Here goes with the second of today’s concept mobile phones, courtesy of Engadget Mobile, with a new phone aimed not at the full-on gadget nuts like me, but at the medical and military services, and maybe backpackers. Oh, and First Responders and First Aiders.
It’s called the iCEphone, and as you can see from the pic, it doesn’t exactly follow a traditional design layout…
Based on a kind of Jacob’s ladder layout, what you get is a mobile phone with 3 separate body parts: one with a 3 inch screen, one with a full QWERTY keyboard, and one with gaming buttons and control keys. Whilst I’m not entirely sure of the usefulness of putting game controls on a mobile phone aimed at first aiders and soldiers (two groups of people who I’d really want to keep their minds on the job…), I can see the use of them if the iCEphone’s also going to be sold to consumers. Which it will be. But to backpackers and gap year students, who may well travel round the world with their phone, according to the official site for the iCEphone.
The big addition, though, has to be what’s inside the mobile phone. And no, I don’t mean the camera, or any built-in games, or music players, or whatever else has been added to sell it to consumers. It’s got all that stuff, but that’s not what’s important about it, so I’m not going to talk about it.
No, the most important and groundbreaking bit is the iCE Aid software. I suppose, at this point, I’d better tell anyone who doesn’t know what iCE means. In Case of Emergencies. So, what the iCEphone brings to the world of mobile phones is a full software solution designed with the express purpose of helping to save people’s lives. Approved by the British Red Cross, St Andrew’s Ambulance Association and the St John’s Ambulance Brigade, it has a full portfolio of guidelines based on the latest codes of practice, and could, quite possibly, make the difference between someone living and dying.
Not many mobile phones can make that claim, and this is one feature of a phone that only has to be used once for it to be the single most worthwhile thing to have built-in, ever.
That’s why, despite it not being a top-end super-gadget-phone that I want to own, I say get this thing made, get it out there, and get it out to the people who need to use it. First responders, first aiders, even troops who need to give emergency treatment to their mates in the field… every one of them could benefit from this.
And while I think mobile phones are brilliant gadgets, and should be about communication and stupidly pointless fun, I really can’t emphasise how good an idea I reckon the iCEphone is.
And as someone who’s had to call on the services of the local First Responder and Lincolnshire Ambulance Service (as I’ve said before, two groups of people I have an infinite amount of respect for), I say, to The Medical Phone Ltd, who are making it, “Get it made, and get it out for the people who need it to use, now!”
Meanwhile, if you’re a normal user like me, and you want a Windows Mobile phone, get the best; get the Sony Ericsson X1 today!
