View Full Version : Buyer's remorse...
Thanks to the new job I decided to treat myself to the new Apple Ipad Air.
The 64GB model so alls good.
I had previously sold my Ipad 4 with the thought to keeping the proceeds for the new lighter, faster model.
Was doing the usual, checking reviews, unboxing vids...generally looking forward to picking one up.
Got one on Friday, John Lewis 3 year guarantee...a great bit of shopping.
Couple of days later I regretted buying it...it was good, don't get me wrong, all it said it was BUT...I felt kind of "meh" towards it.
Decided to take it back, much better uses of that thick end of £600 could be put to.
Hifi for instance... (or would I feel weird about that too? :))
Is this a common thing amongst guys in their early 40's or am I going mad?
You are not alone Gary and no, you are not going mad. Having owned various incarnations of HTC's excellent Desire series of smartphones over the past few years culminating in the HD (fabulous bit of kit btw), I decided I wanted a bit of a change when my EE contract (or Orange as it still was back then, just) came up for renewal last January. My, how technology has leapt forward at warp speed in the interim... :eyebrows: Anyway, as I perused the Orange online store for a shiny new phone and contract it quickly became apparent that 4G was going to be a waste of time where I live. We are not due any 4G services in this part of the world for next to never according to Orange/EE. That ruled out 95% of the phones in stock and a couple which weren't. All that were left for me to choose from were a couple of cheap and cheerful Android based handsets and a duo of Nokia Windows phones. After hanging several garlands of Garlic around my neck and crossing myself with all the sincerity I could muster, I quickly backed away from the Nokia's, being very careful to view them only through a strategically placed mirror, and then collapsed in fits of giggles at the ridiculously sparse specifications of the remaining cheapo Android handsets (<--- corrected a hilarious and rather Freudian typo here, 'nadsets' :rfl:)
Somewhat disappointed with the choices on offer I rang Orange to ask for some advice. After the call centre bod had picked himself up off the floor (I guess more informed customers than I know better than to proceed on such a futile quest) Pip, for that was his name, I kid you not, had an epiphany (from which he made a speedy recovery thankfully, poor fella). He informed me that he was putting me on hold to search the broom cupboard (might have been 'store cupboard' :eyebrows:). Pip was away for quite a while so to amuse myself, I imagined he had sent an email off to sign up for The Voice, wherein he sung his little heart out throughout the entire series and on into the finals, whereupon he stumbled at the last hurdle, only to discover that he had in fact been participating in The X Factor instead, during which he had assassinated Simon Cowell's trouserline. This must have cheered him up a bit as he exploded back onto the line with all the enthusiasm of a sex-craved Aardvark. "I've found a handset for you", exclaims Pip. "I should bloody well hope so", says I, somewhat confused as to why one of the largest mobile phone providers in the country would be keeping handsets in a broom cupboard (did I take the red pill, or the blue pill this morning?). "It's a Sony Experia T" blurted Pip. "Bless you" says I, which Pip took entirely the wrong way because I thought he had sneezed. Undeterred by his mistake Pip soldiered on, "I thought you'd like it, it ticks all the boxes for you...". A phone that can tick boxes, now that really is smart...
As you can probably tell, by now I had completely lost the plot and would have agreed to accept a Banana phone, peeled or unpeeled, had Pip offered me one. Stalwart in his desire to please, Pip began to extol the virtues and features of the Experia T but it was all a blur to me (that's what you get when your brain tries to peek out of your ears, no lenses you see). After a quick nap on my feet I suddenly became aware that Pip had stopped rabbiting on about the phone as his last statement had ended in an upwardly inflected tone. Cogs whirred deep inside my head whilst neurons stood around looking at each other in a rather confused state wondering where the fug the cogs had come from. Klaxons klaxxed and sirens sirened as it finally dawned upon the neurons that they should probably inform me that pip had asked a question. Sounding a little bit neglected Pip repeated his question again, "Do you want it then?"....... "Erm, want what?"....... (pregnant pause) ....... "The Experia T Mr Saunders?" ....... "Ah, yessss.............can you email it to me?" ...... "probably not for another five to ten years although technological development marches on apace so you never know?" ....... "I can't wait that long, can you send it by post?" ....... "That is the currently accepted method of delivery Mr Saunders, I can send it out to you tomorrow" ...... "That'd be great, thank you but now I need to lie down" ....... "Great, 'I'm glad we've sorted that out for you (we?), you have a nice day now and thank you for calling Orange, can I help you with anything else? ....... "Erm yes.........are you American perchance?"
On the other hand I may be going mad... :lol:
Anyway, the upshot of all this is that I now own a phone with the computing power to run a small country, and do you know what, I haven't a fugging clue how to use most of its features. Jo, my long suffering other half, has got quite used to me saying, "Wow, I didn't know it could do THAT?". My next phone will be a Nokia 3210... :lol:
Firebottle
28-11-2013, 07:13
:rfl::rofl:
That's hysterical Dave tanks for giving me a really good laugh this morning,
Alan
Dave, it was not possible for me to read that missive without visions of a progressively more crazed Basil Fawlty.
Dave, it was not possible for me to read that missive without visions of a progressively more crazed Basil Fawlty.
I aim to please but don't, whatever you do, expect me to be accurate... :D
brian2957
28-11-2013, 09:02
I've had similar experiences when trying to upgrade phones Dave . You've described my experiences perfectly and put a hilarious slant on it . Brought a smile to my face this morning :lol: ' nadset ' perfectly describes the state of my brain after dealing with some of these people.
Of course, none of this would be relevant if folk didn't obsess over this sort of nonsense in the first place! :wheniwasaboy: ;)
Marco (who uses the same basic mobile phone he's had for 5 years, solely for making/receiving calls and sending texts, and therefore divorces himself from inane fads and 'technological oneupmanship').
Of course, none of this would be relevant if folk didn't obsess over this sort of nonsense in the first place! :wheniwasaboy: ;)
Marco (who uses the same basic mobile phone he's had for 5 years, solely for making calls and sending texts, and therefore divorces himself from inane fads and 'technological oneupmanship').
Great shame for you Marco that Semaphore has fallen out of fashion too :ner: Jolly sight cheaper though :lol:
Of course, none of this would be relevant if folk didn't obsess over this sort of nonsense in the first place! :wheniwasaboy: ;)
Marco (who uses the same basic mobile phone he's had for 5 years, solely for making calls and sending texts, and therefore divorces himself from inane fads and 'technological oneupmanship').
Great shame for you Marco that Semaphore has fallen out of fashion too :ner: Jolly sight cheaper though :lol:
I had the same mobile for 10 years before getting an Xperia. The Xperia does lots of things I don't need pretty well and the things I do need not so well so I will be going back to my ancient Sony Ericcson when the contract is up.
Someone 'in the know' told me that the more complicated they make mobile phones, the worse they become at fulfilling their (supposed) primary function: making and receiving calls!
In that respect, I'm referring to the ability of a mobile phone to consistently receive a strong signal, and the clarity of the reception available at both ends. Personally, I can't stand tinny sounding 'dalek voices', or contunually varying signal strength.
Yes I realise that much of that is to do with the reception available in the area you're in (location of masts, etc), but I also believe that phones could be designed to be better in that respect if the manufacturers wanted, instead of pandering to the 'app fetishists'/gadget freaks, who insist on their lives revolving around their fooking phones :rolleyes:
When you think of it in hi-fi terms, as in often the worst sounding equipment is that which is full of 'superfluous frippery', I can understand why the concept might also apply to mobiles.
My advice? Forget fashion and shun the superfluous crap you don't need, and just buy a phone that has on it *exactly* what you do need and nothing else!
:exactly:
Marco.
I work in an Orange call centre, taking tech support calls. I'm level 2, which means that I'm the bloke you're transferred to when my colleague in Delhi or Manila can't solve you're problem. They are required to introduce themselves at the start of the call, but if they start off saying "good morning, my name's Ishiwandas, how can I help?", answers tend to range from "Yerwot?" to "F*** off". Understandably, many of them adopt English pseudonyms, but I had to giggle the other day at "good morning Shane, my name is Elvis" spoken in a deep, rich Delhi accent.
You're absolutely right, Marco. Very few of the current smart phones are any good at picking up a decent signal. Doesn't seem to be a design priority these days. You will notice that no advert for any mobile phone ever mentions anything about the fact that it can be used for talking to people. Its almost an incidental function now.
istari_knight
28-11-2013, 13:46
@Marco :exactly::clap:
I still have a Nokia 8210... Good signal everywhere I go, crystal clear mic/speaker, everything on it still works & I've only had to fit a new battery twice in its lifetime [a full charge lasts 3-4 days btw ;)]
I've tried modern phones, Nokia N97 / Xperia X10i / Desire HD / iPhone 4s - Cant stand any of them so went back to the trusty 8210... I'll cry when it dies !
You will notice that no advert for any mobile phone ever mentions anything about the fact that it can be used for talking to people. Its almost an incidental function now.
And folk wonder why society is currently in such a state? Mind you, most of the zombies we're breeding these days can hardly string a proper sentence together, let alone hold a meaningful conversation on a phone - the odd grunt is usually their limit! :rolleyes:
Marco.
I've tried modern phones, Nokia N97 / Xperia X10i / Desire HD / iPhone 4s - Cant stand any of them so went back to the trusty 8210... I'll cry when it dies !
Lol... Makes me wonder what those old 'Del-boy bricks', first launched in the 1980s, would've been like in that respect? :eyebrows:
They cost a fooking fortune back then and mint examples are still worth plenty today!
Marco.
The Grand Wazoo
28-11-2013, 23:21
I hate mobile phones - I'd struggle to tell you which model I have for personal use and I probably make about three calls a month on it!
Makes me wonder what those old 'Del-boy bricks', first launched in the 1980s, would've been like in that respect?
However, at one time I did have one of these for work...well similar... a 4800x, I think.
xP8P36cL9kw
YOIKS!
I was in the business back in the early nineties - we sold the bricks - calls were 50p a minute off peak and a quid a minute peak, none of yer texting malarkey back then. And you would have your phone for about a week before someone cloned it. We had a whole department just to deal with cloning. That all changed when it went digital in '96
What was the reception quality like with them, Martin? Probably shit, I bet, but I suspect not for the same reasons as is happening with many mobile phones today....
Marco.
The Barbarian
29-11-2013, 09:53
Marco (who uses the same basic mobile phone he's had for 5 years, solely for making/receiving calls and sending texts, and therefore divorces himself from inane fads and 'technological oneupmanship').
Good lad although towd Barbarian lad oil won't entertain modern phones let alone mobiles.. Even our house phone is a 1968 GPO '706' :harp:
No problem at John Lewis taking the ipad and case back.
Phew!
Look before you leap my friends...unless its hifi of course ;)
What was the reception quality like with them, Martin? Probably shit, I bet, but I suspect not for the same reasons as is happening with many mobile phones today....
Marco.
It varied with it being an analogue signal, but it worked well enough for the whole idea to catch on. I recall buying a house at the time and a friend said to me: ' you are mad to commit yourself you will be out of a job in a year; this mobile phone thing is just a fad...'
dave2010
29-11-2013, 12:48
I thought this might be a thread about auctions (which it hasn't really been so far), where I believe the term is applied to the winner. At any particular auction, the winner can be pretty much assured that no-one else would be willing to buy the goods or services at the winning price. The way most auctions run though, that price is not usually too much above the price that the second and third potential buyers might be willing to pay, and of course one may be able to buy in one auction, then move to another area to sell, and sometimes that can result in a better selling price.
Buyers at auctions have to accept the price that they have to pay, and therefore have to really want the stuff, or have a way of shifting it on elsewhere.
'As long as we do not have it, the object of our desire seems greater than anything else; as soon as we enjoy it, we long for something else with an equal craving' as Lucretius wrote over 2,000 years ago.
Haselsh1
29-11-2013, 15:17
Of course, none of this would be relevant if folk didn't obsess over this sort of nonsense in the first place! :wheniwasaboy: ;)
Marco (who uses the same basic mobile phone he's had for 5 years, solely for making/receiving calls and sending texts, and therefore divorces himself from inane fads and 'technological oneupmanship').
I so agree with Marco on this one
I had the same mobile for 10 years before getting an Xperia. The Xperia does lots of things I don't need pretty well and the things I do need not so well so I will be going back to my ancient Sony Ericcson when the contract is up.
I also have an xperia which perfectly fits that description.... wish I'd never bothered with it. It does make a decent walkman I suppose....
I have an iPhone 4S which is more than capable of doing what I need… to be honest any phone that can send texts and make phone calls would suffice for me as I rarely use it… at home I use an iPad and have to say that was a great investment because I now use it as my primary machine for accessing the web and i like playing the childish addictive games on it too :lol:
Have to say though that I doubt I'd buy a super duper top of the range iPad as they are IMHO overpriced considering you don't need the storage when the iCloud is now available…. damn am I moving away from my Apple Fanboy status :doh: :scratch: :lol:
. . . much better uses of that thick end of £600 could be put to.
600 for a tablet :stalks:
Good to see you came to your senses Gary, that's an insane amount of money for a tablet.
Gordon Steadman
02-12-2013, 17:44
that's an insane amount of money for a tablet.
In the same way that the amounts some people spend on a bit of wire is insane?. Some will always think that the difference is worth it and some won't. Strange that it seems rational for a bit of hi-fi but not for computers for some folk.
Having played with all the tablets for sale in our local electrical store, if I wanted a tablet, I would save up and buy the iPad. The feel, the way it works are still way ahead of the alternatives. Clearly you disagree, having, I assume, tried them all.
Clearly you disagree, having, I assume, tried them all.
Actually yes I have, its my day job - every bit of tech available for the consumer market passes over my desk ;)
Ali Tait
02-12-2013, 17:48
So which tablet would you buy then?
Oldpinkman
02-12-2013, 17:50
The odd thing here is how size matters after all. Mrs S uses an iphone in bed for web browsing. If she had a tablet she would use it for web browsing, and just possibly as an email client. If it were an ipad she would use garage band. 3 times. Maybe 4.
So web browser and email client. I was going to get her a Tesco Hudl, cos my tennis coach had one, and its ok as a web browser and email client. But they had a 7" Samsung Galaxy on offer. £120. Perfect.
An 8" one and a 10" one are identical - apart from the screen size. Same speed, same operating system, interface, bundled apps, available apps,memory (they all take a 64Gb micro sd anyway). £200 and £400 approx
How does that work? :scratch:
So which tablet would you buy then?
I have a Samsung Tab2 Ali, but its over a year old now, the new Tab3 is an improvement. If I were buying one tomorrow and wanted Android I would probably buy a Lenovo Yoga 10, really good build quality and the battery life is superb - it also sounds very good for a tablet.
Gordon Steadman
02-12-2013, 18:07
Actually yes I have, its my day job - every bit of tech available for the consumer market passes over my desk ;)
That's fine, at least you talk from some experience, even if I disagree with your conclusions. I get so used to the anti-Apple piffle thrown at me by people who, it turns out, have never used one and are just quoting the usual crap.
I worry far more about the way things work than the cost. I've said before that I would prefer two or three quality items over a houseful of crap any day. I have tried Android and find it a poor copy as Windoze was to the Mac.
My reasons for not choosing Apple products are not just based on price Gordon, they are a bastard to work on and make my life very difficult indeed because of their architecture and file system. But I have made it clear many times previously, as a consumer product they are superbly engineered and they work without fuss, but that's not why I dislike Apple ;)
Anyway, how the feck did we get here, all I said was 600 was an insane amount for a tablet, which I think it is, no matter who made it :scratch:
Ali Tait
02-12-2013, 18:16
I have a Samsung Tab2 Ali, but its over a year old now, the new Tab3 is an improvement. If I were buying one tomorrow and wanted Android I would probably buy a Lenovo Yoga 10, really good build quality and the battery life is superb - it also sounds very good for a tablet.
Bought a Lenovo S6000, going cheap on ebay on Friday, for the young'un for Xmas. Looks a nice bit of kit. Use an Ipad myself, but only because the other half got a 30% off deal through work. They are nice but far too expensive IMHO.
Gordon Steadman
02-12-2013, 18:23
Anyway, how the feck did we get here, all I said was 600 was an insane amount for a tablet, which I think it is, no matter who made it :scratch:
Good question:lol: but.....
I still think that spending more than £20 on a piece of wire is insane so I guess there's a connection!!
Anyway, how the feck did we get here, all I said was 600 was an insane amount for a tablet, which I think it is, no matter who made it :scratch:
The only "tablet" I'm interested in is this:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3751/5d9b.jpg
...'all-butter' Scottish tablet. Yum!!!
[The rest I would happily urinate upon, with affection ;)]
Marco.
The only "tablet" I'm interested in is this:
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3751/5d9b.jpg
...'all-butter' Scottish tablet. Yum!!!
[The rest I would happily urinate upon, with affection ;)]
Marco.
There is an old style sweet shop close to us replete with shelves full of jars containing all the old favourites. The lovely Scottish couple who own the shop make Tablet on site. As well as good old traditional Tablet, they also produce it in Vanilla and Chocolate flavours (Real Vanilla pods and high quality Belgium chocolate are used in the recipes) and it is absolutely scrummy :)
Gordon Steadman
03-12-2013, 13:33
There is an old style sweet shop close to us replete with shelves full of jars containing all the old favourites. The lovely Scottish couple who own the shop make Tablet on site. As well as good old traditional Tablet, they also produce it in Vanilla and Chocolate flavours (Real Vanilla pods and high quality Belgium chocolate are used in the recipes) and it is absolutely scrummy :)
I wish you would stop doing this sort of stuff:(
There are things that the French just don't do and I'm supposed to be embracing the whole lifestyle. Otherwise, what's the point in moving here?? But.....I cook curries and its the cakes!!!! They do all light and fluffy and I like proper stick to the rib stuff. Shortbread was always my favourite. Guests usually get a small shopping list as a condition of their arrival.
Sounds fab, Dave! I know what you mean, as I've tasted stuff very like what you describe... For getting your 'juices flowing', it certainly beats the plastic technological variety being discussed here, eh? ;)
Incidentally, as a matter of interest, who here would consider themselves as a 'gadget freak' and/or someone who is 'wedded' to their mobile phone?
I'd quite like to get 'inside the heads' of folk with a totally different attitude to technology from me! :) [Please note that I'm not anti-new technology (far from it), but rather anti IT controlling your life, rather than your life controlling it].
I think that a good way of gauging the phone thing is to ask yourself how long (in terms of days or hours) can you go without using yours? Me? Weeks often pass before I bother even switching mine on!! :eyebrows:
Marco.
From my perspective I tend to use my smartphone as a handheld computer more than I use it to make calls. Originally my contract was for 700 minutes. Gawd knows why I went for this plan as I only make about 120 minutes worth of calls in a month. I renegotiated the contract with EE last January and had it reduced to 200 mins with unlimited texts and t'internet. I now have a handset capable of managing the national debt and yet I use it mainly to browse the internet, for internet banking and as a camera (it has superb stills and video capabilities). To be brutally honest its advanced features are probably wasted on me... :lol:
When I first got my Sony Experia I couldn't put it down, but there was an exponential curve downwards from the "novelty factor" which very quickly diminished. Downloaded a couple of games which I soon got bored with, or the games I did like were constantly plagued with pop up adverts :rolleyes:
This waning love affair period began with the bastid thing bleeping half the night with "notifications" I didn't ask for, or want, despite disabling this wonderful feature :steam:
I use it now for calls and texts . . . . . . full stop.
This waning love affair period began with the bastid thing bleeping half the night with "notifications" I didn't ask for...
I don't mean to state the obvious, Franky boy, but couldn't you just have switched the damn thing off before going to bed? Or is that too simple? :D
The very thought of leaving a mobile phone switched on next to my bed, with the potential to keep me awake all night, fills me with horror... I'm afraid that one bleep out of the f*cker would bring it very quickly into contact with a hammer!!! :donk:
Marco.
From my perspective I tend to use my smartphone as a handheld computer more than I use it to make calls.
Because 90% of the time I'm near a laptop, I'd have no such use for a mobile phone - that and the fact I can't stand viewing the Internet on a tiny screen and because my fingers are too big for the stupid little buttons on most of them!
Question for the assembled daftees: could you ever go on holiday without any technological paraphernalia, and/or do you seek always to be contactable, or can you happily leave your toys at home, go 'off-grid' for a couple of weeks and simply enjoy the company instead of whoever you are with and the local surroundings, without the need to be 'connected'?
Marco.
I don't mean to state the obvious, Franky boy, but couldn't you just have switched the damn thing off before going to bed? Or is that too simple? :D
The very thought of leaving a mobile phone switched on next to my bed, with the potential to keep me awake all night, fills me with horror... I'm afraid that one bleep out of the f*cker would bring it very quickly into contact with a hammer!!! :donk:
Marco.
I only had it on the bedside table for a 4.00am alarm call, otherwise it would be out in the shed :lol:
Aye, along with the wife? :lol:
And besides....
I only had it on the bedside table for a 4.00am alarm call...
...don't they have alarm-clock radios in Cornwall? ;)
Marco [who uses an alarm-clock radio to wake himself up in the morning, a mobile phone for making calls and sending texts, a TV to watch television with, loo roll to wipe his arse, etc, etc].
mr sneff
03-12-2013, 16:58
I don't mean to state the obvious, Franky boy, but couldn't you just have switched the damn thing off before going to bed? Or is that too simple? :D
The very thought of leaving a mobile phone switched on next to my bed, with the potential to keep me awake all night, fills me with horror... I'm afraid that one bleep out of the f*cker would bring it very quickly into contact with a hammer!!! :donk:
Marco.
+1 :)
can you happily leave your toys at home, go 'off-grid' for a couple of weeks and simply enjoy the company instead of whoever you are with and the local surroundings, without the need to be 'connected'?
Marco.
Absolu'mon . . . just did it in fact, as soon as I got to my mates house in China the phone was switched off and put in my bedroom draw and it stayed off until I got into the arrivals lounge at Heathrow two weeks later. There was also no way I was paying £1.49 per minute to receive a call from the UK whilst I was away :nono:
Having said that, I did check my email every few days, but only because of my 89 year old father who isn't in the best of health. My cousin knows to email me in case of an emergency. I also often switch both my house phone and mobile off when at home (especially at weekends), so the ***** from work can't mither me - my time is just that, my time :D
I don't mean to state the obvious, Franky boy, but couldn't you just have switched the damn thing off before going to bed? Or is that too simple? :D
Marco.
One of the 'joys' of these things is that you can not turn them off unless you let them run out of charge or crack them open and take the SIM out, which is not easy to do.
One of the 'joys' of these things is that you can not turn them off unless you let them run out of charge or crack them open and take the SIM out, which is not easy to do.
I can turn my ExperiaT off Martin, and Jo's Samsung Galaxy S2 can be turned off too... :scratch:
How? I really couldn't be arsed to read the manual...
Oi you lot, stop picking on me :D
I had the bloody phone for the alarm function as my sooper dooper alarm clock had gone up the spout :steam: Another bit of high tech that turned into low tech dustbin fodder :rolleyes:
Now I don't have to get up at silly-o-clock each day any more, the phone resides on charge in the kitchen at night these days with t'internet disabled ;)
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