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Handset manufacturers continue to add as many new technological capabilities as possible to their devices including viewing photos and videos, watching television, listening to music, receiving and sending e-mail, surfing the Web, and playing games. The challenge is for the industry to predict what the next big success will be. Analysts contend that component suppliers will increasingly be required to offer support for services that have yet to demonstrate a substantial market, but do show some promise for the future. Video- and audio-related capabilities seem to be a safe bet, although a data storage solution seems elusive. WiFi and VoIP, while still in the future, appear to be currying favor. However, none of these predictions are guaranteed. Cellular carriers, handset makers, wireless providers and other related companies all possess different visions, and each one is eagerly trying to figure out what consumers really want. However, surveys indicate that customers can feel suspicious about innovation. In one result 70 percent of cell phone users showed little interest in owning a phone that plays music files, and less than 11 percent showed an interest in broadcast television functionality. Some experts say that there is a large gap between what is provided by handset vendors and what customers want. It seems that the majority of users do not have an interest in having extra bells and whistles on their cell phones. Even features such as text messaging go unused by most.
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