Saturday, July 14, 2012

In Which I Crawl onto the Smartphone Bandwagon

After an unexpected quest for a Sony mp3 player and an enthusiastic (and almost obsessive) research for a rugged phone, I have finally crawled onto the smartphone bandwagon with a Sony (Ericsson) Xperia Active. 
July 2012

I liked it the moment I saw it on the Sony site, and I knew that I wanted it. It is dust and water proof, can handle tracking with wet fingers and was built to withstand abuse. It isn't the newest phone on the block. Released towards the end of last year, there were only two units left in the country (according to the store I went to) and I had to book a set and wait for them to send it to the store nearest to me. I got them to do so, and they called me yesterday afternoon. By 10:00 pm last night, the phone was in my grubby hands.

As I was checking out the phone and setting it up to my liking, I suddenly realised that it has been 12 years since I've been using mobile phones, and how they've changed over the years, both in function and appearance. I still remember my first phone. *My parents had given it to me in my 3rd year in university (June 2000), much to my horror. I had 2 years of freedom before they found a way on how to keep tabs on me. It was an Alcatel Movistar which looked like a banana from the side and only knew Spanish. After awhile, I did like it, but then disaster struck. I got pick pocketed and the phone got stolen. Until I graduated in October 2002, I ended up using my dad's Alcatel. 

The second Alcatel decided to die on me on the very day I moved out of university. I had applied for some jobs and missed an interview for a job because they couldn't get through my phone. I was miserable for weeks (well, maybe years considering that I still can remember the incident so well, ha ha)

2000 - 2012
Later on in November 2002, with the small bit of balance I had from my student loan, I got myself a Nokia 3310 - which has recently been labelled the Chuck Norris of mobile phones. It was durable and withstood all my abuse for years and years. The only reason why I ever gave it up was because after the original battery had died out, the replacement battery started giving problems. I'd suddenly find myself without a connection. By that time, I had begun to rely on the phone as a way out of trouble. I had some car trouble around that time and constantly worried that I'd need to call for help if I got stranded and what would I do if my phone suddenly didn't want to work. So I ended up upgrading to the Nokia 6610 in June 2006.

I think the Nokia 6610 was one of the phones that I used for the longest time. Although by the time I was coerced into giving it up, the numbers on the keypad had faded and was sunken in, I still loved it to bits. The only reason I finally agreed on buying a new phone that would support 3G was because I was being sent to Japan for a 3 week course and needed some form of communication back home. The 6610, as decent as it was for use under the Malaysian sun was too outdated for the likes of Japanese service providers even if it was just for roaming.

So, at the end of September 2009, just a week before my flight to Japan, in search of my very first 3G phone, I picked a Sony Ericsson K770i. I think I loved it instantly and wondered why I had ever put up with Nokia and their policy of selling cables for connecting to your computer separately instead of together with the package. It took a bit of getting used to, and I loved the fact that I had a cybershot camera in hand and could take any pictures I wanted if my actual camera got full. I could also listen to music. I even could blog from it if I wanted to, but never did. It worked well for a long time and the battery is still good. It even took my abuse without much trouble until recently when we needed some duct tape to intervene and help us solve the damage from the abuse. Service was ended with mixed feelings on 13 July 2012.

* I just realised what a terrible daughter I must have been.

+All the phones I got were slightly "old" by the time I bought them. I don't know why this is, but it seems like a common trend with me. Now, Sony Ericsson doesn't exist anymore since the full takeover by Sony, but I somehow managed to get hold of a Sony Ericsson in my search for the perfect rugged phone.

23 comments:

  1. Quite the life your phones seem to have haha duct tape, first time I heard that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If they could talk, they'd probably have lots of horror stories to share. ;)

      Delete
  2. Oh buoy, she got a smartpho- wait, it's strong and rugged? Then it ain't no smartphone by modern-day standards! ;D
    But cool, it does indeed look like a pretty strong model. I'm still going with my 7-year-old Sony Ericsson W200i, and not a single problem with it yet. Smartphone aren't my thing (unless I can afford an internet subscription), so I'll be keeping this precious baby for a bit longer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What did you do keep the same phone going for 7 years?

      Ha ha... I know what you mean, I too thought rugged, strong and smartphone could never be in the same sentence.

      Delete
  3. I have been getting used to my first smartphone in the last week - an Orange San Diego. This is only my second mobile phone - I was actually reluctant to get my first but I was having some major work done on my flat and my builder insisted he was able to get in touch with me at all times of the day. That was a K750i which gave me 6 years of excellent service despite once being left in a bucket of hot soapy water for one hour and then being thrown at my motorbike (it's a long story).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The K750i is what my sister used for many years as well. Ha ha... I can think up of many different reasons why the phone could have gone through such an ordeal.

      Had to google your new phone up, though. It has a very unique name.

      Delete
  4. I still have the first version of the iPhone, and people act as though I am living in the Stone Ages.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can imagine... I use the iPad2 and feel like I'm very backdated whenever I see advertisements for the new iPad

      Delete
  5. I actually miss the really old phones where if you dropped them you were likely to damage concrete, not the phone. I had a nifty little Siemens that I had for five years. It still works but I took the chance to get a Blackberry so I could keep in touch with Jessica easier. I'm glad you enjoy your new phone :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True. They were durable and were basically used to call and send short messages, or to wake you up with it's alarm.

      But newer phones make it easier to connect (and sometimes with much lower rates/free)

      Delete
  6. Once I got my first smartphone (an iPhone 3GS), I never looked back. I have the 4S now and love it more. I use that phone for everything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been told once that once a person uses the iPhone, they can't (and probably also don't want to) use anything else.

      I don't have any plans for using my phone, but I've managed to miss ALL the call that came in so far.

      Delete
  7. Sounds like a phone I should get. I'm a natural born clumsy clod! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, there is definitely a market for phones like these... you should check out gsmarena's website to compare phones to help you decide.

      Delete
  8. I'm a Nokia girl and don't have time for a Smartphone. I've resisted the Blackberry craze and I'm too much of a Klutz for an iPhone. Besides, I like using my laptop for online activities and rarely use my phone for anything other than texts and calls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yeah, I don't think the mobile online experience is something to shout about, either. However, I do think it's pretty good to have one which could tap onto your nearest WiFi (or your mobile's data services) if you need to check on something when you're on the go.

      Delete
  9. My first phone was a Nokia, and that was anything but Chuck Norris. On the FIRST DAY I bought it, I pulled it out of my pocket and the screen was COMPLETELY crushed. The best part? I took it back to the store and they said, "Oh, it's your fault, you're never supposed to put your phone in your pocket."

    Yeah, my ass you're not supposed to...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where do you put a phone if not in your pocket? A bag would damage it even more, I think.

      To be honest, I don't know about the more recent Nokia models, but the old one I had was tough.

      Delete
  10. I still have my dumbphone, I probably wont' get a smartphone until I jump ship to a carrier that doesn't enslave me with a data plan. Look guys I just use my WiFi I'm not overpaying $400 for a phone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I noticed that phones in the US are tied to certain service providers - doesn't sound like fun at all if you are enslaved to their data plans. The new models ARE ridiculously expensive - and based on how careless I am, I thought I'd not get any of those.

      Delete
  11. Ha, i had a Nokia, well i have a Nokia and no one will steal it, since i have dropped it ten times.I always thought about getting an iphone so i can cheat during the pub quiz.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know if thieves would be that picky as to not try to steal a phone that's been dropped.

      Delete
  12. oh those who had passed away missed a lot of nowadays technology :)

    ReplyDelete

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