Options, Options
Sometimes it is easier when you don't have any options, you are just told what to do. The company I work for provides free cell phones and cell phone service to its employees. There is a standard phone offered to everyone, however you can upgrade if your boss will approve it. Since my unit works heavily with cell phones, my boss said that he will approve any phone that I want. Having said that, the project that I am working on is involved with Sprint, so I have been encouraged to get a Sprint phone.
I was leaning towards the standard phone, since all I really expect to be doing is making calls and text messages. I will probably occasionally test our product with the phone, but standard phone will allow me to do that. One of my co-workers comes to me and tells me, "no, no, you got to get the Fusic phone. It is the best phone out there right now." I looked a little bit at the phone and found that it has a built-in mp3 player that I can download songs from iTunes, it has a 1.3 megapixel camera with a built-in flash, it can take both photos and videos, it will stream live tv, it has a built-in fm transmitter that will allow me to play music over the car speakers or a home stereo, it has 4 or 5 replaceable faceplates so you can change the color of the phone. You can add an extra memory card to supplement the memory, it allows you to surf the internet, check email, check weather forecasts, news, maps and directions, etc. I am not sure how much I will use all of this stuff, but I think it would be fun to play with it.
So I order this phone and send the order to my boss for approval. My boss says that he will approve it, but I should make sure that it is the phone that I want. I should check with the local phone expert. Hmm, that's actually a pretty good idea, I probably should have done that first. I go see the phone expert and he says that he was a little disappointed with the phone. He suggests that I try one of the guys who already has one and there is a local group who tests all of the latest phones with our product. I talk to one guy who has this phone. He generally likes the phone. There are some awkward controls, but he likes it.
The guy who sits in the cube next to me is pretty tech-savvy, so I decide to ask him what he thinks about the Fusic. "Ohh Dude, I wouldn't be caught dead with that phone!" He points me towards this review. This guy writes about software processes on his blog. He is widely read and well-respected. He was sent a free beta version of this phone. This guy HATES the phone. Some quotes from the review: "The phone they sent me, an LG Fusic, is really quite awful, and the service, Power Vision, is tremendously misconceived and full of dumb features that don’t work right and cost way too much." "... the LG Fusic will strike you as butt-ugly. ... the LG Fusic is made out of the cheapest kind of gray plastic, the same material you find on a $3 toy." The review actually gets worse.
The guy from the next door cube suggests that I look at the Motorola Razr's. He thinks that they are the best phones available, but admits that he has never actually played with the Fusic phone. He also suggests that I check with the group that tests the newest phones. So I wander over and introduce myself to the head of the phone test group. This guy likes the Fusic phone. He has selected it as his personal phone. He admits that he has read the blogger's review. He claims that the review is way too harsh. If the guy has spent a little time with the phone, he would have found it pretty easy to use. Yeah it has some flaws, but overall it is a pretty nice phone. On the other hand, the Razr's that are available from Sprint are being rushed into production for the xmas season and have lots of bugs in them. He wouldn't get a Razr!
What to do? I'm getting tired of this, I just want to order a phone. I played with a Razr for a little bit, but decide that I want a Fusic phone after all. I like the appearance of the Razr a little better, but I don't want to be dealing with the bugs in the phone. The guys who actually have a Fusic phone have convinced me that it is reasonably easy to use, once I get used to it. So I went back to my boss and asked him to approve the Fusic phone. Of course, there is a little voice in the back of my head saying that in the end, I will probably only use the phone to make simple calls and text messages. The standard phone would do that just as well!
I was leaning towards the standard phone, since all I really expect to be doing is making calls and text messages. I will probably occasionally test our product with the phone, but standard phone will allow me to do that. One of my co-workers comes to me and tells me, "no, no, you got to get the Fusic phone. It is the best phone out there right now." I looked a little bit at the phone and found that it has a built-in mp3 player that I can download songs from iTunes, it has a 1.3 megapixel camera with a built-in flash, it can take both photos and videos, it will stream live tv, it has a built-in fm transmitter that will allow me to play music over the car speakers or a home stereo, it has 4 or 5 replaceable faceplates so you can change the color of the phone. You can add an extra memory card to supplement the memory, it allows you to surf the internet, check email, check weather forecasts, news, maps and directions, etc. I am not sure how much I will use all of this stuff, but I think it would be fun to play with it.
So I order this phone and send the order to my boss for approval. My boss says that he will approve it, but I should make sure that it is the phone that I want. I should check with the local phone expert. Hmm, that's actually a pretty good idea, I probably should have done that first. I go see the phone expert and he says that he was a little disappointed with the phone. He suggests that I try one of the guys who already has one and there is a local group who tests all of the latest phones with our product. I talk to one guy who has this phone. He generally likes the phone. There are some awkward controls, but he likes it.
The guy who sits in the cube next to me is pretty tech-savvy, so I decide to ask him what he thinks about the Fusic. "Ohh Dude, I wouldn't be caught dead with that phone!" He points me towards this review. This guy writes about software processes on his blog. He is widely read and well-respected. He was sent a free beta version of this phone. This guy HATES the phone. Some quotes from the review: "The phone they sent me, an LG Fusic, is really quite awful, and the service, Power Vision, is tremendously misconceived and full of dumb features that don’t work right and cost way too much." "... the LG Fusic will strike you as butt-ugly. ... the LG Fusic is made out of the cheapest kind of gray plastic, the same material you find on a $3 toy." The review actually gets worse.
The guy from the next door cube suggests that I look at the Motorola Razr's. He thinks that they are the best phones available, but admits that he has never actually played with the Fusic phone. He also suggests that I check with the group that tests the newest phones. So I wander over and introduce myself to the head of the phone test group. This guy likes the Fusic phone. He has selected it as his personal phone. He admits that he has read the blogger's review. He claims that the review is way too harsh. If the guy has spent a little time with the phone, he would have found it pretty easy to use. Yeah it has some flaws, but overall it is a pretty nice phone. On the other hand, the Razr's that are available from Sprint are being rushed into production for the xmas season and have lots of bugs in them. He wouldn't get a Razr!
What to do? I'm getting tired of this, I just want to order a phone. I played with a Razr for a little bit, but decide that I want a Fusic phone after all. I like the appearance of the Razr a little better, but I don't want to be dealing with the bugs in the phone. The guys who actually have a Fusic phone have convinced me that it is reasonably easy to use, once I get used to it. So I went back to my boss and asked him to approve the Fusic phone. Of course, there is a little voice in the back of my head saying that in the end, I will probably only use the phone to make simple calls and text messages. The standard phone would do that just as well!
posted by Steve @ 1:29 PM
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