My issues arise primarily in the way I use my current device and how important the little extras are to my life. For instance, the One S is moving to Micro SIM cards. While I am not expert on SIM cards, I don’t understand the principle behind doing this. Do Micro SIM cards do anything different then a standard SIM? Not to my knowledge. The only real difference is the size. Moving from what is a carrier standard on T-Mobile to a Micro SIM is a real cause for concern for me. Situations arise that make using any other device impossible. Let me provide you with an example: Your phone gets subjected to water and is rendered unusable. You have your old device sitting by your computer. Now you are forced to go buy a regular SIM card to activate until your replacement comes in the mail. When that happens, you have to hope for another Micro SIM and it forces you to call in again to activate that card. Moving some devices to Micro SIM cards essentially renders your current and older devices useless. There is of course a solution. You could always pick up a cheap Micro SIM to SIM adaptor, but why should I be forced to buy something else to use a previous device?
My second conflict is the recent adoption of build in batteries. There are benefits to this such as rapid charging and limiting users from providing poor reviews for the device after a third-party battery purchase . What is a person to do if the device freezes though? Sit there and wait for the charge to die so you can reboot your device? I don’t understand the push for built-in batteries. If your battery goes bad then you have to send it in for repair and have a new one installed. I highly doubt that is going to be economical for carriers, manufacturers or the consumers. It seems like the maneuver will cause more issues than it will it solve. After having an extended battery, I could never go back to a standard battery. With a built in battery I have no choice but to deal with the daily life I can get. It will force me to be more conscious about how much I use my phone and what I do with it. Smartphones are supposed to enhance our lives not make us worry if I play a game for an hour at lunch if I will have enough battery life to make it home.
My final conflict has been a deciding factor for many people I know when it came to purchasing a new device. The recent push to exclude SD card slots on their devices. Samsung, HTC and Motorola have all started producing devices with built-in memory only. Rendering those of us the rely on memory cards for survival at a crossroads. I personally rely on my device for everything from work, to entertainment to portability of files. I have a Vibrant with 16GB on board, well less after the OS and all that jazz, and it is always full. I also have three 32GB SD cards that are nearly full and labeled, along with a 16 GB WiDrive. That is just my portable memory. That doesn’t include the 16 GB of Dropbox storage and 50GB of Box storage. For people like me who has an enormous amount of information that generally travels with me, I can’t see sporting a device that won’t allow me to use something as basic as an SD card.
Now I know I maybe a special case, but I know I am not alone. I can’t see how these three changes is a cost cutter for manufacturers or a consumer. They still list them at $600+. I have attempted to look into the reasons behind these moves but have come up empty-handed. If you can provide a solid reason behind the benefits of any of the mentioned issues I would greatly like to hear them. Also, take just a second of your time to hit the poll as well.
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