Can I have that picture you just took?

SCENARIO: You just took a picture of your friends at a restaurant on a farewell dinner on your camera. And of course, you are not going to see each other for 6 months. So, when your friend asks: "Can I have that picture you just took?" what would you do?

Yesterday's answer: "Sure, I'll send it to your new address as soon as I develop it."

Today's answer can be: "Sure, I'll bluetooth it to your phone." This is because the camera you used is a camera phone with Bluetooth enabled. Sometimes you may even hear "Sure, let me beam it to your phone" - implying the infrared (IrDA) capability.

However, both answers today are very rare - in spite of what the developers of Bluetooth or IrDA tell you. Users just are not that ready to take the leap yet to transfer photos from one phone to another. Why?

• Is it because they have tried to do it and found the transfer too slow?
• Is it because they are aware of the function and tried to use the capability but cannot find it on the phone?
• Is it because they are not aware of the function - and so have not tried it at all?
• Is it because they have no need for the transfer, even with Bluetooth and IrDA present?

If the answer is in the first two questions, then the solution is a technical one.
If the answer is in the last two questions, then the solution is a marketing one.

For Bluetooth, the awareness is relatively higher but their issue is the transfer rate is too slow.

For infrared, IrDA has developed a faster version called IrSimple, but the awareness of IrDA functionality by end users continues to be a big problem. Companies in Japan have already launched IrSimple products, but the rest of the world is still hesitant.