One of the best things about being a journalist in the wireless industry is that we get to test new toys, er, I mean, phones. Many of the industry’s best devices make it to the hallowed halls of RCR Wireless News because some very nice people in the handset and carrier space are proud of their products and want us to experience how great they are. And we love it.
First, it’s a little like your birthday when a package comes for you-especially if no one else in the office received the newest, and thus, coolest handset. No one actually dances, but there are other, more subtle ways of announcing that you are checking out a new phone. Try out a ringtone-with the volume turned way up. Download a game and then shout about it when you score. Or simply walk around the office announcing that if anyone wants to see the newest such-and-such, it’s in your office. Yes, there is some pride, envy, and well, gloating, about who gets sent which device.
And while the RCR Wireless News edit staff doesn’t write product reviews, per se, we’re all fairly educated about which phones are the best in the industry. How? Because the best phones are not shared amongst the staff. Indeed, we’ve all become fairly adept at walking the fine line between showing off the phone to your peers, “This is perhaps the best phone ever,” and still managing to keep the device to yourself-without appearing selfish.
For instance, even the best handsets have to be loaned to your office mates overnight if they ask-but promises must be made to return the phone in the morning. Indeed, as the keeper of an expensive phone on loan, it’s imperative to keep the device within your watchful eye at all times. Lending such a special product to an office mate for a week would be an outrageous test of the laws of the universe. A less-beloved handset, however, will be shared freely, or offered in exchange for another device.
Some of the best gloating comes when new versions of old standbys come onto the market. Indeed I believe one staff member should be fined for flaunting (taunting) the new Palm Inc. Treo 700w-the one with the bigger keypad and better back lighting-in front of me, and then not sharing the device.
But, don’t think that just because we get to fondle the newest handsets that we are blinded from their inadequacies. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s recently launched Razr clone-ingeniously dubbed the Blade-is chock full of the latest and greatest technologies, but is cheapened by a sluggish user interface and battery life sacrificed at the alter of fashion.
Another gem-hidden in one editor’s desk at this very moment-is Motorola Inc.’s new Slvr phone with iTunes. The slim candybar is a treat to behold, but its attractiveness hides a flaw: An arbitrary 100-song storage limit.
In the end, though, there is justice. The phones have to be returned, which puts everyone on equal footing once again… Until the next FedEx shipment.
