Screwtape at
A while ago I decided it was time to get into this smartphone malarkey, so I went out and checked my options. I didn't particularly want to give my life over to Cupertino, Mountain View or Redmond, so it seemed I was out of luck... until I came across Firefox OS. Mozilla has a pretty good track-record of respecting user privacy, etc. and I've always liked Firefox the browser, and there was a young manufacturer in Spain that was producing all the Firefox OS dev phones and going to sell some to the public.
When the phones first went on sale, they sold out within a few hours, so I put the idea aside for a few months. When I looked again, they had a new, improved model available for pre-order. "Shipping mid-October!" they said, so I whipped out my credit-card and pre-ordered.
Soon, the shipping date listed on the site was pushed back to late October. Then a few weeks later they sent out an email saying they were having difficulty sourcing the battery for the new handset, and the expected date shifted to late November. Today I got an email basically saying their supply chain for phone parts had collapsed, and they couldn't make the phone at all.
So now I get to make a choice - do I switch my order to the older model (which apparently they still have a few boxes of lying around)? Do I switch my order to the newest model that was in development while they were trying to build the model I ordered (at a 50% discount, but shipping... eventually)? Do I get a full refund and buy one of the cheap-ass Firefox OS phones by ZTE? Do I just keep my money and stick with my old Nokia? Frankly, none of those options sound terribly appealing.
When the phones first went on sale, they sold out within a few hours, so I put the idea aside for a few months. When I looked again, they had a new, improved model available for pre-order. "Shipping mid-October!" they said, so I whipped out my credit-card and pre-ordered.
Soon, the shipping date listed on the site was pushed back to late October. Then a few weeks later they sent out an email saying they were having difficulty sourcing the battery for the new handset, and the expected date shifted to late November. Today I got an email basically saying their supply chain for phone parts had collapsed, and they couldn't make the phone at all.
So now I get to make a choice - do I switch my order to the older model (which apparently they still have a few boxes of lying around)? Do I switch my order to the newest model that was in development while they were trying to build the model I ordered (at a 50% discount, but shipping... eventually)? Do I get a full refund and buy one of the cheap-ass Firefox OS phones by ZTE? Do I just keep my money and stick with my old Nokia? Frankly, none of those options sound terribly appealing.
I was an early adopter of the smartphone trend, yet nowadays I don't see anything that appealing. If I didn't have a computer I would of course be dependent upon something like the latest smartphone to offer the fastest internet, with the the must up-to-date OS.
I believe the latest trend now might just be to use a smartphone for talking on, and if you need something more, carry a small tablet with you.
Not forgetting within the next 24 months the new trend will be wearable devices. Perhaps even a Firefox OS watch?
I believe the latest trend now might just be to use a smartphone for talking on, and if you need something more, carry a small tablet with you.
Not forgetting within the next 24 months the new trend will be wearable devices. Perhaps even a Firefox OS watch?
Yeah I am having similar problems. Why is it so hard to get a decent phone at a reasonable price? They all want to be either crap, or screw you in some sort of way.
I would probably give them a shot with the newer phone. Otherwise keep your Nokia as long as it still runs.