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Beyoncé's B-Phone: I don't think you're ready for this tele

Oct 12, 2007, 06:42 PM | by Michael Slezak

Categories: Beyoncé, Things That Make Me Die Inside, Web/Tech

Beyonce_l Look, I'm no Beyoncé hater. The woman occupies two spots on my iPod's Top 10 Most Played listing (with "Suga Mama" and "Freakum Dress"). I paid $10 to see The Fighting Temptations in the theater. I've even used "automobills" in casual conversation. But her latest project, the "B-Phone," launched in conjunction with Samsung, sounds more like a Saturday Night Live skit than anything anyone would ever want to buy. Ever.

The B-Phone, as its name implies, is a phone, and it's also an MP3 player. But wait! There's more! The B-Phone has a Beyoncé-themed startup screen and can be used to download exclusive Beyoncé photos, videos, and a song called "632-5792" that the Destiny's Child frontwoman recorded when she was just a prepubescent diva-in-training.

A story in Billboard about the B-Phone product launch featured a doozy of a quote from Steve Stoute, who brokered the B-Phone deal: "Her fans love music, they love pictures and they love talking." No way, dude. I'm a fan of Beyoncé, but I hate talking. And I never look at pictures. Not even ones of pretty ponies. And therefore, the B-Phone is not, and never will be, for me. Nor will any other celebrity phone, for that matter. Unless maybe it's Vanessa L. Williams. And no, I'm not going to delete that last sentence, because otherwise, I'll never believe I wrote it.

Anyway, B-Phone. Seriously?  How did this happen? And how does Samsung expect to sell more than 20 of these things? Discuss.


dorcas Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 05:20 AM EST

man beyonce I ben loving u since I was a lil girl around 9 for real & knw im 16 & still loving ya yu give all women strength when I need a lil boasted to start the day I listen to your music so keep doing your thang I think you the most talented women õut here and as years go by can't nobody do it like u ....well bye I love you beyonce one of ur biggest fans

kaylah Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 07:37 PM EST

beyonce you my girl and you know am going to be on your side no matter but can you plz make more of the b'phone spirnt sold out when i was about to get 1 plz

kaylah Thu, Mar 13, 2008 at 07:36 PM EST

beyonce you my girl and you know am going to be on your side no matter but can you plz make more of the b'phone spirnt sold out when i was about to get 1 plz

natasha tootle Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 12:04 PM EST

come on now fans/haten on her cause she got the connects an she thought of it first you all haten cuz she maken that bread an you anit as soon as i get it im buying one you go b keep it up they anit payin yo bills keep up the other ideals thats where the real money is a wise woman i wish i was just like you

Nancy Walker Sat, Jan 19, 2008 at 03:28 PM EST

Kiki and Company: I hope all of these spelling errors were on purpose. I don't think Beyonce wants ignorant fans.

KIKI Tue, Nov 20, 2007 at 02:39 PM EST

PEEPLE NEED 2 STOP HATIN CAUSE U PROBABLY GONNA SEE EVERYBODY WIT IT AND YALL GONNA WANT 1 !!! I KNO CAUSE MY MOMMA GOT 1!!!!!

KIKI Tue, Nov 20, 2007 at 02:39 PM EST

PEEPLE NEED 2 STOP HATIN CAUSE U PROBABLY GONNA SEE EVERYBODY WIT IT AND YALL GONNA WANT 1 !!! I KNO CAUSE MY MOMMA GOT 1!!!!!

ladydia187 Thu, Oct 25, 2007 at 08:23 PM EST

well let me say how i feel afta reading all of this ,i think ppl needs to stop hatein cause if she want to bring out a phone it her business so i dont no why ery one have sumtin ,cause on a tru note if she dont make much from this phone then it will be her money lost so i dont no why ery one hurtin up ther head cause as you can see beyonce sure isent and if she do lose her money in da sale it surly wont matter to her cuz all she have iz money nd she and she been makein it from she was younger.

ms new booty Mon, Oct 22, 2007 at 07:04 PM EST

Come on now i just dont understand why people continuously keep hatin on beyonce and the b phone i think its hot and i must say i made sure my sprint bill was paid down cause i'll be gettin it soon as it hits the shelves.But i must admit if all the haters on here wouldn't have anything to say about B she wouldn't be the truth like she is so keep her on yall minds HATERS!!!!!!!

Truth Fri, Oct 19, 2007 at 10:14 PM EST

The honest truth: Beyonce is a beautiful woman, but she is overexposed. When she ages, she will find it difficult to face the cold fact that she will not be as desirable to the commercial world. All the money in the world will not satisfy her insatiable need for attention. She may start on the road to butchering her body for the sake of trying to stay young, but no matter what, she will age. She needs to learn how to relax now while she is still young.

Bevin Tue, Oct 16, 2007 at 01:40 PM EST

I'd like to purchase a B-phone and say the B stands for Burke, Delta. Almost as absurd no?

t3hdow Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 04:36 PM EST

LOL @ Fatima. I knew the moment I read this you would come in and start defending Beyonce to the bitter end.
Still, regardless on how you feel about the gal, this idea is just stupid. Just because Vitamin Water worked for 50 Cent doesn't mean every celebrity should endorse a product (especially one that's clearly driven by narcissism).

Ellipsian Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 01:27 PM EST

Ah, Slezak: I, too, am guilty of having dropped the word "automobills". Will our synchronicity never cease?

Laura Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 12:49 PM EST

I disagree with Michael re: the amount they will sell. First of all, it's a limited edition which generally means there are only a few thousand of them out there. I don't think it's unrealistic to believe that there are a few thousand really big Beyonce fans would be interested in this. EW features obsessed fans of the week in every issue of the magazine so Michael shouldn't be that shocked that there might be a market for this.

:} Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 12:35 PM EST

Why do celebs think they should put their face on every damn product available?

Bridgette Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 12:20 PM EST

Don't b' hatin on "B". What's wrong with her having a phone?

To Brittany Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 11:34 AM EST

Brittany: I hope you were just joking with that pathetic grammar;if you were not, please take a course in English. English A will work wonders on you.

Catherine Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 11:09 AM EST

Just another attempt to part a fool and his money. No law against it.

Mandy Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 10:24 AM EST

I saw her before on a great millioniare dating site for the rich or beautiful singles called millionairefriends.com. Is it her? I'm not sure.

brittany Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 08:35 AM EST

you are the best in the would so you now girl frinad lol lol lol lol

[:
brittany

Marcelo Mon, Oct 15, 2007 at 12:28 AM EST

lol

http://www.spymac.com/details/?2266728

MarC

Reality bites man Sun, Oct 14, 2007 at 09:07 PM EST

Hey, people buy this stupid EW mag...why wouldn't they buy this stupid product.
Todays market audience = stupid consumer.

hpc Sun, Oct 14, 2007 at 04:34 PM EST

Show some restaint, Beyonce.

Stephen Sun, Oct 14, 2007 at 08:57 AM EST

Well, maybe she did it for the tween set. (There, that's my defense. It's all I got).

Joshua Sun, Oct 14, 2007 at 07:17 AM EST

The title of this post had me this close to choking to death on a Lean Cuisine panini. Hope you're pleased with yourself, Slezak.

Seon Sun, Oct 14, 2007 at 01:18 AM EST

lol the funny thins when I forst heard about the phone I thought...Why not a V phone...all Vanessa (L Yeah) Williams fun stuff, those cute photos, ugly betty zinger lines and clips, save the best for last songs and video performances. I'd be in heaven. I only have Beyonce's "Upgrade you" on my pod.

Fatima Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 11:14 PM EST

Stop it B. Stop it before I have to stop defending you every moment of my life. Cause I will do it for pretty much everything. Even this. At least you didn't write a song about your love of Samsung. Because Lenny Kravitz would have.

And because I have to defend; it isn't really her fault that Irreplaceable got played out on the radio. If she controlled that, you would have heard a lot more of Ring the Alarm.

teneil Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 08:59 PM EST

as much as i love b, (she is my girl), the b-phone is a bit too much. i will be stickin with my trusty nokia.

Matthew Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 07:07 PM EST

SERIOUSLY?
wow.

Jenny V Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 05:12 PM EST

Two weeks in Aruba Beyonce, you might come back a new woman.

Nae Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 03:05 PM EST

TOO MUCH MS.B. I LOVE YOU BUT GIRL, COME ON

Nae Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 03:04 PM EST

OVER EXPOSURE
SHE JUST DOSEN'T HAVE ANYTHING LEFT TO DO

Fluffy Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 01:59 PM EST

It's a logical progression. It doesn't matter if it's Beyonce or one of the other ones -- perfumes, fashion, lunch boxes, celebrity-designed Visa cards, why not a phone? They'll sell plenty of them.

Kira Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 01:21 PM EST

Sash, it's obvious that celebrities can only control so much of their image. But Beyonce agreed to the stupid cell phone idea. It's just another part of her public image, and consequently, her own overexposure. I think she's talented. I also think she needs about a six-month vacation. Even Bey fans get tired of her and think the phone is a stupid idea.

Sash Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 11:37 AM EST

TEAM B! I don't think that she played her songs on the radio. Call the DJ if you have a problem. And I don't think she forced the makers of these products to feature her. If she did she is a powerful woman. I am sure that most celebrities accept offers to promote a product as long as the product is not offenseive or illegal.

Kira Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 11:42 PM EST

I kinda am a Beyonce hater right now. And this is adding fuel to fire. First, she explodes all over radio. I can't hate the woman for being successful, but I her songs play every seven minutes. Second, she crowbarred her way onto my favorite Justin Timberlake song (Check out the original Until the End of Time; she sounds so harsh). Finally, she attaches her name to so many projects, that the B'Phone just seems like she's selling out. There's a fine line between making smart deals to offer more products that your fans might enjoy and line your pockets a bit, and just being greedy.

Marcelo Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 10:20 PM EST

B-phone? hahaha lol

http://www.spymac.com/details/?2266819

Marc

Stephen Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 09:34 PM EST

You know, B, you're making it very difficult to defend you

Jason Bonkers Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 08:35 PM EST

At least this picture is a good one. The woman just does not know what else to do. She has to be in front of the camera every minute-poor thing. No thanks!

xxllV Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 08:14 PM EST

hahahaha Vanessa L. Williams. How about the Valerie Cherish phone? Do you need to SEE THAT?

Sally Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 07:56 PM EST

She looks like her mom.

Phil Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 07:45 PM EST

At least it appears B has learned to takes some cues from the Jigga man! KUDOS to Michael for digging & finding the BEST Beyonce 'painted-up-looking skinny-dragqueen wannabe' pic!!! Cue up "Bug-A-Boo": "Throw out my pager..."

Snarf Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 07:24 PM EST

Actually this is similar to gig a telecomunications company had here in Canada, where (for a fee natch) a recorded message by a celeb would answer your cell if it went to voicemail. Beyonce was once of the recordees. Anyways, as a coworker of mine astutely asked "Why would I want some hoochie-mama answering my phone?" Apparently this girl will put her name on anything as long as she gets a cut.

daisyj Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 06:39 PM EST

You know why the world needs this? The world needs this because at some point in the future, someone is going to be writing an entertainment future-blog (I'm thinking nanosecond-accurate starlet tracking updates and interactive holograms of Future Idol performances), and he or she is going to ask readers to confess: What is the most inane celebrity-branded item you ever actually paid real money for. So, people will bring up the usual overpriced shoes and banal perfumes and home rhinoplasty kits, and then someone will mention that they once owned a B-phone. And everyone else will marvel at the idea of spending extra money for a cell phone with a couple of pictures and a song by a twelve-year-old and feel better about themselves, and the world will be a warmer and happier place for it.


Or, the parts that haven't been crushed under massive piles of useless junk will, anyway.

Tasia Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 06:28 PM EST

Sleazak- You don’t have any fanatical paraphernalia from your pre-pubescent years? I had a New Kids on the Block sleeping bag that I used until I was 16!

BTW... hilarious reference to 'Bills, Bills, Bills', I love that song and never noticed they used the non-word Automobills!!!

Jonathan F. Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 06:24 PM EST

Umm, okay. I know people love phones and whatnot, but are you kidding me? B-Phone? This must be a joke.


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