The Tangible Conundrum

Geeky Warning: For those of you who do not believe in materialistic pleasures or do not have a fascination for gadgets, the problem I am about to propose will be quite tough to understand and even tougher to resolve.

I have loved gadgets since I have known them. It is a fascination which I cherish, and the resulting purchases are manageable, at least till now. So, it must came as little surprise to you when I say that the day I got my iPod Touch (a birthday gift), I was ecstatic. I was totally taken in by the ease of operation. I was consumed with the way it felt in my hands. It was the best thing I have ever owned. It is the most reliable gadget I have used in a long time. When the jail break came along, well before the App Store, I jumped on the bandwagon and have been hooked onto it even more. I made the shift to the App Store somewhere down the line. So, that is the status quo. I love the Touch, and I am thankful to my uncle and Apple.

There is one thing which makes the iPod Touch and not the iPhone, the best gadget ever. You don’t have to pay any fees every month in order to hold onto it. The downside of this is that I need another phone. My current phone is a very reliable Nokia which I have turned into an rock with all the glue I put on it. The phone was with me through many tough times, not tough as in mentally, but phone-wise. It finally needed the bandages after it met with a concrete pavement. The phone, therefore, is ready to take the VRS I am offering, but I need to replace it with young blood.

Being in the most advanced country in the world has its share of disadvantages. Apparently, it is more capitalistic and free-market-ish to lock the consumer in to a two-year contract and not allow him to change his phone until the contract nearly expires. And if he does buy the phone on his own terms, even then he is bound to the two year contract if he wants to use it.

Why did I spend three paragraphs trying to explain three different things, besides the fact that this is free so I shouldn’t ask that question anyways? All of them make up the Tangible Conundrum. You see, I need to find a new phone, but whatever phone I buy, I will compare it with the iPod Touch. And let’s face it; there isn’t anything in the market out there now which can eclipse the Touch in terms of overall satisfaction. Till now, there is pretty much no competition between the Touch and the Nokia. The Nokia can call and message. The Touch can do the rest. However, a new phone which does both will be quite a problem. Any phone with the same features will cost a pretty penny, but in the end, it may not be worth it because the iPod will come out the better one. The question of the two-year contract comes in when I have finally decided to replace the Nokia with another phone in the same family. I would make money out of the phone if I were to take it along with a contract from the company. Therefore, no incentive to buy now, and I have to wait until May to replace it. And in the meanwhile, I keep searching for a phone which can at least prove to be a worthy competitor to the Touch.

If you have any suggestions (non-abusive), let me know. And last, a wacky pearl of wisdom… If you are in a dilemma when it comes to buying the next fully featured phone, just buy the iPod Touch. You will end up with the above conundrum, but at least, you will have the Touch which will keep you entertained all the way.