I hear that the iPhone 4 has problems with its reception. It seems that it needs to be held in a particular way. Apparently you have to hold it at arm’s length, shove it into someone’s face and shout “Look at me! Look at me! I’ve got an iPhone!”
The beauty of an open system like Android is that, unlike iOS, it can be installed on virtually anything. A case in point is the T-Mobile Pulse Mini which was available until recently from T-Mobile’s UK site for £19.99 – that’s $33.00 – and that’s not a typo. Now, of course what you are asking is “What kind of handset do you get for 33 bucks?” Well, a Samsung Galaxy S it ain’t but when all you have to do is rummage around down the back of the sofa to afford it, the only thing the device has to do is work to be worth it. Honestly, I’ve spent more on a phone case.
When it comes down to the details I’ve gotta admit its a crappy little phone: plasticy, tiny and prone to crashing, and with a puny 2.7” resistive touch screen a big thumbed lad like myself is forced to use the built-in stylus (which of course I promptly lost). Nevertheless, with a price tag that even vagrants can afford, the Pulse Mini is a great example of how Android truly is the system for the masses. Imagine my pride when a local homeless guy started showing off the beauties of Google Sky Map to me with his.
Despite all the current furore over patents and the like, this ability to produce phones to suit all tastes and wallets is what will ultimately make the difference in a global mobile market.
I won’t deny it, Apple know how to make pretty little gadgets, and they’re good at that. San Francisco and (although I hate to admit it) London too are full of fanboys and girls showing off their overpriced, overhyped, but cool looking toys, but in a world of nearly seven billion people it is India, China, Russia, South America and Africa that will eventually call the shots and functionality will win out over prettiness. Shop assistants are not geniuses – get used to it Jobs.
Would I recommend the T-Mobile Pulse Mini? Probably not, but for the price of a round of beers, why not do your liver a favor and when you’re bored with it, hand it over to a homeless guy.