I'm trying to wait before getting a modern smart phone.

Post #302,018 by Another Scott 1/6/09 7:34:35 PM Reply	I'm trying to wait before getting a modern smart phone. I recently deactivated my PalmOS-based Samsung i500 because it was no longer staying on reliably even when the battery was fully charged. I reactivated a Sanyo SCP-8100 and started reusing a Sony Clie PEG-TJ27 to replace it. My wife has an iPod Touch. It's really neat as a toy, but I haven't tried to use it for "real" yet. (It unfortunately also has a "hiss" noise when listening to music - it's like tape hiss from a cassette. I hope they can get rid of that with an update.) I thought it would be a great thing to have on a trip out of town, but when she's taken it with her, quite often she wasn't able to get WiFi access, so it wasn't of much use for maps, local information, and the like. I suspect that is becoming less of an issue over time. I'm trying to hold off on getting anything like an iPhone. I hate the idea of being tied to a service for 2 years (I've been with Sprint PCS long enough that I've never had a contract with them - they started as a monthly service.) I'm hopeful that the Android phones will take off, but I have a nagging fear that Apple has such a big lead (especially in the buzz department) that they may be still-born before they can build a real market presence. Windows Mobile phones have always been a turn-off for me (rather like your Apple avoidance, I suspect). I agree with you that a responsive UI is very important in a phone, especially if one is entering text, but I want a smart phone that is able to run things in the background as well. I also want a phone that has reasonable battery life. I don't care about it having a camera or a music player or being able to play Donkey Kong. Give me a phone that can run DateBk6 (or something very similar), has viewers for PDF files and spreadsheets, and can read and compose simple e-mail, has some sort of flash memory expansion slot, with excellent battery life and I'll be happy. If I want a music player, I'll get a Nano or something similar. If I want a camera, I'll probably want one that has adjustable focus and zoom and don't want that on my phone. My $0.02. Cheers, Scott.
Post #302,019 by static 1/6/09 7:59:02 PM Reply	Have a look at all the Symbian phones. Symbian is best described as aggressively multi-tasking: the apps must actively support it to work. So ironically, my G900 fulfills all your requirements, including a decent camera with zoom and adjustable focus. I was going to wait until Android solidifies, but I was ready for an upgrade now. :-) Consumerism at work. Besides, it looks like it's aiming to take on the Windows Mobile/iPhone space and I wasn't sure I wanted to go that far yet. I feel Symbian is just being itself for the moment. My MS avoidance is a bit more prosaic: I don't want to give Microsoft more money, if I can help it. Two year contracts I have no problem with, but then I don't get into fights with my provider (Optus). They can't really afford to piss people off grand deluxe; the market's too hot. Wade.
Post #302,026 by Another Scott 1/6/09 10:04:33 PM Reply	Thanks. Some of the SE phones looked like good fits for my wants, but they're all GSM AFAIK. Sprint uses CDMA, so I'd have to change vendors too. That would be good in some respects (GSM phones generally have better battery life, or did the last I looked), but it means spending time choosing between Verizon, AT&T and maybe T-Mobile. I haven't wanted to spend the time lookng at all the issues, mainly because of the contract... Cheers, Scott.
Post #302,022 by drook 1/6/09 9:18:02 PM Reply	Wrong concern, IMO I'm hopeful that the Android phones will take off, but I have a nagging fear that Apple has such a big lead (especially in the buzz department) that they may be still-born before they can build a real market presence. I unfortunately think the comment I heard about the Blackberry Storm -- I think I heard it here -- is probably true. RIM is the Microsoft of phones. Everything they have is copied from someone else, and usually copied badly. But corporations love them because RIM caters to what the purchasing department wants, not what the user wants. And so many people get their phones from work that they'll assume "that's how it is." Particularly egregious is building in hardware that access free services -- specifically, GPS -- then locking it down until you pay an additional monthly fee. And Blackberry lockdown is pretty much the best-executed part of their system. So just like Windows, you buy your own hardware but someone else decides what you're allowed to use, and how. So, long story short (too late, I know) is that there are probably more Blackberry users who accept ... no, who expect this type of crap, than there will ever be iPhone owners. And most of them will never know just how screwed they are. -- Drew
Post #302,023 by Another Scott 1/6/09 9:37:51 PM Reply	Good points.
Post #302,039 by a6l6e6x 1/7/09 10:06:50 AM Reply	And you would improve on RIMM's business plan how? :) Alex
Post #302,079 by drook 1/8/09 10:12:45 AM Reply	Didn't suggest it was a bad business plan ... for them But I think they're a perfect example of what it would be like if Microsoft controlled the hardware. (Like they tried to do with Palladium.) Yes, Apple is in essentially this position, controlling the hardware and software. And yes, there are people who say they are as evil as Microsoft. But the difference IMO is that they generally sell directly to end users. Which means when they decide what you can do with your stuff, it's based on what they think you want to do with your stuff. Or at least what you should want to do, if you've got any taste and style. So much of Windows is driven by what corporate buyers and corporate IT shops want, or what the MPAA and RIAA want, that actual user preference is secondary at best. -- Drew
Post #302,041 by folkert 1/7/09 10:36:54 AM Reply	Again, its the idea that: How do they know they are eating Dog Crap, when its the only thing they have ever known? Introducing them to Beef Roast or even 80% Hamburger would make them tremble with fear.

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