Which Cell Phone do you own?

[mclaincausey]

It's amazing really.  Blackberry's story will be added to the canon of business school case studies.  iPhone came out and they looked at the complexity and cost of the device and couldn't picture how something like this would disrupt them.  How did Apple engineer this–how is this device even possible?  Beyond the technical challenges, why would carriers let a real browser and the concomitant traffic on their choked networks?

Verizon probably saw the same thing, which is why they passed on iPhone.  Well, perhaps that and the demands Apple was placing on the carrier, being unwilling to cede control or compromise customer experience.  "You're just the network."  No carrier bloatware, no modifications to the OS, no control over the customer experience.  They wouldn't accept these terms.

Then when they realized this was a mistake, and watched as AT&T's network boomed with iPhone subscribers, they went to RIM and asked them to make an iPhone killer.  RIM tried to do this and failed, which left the door open for the next option on Verizon's list, Google + Motorola = Droid, and now we have the rise of Android (mainly Samsung if we're talking about capturing all the profits BlackBerry left on the table).  Palm had a pretty cool solution that never gained traction, Microsoft took too long (their "let's sit back and let's see how this plays out, and then brute force/bully our way in" strategy didn't work this time), and now we have a two horse race.  I don't think this is good for consumers.  I wish that BlackBerry and Palm had been more successful so that we had a rich array of options to choose from and push each other.

[mclaincausey]

Nokia is a turd too, the only decent options for smart phones are iPhones and Androids IMO.  I'd get an iPhone or a stock Android Nexus.

[tigerpac]

Waiting for them to announce the Nexus 5 to replace the Galaxy Nexus I have now that's a little long in the tooth.

[DougNg]

@mclaincausey:

Nokia is a turd too, the only decent options for smart phones are iPhones and Androids IMO.  I'd get an iPhone or a stock Android Nexus.

Yup, what he said.

We did a pretty extensive study in my agency for what platform should we use since blackberry was failing miserably for out needs. iOS and Android were out top picks. We didn't like Windows. Nokia wasn't even an option from the get go

You seem to have already made up your mind in what you will not tolerate. Just buy whatever in that case.

[Seul]

I don't use internetz on my phone apart from the very occasional IH forum browsing through Tapatalk… All it needs is a calculator, has to be all touchscreen, heavy, and tough as nails...

[Graeme]

Seul, if you want an Android device then either try to get a Nexus 4, which Google were selling for £160 to £200 (in the UK), or join Tigerpac in the wait for the Nexus 5. Most handset manufacturers put a metric tonne of rubbish software onto their phones to distinguish them from the competition, and it never ends well.

Alternatively, if you want to really nerd out, buy a Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One, root it, and install the Google Play edition software, that gives you the vanilla Android OS. In the off chance you want to spend entirely too much, get a Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, which is the armour plated version, and can take more abuse than most phones.

Or, there's the JCB ProSmart…

[Finn666]

@DougNg:

Blackberry IS the toilet

.

[Seul]

So let's talk models that are 2 years old… How's the HTC Desire, for example?..

[Snowy]

@mclaincausey:

Palm had a pretty cool solution that never gained traction

I bought 2 Palm Pre's. Hardware was a bit shitty, but WebOS was way ahead of it's time concept wise.

[natehate]

seul do you want my old storm 1?

[Seul]

Currently looking at HTC Desire S. The new ones are probably quicker and such, but I don't need all that… Looking at a second hand one ("as new") for 90 quid...

[urbanwoodsman]

Mophie case with iPhone 5

[veloaudio]

Just bought an iPhone 5s. Huge upgrade from my iPhone 4.

[tigerpac]

Just got an LG G2 for Verizon - great screen, almost no bezel at all - nice big 3000 mAh battery that  actually lasts a full day of hard use

[derivative666]

I can back the Mophie case also. Huge enhancement to iPhone

[Megatron1505]

I'm nearing the end of my contract and considering not even upgrading from my 4S. I have spent time messing around with a mates 5S and I know it's quicker etc…., but not stunningly quicker.

Fuck the tech race, I'm out 

[Seul]

[Snowy]

@Megatron1505:

Fuck the tech race, I'm out 
[/quote]
I'll put a small wager on you having a new phone in a year/1.5 years tops from now.

[Megatron1505]

As I have no idea if my 4S will break in this time frame it would be a fairly stupid wager for me to agree. However, should you wish to insert a breakage clause I am willing to say I will go no higher than a replacement 4S for the next 12 months ($50 bet) or 18 months ($100 bet).

[Snowy]

Let's go with something not money focused, playful style. Snail mail something as yet to be decided of low value.

in 18 months I have a feeling 1 of will likely happen;
a) the battery will not charge properly
b) the software will have security exploits that are not longer patched
c) new versions of software required to remain secure don't run
d) new must have 'apps' won't work properly

Don't forget the phones are designed with a certain planned obsolescence regardless of your usage.

Breaking aside, let's play :). Best of luck to you :).