Rumours abound that phone company Verizon wireless are set to create an Android smartphone, the HTC Bliss, targeted specifically at women. The Android smartphone, as is, appeals by and large to men, with nearly 75% of users male (in comparison, just over 50% of iPhone uses are men).
Whereas in the US, the Android is pre-loaded with apps such as an NFL video channel, the HTC Bliss will come with female friendly apps- such as a calorie counter and a shopping comparison app.
The Phone will be a greenish blue (said to have a calming effect, as well as having “calming” backgrounds) and have a “mood keychain” attached via wire to the phone which serves a duel purpose, it lights up and flashes when the owner has a message or an incoming call, and it makes the phone easier to retrieve from deep inside a purse.
a mock up of the HTC Bliss
But is this really what all women want in a phone? Professional women, for instance, may not want a sparkly keychain permanently dangling from the phone they use for business- but they may want the phone itself, because aside from these typically girly features, the Bliss includes some pretty innovative ideas- it charges wirelessly as well as attaching wirelessly to a speaker dock, and it is rumoured that the phone will have voice recognition and a speaker that attaches to a car dashboard for hands free operation whilst driving.
The phone is currently being tested on women in their 20s and 30s, and it will still be a while before it is released. Aside from some of the great (more gender-neutral) attractions of the phone, the female friendly features are more than a little cliched, and it would be great to see apps and ideas for the phone that deal with women’s interests and problems without resorting to tired stereotypes (such as all a woman really cares about is her weight and shopping). But sometimes the good comes with the bad, and we will have to wait to see just what the final product will be.
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