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“Mobile-Crushes” – They end now!

Now I know I’ve said it a couple of times in the past few months, but I’m looking for a new phone. The reason I haven’t yet bought one isn’t because I can’t be bothered to purchase one, or because I can’t afford one; in fact I’m more than happy to now pay a little bit more for a mobile than I previously would. The problem is I haven’t yet found anything… Well until the other day.

My Mum gets Carphone Warehouse letters in the post; and the other day I arrived home from School, seeking out any interesting post for myself, when I came across a little Christmas brochure. I expected to see the usual mix of non-interesting and far-fetched mobiles, which have very limited appeal to someone who is as indecisive as I.

Then I came across the LG Cookie.

I’m not an LG fan by any means, yes their phones are nice, and I have to say although I appreciate the minor attempts at creativity with their naming processes; previous experiences of LG’s have taught me that they’re not my cup of tea. Should I mention I’m not a fan of their interfaces, or just generally how they work and feel?

However, the Cookie did catch my eye! It looks nice, it’ll be a new experience, it’s a touch-screen (another learning curve), and also the ability to use an on screen QWERTY keyboard, and importantly its price.

I don’t know what to do.

Now this could just be a sporadic urge to go and spend money, and get something just because I’ve seen it, and I like the price; but then I think… LG. An interface I know I won’t like, and will struggle to get grips with, and I fear I’ll see all the flaws in my purchase just after I’ve broken that “unbreakable seal” on the box.

It’s hopeless! I do this with every wonderful find I come across, and I deliberate an item and a possible purchase so much that it either becomes outdated and therefore useless, or I decide I don’t like it although secretly still wanting it, or I’ll find something else to admire and want.

I know for one, I can’t be the only person who does this; and I know for one that it’s probably a good safety precaution my mind has implemented to stop such impulse buying – a trait I really try to avoid at all costs.

Now I wonder, why is it I find mobiles such as the Cookie, and previously before it the LG KS360 before that, and there was also a Sony mobile before that too; why is it I loose interest, and forget about it, and then find some other mobile-crush?

Could it just be that no matter how lovely one major aspect or feature of a phone is say, it’s price, a new built in gadget or a sleek, slender design; it really isn’t enough to make a mobile good, or at-least good enough to buy.

What I’m beginning to see is that mobiles tend to be about one major factor, be it its connectivity, a particular design focus, a built in application, the camera, the media, the price, or its “technological achievements”.  I don’t want just one particularly above average feature as reason to invest in a mobile; I want a device that has equally good features which aren’t just surfing above the acceptable quality in phone.

So my next mobile-crush won’t be on a weak whim, a spur-of-the moment encounter, it’ll be something which offers more than one better than alright feature, and something I won’t fall out of love with.

Feel free to e-mail me anything at Samantha@mobileindustryreview.com

9 COMMENTS

  1. I think I know how you're feeling Sam. I'm also looking around at the moment, but there isn't a phone there that 'grabs' me big time. they've all got something missing – often unquantifiable.

    I don't want to lose facilities I currently have, and don't want to have to change the way e.g. I organise my photos on the PC, just to fit with the latest and greatest idea which will be out of date again next week when some bright spark has a different (not always better) idea of how I should work with my phone.

    I guess what I'm after is some stability for a while which incidently would allow for economies of scale to kick in on the price as retooling wouldn't be such a necessity.

    Is change (Bigger! Better! faster! more!) always a good thing?

  2. Ewan, I just looked up at the INQ1; and I have to say it doesn't appeal.

    From what I have read it is trying to be like the iPhone; which is basically trying to me like a laptop. It doesn't have the originality, or the uniqueness that I seek in a mobile right now.

    Samantha.

  3. You summed it up perfectly there Ocifant!

    I don't think “Bigger, better, faster” is necessarily a good thing; because it's only ever improving a product in one direction. Whereas, products (Mobile Phones) should be improved in more than just one sense; and for that to happen we need to allow people to own mobiles long enough, and to extend the time between releases long enough in order to firstly create a better understanding of what a product lacks and needs, and how it can be best implemented.

    Food for thought!

    Samantha.

  4. Ewan, I just looked up at the INQ1; and I have to say it doesn't appeal.

    From what I have read it is trying to be like the iPhone; which is basically trying to me like a laptop. It doesn't have the originality, or the uniqueness that I seek in a mobile right now.

    Samantha.

  5. You summed it up perfectly there Ocifant!

    I don't think “Bigger, better, faster” is necessarily a good thing; because it's only ever improving a product in one direction. Whereas, products (Mobile Phones) should be improved in more than just one sense; and for that to happen we need to allow people to own mobiles long enough, and to extend the time between releases long enough in order to firstly create a better understanding of what a product lacks and needs, and how it can be best implemented.

    Food for thought!

    Samantha.

  6. Ewan, I just looked up at the INQ1; and I have to say it doesn't appeal.

    From what I have read it is trying to be like the iPhone; which is basically trying to me like a laptop. It doesn't have the originality, or the uniqueness that I seek in a mobile right now.

    Samantha.

  7. You summed it up perfectly there Ocifant!

    I don't think “Bigger, better, faster” is necessarily a good thing; because it's only ever improving a product in one direction. Whereas, products (Mobile Phones) should be improved in more than just one sense; and for that to happen we need to allow people to own mobiles long enough, and to extend the time between releases long enough in order to firstly create a better understanding of what a product lacks and needs, and how it can be best implemented.

    Food for thought!

    Samantha.

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