Upgrading

I am dreaming of buying a new phone. –“Dreaming” being the objective word, since I don’t have the means at present. So I am merely window shopping, looking for phones with the specs and price that suit my interests.

Inevitably, the time comes that a person will want to have an upgrade of gadgets. This could either be a good or bad thing. I’ve seen some people change expensive phones yearly, and yet I’ve also seen people who’ve had their phones for over 6 years. After announcing that I was thinking of getting a new phone, I was immediately asked by Dad to explain why I wanted one again after only 2 years of using my current phone. My reason was depreciation. Mind you, I’m not saying that my phone is already fully depreciated after only 2 years. But I have certainly made that phone a lifeline of sorts. That’s why I started to think about the way gadgets depreciate.

I figure that there are 2 types of depreciation to a piece of technology: first, you have the physical depreciation; and second, you have the outdating of your gadget.

Physical depreciation would pertain to the daily wear and tear that your piece of equipment will experience. We’re talking about all the nasty things that you could accidentally do to your phone like dropping it on the floor, wearing out the keypad from usage, cracking the screen (this really happened to me when I put a heavy book in my bag and forgot that I had a phone right underneath), getting it wet, etc. There is always the option to bring the phone in for repair. But sometimes, the repair is just as good as buying a new phone. When I tried to get my Nokia’s case replaced because of cracks and peeling paint, the Nokia person told me that it would cost around P9,000. Never mind…

Outdating is the one that usually precedes physical depreciation as the reason for changing equipment. While you’re in the market trying to buy a reasonably priced gizmo, you already know that the upgrade is available but only to a more expensive product. There’s the matter of which camera resolution is better, what the better platform with the most apps downloadable, does it have wifi, etc.

Personally, my reasons are both physical depreciation and outdating. I have 2 phones at present: one for my Globe sim and the other for my Sun sim. (I do have a dual sim phone, but I believe I was scammed by the official repair center. It was a nightmare. The phone is not usable, despite it being brand new.) The Globe phone is a really old 6610. The firmware is from Nov 2004. I don’t even remember how long I’ve had this, but I know that I was using it when I was still in high school. Yeah, that’s over 4 years already. It’s basically being held together by tape and one of the keys on the keypad is missing. But I have to say that it works well enough for call and text function, though the memory is a bitch.

My Nokia 6610. I won't even try to post the picture of the one I actually have.

My Sun phone is still new. It’s an E90, which was a gift from my dear cousin. Unfortunately, this is the phone that’s attached to my hip, so you can expect all the mayhem to happen to this one. I’ve had to pay P500 to get all my data erased because of a stupid virus, but I cannot pay P9,000 to get it to look new again. That defies logic, heartbreaking as it is.

Nokia E90. If you ask me, it's man's best friend next to their pet dog.

This phone has been used on various trips while I’m on roaming. It’s what takes fabulous profile pictures for FB and decent food pictures for http://marielleong.wordpress.com. I use it to cram the hell out of tests (lecture powerpoint presentations) via its Quickoffice app. I even use it to write future blog entries. Basically, what I’m saying is that this phone’s been to hell and back. I wouldn’t know what to do without it because it’s been the best rebound phone. Ever.

Yes, there is such a thing as a rebound phone. I once had a beautiful Motorola Q8 (my first qwerty), a high school graduation gift from my parents. It didn’t have wifi, but I used it like how I use the E90 now and it ran on Windows Mobile (a-ma-zing). Basically, my world revolved around it. And there was an untoward incident in school (at the same time where other students’ stuff started going missing as well) where I, stupidly, left it on a desk with my 6610 when I went to the bathroom. When I remembered to retrieve it, the thief left only the 6610 behind. I don’t know if that asshole had a sense of humor or pitied me enough that he/she/it left me with 1 phone to use. But you have no idea how many times I have wished harm on that person and his loved ones whenever I remember. I can’t say I’m entirely over it, because I’d probably punch that person in the face if I only know who was behind it.

Moto Q8. I went through the 5 stages of grief on this one.

Sorry. I know it seems so wicked of me. But you have to know that I am a person who tries to keep away from any sort of confrontation. However, it doesn’t sit well with me if a person sneaks around and tries to mess with me or my stuff. Those are unforgivable offences.

Both phones have certainly been used to their full capacity, but I have to admit that they are still working okay. The logic, though, is that by the time I get the funds together for a new phone, I can set the 6610 down for semi-retirement.

I don’t believe that you should wait for one phone to die before you get a new one. You should have room to back-up the data on each phone before they refuse to even power on.

I wanted to study all possible resources, so I went to Globe to ask if my rewards points would get me anywhere. Let me just ask: Whatever happened to nice “loyalty gifts” from globe??? Back then, if you were a member for 3 or 4 years, you’d get a top-of-the-line phone. Now, 3-4 years is nothing but a rebate. The phone they offered for free seemed like an entry level qwerty. (At any rate, it did not adhere to my specifications.) And, get this, it wasn’t even in stock! You could get an iPhone, but you’d have to pay an additional P20,000+.

With that said, I have considered saving up for an iPhone because, to me, it’s the most awesome phone I can think of. But seeing as the price tag is hefty beyond words and I am a humble commuter, I would never be able to travel and not feel too frightened all the time. It’s been 3 years since my Moto Q got stolen, and I’m still not completely over it. What more for a P30,000 phone?

iPhone 4. The Ultimate. A Distant Dream.

So far, what I plan to buy is a Samsung Galaxi Mini. It’s perhaps my idea of the cheaper alternative to an iPhone, costing only a fraction of a price (P6,990). I had a look at the apps available on the Android platform and saw that I could get whatsapp (wifi chat, functions like yahoo messenger) and Quickoffice. I’m not much of a gamer, but I am an extreme texter; so the Swipe feature (slide-texting without needing to lift your finger) looks good.

Samsung Galaxy Mini. Yes, this could definitely be it.

I’m still up to the challenge of testing other phones and seeing if they can surpass my value-for-money perception of the Galaxy Mini. Can’t wait to have something to review…

By the way, I did literally dream of buying phone last night. That’s what spurred me to write this entry today.

About Matromao

Foodie. Makeup Junkie. Writer. On a Budget. Out for an Adventure. And I ruminate... about everything.

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