Constantly Chasing New Technology - or going with WP8?

[BBerryPowerUser]

I posted a similar thread in another forum regarding constantly having to get the very latest release of a new phone.
While I understand this, it makes more sense to me to find a phone that works for you, and stick with it for a while milking as much productivity out of it as you can.

To me, it's like buying a new car every year, VS driving your car for as long as you feel it is efficient for you and THEN trading it in on a new one.

Friends of mine stand in line for the newest iPhone. They camp overnight. Yuck. I bought a used iPhone 4s after the 5 came out so I could try and iPhone at a fraction of the cost.

What semi-attracted me to WP8 was that I read that you were theoretically going to get upgrades to WP8 without having to upgrade. I guess that's going to be dependent on hardware capability some day, but theoretically, this appealed to me.

I hate chasing my tail with technology. Heck, I had a BlackBerry 9780 for over four years because it simply worked great for my needs.

So, I'm hoping WindowsPhone is the same way, but with good upgrades. Hopefully it will not be "Legacied" before I get to fully milk it for all the productivity it is worth.

 

[ag1986]

The car analogy is flawed; it would be accurate if the gas company gave you a free car every two years in return for you buying a guaranteed minimum amount of (overpriced) fuel every month.

Considering that having a SIM-only or PAYG connection often gives only minimal savings (except T-Mobile, I think), getting a new phone every 2 years for a low price seems to make sense to me. I change my phone every year anyway, so that's not a big deal for me, but this is the case for most people.

 

[gsquared]

I doubt WP8 will receive updates for four years. As for being able to step up the OS on an older WP8 device to the next full version, who knows. The way WP is setup however you can upgrade your device every two years to the latest / greatest and not have to re-enter contacts/apps/etc.

 

[Pete]

People tend to upgrade because they like shiny new things. Having a shiny new thing makes you equal to your peers, who also have the need to have a shiny new thing to be equal to their own peers.

 

[BBerryPowerUser]

The car analogy is flawed; it would be accurate if the gas company gave you a free car every two years in return for you buying a guaranteed minimum amount of (overpriced) fuel every month.

It is not flawed if your paradigm is Prepay plans where you buy the phone outright. Your paradigm is viewing this from a post-pay contract plan, or similar. From THAT perspective, I agree with you. From MY perspective, the analogy is right on the money. Literally.

 

[BBerryPowerUser]

People tend to upgrade because they like shiny new things. Having a shiny new thing makes you equal to your peers, who also have the need to have a shiny new thing to be equal to their own peers.

Yes, a female friend whom runs her own business and is into "image' would agree with you heartily. She just HAS to have the latest and greatest iPhone. She would always tell me, "Your BlackBerry makes you look outdated". I would smile as I flew through my business day, happy and content. But, to each their own. If that makes her happy, go for it.

 

[cckgz4]

Oh how I miss the days where I am happy with my device for at least a full year, if not longer. I think the last time that happened was with the Motorola Razr. My longest smartphone was the HTC Snap (6.5).

While I might switch up the hardware, I know I'm sticking with Windows Phone 8.

 

[ag1986]

It is not flawed if your paradigm is Prepay plans where you buy the phone outright. Your paradigm is viewing this from a post-pay contract plan, or similar. From THAT perspective, I agree with you. From MY perspective, the analogy is right on the money. Literally.

Let me rephrase, then. From the larger perspective of why people need the latest and greatest. IF there was the option of getting a car for a very cheap price from the gas companies, then yes, people would get a new car every two years. Since they cannot, most people keep it for 8-10 years. Most people would not upgrade or change their phone every two years/18 months if the option of a new handset at a cheap price was not available.

 

[ajst222]

I find it harder and harder to stay content with a phone for a long period of time. I had a Z10 for 6 months that I bought on release and now have a Lumia 928 which I traded for about a month ago.

I think it's because I can't find a phone that fully fits my needs. There are things about almost all platforms that I would combine to create some super phone that would be ideal. The Apple ecosystem, the BB10 multitasking and Hub, and the Live Tiles from Windows Phone



Sent from my Nokia Lumia 928 using Tapatalk

 

[BBerryPowerUser]

From my perspective, this is a brilliant post. Thank you. I understand that position very well.

I'm surprised you only had the Z for six months, but que sera sera. Life in the fast lane I suppose.
I was extremely happy with my 9780 BeeBerry for a very long time. But time caught up to me. I was unable to "hub" LinkedIn to Twitter or Facebook. Back when the build was done, LinkedIn was not a player yet. After playing with Siri on my iPhone, and dictation Speech to Text on both the iPhone and the Android, I missed being able to dictate on the BlackBerry. I also was growing weary of trying to dial numbers on the tiny QWERTY keyboard. Very difficult if you are a grown man with man fingers. I used my thumb nails to tap away for years, for accuracy sake.

And I agree with you. Combine BlackBerry, WP8, Droid and iPhone in one device and I'm good to go! Until then, I'm playing with WP8 and hoping it will satisfy my needs for a while, like BBerry did for years. I'm searching, like you, for a phone that truly fits my needs. Many of us are. Thanks for the post.

I find it harder and harder to stay content with a phone for a long period of time. I had a Z10 for 6 months that I bought on release and now have a Lumia 928 which I traded for about a month ago.

I think it's because I can't find a phone that fully fits my needs. There are things about almost all platforms that I would combine to create some super phone that would be ideal. The Apple ecosystem, the BB10 multitasking and Hub, and the Live Tiles from Windows Phone



Sent from my Nokia Lumia 928 using Tapatalk

 

[BBerryPowerUser]

As the U.S. slowly migrates toward Socialism, matching much of Europe, I'm wondering if people will use their SmartPhones to show status? I know this seems like a silly comparison, but when I lived in Europe, wrist watches were the "Big Thing" to show status, because most could not afford automobiles, let alone get a new "finer" auto like a BMW, Audi, or Benz to show how well off they were, or to "project an image".

My female friend, mentioned earlier, is into this big time. She is a very successful business woman, and flaunts her iPhone like it was a new Audi A8 she had just acquired. She has to have the very latest model, and she will be the first to tell you that! rly: Is it possible that Smartphones may have become the new wrist watch? Perhaps they are becoming, to some, the new "Status Symbol"? Interesting hypothesis.

Let me rephrase, then. From the larger perspective of why people need the latest and greatest. IF there was the option of getting a car for a very cheap price from the gas companies, then yes, people would get a new car every two years. Since they cannot, most people keep it for 8-10 years. Most people would not upgrade or change their phone every two years/18 months if the option of a new handset at a cheap price was not available.

 

[ajst222]

From my perspective, this is a brilliant post. Thank you. I understand that position very well.

I'm surprised you only had the Z for six months, but que sera sera. Life in the fast lane I suppose.
I was extremely happy with my 9780 BeeBerry for a very long time. But time caught up to me. I was unable to "hub" LinkedIn to Twitter or Facebook. Back when the build was done, LinkedIn was not a player yet. After playing with Siri on my iPhone, and dictation Speech to Text on both the iPhone and the Android, I missed being able to dictate on the BlackBerry. I also was growing weary of trying to dial numbers on the tiny QWERTY keyboard. Very difficult if you are a grown man with man fingers. I used my thumb nails to tap away for years, for accuracy sake.

And I agree with you. Combine BlackBerry, WP8, Droid and iPhone in one device and I'm good to go! Until then, I'm playing with WP8 and hoping it will satisfy my needs for a while, like BBerry did for years. I'm searching, like you, for a phone that truly fits my needs. Many of us are. Thanks for the post.

I love BB10 to death but I couldn't deal with the poor battery life on the Z10 and we were promised apps and they never came. It was time to jump ship.

I had my Tour 9630 for a while and I did love that phone. Back then, apps weren't a big deal. After that I got a Droid Razr and hated it. Android is not my thing. So I traded that for a Bold 9930 and loved that to death. I knew I was going to get a Z10 so just for the heck of it, I traded that for a Torch 9850 and that was decent. After the Z10 I'm on the Lumia 928 and here I am.

I like the Lumia a lot. My upgrade has been due since August and I'm just waiting for something to come along . The Z30 is out because of the dated specs and lack of apps. Maybe the Lumia 929 could be my next phone. We will see.





Sent from my Nokia Lumia 928 using Tapatalk

 

[BBerryPowerUser]

I hear that!

My next phone will probably be the Lumia 929, once I get the true hang of this Lumia 521. I can't deal (long term) without a flash, and I really would enjoy being able to use "City Lens", which I can't use now because the 521 does not support compass. But for now, the 521 is impressing me. It's my Z10, at a fraction of the cost. At least that is the way I justify not having a new BBerry as my primary phone. :wink:

 

[ajst222]

From my perspective, this is a brilliant post. Thank you. I understand that position very well.

I'm surprised you only had the Z for six months, but que sera sera. Life in the fast lane I suppose.
I was extremely happy with my 9780 BeeBerry for a very long time. But time caught up to me. I was unable to "hub" LinkedIn to Twitter or Facebook. Back when the build was done, LinkedIn was not a player yet. After playing with Siri on my iPhone, and dictation Speech to Text on both the iPhone and the Android, I missed being able to dictate on the BlackBerry. I also was growing weary of trying to dial numbers on the tiny QWERTY keyboard. Very difficult if you are a grown man with man fingers. I used my thumb nails to tap away for years, for accuracy sake.

And I agree with you. Combine BlackBerry, WP8, Droid and iPhone in one device and I'm good to go! Until then, I'm playing with WP8 and hoping it will satisfy my needs for a while, like BBerry did for years. I'm searching, like you, for a phone that truly fits my needs. Many of us are. Thanks for the post.

I love BB10 to death but I couldn't deal with the poor battery life on the Z10 and we were promised apps and they never came. It was time to jump ship.

I had my Tour 9630 for a while and I did love that phone. Back then, apps weren't a big deal. After that I got a Droid Razr and hated it. Android is not my thing. So I traded that for a Bold 9930 and loved that to death. I knew I was going to get a Z10 so just for the heck of it, I traded that for a Torch 9850 and that was decent. After the Z10 I'm on the Lumia 928 and here I am.

I like the Lumia a lot. My upgrade has been due since August and I'm just waiting for something to come along . The Z30 is out because of the dated specs and lack of apps. Maybe the Lumia 929 could be my next phone. We will see.





Sent from my Nokia Lumia 928 using Tapatalk

 

[cckgz4]

To be honest, I wouldn't mind a Q10 as a second device

 

[ajst222]

To be honest, I wouldn't mind a Q10 as a second device

I had the money, I would have one to use as a BBM device





Sent from my Nokia Lumia 928 using Tapatalk

 

[BBerryPowerUser]

Agreed.

Since I have to buy one outright (I'm a prepay customer on Simple Mobile), the Q is too pricey at present. I'm using my 9780 as a backup if I need a QWERTY, but I find I grab it less and less with the WP.

One odd thing has happened in the last two weeks of using WP8. I no longer feel comfortable on Android. I did not expect this. I even have a mock WP8 loader on my Droid that really emulates WP8 remarkably well, but the core UI is still there, and after two weeks of banging out business and personal use on my WP8, I find Droid cumbersome by comparison. The WindowsPhone 8 platform simply feels more intuitive to me.

I do miss Groove IP, the awesome Google Voice VOIP client that integrates into my Droid seamlessly. I do not see this yet on WP8. There are some offerings, but these are clunky by comparison to Droid. There are times I'd like to use VOIP due to bad cell but great WiFi. I'm sure this will improve as all things will with WindowsPhone. I also miss ATT Voice Mail Loader that transcribed my office voice mail for me and sent it to my Droid for action. That was sure convenient.

These features were never available on my Berry, so I'm used to having a Droid floating around for various items I can't have on my primary phone anyway. :wink: