Getting older: Obsolete, End of life, or simply Mature

[carman58]

Great read as usual Mr L, my 'mature' phones all seem to follow the same path, I have contact handsets (which I'm considering changing after 10yrs and maybe going 'unlocked' , but that's another issue ) and the path they take is maximum customisation for the period of the contract, then relegation to alarm clock and then 'loan' to friend or family who have lost or broken there handset, the most I've actually been able to keep hold of is 4, but at the moment I'm living with a N97 in daily use and a N95 8gig 'alarm clock' (and backup for N97 failures and repairs) my N91 is living in Bristol with my son and my 6230i is apparently being used by a friend of a friend of my daughters, because she thought I 'wouldn't mind'.
As a result I rarely have a phone that manages to reach it's 'Golden Years' actually in my possession !! That said all my 'old faithful' handsets were in perfect working order when they left home, despite several disappearing off the radar !

The guys who created that PDA/Mobile device comparison forgot one key criteria that would really affect the final results of which phone is for you:

A physical keyboard.

After all, that is something some people find extremely important, while others don't find it important at all.

[slitchfield]

I was trying to steer away from unique physical characteristics (e.g. keyboards, Xenon flash, egg whisks) and concentrate on how well each device did a particular job.

You have to admit that its results, once you've plugged in your preferences, aren't bad. It gets fine tuned regularly etc.

''In my own inventory, for example, the Nokia N96 and N86 8MP are both effectively EOL, in that Nokia has indicated that there are no more planned firmware updates. Allowing me to be fairly lavish with the time I spend on the N86, in particular, getting it exactly as I like it, knowing that, on this device at least, I'll never have to go into this sort of detail again''.


Slitchfield, are you sure? N86 = EOL, end of life?

Are there really no more planned firmware updates for the phone at all? I'm really surprised as this phone still has a LOT of potential!

I can't believe it, less than a year and already EOL?! Madness i tell you! Very strange indeed!

[Zaqfalcon]

Wot no sony ericsson?

Hello!
The only mobile available today I want to have is my N900, because of the physical keyboard, the linux based OS and applications. It is nothing else similar to it.
Would not necasserily recommend everyone to get one, but it is fantastic for me (working in IT for mobile operator).
Are the criteria based on the latest available free software for the phones?
Not many Sony-Ericsson on your list btw (obsolete?).
__________________
- Nokia N900 (v10.2010.19-1 | pr1.2) with 32gb micro-SD (i.e. 64gb total), LOTS of software, extra Debian OS.

I am confused. I only bought it a year ago. The E72 is, quite frankly, uglier ( teeny space bar and it just feels cheap) and Nokia released a firmware update for the E71 recently. I can do everything with my E71 including twitter, facebook, surfing, reading books, sending shots taken with the E71's very decent camera to Flickr.

I bought my E71 outright and it is an incredible convergence device. Well built, not tacky like a BB and with an actual keyboard unlike an iPhone. If it is EOL in your estimation then I plan to clutch it well into it's dead days because it is pretty close to perfection.

The N86 is selling for 279 quid on Nokia Online UK and for that price the phone is a complete bargain! It's a cracking phone yet according to Steve it's EOL with no new FW updates! Been buried 6 feet under in less than a year. Cheers Nokia!

EOL for N86, no further firmware Upgrades, but the camera power consumption bug
(The mechanical shutter keeps open, After closing the camera with the camera slider)

How is it possible?