I’m going to throw [the cell phone] at the wall in a fit of anger and frustration.” Ergonomically speaking, that says that even at age 30, cell phones still have a long way to go.

Source: ZD Net