Dan Gillmor posted an interesting article that talks about the experience consumers have had in Hong Kong with number portability. I am glad to see it has had a positive effect. But with the US carriers trying to get people to buy into 2 year contracts versus one they are trying to reduce churn by encouraging people to save a little money signing up for two years. Personally I would pay a lot more for my service if the American companies would just get a clue.

In my travels around the world Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and the middle east are all kicking our butts in the cell technology field and phone features. In Japan they have been using camera phones for 2-3 years already and e-mail capable phones have been available probably just as long as a standard feature not to mention the screen technology. The main difference is that Japanese companies do not necessarily give a phone away you have to buy your phone and then put your chip in from your old one. But there are literally 100's of phone styles to choose from. Americans are stuck with a handful of phones to choose from and upgrading to a new one usually requires a contract re-negotiation etc. My average monthly cell bill in Japan is about $80.00 but I get a whole lot more bang for my buck. But I guess until American consumers wake up and get a clue we will be 2-3 years behind for a long time to come. [The Mercury News]