back to square one... w880i, anyone?

this is gonna be loooong. =P

as i've mentioned in my previous post, i'm pretty much settled on getting an N93i... for the cool form factor, the camera's optical zoom, the mp3 player, the wi-fi and 3g capabilities, and the rest of the "standard" features.

hubby je and i discussed the pending purchase last night, and he raise a question which i find difficult to answer... what feature am i looking for in a phone, that is not in the other gadgets i already own?

i have a digicam that has image stabilizer and the neat 4x optical zoom, a little above the standard 3x among compact point-and-shoot digicams. and it can shoot cool videos as well, provided you use a fast enough sd card.

i have an mp3 player that can store more than the number of songs i can listen to in an entire day. it has an FM radio, a voice recorder, can play videos and store pics. it can also serve as my thumb drive, with an adaptor. =P

i have a laptop. period. hehehe! well, i mostly use it for internet only, and a few document processing, and i can say it's been holding up pretty well.

hubby je made the obvious stand out, i just want the phone for the form factor then. and he mentioned that if i am after the form factor, why get a bulky N93i? which actually makes sense. the stuff that makes N93i bulky are the parts that take care of the features, like the zooming lenses, the huge screen, probably a few extra chips for the music and 3g and wifi stuff, that made the actual body of the phone a little thicker?

if i'd get a phone that doesn't have the coolest cam, the clearest video recorder, the nicest mp3 player, nor the strongest internet-browsing capabilities, i will be getting a standard phone. and a standard phone nowadays still come with a decent digicam, an mp3 player and at least EDGE technology-enabled. hmmm.

this made me reconsider the SE W880i. the first model i was after, until i saw N93i and N95. yeah, it didn't promise anything that will blow me away, besides the sleek design and its thinness. but that's what form is all about, looking sleek and nice. isn't it?

now i wonder, if i have an N93i, and i go on trips, should i leave Ka Noni, Zeni and my laptop (i don't think i've named him yet?) at home? i would probably still bring them, especially if i need to save the phone battery for calls, instead of using them to entertain me and capture moments. and bringing them when i already have those features in a phone would mean i have too many of a zoom digicam, too many of an mp3 player, and too many of an internet-ready gadget.

hubby je also asked me, how many times have i used the camera on my departed KRZR? uhm, twice? once when i took a picture of him making funny faces, and another when i was driving through a thick fog and i wanted to show it to him. other than that, i tag along Ka Noni, who never fails to deliver crisp pics and awesome vids.

and also, how many times have i listened to the mp3 player on my KRZR? never! Zeni was so reliable and fun to use that i bring it with me everywhere. it's my own DJ in a small package.

lastly, how many times have i browsed the internet on it? never. geez, i'm always in front of a computer at work. the only time i don't have a computer readily accessible is when i'm in the shower. seriously. actually, i can take my laptop to the shower, thanks to wireless networks. but what for?

but how many times have i been thankful that KRZR is so slim, that i can easily slip it into my pocket? countless. let me see, the grocery stores, the meetings in the office, the times when we're-in-a-party-where-you-can't-leave-your-purse-anywhere and i still want to know when i get calls... there was only one pair of pants where it won't fit in the pocket, and that's the one i was wearing when i lost it. *ungh*

anyways, i talked to bro and mentioned this to him. he said he has nothing against W880i, he actually wanted that one as well. he initially advised against the n-series because they are "maharlika"... meaning "mahal" in their-generation-lingo. after seeing the features though, i wasn't concerned about the price anymore, as long as the phone will deliver. i've prided myself for being a review-and-opinion-intensive buyer... finding out as much as i can before buying something, so i know i get the best value for my money. so far, all my purchases were worth every single cent. *naks*

back to my point... so i guess it really comes down to the form factor. its uniqueness. with that in mind, i only have W880i on my list. maybe iPhone will do, but i've read some interesting observations on it, that it will take a lot more than the touchscreen to convince me to get it. (i'll share that later on...)

oh well. back to the drawing board.