As most of you know, I have a little cellphone problem. In that I have had about two dozen of them in the last 10 years and never seem to be satisfied with any of them. Whenever I think I’ve found THE ONE, it turns out to be too bulky, too short of battery life, too cumbersome, or just have some weird problem like the Moto side-button beeps. And so I have come to the conclusion…
…that the next phone I get will either be Apple’s iPhone, or an unlocked and unbranded handset. The degree to which carriers lock out the manufacturer’s options has reached a ridiculous point – Cingular’s version of the 3G Motorola RAZR removes the e-mail client, the video-calling camera, and even prevents your own Java apps (like Google Maps or Gmail) from accessing the Internet without asking permission on EVERY connect. And that’s not a patch on what Verizon does.
So I will get by with my little Z520, which is just as well anyway since my employer only pays for voice and a few text messages. If I had data service, I might consider something else, but while I’m stuck on that system, I have less than I had in 2001…so I may as well not waste any money on handsets.
Which is probably a very good idea. And the potential of the iPhone would certainly keep me from buying anything unlocked if I go abroad this spring…