What Phone Should You Go With?

Let’s face it, nowadays if you’re in the market for a new cell phone there are 2 options: iPhone or Android phone. No longer is your phone just a phone, it’s an mp3 player, media device, social networking tool, gps, text messenger, contact list, address book, camera and so much more. Reception and display are features that are expected and not luxuries. Applications are going to drive phone sales going forward and not features.

When it comes to free apps Apple’s iTunes store just has Android beat. By sheer numbers and of course a head start didn’t hurt either. When it comes to the app store money talks to developers. Android is still viewed as the open source phone where free apps are just expected by the community. But free stuff never brings out the good talent. In retrospect iPhone users will ultimately end up spending that $1 or $2 a month on that useful application. Why not? It’s only a dollar right?

It’s going to come down to what you’re willing to spend on a monthly basis. If you’re prepared to get an iPhone you’re going to be spending more than the average user. If you’re looking for the cheaper option you’re going to go with the Android phone.

Rogers Wireless cash grab

Rogers announced that it will be removing its $6.95 system access fee (yay!). However in its place they will be charging a new “government fee” of $2.46 (or $3.46 depending on your province) per month and raising all existing plans by $5 … um WTF ROGERS! Pretending to give back with the right hand while stealing with the left hand. Don’t give met that bullshit excuse that your including “free services”. I’m gonna cancel and go to Fido … -er wait, you own that too. FUCK! Well then I will go to … Bell? Telus? Geezus! Canada get some competition in here!

Isn’t it bad enough that Rogers raises my cable bill every year for no reason but to financially rape me? OR how about the constant phone calls and mail they send me offering “cheaper home phone” services (which actually end up being just as expensive as my current service). Oh my gawds, why?! Anyone else getting tired of this monopoly?

LG 150 recalled over safety concerns

Although LG only has a small market share when it comes to cell phones a 129,000 owners are rethinking their trusty phone. LG was forced to recall the LG 150 over radiation concerns. Under lab testing the phone exceeds the safety limit in Canada and the U.S. The Canadian government informed the company back in March 2008 however it was only after a second letter was sent in January 2009 that LG finally acted and issued a recall.

Hmm, 10 months of radiation should be all that harmful … right? Never was a big fan of LG products to begin with. My crappy microwave broke after a few months. My monitor found it’s way into the trash after a year. Although their LCD tvs are quite nice. Who am I kidding? Anyone who’s anyone has the Jesus Phone so no need to worry, go back to your tweeting and facebook.

Blackberry corporation’s productivity friend

Have you got a company Blackberry? Pretty cool huh? The boss was nice enough to get you one on a company plan. I bet it’s even one of those new curve models. However consider the flip side. Nothing in life is free. Do you now find yourself, checking emails, texting, working more during off hours? It’s no secret the Blackberry has been the key to many corporation’s productivity numbers. Pass out a bunch of phones and suddenly you’ve got employees answering emails during their dinner, participating in conference calls on the other side of the world, handling that 2AM emergency. And all it took was a so-called free phone.

Pass out a gadget that secretly gets your workers to be on call or even simply being accessible puts countless productivity numbers off the books. Heck even with Google Latitude you’ll be able to track where they are and see if they are posting anything nasty about you on Facebook. Employers are trying to blur the line between work and personal time using shiny technology. Don’t be fooled by the jangling keys. Work phone = on call, plain and simple.

Shanzhai phones cheap, even cheaper to make

Ok, so I do own a SciPhone. And I thought I got a bargain at $87 off eBay. However it probably only cost $30 – 40 to make. Wha?! Yes, people over in China are churning out fake phones from their basements and selling them for big profits to us bargain hunting North Americans. What did you expect? I mean they are finally starting to crack down on counterfeit DVDs, I mean they gotta eat right? Move on to the next pirate commodity, cell phones. Nokia, Apple, Samsung, Motorola all have their counterfeit brands in China. When fake stuff accounts for such a big portion of a country’s GDP (20%) how much policing do you expect the corrupt government officials to do? You can bet they are getting a cut of the action.

Although shanzhai phones have only been around a few years, they already account for more than 20 percent of sales in China. (link)