Long post is long

[_jems_]

I've hardly read a thing since early June. Haven't finished a single book, actually, which is kind of depressing. My current subway read is Rosemary and Rue by seanan_mcguire, which is perfect right now because I find it so engrossing that I can just pick it up anywhere and remember exactly what's happened and what's going on. I really enjoy the world-building,

Comments

[lauresque]

As an employee of a wireless carrier: OMG STAY AWAY FROM THE IPHONE. Don't be lured in by people who love it, the thing is garbage.

Plus, Andriod phones are way more fun, more applications are free, they're most customizable and they're not iPhones.

*uses an HTC Magic, herself*

[_jems_]

VINDICATION! That is how this comment makes me feel. *g*

Oh, and more free applications is a big reason why open-sourced works so much better for me.

[lauresque]

I have had an iPod touch (that's broken, obv.) and three different Android devices (perks of working for the carrier.) And I have never once tried to find something in the android market that I couldn't find, and find for free at that.

Meanwhile *everything* I every thought looked cool in the iTunes store is a trial version with a paid "full featured" game/app/program/whatever.

And that's ignoring the hardware/software issues, Apple's complete asshattery about their products and my general hatred for iPhones because they turn people into INSANE CREATURES who froth at the mouth and scream and yell when they can't have one.

It blows my mind.

...and yeah, my work bias is showing. But that aside, I just *love* the andriod platform and there's so much to DO with it. And yeah, you can get caught in fragmentation (My Magic is stuck with 1.6 atm ugh) but its hardly the iPhone where as soon as a new version launches anything that ever comes out isn't supported by an older model.

TEAM ANDROID!(Sidebar: And of all the android handset

[_jems_]

I have had an iPod touch (that's broken, obv.)
Obviously! Because the most common reason for people to mention their iProducts is that it's broken. AGAIN.

Just the words "iTunes store" makes my skin crawl. If I never have to install iTunes on my computer ever again I'll be a much happier person.

I've always liked HTCs, and the more I read about them, the more I like them. However, if I were buying a product solely for video watching use, I'd probably go for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. Have you seen it? It's HUUUUGE. Which is great for video watching (as is the 16:9 aspect ratio), but I doubt I could ever use it one-handed - and that includes just talking on the phone! Seriously, I cannot hold that phone comfortably to save my life.

[lauresque]

You have to install iTunes to unbrick an iPhone. Just saying.

TEAM ANDROID!

Oh yeah, we carry the X10 so I've used it a lot. The screen is gorgeous but it just.... feels weird. Right there with you, I just can NOT hold it comfortably. And I don't love some of the little tweaks SE gave the UI.

Also, I hate SE on principle because they produce shitty consumer phones (their smartphones hold up fine) that I spend large parts of my day listening to people complain about.

One thing I wish my HTC Magic had was a 3.5 headphone jack, since I'm stuck using the built in headphones. Phaedra has the LG Eve which is also an android phone, but again, LG did weird thigns with the interface

[_jems_]

Even though Ericsson is Swedish and I should feel some sort of national pride, I've never really liked them. I've never found the menus to be intuitive, and the feel is just not good. Now Nokia on the other hand... 75% of all my phones have been Nokias and I just like how they feel/work. However, I feel like they're lagging behind in the area of smart phones, and there is no contender at the level I'm shooting for now.

The Legend has a 3.5 headphone jack!

because Apple has these INSANE eligibility rules for upgradesHa! In Sweden, most phones are bought on a payment plan (you sign up for 18-24 months and during that time you pay a certain amount extra on your bill to pay for the phone) and most phones cost nothing in the store. This is currently the case for both the Legend and the iPhone. Is that what you do in Canada

[lauresque]

Canada is one of the worst cell phone markets in the world because the country is so large while the population isn't. Therefore plans are *really* expensive because we need more towers for coverage, etc

[_jems_]

Oh right, I didn't even think of that. While Sweden is the least population dense country in Europe (I think, anyway), it's still quite populated and since people mostly live in the south or along the coasts, coverage isn't all that hard to set up (and at this point, it's mostly a moot point since the infrastructure work is 20 years in the making), though in some parts of the north, only one carrier (the previously state-owned Telia) is still the only one that has pretty much total coverage

[lauresque]

I have the "Prices are so much cheaper in Europe!" argument with about 2 customers a week, it's a fun little debate to get into because when you think about the sheer SIZE of Canada... yeah. I work for one of the big three, and we cover 94% of the *population* of Canada... yet there's two whole provinces we have bad coverage in and barely any customers. It's insane.

I really like the look of nokia phones, but they're usually a little older when they launch in Canada, too. the N95 was a nice device, though!

Oh god. I wasn't a cell phone user at ALL until I got this job. I texted here and there but now I'm on mine CONSTANTLY. and I see the bills and usage of some people who use excess of 5000 minutes a month for 10k texts and it just blows my mind to imagine that kind of usage.

130% is insane, though. I can't even... *boggles*

[_jems_]

I pay about US$10-15/month right now. If I buy The Legend, I'll probably be paying US$40 (including the cost of the phone, and with added web surfing). Yeah, I'd say that's pretty cheap.

Had I bought a new phone last year when I first started thinking about it, the Nokia N95 would have been the leading contender. But now it's antiquated, and there doesn't really seem to be any buzz about new products either.

Are there even 5000 minutes in a month?! Holy crap! And 10 000 texts sounds insane.

Eastern Europe is actually almost at the same level because when the Iron Curtain fell, a lot of people skipped right over landlines and just got cell phones as their primary phone. Apparently, there are now 5 billion connections world-wide!