Active Topics

 


Page 2 of 4 1 2 34
Reply
Thread Tools
TA-t3 is offline TA-t3
2009-09-25 , 11:53
Posts: 3,841 | Thanked: 1,079 times | Joined on Nov 2006
#11
The only reason I have ever changed a cellphone (since I bought my first one in 1997 or so) is because the battery failed. I have bought replacement batteries several times, they have all without exception been as bad as the original one, and thus forced me to get a new phone instead.

I believe this is what the phone makers want, and that's the main reason for them to constantly changing the battery form factor: They're never producing new batteries, so anything you can buy for your phone is as old as the phone itself, thus, being Li-Ion or Li-Poly batteries, the shelf life and the non-optimal storage (some hot shop wall for years) makes sure that replacement batteries are useless. (And expensive. Did I mention expensive?)

Despite this, I have still managed to hold on to a phone for some three years or more. If it wasn't for the battery issue my current phone would still have been an old, but small, easy, nice, semi-water-proof Nokia phone. Instead I was forced to get a new one, so I bought a S-E one from work.
__________________
N800/OS2007|N900/Maemo5
-- Metalayer-crawler delenda est.
-- Current state: Fed up with everything MeeGo.
 
ruskie is offline ruskie
2009-09-25 , 12:15
Posts: 543 | Thanked: 181 times | Joined on Aug 2009 @ Universe,LocalCluster.MilkyWay.Sol.Earth.Europe.Slovenia.Ljubljana
#12
My 5110 lasted 6 years and even after that had a week worth of idle time. Of course back then it was still using NiMH. But a replacament Li-Ion nokia original my mom bought worked without a problem. The cheap knock-off lasted ~6 months
 
sjgadsby is offline sjgadsby
2009-09-25 , 13:00
Posts: 5,335 | Thanked: 8,187 times | Joined on Mar 2007 @ Pennsylvania, USA
#13
Originally Posted by ruskie View Post
...even after that had a week worth of idle time.
Dang. The only time I've seen standby times like that is when I've gone to Los Angeles for conferences. The rest of the time, I'm impressed when my phone manages to idle for eighteen hours.

My next phone change will likely be forced by the shutdown of the network upon which my current phone runs.
__________________
maemo.org profile
 
zerojay's Avatar
zerojay is offline zerojay
2009-09-25 , 13:15
Posts: 2,669 | Thanked: 2,555 times | Joined on Apr 2007 @ Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
#14
Originally Posted by sjgadsby View Post
Dang. The only time I've seen standby times like that is when I've gone to Los Angeles for conferences. The rest of the time, I'm impressed when my phone manages to idle for eighteen hours.

My next phone change will likely be forced by the shutdown of the network upon which my current phone runs.
Let me guess... Sprint?
 
sjgadsby is offline sjgadsby
2009-09-25 , 13:37
Posts: 5,335 | Thanked: 8,187 times | Joined on Mar 2007 @ Pennsylvania, USA
#15
Originally Posted by zerojay View Post
Let me guess... Sprint?
Worse, a Sprint subsidiary.

The eighteen hour max standby time seems constant across networks though. I've had it with a Nokia analogue phone on CellularOne AT&T, with an LG phone on Verizon, and with a Motorola iDEN phone. Take them to LA though, and suddenly they last a week or more.

I enjoy living in the country and working in a converted coal bunker, but mobile phones don't.

To keep somewhat on topic: I don't change phones often. The Nokia analogue was actually my wife's phone. The LG on Verizon was my own first mobile phone in 2001. ($250 on a 1 year contract!) I then stopped carrying a phone for several years before getting my second (and current) phone.

I am considering jumping back to Verizon (prepaid this time) for better tethering.
__________________
maemo.org profile
 
wesgreen is offline wesgreen
2009-09-25 , 14:19
Posts: 313 | Thanked: 97 times | Joined on Jan 2009
#16
Originally Posted by geneven View Post
I'm daydreaming about junking my cell phone and just using email from my Kindle. Or maybe going back to a Tracfone; that costs about $100 a year. I don't see why cell phones are so important; they are critical only when your car breaks down or when you are trying to find a house or store.

I bet that an analysis of people's cell phone usage shows that they pay for much more than they actually use.
quote: I bet that an analysis of people's cell phone usage shows that they pay for much more than they actually use.
geneven: studies have indeed shown that, and the fact that therefore the average cellphone minute costs users about 30cents.
 

The Following User Says Thank You to wesgreen For This Useful Post:
R-R's Avatar
R-R is offline R-R
2009-09-25 , 15:15
Posts: 739 | Thanked: 242 times | Joined on Sep 2007 @ Montreal
#17
Originally Posted by ruskie View Post
Lol... TV over IP... that's a joke right? Even VoIP is a joke. There will be a singularity at one point where all of this will merge but even then it will be short lived.
Uh, my VoIP I've been using for around 5$ a month for the past 2 years has been working great and I can even use it from anywhere!
It definitely isn't a joke :-)
(And much much better than the 30$ my monopolistic telco charges for copper!)

As for TV, well everything is there to make it work, ever tried Democracy Player or some such?
 
Texrat's Avatar
Texrat is offline Texrat
2009-09-25 , 16:25
Posts: 11,700 | Thanked: 10,045 times | Joined on Jun 2006 @ North Texas, USA
#18
I'll go with Jay's observation, although I am also an exception. I hang onto stuff.

Manufacturers want you to replace your phone up to twice a year. Cell service providers are good with that, as new phones require less servicing and drive constantly renewed interest.

So there you have it in a nutshell.
__________________
Nokia Developer Champion
Different <> Wrong | Listen - Judgment = Progress | People + Trust = Success
My personal site: http://texrat.net
 
danramos's Avatar
danramos is offline danramos
2009-09-25 , 16:27
Posts: 4,672 | Thanked: 5,455 times | Joined on Jul 2008 @ Springfield, MA, USA
#19
I've still got the the same cell phone that I got for free back in 2004. Before that, I had that phone since 1999. :P In my WHOLE lifetime, I've only ever had three cell phones. :P
 

The Following User Says Thank You to danramos For This Useful Post:
mmurfin87 is offline mmurfin87
2009-09-25 , 18:36
Posts: 307 | Thanked: 157 times | Joined on Jul 2009 @ Illinois, USA
#20
Originally Posted by Texrat View Post
I'll go with Jay's observation, although I am also an exception. I hang onto stuff.

Manufacturers want you to replace your phone up to twice a year. Cell service providers are good with that, as new phones require less servicing and drive constantly renewed interest.

So there you have it in a nutshell.
And, also, in fairness to manufacturers, its hard to keep up enthusiasm for your older products when all your efforts are going to creating NEW phones that you're enthusiastic about.
 

The Following User Says Thank You to mmurfin87 For This Useful Post:
Reply
Page 2 of 4 1 2 34

Tags
customer v. the man war

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 19:32.

Contact Us - Home - Archive - Top