Originally Posted by mrojas (Post 1036545)

(Yeah, this is a rant):

You know really sickens me? That there is a bunch of pied pipers towing the industry towards dependence on single ecosystems of single manufacturers, on permanent active data connections. All this with the encouragement of ignorant bloggers misleading even more ignorant customers.

When I compare this situation with, let's say the PC market: I can assemble my own computer, with the components I myself select. Then I'm free to install the OS I want (even hack OS X to run on x86 hardware). Then in Linux, and even in Windows, I'm free to install any application I want, developed by anyone, using whatever application language the developer wanted. My applications do not stop loading when there is no active Internet connection (unless, of course, they are Web related). Also, I can do whatever I want with my files.

Now, in the mobile market, I'm constrained to the hardware manufacturers decide to release, which I understand due to the level of integration and scarce resources available on mobile. Then, I have to resign myself to the OS that comes with the hardware or viceversa. How many times a HW feature you want it's
on an OS you don't want? Or the inverse situation?

Then, as a developer, I have to bend down and use the particular SDK of said manufacturer. And if you want a particular application, and the developer doesn't support your OS, then bad luck. (Hopefully Qt and HTML5 will alleviate some of this!).


Don't get me started on OS design choices: you can't be productive on certain OS/devices because their lack of true multi-tasking do not allow you to kill dead periods of time (i.e. let's quickly check mail while a webpage loads).

Also! If everything is online, then you need a data plan (which can be very expensive), and resign yourself to short battery life because the connection is going to be active the whole time.

Do you want to upload your own files, on your directories, and have them available to every application capable of accesing your system's file directory? Good luck doing that on iOS or WP7. You have to chain yourself to iTunes or Zune (and now iTunes is going to be in the cloud!).

If there is people than want this, to get themselves chained to the whim of manufacturers with echoes of thunderous applause from their peers, all for the sake of convenience and sheepleware, then so be it.

The problem is when this tendency eliminates choices for people that like having choices in the first place. Choices of where to store my data, of where to keep my personal information, of what I want to expose to manufacturers for which your online activities are the main source of revenue, or keep milking you for things that used to, and should be free (there is an app for that!).

That is why I'm getting a N9, perhaps the last encarnation of what freedom of uses in mobile should be.

As usual, XKCD explains it better:

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/infrastructures.png

Originally Posted by ericsson (Post 1037511)

If "freedom" is so important to you, than go and make your own phone for Christ sake. We are talking about consumer devices here, and no one is forcing you to use them.

Originally Posted by ericsson (Post 1037511)

If "freedom" is so important to you, than go and make your own phone for Christ sake. We are talking about consumer devices here, and no one is forcing you to use them.

You are acting like there is a human right to use a mobile phone - and - a human right to have access to a "open" ecosystem. Guess what, it will never happen. The very least you can do is to get a dumb phone and a tablet and stop whining.

Originally Posted by mece (Post 1036939)

To the people worried about N9 not being sold in your country:

The availability list on the web is for the Nokia online shop. Nokia UK online shop (and others) closes June 30 (http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-...ne-shop-966300) so that's why it's not listed there. It's not a list of all countries it will be released in.

Originally Posted by dansus (Post 1038336)

Pre-ordered mine. Dont care if it never gets updated, is rough the edges and no one builds apps for it.

What it does suits my needs, i like the UI and it looks sexy. Plus very few will have it and if a N950 ever comes up for sale, theres going to be some fierce bidding going on in my corner. I would pay well over the odds for it.

Originally Posted by Frappacino (Post 1036648)

In regards to mobile providers - just as consumer freedom means users can choose what they want, companies also have the freedom to build the services they want - its their money after all - not yours.

Originally Posted by shallimus (Post 1037524)

Huh? Are you trolling, or did you genuinely miss his point by such a long way?

You seem to forget where the money comes from for all these companies (note: not charities). The money comes from us - the consumers. We pay the wages. We pay the R&D costs. We pay for the shareholders' dividends. We are the market force.

It is only because we the consumer enable the closed/money-grubbing model espoused by so many companies that it continues to work for them.

Given a choice between paying for relative freedom on the device you own and paying to permit a corporation to store a closed, ad-driven, non-customisable, license-ridden, DRM-infested marketing device in your pocket, are you seriously saying you'd prefer the latter?

Your choice... but don't tell us to dumb it down just because you are unable/unwilling to conceive of a world where openness could equate with commercial success and user satisfaction.
</rant>

Originally Posted by colin.stephane (Post 1038340)

dansus,

Where did you Pre-ordered yours ?