I’m not easily rattled: I don’t miss using a Nokia cellphone, but there was something soothing about playing the built-in Snake game. Want to play? Search online for “Google Snake,” and it’ll pop up right in your browser.
The biggest mistake I made buying a new phone
When Apple, Samsung or Google announce a new smartphone, it’s big news. The latest iPhone, Pixel or Galaxy phones are status symbols in their own right. Though there are more manufacturers, these are among the most popular in the U.S.
Not long ago, companies like Nokia, LG, Blackberry and Motorola were churning out phones that sold quite well. Some went on to become the bestselling phones of all time. Remember the Motorola Razr? Kim had one in hot pink! Tap or click here for 10 of the most iconic phones we miss.
I recently purchased a brand new phone, but even before then, I realized I had made a big blunder with my last one. Keep reading so you don’t make this costly mistake.
Here’s the backstory
In late 2019, I went to replace my iPhone X. It was a great phone, but I was ready for an upgrade. I wanted an iPhone 11 Pro Max with 512 GB of storage — the latest and greatest from Apple.
The salesperson asked if I would consider leasing the phone. He said I could pay a low monthly fee, which would stay about the same if I upgraded to a new phone the following year.
It sounded like a good idea! I signed an agreement for a lease and kept my old iPhone X to give to a friend.
We all know what happened in 2020. The pandemic hit, and there was too much going on for me to go through the trouble of getting a new phone. In 2021, I moved out of my apartment, delaying things further.
When Apple announced the iPhone 14 at its Far Out event this year, I watched it live while covering the story for Komando.com. The new phone features excited me enough that I ordered the 14 Pro Max with 1 TB of memory from Apple’s website a few days later. And I paid the full price upfront to own it.
Why didn’t I consider a lease? Well, I did the math to figure out how much I had paid for my 11 Pro Max from the day I got it until the present. And yikes, my monthly payments totaled more than the original $1,099 price I would have paid to buy it outright.
When my new 14 Pro Max arrived, I took it to T-Mobile so I could turn in my old phone. Had I purchased my iPhone 11 Pro Max, I could’ve kept it or traded it for some money. Instead, the store took it back, and I had nothing to show for it.
Have one of these phones sitting around? It could be worth big bucks
Shockingly, your phone that’s a few years old might be considered vintage. An unopened first edition iPhone recently earned a bid of over $39,000, and more than a few older smartphone models appear to be attracting similarly-interested collectors (and their pocketbooks).
What’s the bestselling non-Apple, non-Android phone of all time? Is it the … A.) BlackBerry Curve, B.) Motorola Razr V3, C.) Nokia 1100 or D.) Samsung SGH-E250?
Are you buying the correct chargers and cables for your devices? Check this chart
A phone, tablet or laptop without power is a sad thing. It’s an expensive useless brick until you can juice up the battery. Don’t be ashamed if you have nightmares about being stuck with a dead battery. We’ve all been there.
Remember that classic Nokia cellphone? It's back and better than ever
Before the days of Samsung’s Galaxy and long before the conception of Apple’s iPhone, Nokia enjoyed a large slice of the mobile phone market. As better technology became available, other companies pulled ahead, relegating Nokia and the likes of BlackBerry to the history books.
The most popular game app of all time is Candy Crush. But what was the very first mobile game app? Was it … A.) Solitaire, B.) Bricks, C.) Snake or D.) Tetris?
Want to get away from Big Tech? Here’s how
My inbox is full of one question this week: How can I drop Big Tech companies? This got me thinking … Is it possible to stop using the services of the Big Five altogether? That’s Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. I did the research to give you a headstart if you’re looking to move away from one or all of them. If this helps you out, do me a favor and share it with your friends and family.