A challenge to all smartphone retailers and wireless plan carriers: Will any of you actually read this?
Hello. My name is Knowlton Thomas and there is a flip phone latched onto my belt.
If you've read the Techvibes blog within the past four months, chances are you've read some of my stuff. I have articles up almost every day, totaling well into the hundreds–many about Canadian telecom companies such as Rogers and Telus, as well as related devices, like the Blackberry and iPhone product lines.
But between breaking news on the high-tech Blackberry Torch, or opining for national television on the iPhone's drawbacks, I chat and text on a device so ancient, my grandmother pokes fun at me: an LG Shine flip phone.
It was the coolest thing around when I got it (I swear!). But alas, technology moves fast and I've unfortunately fallen far behind in this regard.
The irony of it all hurts: as somebody increasingly involved in Canada's tech scene, I have begun to feel ashamed that I possess such an antiquated device on a data-less plan.
My situation...
I have a titanium-coloured LG Shine, the flip model. Its 2 megapixel camera sucks. Its non-QWERTY keyboard sucks. The action of flipping it open sucks as well. In a nutshell, very little does not suck about this phone.
I am stuck in a plan with Koodo, a Telus subsidiary which offered the interesting concept of a Koodo Tab. This, alongside obnoxious advertisements featuring tight-and-bright fitness buffs, somehow managed to reel me in, and I committed to a full Koodo Tab. But my plan, given it is without data, is quite bare-bones. And because the Koodo Tab strongly favours those with more expensive monthly bills, my Tab is seemingly endless. Which means I'd have to pay out a lump sum, akin to a long-term contract (Koodo claims to be contract-free), in order to switch carriers.
Will anyone hear me?
Will Koodo hear my complaints and upgrade my Shine to their new Blackberry model or the new-to-Canada INQ Chat 3G? Or will a competitor like Wind Mobile sweep me off my feet and leave my old carrier in the dust? I challenge each and every Canadian smartphone retailer or wireless mobile company to step forward and earn themselves a fiercely loyal and worthwhile customer.
However, if these wireless companies are all too cruel (or too deaf) to offer this desperate tech blogger a demo device, I must still upgrade—one way or another. Therefore I pitch this question to both readers and companies alike: Who should I go with? One of the Big Three (Rogers, Bell, Telus), or a new startup (Wind Mobile, Moblicity, Public Mobile)? And which device shall I choose? A Blackberry, the iPhone, or perhaps an Android-based smartphone?
Weigh in with your thoughts, readers, for I value your opinions. And we'll see if any of these companies pay enough attention to pitch their products or plans to a potential customer.
