Behind-The-Curve Savings

There was an XKCD comic a long while ago that made the joke that if you consistently remain behind the curve, technology still advances and is just as impressive, it’s just that the experience is delayed for you.  It doesn’t say anything about the great savings you will have if you adopt this strategy.  For example, I can pick up a Wii pretty cheaply now.  I think I saw a bunch for $30 at local pawn shops.  I’ve not really experienced the games a lot, so it’s still all new to me.

So, last Friday, I was a little clutzy and dropped my phone.  It was fine.  I’ve dropped my phone a few times in the years I’ve had it (photo history looks like I’ve had my Lumia 810 since March, 2013).  It’s always taken the falls like a champ, even if the case back flies off and makes you think the phone has exploded into pieces.  I have never used a case on my phones – never seen a need to.

Later on that night, I dropped my phone, again.  Geez.  This time, it landed on its side on my chair’s base and when I picked it up, I saw something I’d never seen on a phone of mine before.  It wasn’t cracked, it was shattered.  I was shattered, too.  Now, I had to find a new phone and pretty quickly, too.  This phone still worked.  Touchscreen still worked.  Swiping and dragging was a bit more risky since I don’t like cuts all over my finger.  So, I wouldn’t want to be using it more than a couple of days.

image

I am a Windows Phone user.  What does that mean for me?  Well, I don’t have the massive selection of devices that Android users have, and I don’t have to pay outrageous prices like iPhone users have to.  I had just read a couple of reviews of the newest Microsoft phones to come out and I was a little surprised at the retail prices.  Over $900!  No, that’s not going to happen.

Saturday, I hit some pawn shops looking for a cheap phone replacement until I could figure out what my plan was.  Surprisingly, no one had phones.  I didn’t get it, they used to have craploads of phones.  When I asked about that, I was told that people were pawning phones that weren’t fully paid for and the phones would get blocked, so the next buyer could never activate their phone.  Damn scammers.

So, Amazon it was.  I was amazed at the prices of Windows phones.  Most were less than $200.  And these weren’t cheap phones, either.  The one I ended up getting was the Nokia Lumia 925.  A phone from 2013, discontinued in 2014.  Windows Phone OS is very lightweight, so older phones have no trouble running it, either.  This new phone will still be an improvement over what I had and was under $200.  I don’t need to spend $500 or $800 or $1000 for a new phone.  That’s awesome.

Since it’s a new phone, obviously I need to buy more accessories for it.  This time, I’m going to invest in Qi wireless charging.  The 925 has an optional wireless charging back in a few different colors.  I picked up a white back for cheap (because discontinued phone, right?) and Qi chargers seem to have become commonplace since when I last remember researching them.

And the best thing is, it’s still all pretty much new to me.

Comments are closed.