All About Symbian - Symbian, Nokia and S60 unwrapped.
Getting older: Obsolete, End of life, or simply Mature
Published by Steve Litchfield at 6:25 UTC, July 20th 2010
It all started when I updated my Smartphone Grid, deleting a couple of devices which I considered too old to recommend to people. Somewhat foolishly, I used the word 'obsolete' in my Twitter conversations with readers and this led to a (ahem) stimulating exchange of ideas around the whole idea of what happens when a smartphone is no longer sold and/or no longer updated. Read on for my thoughts on the subject of what happens when our beloved devices get to three score years and ten (in machine years!)
By 'obsolete', I meant 'not made anymore', with the implication that very soon you wouldn't be able to buy them either - and that support was by no means guaranteed. In other words, an item that I casually referred to as 'obsolete' was something I didn't really feel happy recommending others to buy.
Of course, Mr Tact and Diplomacy here managed to upset a number of (among others) fans of the Google Nexus one and Nokia N900. My rationale was that the former wasn't being made anymore (it was announced as 'End Of Life' - EOL) and so there was no point adding it to the Grid. While the latter was deleted from the Grid because its OS has effectively been made obsolete, in that it's in the progress of being totally and utterly transformed and merged into the monster that is MeeGo.
The point of the irate users was well taken - for them 'obsolete' meant 'not fit for purpose anymore, too old to be any use, too out of date', another subtle meaning of the word. And, of course, it's absolutely true. Both the Nexus one and N900 are still very handy smartphones/pocket computers and have years of life in the hands of careful owners. But the matter did spark my thought processes, thinking back to some of my own slightly older smartphones and how I use them.
You see, the upgrade path, from firmware to firmware, whether we're talking Symbian, Android or Maemo, is rarely trivial. Even where there's data preservation (as is the case with most devices these days), the chances are that a full wipe and reinstall of data and apps is going to be needed at some point anyway. After all, something's not going to work right, detritus from a previous OS version is going to get blamed and a-backing up and a-wiping you'll go. While there's a certain masochistic pleasure in starting from scratch with a smartphone, it can also get pretty tiresome.
So - once a favourite smartphone has reached 'End of life', once firmware updates are no longer being provided, how does it stand in terms of status in your pocket? I saw a forum comment yesterday in which the poster complained that firmware updates had stopped on his phone and so he was going to have to look for a new smartphone.
Eh? Surely the new device will have new firmware with new features and... new bugs? Can I contend that there's actually a huge peace of mind in knowing that you can load up your favourite smartphone with software, build up bookmarks and tweak settings to your heart's content, knowing that never again will you have to go through a lossy backup-wipe/update-restore cycle. Never.
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.
The same applies to (again in my own inventory) the Nokia E51, N82, E61i and E90, all no longer being updated but all useful in their own way and fully stocked with my apps and settings in case my SIM card needs a holiday(!) In short, these handsets are, I put it to you, 'Mature'.
* There's a big caveat to the above, of course. If there are serious issues/bugs remaining when the firmware stops being updated then life at EOL isn't so pleasant. This is, thankfully, a situation which is thankfully fairly rare in the Nokia world - maybe the E90 and N96 could have done with a little optimising and generally fixing up, but they're pretty stable. Sony Ericsson and Samsung don't have such a thorough record, mind you, so you'd have to approach EOL thinking on a device by device basis!
So, where one man (or woman)'s EOL smartphone is something to be abandoned because it's not cool enough or not bleeding edge enough, it's someone else's 'mature', trustworthy smartphone that has had all its rough edges long since knocked off.
If you're sitting on a Nokia E71 or N95 8GB, for example, or perhaps a Sony Ericsson P1i or even a Nokia 9500 Communicator then don't despise your aging electronic companion - it has worked hard and deserves its 'golden' time, undisturbed by the maelstrom of monthly bug-fix updates.
Steve Litchfield, AAS, 20 July 2010
News Discussion
So far, my promise to myself to not replace it before the contract ended was the main reason I haven't, coupled with a lack of funds.
Now, I'm dithering over a replacement because I can't see enough reason to tie myself into another contract (which is, honestly, the cheapest way of doing it in Australia, I've done the sums many times) or shell out up front. I've had the N95 so long it's been unrecognisably customised with task managers and front-end replacements, and there's nothing it doesn't actually do, productivity speaking.
On the other hand, expecting The Grid to keep superseded models in it would make it completely unusable, not to mention do nasty things to Steve's servers. And mind, probably.
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Originally Posted by gcameron00
would like to know where Nokia publishes the lifecycle info. Would be even nicer he they did it upfront. Eg what will it look like for N8?
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Plus, I don't publishing a lifecycle in advance is something *any* manufacturer would be interested in doing.. :)
While it may true that new gadgets are always hot on the front, time will eventually come when all these will become obsolete, or outdated, or simply Old.
Now that is a rather inconvenient truth for us gadgeteers. For example, I always wanted to get my hand on the N95 w/c I got about 3 years ago. Im still suing it today and I am proud to say that I kept it in pristine condition regardless of the outdoor elements that may contribute to its wear and tear. But since I truly loved the device, it is simply irreplaceable.
Our beloved phones may become old, but that their usefulness will still be valued even when newer offerings arise on the market.
Tacsiyapo!
For me the life of a phone is how long it takes me to become bored with it. 3-6 months.
Not wanting to keep flogging the dead horse too much, WHY does the Nexus One fit into this, as the only factor that applies to that, is that it's not being 'made anymore'.
Fitting your other necessary criteria, not only is it still being SOLD (Voda, other European operators etc), it is yet to even receive (any second now though/ongoing), it's 2.2 Firmware.
So how can it be obsolete, when it is still being sold...
...still to receive 2.2...?
...And given the recent Google announcements regarding the hardware spec for Android 3.0 being RECOMMENDATION only (notwithstanding the Nexus One meets it anyhow), it will likely see 3.0 come Christmas/early JANUARY 2011...
Why does that fit the mantra of Obsolete even using your own definitions mate? lol.
It is a phone still being sold (admittedly whilst current stocks allow).
It is about to get a new Firmware update.
It will see ongoing Device Support for some time.
It will likely see a new firmware again, come 3.0, possibly even into 2011.
That's probably where and why your definition of 'obsolete' falls down, if only applied to meaning a phone still being manufactured, and hence your good reason for floating this whole topic of course, so well done in that sense.
The bogey here of course being Nokia, where they thankfully DO choose to issue FW updates for old devices now and then, BUT not having any clear strategy or assurance that this will happen - it's very pot luck.
Whereas for the Nexus One, policy is rather different, in that the world and his dog can bet on the N1 getting Android 3.0
GREAT article though - very thought provoking for sure.
(Mine's a Desire, as it happens, so I'm just playing Devil's Advocate to be fair to N1 owners, as my Desire does not fit the EOL mantra, still being made for now).
Strangely though, my N95 8GB is in a drawer. My Wife is sticking with the <i>original</i> E61, which is definitely obsolete, but still in heavy daily use.
It would've been fun to compare those all in one devices one having Maemo and one on Android.
http://www.fiercedeveloper.com/story...ers/2010-07-19
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 !
A physical keyboard.
After all, that is something some people find extremely important, while others don't find it important at all.
You have to admit that its results, once you've plugged in your preferences, aren't bad. It gets fine tuned regularly etc.
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!
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 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 mechanical shutter keeps open, After closing the camera with the camera slider)
How is it possible?
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