The Texting Craze: Alphanumeric dialing hits a speed bump
June 12, 2008
By Christie Collier
Ever notice how many phone numbers include easy to remember words? 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-800-REAL ESTATE…even reality TV shows urge their viewers to vote for their favorite contestant by dialing the name of the show followed by two or three numbers. Problem is that letters on today’s popular cell phones, don’t match up to the right numbers you’re supposed to dial!
There is a huge demand for text messaging capabilities today and mobile phone manufacturers, forced to keep up with the competition, have started using QWERTY keypads to make typing faster and easier. These expanded keypads, have 35 or more keys compared to the standard 12-button DTMF handset. So, the letter “a” might not be a “2” like you see on your phone at work or at home. The same effects are seen in business communications as well. Callers are having difficulties using Dial-By-Name features from their newer cell phones.
Today’s mobile phones are geared towards the younger, non-traditional demographic and no standard exists, making integration with end devices challenging. Until this “bleeding-edge” technology is standardized or works with DTMF functionality that carriers, phone companies and most telecommunication systems employ, callers will have to dial carefully…converting in their head that the “John Doe” they are trying to reach is “3-6-3” not “5-+-2”.
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