"It was ‘Love at First Sight’ for me" - Part II
I've been having reception problems on my old TDMA network for a while now, so last week I finally decided to switch over to Cingular's GSM plan. Before I did that, I needed to find a new GSM phone. While researching for a new phone, some thoughts came to mind regarding a conversation I shared with a female friend last week. I discovered the parallelism between shopping for a "perfect" phone and finding an "ideal" guy. Let me start to tell you the whole story from the beginning:
On Jan 31, I did some online research on the new Motorola SLVR L7 that literally just launched THAT day in the US market. It's new, sleek, and ultra slim. It comes with an impressive feature listing including MP3 player, BlueTooth, 262k TFT display, Quadband, external TransFlash card, and ULTRA slim! I know I've always wanted a "candy bar" style phone, and my preference is always slim/light over functionality. So imagine my excitement when I saw this phone that is both rich in features and slim/light! The reviews I searched for praised it on the design and looks, being Quadband so internationally usable, solidly built and a consistent performer.
So I had the Motorola L7 and a Sony Ericsson phone in mind when I went comparison shopping at a cell phone store in Milpitas. I found this store from a friend's recommendation because they also carry GSM phones from Asia. There were 20+ phone models on the table for selection when I walked in, of which I immediately eliminated the majority and was left with 5 models for consideration. After hearing about my preferences and what I am basically looking for, the sales guy took out 3 more phones for my choosing, all of them are the flip style that I had totally set my mind on not to get. The Magenta RAZR is the ugliest phone I've ever seen (the color itself), that's an easy immediate rejection, and the other two are the Panasonic V2 (pink) and V3 (Red/black).
It was love at first sight for me! (quoted from the VS2 Singapore product page) I didn't even know what hit me when I fell head-over-heels for this so So SO CUTE pink VS2. As soon as I held up the phone, I noted how light and slim the design is. The cover is a very light brush metal pink while the inside is hot pink (a tiny bit overwhelming, but I still like it). The pop-open button is so well placed, and the spring-flip action so slick that totally dispelled my determination for not considering a flip phone. It definitely had an "Oomph.." factor to the whole thing. I don't know what to say, I just liked it *that* much.
Everything else paled in my eyes once I set my sight on the VS2. I was really disappointed to find out that it's only Tri-band and BlueTooth-less. But in every other area of comparison, the VS2 definitely was on par with the L7 if not out-shine it. I left the store tormented by the decision: VS2 vs. L7, to be, or not to be?
For the next 2 days, I was torn between my love for the VS2, but preferred the functionalities of the L7. I asked many friends for opinions, and almost unanimous they voted for the L7 based on the feature list (well, these are mostly guy friends I seeked advice from). One person immediately rejected the VS2 when I mentioned that it has no BlueTooth connectivity. But my heart is heavy because I know that I luved the VS2. In comparison, my initial excitement about the L7 faded once I found that new luv for VS2. Before the smooth black casing was cool, now it seemed a tad bit boring in my eyes; before the blue back lighting is cool, now it's just a common feature; before it was sleek design, now it's just not standing out enough to make a statement. Or maybe it's still a statement, but minus that exclamation mark!
=== Now onto the parallelism of cell phone shopping with guys:
- one walks around with a criteria list for an "ideal" phone in mind, which is mostly resume/feature-list based.
- one walks into the store and sees 20+ model on the table, most of them are not to one's liking or fit the criteria list, so one rejects most right away.
- occasionally one or two phones stood out and one does a detailed analysis of comparison chart for them.
- then one of these days, totally out of blue, one sees a PINK Phone (PP) that totally took one's breath away! One falls in "luv" with the PP right away, despite the fact that it does not measure up to all of the feature list one's determined on.
- the sleek black phone (BP) one started to like before is now appearing mediocre in comparison w/ PP, all the exclamation marks no longer there.
- one cannot go back to the BP after seeing the PP, BP is just that impressive/attractive anymore.
- but the PP is lacking some fundamental features, some of them serious enough to be considered "deal-breakers" (ie. no BlueTooth, Tri-band).
- someone shared this wise old saying to me a while back: "Choose who you luv *before* marriage, but luv whom you've chosen *after* you get married." (ie. one can compare and shop for as many phones as one'd like before making the purchase, but after the migration is complete on the chosen phone, try to luv that one now since there is no longer other options).
- ultimately, one has to make a difficult decision between the "matters of the heart" or practical logic/feature sets, because there is one can only have One phone number.
- at the end, is one buying a fashion accessory phone, or a reliable good reception phone?
- isn't feature set more important in the long run, when the PP loses its lustre a few months down the road?
- "To be, or not to be?" - and ultimately, Amor vincit omnia - Love conquers all. (Virgil) ?!?!????
=== Back to reality:
After studying the pro/con comparison chart for 2 days, I finally decided to go with the L7, not only because it's more feature-rich, but also because I don't have to deal with the hassle of having to buy it online from Asia. (Panasonic sadly does not make phones specifically for the US market anymore) I like my new Motorola L7, and it's definitely growing on me. But at the bottom of my heart, I will always know that I had once loved!
On Jan 31, I did some online research on the new Motorola SLVR L7 that literally just launched THAT day in the US market. It's new, sleek, and ultra slim. It comes with an impressive feature listing including MP3 player, BlueTooth, 262k TFT display, Quadband, external TransFlash card, and ULTRA slim! I know I've always wanted a "candy bar" style phone, and my preference is always slim/light over functionality. So imagine my excitement when I saw this phone that is both rich in features and slim/light! The reviews I searched for praised it on the design and looks, being Quadband so internationally usable, solidly built and a consistent performer.
So I had the Motorola L7 and a Sony Ericsson phone in mind when I went comparison shopping at a cell phone store in Milpitas. I found this store from a friend's recommendation because they also carry GSM phones from Asia. There were 20+ phone models on the table for selection when I walked in, of which I immediately eliminated the majority and was left with 5 models for consideration. After hearing about my preferences and what I am basically looking for, the sales guy took out 3 more phones for my choosing, all of them are the flip style that I had totally set my mind on not to get. The Magenta RAZR is the ugliest phone I've ever seen (the color itself), that's an easy immediate rejection, and the other two are the Panasonic V2 (pink) and V3 (Red/black).
It was love at first sight for me! (quoted from the VS2 Singapore product page) I didn't even know what hit me when I fell head-over-heels for this so So SO CUTE pink VS2. As soon as I held up the phone, I noted how light and slim the design is. The cover is a very light brush metal pink while the inside is hot pink (a tiny bit overwhelming, but I still like it). The pop-open button is so well placed, and the spring-flip action so slick that totally dispelled my determination for not considering a flip phone. It definitely had an "Oomph.." factor to the whole thing. I don't know what to say, I just liked it *that* much.
Everything else paled in my eyes once I set my sight on the VS2. I was really disappointed to find out that it's only Tri-band and BlueTooth-less. But in every other area of comparison, the VS2 definitely was on par with the L7 if not out-shine it. I left the store tormented by the decision: VS2 vs. L7, to be, or not to be?
For the next 2 days, I was torn between my love for the VS2, but preferred the functionalities of the L7. I asked many friends for opinions, and almost unanimous they voted for the L7 based on the feature list (well, these are mostly guy friends I seeked advice from). One person immediately rejected the VS2 when I mentioned that it has no BlueTooth connectivity. But my heart is heavy because I know that I luved the VS2. In comparison, my initial excitement about the L7 faded once I found that new luv for VS2. Before the smooth black casing was cool, now it seemed a tad bit boring in my eyes; before the blue back lighting is cool, now it's just a common feature; before it was sleek design, now it's just not standing out enough to make a statement. Or maybe it's still a statement, but minus that exclamation mark!
=== Now onto the parallelism of cell phone shopping with guys:
- one walks around with a criteria list for an "ideal" phone in mind, which is mostly resume/feature-list based.
- one walks into the store and sees 20+ model on the table, most of them are not to one's liking or fit the criteria list, so one rejects most right away.
- occasionally one or two phones stood out and one does a detailed analysis of comparison chart for them.
- then one of these days, totally out of blue, one sees a PINK Phone (PP) that totally took one's breath away! One falls in "luv" with the PP right away, despite the fact that it does not measure up to all of the feature list one's determined on.
- the sleek black phone (BP) one started to like before is now appearing mediocre in comparison w/ PP, all the exclamation marks no longer there.
- one cannot go back to the BP after seeing the PP, BP is just that impressive/attractive anymore.
- but the PP is lacking some fundamental features, some of them serious enough to be considered "deal-breakers" (ie. no BlueTooth, Tri-band).
- someone shared this wise old saying to me a while back: "Choose who you luv *before* marriage, but luv whom you've chosen *after* you get married." (ie. one can compare and shop for as many phones as one'd like before making the purchase, but after the migration is complete on the chosen phone, try to luv that one now since there is no longer other options).
- ultimately, one has to make a difficult decision between the "matters of the heart" or practical logic/feature sets, because there is one can only have One phone number.
- at the end, is one buying a fashion accessory phone, or a reliable good reception phone?
- isn't feature set more important in the long run, when the PP loses its lustre a few months down the road?
- "To be, or not to be?" - and ultimately, Amor vincit omnia - Love conquers all. (Virgil) ?!?!????
=== Back to reality:
After studying the pro/con comparison chart for 2 days, I finally decided to go with the L7, not only because it's more feature-rich, but also because I don't have to deal with the hassle of having to buy it online from Asia. (Panasonic sadly does not make phones specifically for the US market anymore) I like my new Motorola L7, and it's definitely growing on me. But at the bottom of my heart, I will always know that I had once loved!
-- posted by Pooh Bear @
2/06/2006 09:54:00 PM
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