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Why do people buy 'prototype' phones? |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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I've been wondering this for a while, I'm curious as to why people pay inflated prices for prototype and pre-production phones?
These have no kind of warranty or support, I don't know but bet you can't update the firmware easily to a production version (please correct me if I'm wrong), don't come with all the accessories and I imagine are more unstable and missing features and functions that the final production models would have.
I guess I understand if you're impatient or want to try the latest model out, but why pay hundreds for a phone which in a couple of months will probably be vitually worthless except to a die hard fan or obsessive collector?
I personally would be willing to pay something like £50-£100 for a proto of a high-end phone, but no more, and to be honest I'd probably wait till the phone came out officially and get a production model with final and updatable firmware, all the features and fully working ones at that and the backup you'd get with a non-proto phone. Why would you pay £300+ for a phone that's still not final and be rough around the edges still?
Please enlighten me! 
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
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Probably for the same reason people review prototype phones on their website... to draw attention to themselves. |
Rookwise
Joined: Mar 22, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: UK. Phone:Samsung Galaxy A54 5
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What annoys me is when people try and pass a prototype off as a full retail model and then turn nasty when the deal falls through because they wern't truthful.
Have experienced this on here before myself.
I tried sniffing coke once but didnt like it. The bubbles kept going up my nose  |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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I bet plenty of that goes on on Ebay too Rookwise! Very shady practice, people probably think that you wouldn't notice the difference and play dumb when you do and complain!
But why buy protos in the first place? It seems very very short-term to me, you get the benefit for a couple of months and maybe some bragging rights but then you're left with a pre-production phone that's worthless when they're released? For example, who now would buy a prototype K810i or W890i when the full version is cheap to buy secondhand or even new - you'd only sell it if you sold it for peanuts!
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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djstevied
Joined: Oct 16, 2008
Posts: 59
From: UK
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Its funny you brought this up. I got scammed the other week. The person never said it was a prototype and it broke on me a couple off days later. Trying too get my money back not looking good tho.
Iv had too report it too SE as it was sold and it shouldn't off been. Someone is now investigating it. Boy is someone gonna get there arse kicked. |
groovepeppy
Joined: Dec 05, 2007
Posts: > 500
From: Parijs van Java, Indonesia
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Very nice topic, still makes me wonder...
Yea, why they bought it?
As a diehard fan, ok
As a reviewer, maybe not, as the phone still lack of certain feature...
Just to be proud that you are one of the first ones to get it (totalgsm), ok
Still wonder, why???
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Madly Modified MistyWhite  K610i >>  660i
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[ This Message was edited by: groovepeppy on 2008-10-27 08:35 ] |
PeterKay
Joined: Jul 08, 2003
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From: The Ummah
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i wonder the same thing too!!!!
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totalgsm
Joined: Jan 12, 2007
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From: totalgsm.org
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Just to be proud that you are one of the first ones to get it 
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MWEB
Joined: Feb 13, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: somewhere nicer than you
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Some people (not me) get em free, then they are bought by people who somehow believe that paying twice as much, for something not as good, gives them some kind of kudos
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Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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I personally don't understand the 'I want it first' mentality, doesn't impress me I'm afraid! I tend to he half a generation behind in general, I wait for the initial 'hype' price of a phone to go down before thinking of buying, and tend to then buy a 'nearly new' rather than brand new phone.
For example, I'd love an X1, but will wait till the price has dropped a bit and I can get a secondhand one for around £200 or so.
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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Trev1982
Joined: Mar 07, 2007
Posts: > 500
From: 192.168.0.6
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sometimes i guess it can work out good if the cell is never actually released like the p5i, but other than that they are way to overpriced like the m610i i got on ebay scammers i hate them,
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iqtidar
Joined: Mar 08, 2006
Posts: 292
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just for the fun of it/ |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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Seems to be an awfully high price for a 'bit of fun', especially if the phone does get relesased and the proto is then virtually worthless!
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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Bhavv
Joined: Jun 07, 2007
Posts: > 500
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I wouldnt ever buy a prototype phone, but I have just bought my first phone that isnt yet released in the UK off ebay because I want it now and cant wait. I just pray that it is the european model and not the asian one, but it likely is the latter. The retailer provides a 12 month warranty though, and over 20k feedback with 98% possitive so I trusted them. If the phone is fine, I may start buying more from them as their prices were really good on brand new sim free phones (Company is called E cell).
[ This Message was edited by: Bhavv on 2008-11-04 01:29 ] |
aw614
Joined: Jul 31, 2006
Posts: 64
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i bought one just to see if it was different from the production model, and i ended up with an engineering test model with a different firmware on it. I guess thats what happens when the phone is made in china and prototypes are snuck out of the factory and listed on ebay.
Prototype was unlocked, unlike production 705p, it could call out, but thats about it, i could not talk with it or hear out of it
[ This Message was edited by: aw614 on 2008-11-05 20:44 ] |
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Posted: 2008-10-26 23:28
