Have:
A Treo 650, on its last legs.
Want:
Cingular 8525
Why:
I had assumed I would just upgrade to the Treo 750w but with a 240x240 resolution and yet again, no built-in wifi, I just can’t do it.
Have:
Sony Ericsson W800i
Want:
Sony Ericsson W950i because while I like all Sony Walkman phones they all lack A2DP Bluetooth, which should be built into any modern MP3-player.
Have:
HTC/Cingular 3125
Want:
Nokia E91/92
Why:
I heard the Nokia E91/92’s like a better version of the Motorola Q. I just switched to the 3125 though, since the hinge on my Sony Ericsson W600i broke, and am really happy with it so far. The 3125’s only slightly larger than a RAZR, but with the capabilities of a Windows Mobile phone.
Have:
Sony Ericsson Z520i
Want:
Nothing now, will take whatever they give away for the points I have accumulated when this one breaks
Why:
I used to be a sucker for stylish or lots-of-features phones, I had a Nokia 7110 mainly for the Matrix-like slide cover, then had a 7650, which pioneered the smartphone thingie. Then I realized that I never use the phone for anything apart from talking, so I went for:
- Cheap (or free)
- As small & light as possible, having 1 in mind.
Have:
Something crushed flat by a car
Want:
Something that works. The company pays for it so I’m restricted on choice anyways.
Why:
Cell phones are evil, and I wouldn’t have one except for work.
Have:
Cingular 2125
Want:
Cingular 8125 & 3125
Why:
I really like the WM5 stuff, and the ability to write my own apps for it. I picked up the 2125 earlier this year when the v710 lawsuit finally shook out, but wished I got have had it in a clam shell format. But for trips, I’d rather take a qwerty phone than a laptop (since I wouldn’t get to play games on it).
As a side note, I really hope the telcos come to their senses about data plans soon. Cingular charges you $40/month for unlimited data on a PDA phone, as opposed to the $20/month on a smartphone. Which is bullshit, since the streaming radio stuff will pull down tons of data regardless of the handset you’re using. They really expect me to pay more for 'net access for my cellphone than for my house?
If they made the plans a little more reasonable, they’d sell a lot more.
They don’t really want heavy users though, because they have fixed bandwidth through their towers. A few really crazy users that do bit torrent, etc. over their phones can hose everyone else, which is why Verizon started getting stupid hardcore about banning users that were using their “unlimited” data plan too much. Basically “unlimited” worked out to “up until we decide you’re too much to deal with”, and they just cancel your account. And, in theory, the TOS you signed states that type of termination is “with cause” so you don’t get a refund. Fuckers.
Anyway, point being that right now data plans are aimed at users with low bandwidth needs and a willingness to pay a premium – business users. The ability to check email from nearly anywhere is worth $40-60/month for executives that travel a lot. Light Web browsing and email is low bandwidth, so you’re paying for convenience.
Personal users, on the other hand, tend to “abuse” the data plans and use them in lieu of cable/DSL on their laptops, and there are even products that allow you to hook up a router to your EVDO laptop and give multiple machines simultaneous net access. Sprint and Verizon hate that shit.
To answer the original question, I have an LG Fusic that I have a love/hate relationship with. It plays MP3s and works very well, when it works. The problem is that it still has this shitty bug where sometimes an application gets stuck in a busy loop and the phone heats up and kills its battery within 6 hours. This is my third Fusic/battery so it’s not my specific phone.
Have: RAZR
Want: This one’s fine
Why: The RAZR really does everything I need it to do. I wouldn’t mind a better camera, but wtf it’s just a phone camera.
Have: Nothing.
Want: Nothing;
Why: Hate cell phones. :>
Have: Motorola SLVR L7.
Want: Something like it, but with better iTunes support, perhaps thinner, and with better buttons
Why: I don’t need fancy computer-like features when I already have computer access 99% of the time I’m not sleeping. Elegance trumps technology in something you hold in your hand to use. The solid, substantial feel of the metal SLVR communicates more about the phone than all of the things that other companies are better at, and it’s the one thing none of the other companies do nearly as well. It’s a better phone than the RAZR because of its solidity and because of its thinness where it matters. It slips into a pocket almost unnoticed.
At this point, the only reason not to have a cell phone is to be “different”. Even I have a cell phone.
I was the last holdout I knew when I got my cellphone back in 2000.
How about “cheap” as a reason? I don’t have a cell phone (I had one years ago and dumped it within 2 years because I was paying $30 a month for like 10 minutes (rounded up) of calls.
I hate phones, of any kind. I hate wasting money.
I suppose if I could get one of those pre-paid/pay as you go phones that didn’t have stupid surcharges ($.25 connect fee, minimum of 5 minutes per call or whatever) and didn’t have minutes that expired after 90 days or what ever, I’d consider it.
The only things I “need” a cell phone for are car emergencies (flat tire, accident, out of gas…).
phones. Ugh.
Have:
No cellphone.
Want:
To never own a cellphone.
Why:
- Sometimes I don’t want to be reachable, and ‘I turned my cellphone off’ is not a good enough excuse.
- Cellphones turn people into self-important arseholes who lose all sense of personal space when they have one jammed in their ear.
Have: Some kind of LG thing.
Want: Nothing, mine works fine.
Why: It’s just another communication tool for me. As long as my bills aren’t outrageous and I get reception where I want it, I don’t care what I’m using. I also don’t care about peripheral features like cameras, mp3 players, or supercolliders.
Anyone ever listen to This American Life? There was a great show on never wanting to be THAT guy. The point they made was that initially, it was cool not to be THAT guy on the cell phone. But now that everyone has a cell phone, it’s not cool at all because a) there’s nothing wrong about having a cell phone b) not having one just for the sake of not having one means that you’re the guy who wants to be THAT guy. And that ain’t cool.
Have:
Luddites fackin’ up a thread about cellphones
Want:
People to go make their own ‘cellphones are teh evil’-thread or at least stop with the stupid generalizations.
Why:
The ‘I don’t ever want to own a cellphone’-crowd is only slightly less annoying than the ‘I never watch any television’-crowd. Yeah yeah, I get it - I should get off your lawn. Just because some morons don’t know how to behave with a cellphone (hint they’re still loud morons without the cellphone) doesn’t mean the rest of us are the same. And just because you can’t handle a cellphone budget or how to turn it off, doesn’t mean we care.
Shut up and let those into them talk about cellphones.
Have: Some Samsung flip phone piece of shit.
Want: One that isn’t a piece of shit.
Why: I can’t hear it ringing when it’s in my pocket! It occasionally doesn’t get reception in my HOUSE. It is by far, the worst cell phone I have ever owned.
Have: Cingular 8125
Want: Cingular 8525
Why: Because I fucking love my 8125, and the 8525 will finally get a 2 megapixel camera, true VGA, and a 400 mhz processor. The 8125 is too slow to play SNES games (190 mhz) even when overclocked, and other non-NES emulators run somewhat sluggish. I could only imagine how awesome doubling the processing power would be.
I just hope that the navigation pad is easy to use without accidentally pressing the buttons around it. They look a little close together. Being able to switch my emulators into landscape and turn the phone sideways is one of the most awesome features of the 8125.
I have a RAZR and I want nothing more.