Stagnant?

[Guest bronksy]

Does anyone feel that we're in a stagnant period of smartphones. No new models for a while, the new ones that the networks are planning on releasing are just same thing in a different shape. I think there need to be some new models out pretty soon, we need 3g and wifi, and in a nice unit.

It's all quite dull at the moment don't you think?

[Guest chucky.egg]

The fabled C550 is 3G isn't it?

I was *this* close to getting a JAM recently (not quite the same thing I know, but bear with me) but didn't because there was no WiFi, which seemed bizarre for what is otherwise a great PDA/Phone.

[Guest Disco Stu]

I was looking forward to upgrading my C500 to the C550 but the last mention on this forum suggested that Orange had dropped / delayed it.

Otherwise I agree with you, Bronksy.

We need stimulation ! :D

[Guest chucky.egg]

We need stimulation !  :D

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Easy there fella! It's not that sort of forum

[Guest confused and hungover]

i'm still waiting for the smartphone that makes tea

[Guest Confucious]

i'm still waiting for the smartphone that makes tea

You mean you haven't got the tea making app for your C500? :shock:

[Guest markgamber]

You guys retired or what? If I had the kind of money to throw at phones that I'd complain having to go six months without being able to buy a new one, I'd cancel my phone service and never work again! Or at least sink the money into something that appreciates over time.

[Guest Disco Stu]

Nah, we're just spoilt brats really :twisted: :D

[Guest Pondrew]

I wanna see more of the new Lenovo Smartphone. Reminds me of the traditional styling seen in the Tanager and Voyager but also seems quite a bit smaller.

Obviously there's no specs yet though so it's too early to say if this is just a new shell from HTC with no other upgrades...

I wouldn't say things are too bad but admittedly we've not got as much on the horizon as a year ago...

[Guest morpheus2702]

As I recall, this time last year was a very slow period for smartphone activity - the C500 was still a rumour (I think) and the MPx220 was going to save us all.

Surely HTC have spun all they can out of the Typhoon design and can now turn their attention to the C550, 3G-peasy-dusty-freely?

[Guest mavisdavis]

Yeah I think we have come to expect too much to soon. Think about this Nokia bring out 100's of phone over the year and do they offer greatly supirior games and applictaions...?NO.By the time your upgrade is due so are all your applications and games.

Not unless you want 1 nokia to watch a film on 1 Nokia to take a decent picture another to browse the web and retrieve emails 1 to play games on and 1 to satnav with. Please... they havent brought 1 phone that looks like it hasn't been designed by a madman and can handle all of what our beloved HTC/ Moto range have been able to do for a long time. Our time will come when we get to chooose how and what our phones have on them inside and out.Just like a PC

My that was deep..

And theres more.lol

Think about this as well. MS Smartphone are only in thier 3rd year of production and look how far we have come.we are still babies yet more and more people are converting over to MS at my work alone we now have at least 14 people with them on voda t-mobile and Orange. Not bad for 3yrs of age and word of mouth.

Edited April 11, 2005 by mavisdavis

[Guest morpheus2702]

Think about this as well. MS Smartphone are only in thier 3rd year of production and look how far we have come.we are still babies yet more and more people are converting over to MS at my work alone we now have at least 14 people with them on voda t-mobile and Orange. Not bad for 3yrs of age and word of mouth.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just as an aside, I don't see much feedback from anyone aside from Orange users on here. I had a look today if I could see a T-Mobile SDA in the flesh, but couldn't find one. Is the MS smartphone really penetrating other networks?

[Guest bronksy]

Just as an aside, I don't see much feedback from anyone aside from Orange users on here.  I had a look today if I could see a T-Mobile SDA in the flesh, but couldn't find one.  Is the MS smartphone really penetrating other networks?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I nearly had a cardiac.. Disco Stu, or in fact anyone.. actially agreeing with me!

Agreed, MS Smartphone is in it's infancy, but it's a market that doesnt stop and with all the networks launching 3G this year MS have to try harder to win attention.

We're a hardcore bunch of users, most people still don't know about MS smartphones, and most people still want phones that are made by Nokia. Why? because as they change, as the seasons change they can change their phone to match their mood.

We are a unique small cross section of users, most people don't buy handsets now for longevity, perhaps we are clinging on the the memories of 10 years ago when a phone was too expensive to change. They are almost as disposable as a razor blade.

The world is fickle. MS won't get second chances to get it right. Neither will the manufacturers. Moto screwed up with the 220, and the UK release. They had a chance to get a major branded smartphone into the market and it ballsed up.

People won't buy into brands they don't know. fact. We're a brand-centric society. We need someone like moto/samsun/siemens to be releasing handsets. Who are HTC? people don't know, and from the last few months of usless build quality on the C500, why would anyone buy them again.

You have one chance to get it right or people will sod off and go back to a brand that they know, see on the street ads, see as being cool. Windows crashes, and messes up your home PC. Thats the view of the home user, and NOT us power users.

Unfortunately smartphones will NOT penetrate the mass market if they don't fit into the lifestyle branding more than they do. They don't look that great, and not all networks carry them. Why? Well IMHO they are just too much hassle.

rant over. comments people?

[Guest chucky.egg]

Blimey, where to start?

Nokia:

I think people buy Nokia's because they are always the same. Anyone can pick up a Nokia and make calls, send msgs etc within a few seconds. And it's the same on almost any Nokia (except Series 60 I guess). My GF wants a new phone, but she only wants a Nokia, and only a basic one so that she doesn't have to learn something new.

I don't have anything against Nokia phones. They're simple and reliable and safe and cheap and ... dull (IMO), but if that's what she wants then fine.

HTC who?:

After an E100 and an E200 I swore I'd never have another HTC phone, but here I am with my C500. The "shine" has worn off slightly, mostly because I keep scratching it, and partly because of the dust. Still, it is miles better than the E200 - it's stable, and the battery lasts for 3-4 days on low use.

Moto will get another chance, as will HTC, MS et al, but people don't accept the same fault being repeated. For instance I won't have another Moto because the freaky text input thing on 2 different models (several years apart) drove me nuts. If the C550 comes with free dust, then that might well be the end of HTC, and MS Smartphone for me because there aren't any others I want.

Smartphone too much hassle?:

Yep. That's why there isn't (AFAIK) any knowledgeable support at Orange, and why we all come here for answers.

[Guest bronksy]

Smartphone too much hassle?:

Yep.  That's why there isn't (AFAIK) any knowledgeable support at Orange, and why we all come here for answers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly the point. They are too complex for the mass market, and therefore, in time will have no chance of competing, We are too small a group of users for Orange bother training up people etc.. it's a waste of their resources, they are a business and for them, it's more important to get people onto making video calls and downloading football clips to their handsets.

It's where the money is, and it's where the brand people want you to be.

[Guest markgamber]

Just as an aside, I don't see much feedback from anyone aside from Orange users on here.  I had a look today if I could see a T-Mobile SDA in the flesh, but couldn't find one.  Is the MS smartphone really penetrating other networks?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Heh....in the US it's kind of a joke how lousy the T-Mobile line-up is in general these days. As I recall, they stopped selling the only thing they had that ran windows. One of those fat, overpriced pda things. On the other hand, it's not like the other carriers are doing any better. Verizon had that awful, boxy, slow, heavy thing Samsung dared to call a phone and AT&T had the nearly as awful mpx200. T-Mobile's lack of anything kind of forced me to look for a phone I liked instead of my friends who had to accept something they couldn't stand. Everyone I knew who had a smartphone via their carrier had, within a year, gotten rid of them and gotten something else that was not a smartphone.

[Guest Paul [MVP]]

I've just got a Dopod 585 (SDA Music with a 1.3MP Camera effectively)... and i'm lovin it :D

P

[Guest morpheus2702]

Paul - 3G or GPRS? Any change to screen resolution? Is this the precursor to the C550?

[Guest Monolithix [MVP]]

I seem to remember people moaning about the stagnant market this time last year as well, then the c500 came along... ;p