OnePlus phone fanbois flock for a shiny phondle It looked just like the queues you get outside Apple stores. But we were in South Of The River – in deepest Southwark – where Apple doesn't set foot. What was going on? The answer was that OnePlus, a Shenzhen-based phone "startup" – read on for an explanation of the scare quotes – was offering fanbois a glimpse at its new …
'pavement' vice 'sidewalk'
It has to be written from a foreign viewpoint, because the British don't even realize that they do it. So the word 'sidewalk' is applicable and appropriate.
PS: Canada calling. We have 'sidewalks' here, ...and a picnic park that is 2.16 Wales in area.
>PS: Canada calling. We have 'sidewalks' here, ...and a picnic park that is 2.16 Wales in area.
and I would hazard a guess that Welsh pride is 2.16 times larger than Canadian pride.
Size is one of those Americanisms ( Canada being classed as a polite suburb of the US) where bigger = better....(hint). it's the "small penis syndrome"..
Quality is what matters and I know from first hand experience, if you want quality rain come to Scotland...I have never seen better rain or more dreary weather anywhere in the world... In Scotland we are very modest, (hint) because of our "large penis syndrome".
It would be nice to be able to go to a Web site, and choose a screen/case format, then spec the processor, ram, storage, camera chip, audio system from lists of alternatives compatible with the screen/case style and then place the final order. Possibly in the future even with choice of OS (Android/Ubuntu/Plasma Mobile/One of those other ones like FirefoxOS or something). Wait 3 weeks and the phone arrives. There could be a showroom in the leafy wide streets of Southwark that demonstrated recommended models and allowed you to fondle before you buy.
I imagine this can't work as a result of the bulk pre-orders needed to reduce the cost of the parts. One can dream.
Coat: mine's the one with the old Blackberry. Well it works.
"sealed tin"
I have a Lenovo business laptop of the Win 7 era that is just about as upgradeable as they come. I bought it *used* for about $300 plus shipping. It's really nice in its way.
I have an Asus laptop of the Win 8.1 era that is a sealed unit, and there's nothing that can be upgraded or even easily changed. I bought it *brand new* for $189 with free shipping. It's really nice in its way.
Pros and cons, especially price.
No excuse for expensive laptops that are sealed up, looking at Apple here.
Yes, called "Ara".
It's certainly not "right now", and disappointingly, "very soon" probably means "Maybe in 2015".
It could finally be the antidote to the manufacturers locking batteries inside the phone, or leaving out SD card slots.
I just wish they'd hurry up, I've got a middle-aged HTC that, because of Ara, I've not replaced yet.
You'd think after the success of the first phone they'd drop this crap and be in a position to supply on a larger scale by now. It's going to get to the ludicrous point where people are going to start saying "Why won't you take my money" follower by "if you won't take my money then I'll go elsewhere."
It's never hurt the iPhone to have 'scarce' supply so why can't they just open the gates, let people buy what they have and get on with it. I certainly don't think this will work for the OnePlus 3.
"You'd think after the success of the first phone they'd drop this crap and be in a position to supply on a larger scale by now."
Indeed. The whole "invitation" nonsense just puts me off. I see it as nothing more than a marketing ploy, to make people who get an invitation and are able to buy one somehow feel as though they are part of an exclusive/select group.
The phone looks like it could be a reasonable replacement for my current one, which is becoming increasingly battered, and for a reasonable price - but I won't be buying one while it's on this silly "invitation" basis (even if someone sends me an invitation). If and when they make it generally available, I'll consider it - IF I still have my current phone and IF their phone still looks reasonable for the price compared with other phones on the market at that point.
you can "apply" to be invited......which means being added to their customer database, by which you become part of their marketable data.
By selling only direct to customers through "invitation" they can be sure they have captured the details of ALL their end-users. With Android or iPhone you can fudge your identity if you use fake e-mail addresses as accounts meaning that while Apple / Google are abstracting your data, you can prevent them from finding your actual real ID. However with this application sales method, the sellers know your ID before you even get the phone - and the phone ID can be paired to your real ID
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An important part of the scarcity and invitation system is the way it creates artificial loyalty. Imagine the storm of complaint over the problems the 1 had if people could make casual purchases. Instead we have muted, almost apologistic, posts mostly out of sight on their forums.
Just like the 1p1 by the time anyone can just buy one the hardware and price will struggle to compete with year old flagships at year old flagship prices. The service will still be bad.
The Oneplus One is an absolute fucktonne of device for a ludicrously[1] low price. Still impossible to touch on price/performance to this day and very few outdo it on pure performance (and elsewhere you can count the number of year old, but still pack-leading, devices on the fingers of one foot).
Funny how an unlocked device of massively puissant spec needn't cost an arm and a leg once its manufacturer tells the networks to shove their subsidies and control where the sun shineth not. There's a lesson in there........
[1] Well, it was. Since they cut the prices hugely recently, I'm afraid that the English language is all out of superlatives.
I had been intending to buy a OnePlus One so I joined the forum (and the queue for invitations) and waited. And waited...
Eventually they sent me an invitation but because I didn't see the email for more than 24 hours, it was too late (they were only valid for 24 hours). At that point, I decided that any company that could bollock up something this badly was not to be trusted to provide reliable support so I fell into the arms of Google and I now own a Nexus 6.
The OPO was a well specced phone for the price and I dare say that the OPT will be as well but I don't trust a company that is prepared to piss so many people off.
'(Only recently have you been able to buy one without a hard-to-find invitation).'
If by recently you mean 9 months ago then you're correct. I bought my Oneplus One in their web store in November 2014 without an invite. And I held it in my hands less then a week later.
'its only institutional shareholder is Chinese phone vendor Oppo Electronics'
Well, what I heard is that Oppo Electronis is NOT the maker of the Oppo phones, which would be Oppo Mobile: http://www.gizchina.com/2014/04/28/oneplus-responds-oppo-controversy/
So Oppo Mobile and Oneplus share an investor, but are not directly linked.
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