In recent international iPhone news, announcements came this week that the UK based cellular service provider O2 will no longer have an exclusive arrangement within the UK to carry the iPhone. Orange, a competing service provider will debut the iPhone later this year, suggesting that the exclusive contracts made by Apple with service providers were not built to last like the products themselves.
Although this is the first case of an exclusive iPhone contract ending since the release of the device in 2007, it is of course no absolute proof that Apple’s contract with AT&T in the US will come to an end. It is a good sign, however, and perhaps the only real hope for those of us loyal to other carriers to see the iPhone any time soon.
The idea of multiple carriers for the iPhone would of course benefit the consumers, as the introduction of choice would force service providers to entice customers with special deals or a stronger network. Orange claims they are the largest service provider within the UK, so their introduction into the iPhone market will not only benefit Apple with increased sales on a large network, but also create competition with O2 to provide better and perhaps cheaper service to their customers.
Overall, I am hopeful that this will mean Apple is prepared to reevaluate their exclusive iPhone deals. Perhaps they will use the result of the UK’s example to determine if opening up to multiple carriers in the US would be beneficial to the company. In the end, the choice comes down to the question of how to give iPhone users the best experience while also creating profits for both the service provider and Apple itself, and it seems as though multiple carriers could be the answer.
To solve this problem, I have been looking into external backup batteries to take with me on the go in case I find myself in a situation where my battery is dying and I don’t have access to an outlet. So far, the best option I have found is the Richard Solo 1800 for Blackberry and Smartphones. This backup battery will double your battery life, says the website, but they can’t translate that into actual talk time as your battery life is determined by your usage. This makes sense because, as I said before, my battery life varies based on how much I talk on the phone in a given day. A feature I really like about this device is that you can charge your phone and the backup battery in tandem. So when I am at home I can plug the 1800 into my Blackberry and then plug the 1800 into the wall and both devices are charging simultaneously. That way I save an outlet and don’t have to “remember” to charge the backup battery as well as my own phone. The 1800 is a small device that can easily slide into a small pocket in a bag for travel, it includes a wire for micro-USB and a direct connection to mini-USB for different Blackberry or smartphone models, and at $69.95 I think this little guy could be a real life/battery saver if you are in a jam or just traveling!
Eventually, I decided to look into Verizon smart phones with the specific functions I was looking for and of course I came across the Blackberry lineup. I was actually surprised at myself for entertaining the idea of a Blackberry to begin with, as the brand to me has always been synonymous with “PC”- like businessmen and a culture of overworking (i.e. does bringing your Blackberry on vacation actually constitute time away from the office?). I guess what really did it for me, however, was the fact that a Blackberry device would (a) be able to satisfy all my smart phone needs, and (b) would be backed by a name with tremendous brand loyalty and a cult following not so far off from the likes of the Apple community itself.
