• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Ugh, Technology is getting to be too much!

Well, I got my Blackberry Tour right when it came out...when it was the best smartphone on Verizon, and since it was my first smartphone, I loved it. However, I've always wanted an iPhone, just won't put up with AT&T! So, after awhile I began to grow sour about the business oriented/boring operating system of the BB, and the fact that I probably bought the last smartphone on verizon that doesn't have wifi:rolleyes: which is also frustrating. But I figured, fingers crossed for 2010 iPhone, I'll make the plunge with the tour and see where it goes.....

Now the Android phone. I love google as a company, they are in my top two favorite companies and since my other is Apple and I can't get their phone, so I'd love to have a piece of Google hardware. But now I have to use another UPGRADE from my account, which I'm OK with. The thing that gets me is....what if I get the Droid, love it, but then two weeks, or two months down the road, another major name Android phone comes out? I can't take it! Somehow something will come out that will blow the droid away, and I understand at some point you just have to take the plunge and its the nature of the tech world...but it's getting to be too much to handle. I'm starting to worry more about whats coming after I buy something, then getting excited about what I'm purchasing. I would be very pissed if a new android phone comes out 2 months later thats a great improvement, and I just don't have upgrades left to get it (money is fine since i just sell the current phone). Not to mention the fact that I'm still hoping for a June/July release of a Verizon Iphone(though clearly that relationship has been strained lately), and if that comes out and I end up paying full price...well ugh, I'm not looking to drop 499 on an iPhone.

Anyone have any words of wisdom to put my mind at ease?

P.S. sorry for the rant, i just feel :thinking: about this phone, and frazzled, even though i should feel really excited!
 
My first smart phone was an Iphone. I like it but it didnt live up to its hype, plus ATT is garbage. I then changed to a BB curve on sprint and didnt like it at all. So when I learned of the Hero and it comming to sprint I took ahold of it and it is imo better than the Iphone. The OS is good and with its sense UI it makes it even better.
I would suggest to you to not wait and go for the droid. It looks like its a killer phone. I just dont want to be a part of verizon since their plans are outragous in price.
 
Upvote 0
Well, I got my Blackberry Tour right when it came out...when it was the best smartphone on Verizon, and since it was my first smartphone, I loved it. However, I've always wanted an iPhone, just won't put up with AT&T! So, after awhile I began to grow sour about the business oriented/boring operating system of the BB, and the fact that I probably bought the last smartphone on verizon that doesn't have wifi:rolleyes: which is also frustrating. But I figured, fingers crossed for 2010 iPhone, I'll make the plunge with the tour and see where it goes.....

Now the Android phone. I love google as a company, they are in my top two favorite companies and since my other is Apple and I can't get their phone, so I'd love to have a piece of Google hardware. But now I have to use another UPGRADE from my account, which I'm OK with. The thing that gets me is....what if I get the Droid, love it, but then two weeks, or two months down the road, another major name Android phone comes out? I can't take it! Somehow something will come out that will blow the droid away, and I understand at some point you just have to take the plunge and its the nature of the tech world...but it's getting to be too much to handle. I'm starting to worry more about whats coming after I buy something, then getting excited about what I'm purchasing. I would be very pissed if a new android phone comes out 2 months later thats a great improvement, and I just don't have upgrades left to get it (money is fine since i just sell the current phone). Not to mention the fact that I'm still hoping for a June/July release of a Verizon Iphone(though clearly that relationship has been strained lately), and if that comes out and I end up paying full price...well ugh, I'm not looking to drop 499 on an iPhone.

Anyone have any words of wisdom to put my mind at ease?

P.S. sorry for the rant, i just feel :thinking: about this phone, and frazzled, even though i should feel really excited!
This is definitely how I'm feeling as well. I understand how technology works and how consumerism in general works...but man, it really feels like it's working against itself now. We've got so many phones out/coming soon and more in the rumor mills soon to be officially announced, and surely more to look forward to by the time those make it out...it's enough to make a shopper who tries to be patient and educated go nuts. And yeah, I'm left with a feeling of anxiety about what'll be out in two weeks more so than excitement about the Droid. I'm starting to feel like I need to just shut up and buy the Droid and be done with it, and pull myself out of the rut I'm stuck in where I'm always waiting for the next best thing. With a steady cycle of new phone release>new phone announced>new phone in development, I'm likely to never buy anything if I don't slap some sense into myself.
 
Upvote 0
Rumors of the iphone have been around for a while. I don't believe it for a second. I used to... I was excited about the prospect of it before.

You have to think, though... Verizon's ad for the Droid was a bash against iphones, and they now have a big push behind the "droid does" slogan. It is November 2009, and verizon is blatantly going head to head with iPhone, and marketing the crap out of what the droid can do that the iphone can't.

Knowing what kind of a niche the iphone has, do you honestly believe Verizon would be doing this if they had plans within the next year to start selling the iphone? I don't. They would be shooting their own feet.

I'd say you can bury the idea of the iphone in 2010. Sorry.
 
Upvote 0
Welcome to the world of tech...

I have had the same issue with PCs...I buy a new processor, a new gen comes out. I buy a new video card, a new gen comes out...

The best thing to do, is read as much as you can on both reputable websites, and not so reputable websites...

For PC's, I used to scour the net. I would take reputable websites (like Anandtech, Nvnews.net, Hardocp, etc) and also unreliable websites (like Inquirer, Fudzilla). I then TRY to make an educated guess...

This hasn't been a problem for me recently, since I worked for a tech company for 2 years and know people within the industry that will give me REAL info (that I can not post ANYWHERE)...

All that said, with any technology you have to be willing to jump, and understand that in 2 months, something better may come out...

For me, I have never had a "Smartphone", and this is the best and most current Verizon has (I will not switch carriers). I am going to jump on the Droid...Will there be something better within 6 months? With out a doubt. Am I ready to upgrade NOW?!? YES...

It really comes down to how much you like (or dislike) your current phone...If you hate it, or want to move up in technology, then go for what exists (or is about to come out). If you can live with your phone (meaning, it's not horrible, but "OK"), then you can possibly wait it out...

Sorry if I rambled, but this is the normal techie conundrum, doesn't matter if it's a TV, PC component, or a phone....
 
Upvote 0
Well, I got my Blackberry Tour right when it came out...when it was the best smartphone on Verizon, and since it was my first smartphone, I loved it. However, I've always wanted an iPhone, just won't put up with AT&T! So, after awhile I began to grow sour about the business oriented/boring operating system of the BB, and the fact that I probably bought the last smartphone on verizon that doesn't have wifi:rolleyes: which is also frustrating. But I figured, fingers crossed for 2010 iPhone, I'll make the plunge with the tour and see where it goes.....

Now the Android phone. I love google as a company, they are in my top two favorite companies and since my other is Apple and I can't get their phone, so I'd love to have a piece of Google hardware. But now I have to use another UPGRADE from my account, which I'm OK with. The thing that gets me is....what if I get the Droid, love it, but then two weeks, or two months down the road, another major name Android phone comes out? I can't take it! Somehow something will come out that will blow the droid away, and I understand at some point you just have to take the plunge and its the nature of the tech world...but it's getting to be too much to handle. I'm starting to worry more about whats coming after I buy something, then getting excited about what I'm purchasing. I would be very pissed if a new android phone comes out 2 months later thats a great improvement, and I just don't have upgrades left to get it (money is fine since i just sell the current phone). Not to mention the fact that I'm still hoping for a June/July release of a Verizon Iphone(though clearly that relationship has been strained lately), and if that comes out and I end up paying full price...well ugh, I'm not looking to drop 499 on an iPhone.

Anyone have any words of wisdom to put my mind at ease?

P.S. sorry for the rant, i just feel :thinking: about this phone, and frazzled, even though i should feel really excited!


Boy oh boy, can I feel your pain...

It is a very frustrating thing. I would love to have an iPhone as well, but I am not going anywhere near AT7T.

Hopefully the Droid will be all that it's cracked up to be.
 
Upvote 0
I'd say you can bury the idea of the iphone in 2010. Sorry.

Not necessarily, in a recent interview, a VZ exec said "The ball is in Apple's court. We would love to have the Iphone, but we will have to wait and see" (something to that effect).

Apple can't seriously take marketing campaigns against it as a serious decision making rule. If the FCC/Congress pressure AT&T enough on their exclusivity agreement, they may relent and release Apple from it. (An ATT exec recently said the exclusivity may be going away soon). Soon is the real question. Is ATT wavering due to government disapproval, or are they understating what "soon" is? No one knows at this point, it's a wait and see approach we all need to have...
 
Upvote 0
I wrote this whole response via quick reply, and then somehow I got logged out and it got lost. Darnit!

Anyhow the best I can say is if you're buying it... it's already out of date. Just go by what you "need". Does it do what you want? Is it lagging behind other phones due to hardware limitations on apps you need? If you're fine with it, then be happy!
 
Upvote 0
I think the problem gets compounded when dealing with cell phones, cause you get locked into contracts and have to consider switching carriers and calculate the worth of paying termination fees and all that...it's not as simple as making a simple, single purchase, no strings attached.

Agreed. Although most of my own arguments are shot down by this simple question:

Will it cost me more to pay an ETF + start new service at a new company than it would for me to just buy the damn phone off Craigslist?

If ETF + New phone purchase > CL purchase then I avoid it.
 
Upvote 0
With Verizon, you do not have to get locked into a two year contract. You can go for the 1 year contract and pay $30 more for the phone. This time of year is always full of new phones for the holiday shopping season, so it works out pretty well.

I really think the iPod portion of the iPhone is what is good about it, and the phone part is the bad part in addition to forcing you to AT&T, dropped calls, etc. I have an iTouch to get the best parts of it with no contract.
 
Upvote 0
all i can say is,if you keep waiting you will always be behind.

I look at it kind of like getting married. You know you love this person and you are betting that someone better is not going to come along. Except in this case you only have to stay in the phone marriage for two years. By the time the two years is up, I am SURE something better will be out there. There is always going to be a group that has something better than all the others. For a brief time, it will be the Droid owners.
 
Upvote 0
i really think android will push apple into totally revamping the iphone. as the iphone sits now,android will eat it alive.

I don't think Android is that much of a threat. Apple has a loyal customer base and it is so easy to use - that it will be hard for Android to compete with the casual or entertainment based smart phone user. I am a tech head and a business user, which has kept me far away from the iPhone (not to mention At&t).
 
Upvote 0
all i can say is,if you keep waiting you will always be behind.

Exactly, can't let buyer's remorse control you.

OP, I feel your pain, though; this is always the case for me with new technology, especially computers. When I buy a new a computer, I can't even look in the paper for a month afterward, because I'll ALWAYS see a better computer for the same price or cheaper...no matter how long I wait.

I've been on Verizon for a long time, and have been waiting so long for a phone like the Droid. It looks great to me. When the Storm 1 came out I was close to getting it, but I couldn't allow myself to get a phone without WiFi, so I held off. With the Droid, there is no feature that it's missing that is making me doubt this purchase. Invariably, there will be better phones released between now and when I'm eligible for a discounted new phone, but I'm convinced that I will like this phone more than enough to keep it for those two years.

And guess what...the phone I'll buy 2 years from now will be much better than the phone I would be waiting to get a few months from now. :D
 
Upvote 0
i really think android will push apple into totally revamping the iphone. as the iphone sits now,android will eat it alive.

I couldn't agree with this statement more.

Love them or hate them, Apple has ALWAYS done a superior job of taking what is already availble in the market and making it better.

Now, by "better" I mean, easier to use.

The only mistake that Google might make with the Android system is the same mistake Microsoft has made, ever and over again; when things get too complicated, the average person (mom, grandma, etc...) get turned off.

The ONLY reason the iPhone was such a hit was because of the great user interface. It is also the reason Apple refuses to allow open development and OS tweaking (to a point). Once this is allowed, things get too complicated very fast and people get frustrated. We're all not geeks and Apple gets this - more than any company out there.

If Android does not remain simple to use, it will suffer the same fate as Windows Mobile, Windows Vista, and Linux.

Ironically enough, Palm had an opportunity here and blew it.
 
Upvote 0
Just to make the OP's life more miserable, I just read on boygenius that it is highly likely that the HTC Passion/Dragon could be released on Verizon on Black Friday.
That's good news, that means there could likely be some concrete info on the specs soon, right? My biggest cons against getting the Droid are the keyboard which if as subpar as reviews state, I'd just as soon omit it and have just a touchscreen, the blocky design, and the lack of Sense UI....all things which the HTC phone has covered.

I've really been debating about the Droid vs. the Passion/Dragon, hoping there'd be some info on the latter soon. A couple more weeks won't be a tough wait. And if HTC's phone isn't all it's cracked up to be, I'll just go for the Droid.
 
Upvote 0
Just to make the OP's life more miserable, I just read on boygenius that it is highly likely that the HTC Passion/Dragon could be released on Verizon on Black Friday.

oh nooooo haha I wasn't even aware of this phone, but now I want it! I love HTC, I think they make amazing touchscreens and tweak software the right way.

As for all the comments, I know everyone's right and you kind of just have to make the plunge and be happy. I guess I'm not satisfied with my Tour, it's definitely OK, its just that the Android will be better in regards to app development, customization, and a touch screen thats closer to what i want in the iphone. And wifi, thank god!

It really is hard though, as JRSly said, the big problem is cell phones. For me, I have been working on Apple laptops for most of my life, and thanks to their pretty predictable release schedules, you can guess when something is coming out. Also, once something does, you're completely safe to buy it without them releasing another one anytime soon. With cell phones, there are so many different companies trying to best eachother, and we're all just locking ourselves into contracts and get stuck staring out from the inside watching all the new best cell phones get bought.

I think there's a possibility of an iphone in 2010, but as Fadelight said, I'm sure the verizon iPhone bashing isn't helping. But as Dmodert said, I don't think that these marketing campaigns are the end all be all. Think about it, Apple has so much leverage against Verizon it's ridiculous, and I'm sure they're demanding the world from Verizon in order for them to get the iPhone...so instead of losing right at the beginning by making this deal, maybe verizon is playing hardball, showing they have other options, and they're capable of going their own direction. Now maybe Apple will come back to them and won't demand the same amount of money, or same amount of control, and then Verizon will accept and they will make more money themselves and feel like they're starting off on the right foot.

I guess what I'm thinking is I'm gonna try the Droid in the store, mess around with it for awhile, check out the new consumer reviews that will pop up everywhere....and see if it's all I could want. Although I'm addicted to wanting the latest and greatest, I am capable of just being content with what I have. The tour is good, it's just not what I wanted from the beginning, so I think that the Droid with its great touchscreen and development platform can give me much more to be excited with on into the future. If it works close to the iphone, and it seems like it does, than I'll be satisfied over newer Droid sets until I get an iPhone. Thanks for the pep talk, fingers crossed for the droid to meet the hype!
 
Upvote 0
Buy the droid and sign a one year contract. You can't go wrong with the one year, yea it costs $30 to $50 more but you don't have to worry about getting outdated.

My 2010 prediction is that Q3 apple will come out with the iphone 4G on Verizon's 4G network. :D


Yeah you're right, that sounds pretty legit. I didn't realize you could do that with verizon, but it definitely sounds worth it.

As for the 4G iPhone, although next year is clearly a :p face for that to happen haha, I think that might be a sad fact that it might wait for that network to be up and running over the next three years, and then to build an iPhone for that. I guess it IS pretty useless to reengineer for a CDMA one, just to have it obsolete in a year or two. Well, droid till then I guess!
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones