My cell-phone dilemma
As pleased as I’ve been with my 2.5-year-old HTC Kaiser cell phone (also known as the AT&T Tilt), it’s time to start planning my next phone purchase, which I expect to happen sometime this fall. For now, it’s a close race between the 4th-generation iPhone, the best Android phone with a keyboard available at the time and the best Windows 7 phone with a keyboard.
First, a history: I bought the phone in November 2007 in a $150 sale. This was just a few months after the iPhone launch and was clearly the right choice. Let’s remember that unlike the Tilt, the original iPhone lacked third-party apps (let alone multitasking), GPS, voice dialing and 3G data (with laptop tethering). Neither Android nor WebOS existed. Windows Mobile is still among the most open and hackable platforms around. I can download applications from anywhere, and developers don’t need approval from anyone. For me, the pros outweigh the clunky Windows Mobile 6.1 interface.
I believe in holding on to purchases as long as I can, so despite an explosion of innovation in mobile phones, I still use the Tilt. Even the AT&T support people are shocked. If Microsoft hadn’t made clear with Windows Phone 7 that my handset is officially a dead-end technology, I’d keep it another year. But I have a feeling that Google’s recently updated Maps app will be the last software update this phone ever sees.
So now the dilemma. I love the Windows Phone 7 interface, but I fear that Microsoft is trying to out-Apple Apple with a closed app store. If I have to choose between two closed ecosystems, I’ll go with the one that features the vastly larger ecosystem of apps and accessories. Apple is the safe choice, but I really, really want need a physical keyboard. Android looks promising, but the platform appears increasingly fractured, even worse than Windows Mobile was with two different OS flavors and multiple screen/keyboard configurations. WebOS looks increasingly like a dead-end, and nothing about the BlackBerry interface excites me.
On top of that, what’s with everyone producing phones with no removable battery or add-in storage? Apple might get away with it, but they’re cons, not pros in any iPhone evaluation.
UPDATE: It appears I may have dismissed Palm’s WebOS prematurely. HP is buying the company, which may give it a fighting chance. I’m just glad I don’t have to buy a phone right now.
