This article comes at a time when I'm looking for a new phone but nothing looks good to me. Not even the iPhone.
They don't want to make phones a small as I like and they refuse to make true standalone smartwatches that can make and receive calls/texts and use GPS by themselves.
If you're looking for a smartphone, I still recommend the iPhone 5/5s - the form factor is perfect, the price point is good, and the hardware should be new enough to handle anything you might want to throw at it for the next 2 years.
My iPhone 5 is reaching the end of its life...I'm planning on getting a dumb phone next with a ton of battery life, a decent camera, and a nice keyboard.
I think it's an inherent usablity issue. The two functions I'd like from a smart phone (other than calls and SMS), is mapping and the odd web lookup. I've currently got a Blackberry as a hand me down with the old form factor: half screen, half keyboard. Personally the keyboard is too much of a nuisance for me, and most websites just don't work that well on it. To the point, I'll only use it, if I really have to. So most of the time, I have an oversized item in my pocket, that I don't really care for, that runs out of battery quickly, and makes me curse daily.
A classic old phone (small nokia form factor) with WAP style browsing would actually suit me more.
But actually I think it's more a matter of coming up with a user interface that can work with a small screen. Pure text isn't that bad.
Consider a Windows Phone maybe? It lacks a lot of apps but if all you are interested in is the basics (calls, messaging, GPS, etc.), then it's a pretty solid OS. And the Nokia Lumia lines of phones are outstanding when it comes to build quality and battery life.
I think it's really just a inherent broken market issue. They already have a user interface that can work on a small screen they just demand that you tether it to a smartphone.
The big brands might not be willing to make smartwatches that don't require a phone, but you can sure get some off-brand ones: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011IFQDTW?psc=1
They don't want to make phones a small as I like and they refuse to make true standalone smartwatches that can make and receive calls/texts and use GPS by themselves.