The past weekend, I went with my dad (late 50s) and grandfather (85!) to the AT&T store. They were both due for upgrades.
Both had Windows Mobile Phones for the last 20 months. My dad is a software engineer and Windows developer who jumped aboard the Windows Phone train to "support the platform." Now, 2 years later, he bailed. Not nearly enough apps. And the Windows Mobile 7 platform has basically been abandoned for WM8.
He has an iPhone for work, but wanted something else to "tinker" with. So he got the Galaxy S4 Active. Good for him.
My grandfather is very tech savvy for his age, but also grew tired of the Windows Phone. The reason? Again, not nearly enough apps -- especially for his banks. All he wanted to do is to deposit checks via his phone. And none of his banks have Windows apps. He was torn between the S4 and iPhone 5. The liked the size of the S4, but the simplicity of the iPhone 5. He was going back and forth between the two, trying to make a decision.
Then I remembered "simple mode."
If you're not familiar with it, "simple mode" is a feature of the S4 that hides most of the advanced features, widgets, settings, etc. It basically turns the home screen into a simple grid of icons. No hand-gesture or eye-blinking to worry about. Basically, it makes it look like....an iPhone.
That's all he needed to see. Simple mode sold him. He uses his phone for calls, email, photos, calendar, GPS and banking apps. That's it. And Simple Mode made it real easy to put those apps on the home screen and forget about anything else that the phone can do.
I know there a was lot of snickering when Simple Mode was announced - "the phone so complicated that it needs a simple mode" - but that was the deal breaker he needed to get the S4.
So my dad got the S4 to tinker. And my grandpa got the S4 because of its simple. Same phone, two completely different usage cases.
Stray observations:
- Before this, I didn't think Apple needed to make a bigger iPhone. But I doubt my grandpa is the first senior to debate between the simplicity of the iPhone and larger screen size of Android.
- Microsoft is in big trouble when a self-proclaimed "fanboy," who attends developer conferences and regularly wears "Windows ME" t-shirts to do yard work doesn't even consider a new Windows phone.
- They both got S4 "Actives" for the same price as the regular S4. Why would Samsung splinter the S4 like that? If they have the technology to make a phone water proof and dustproof, why not make that a distinguishing feature of the S4, rather than create a whole new model? (I know the specs are slightly different, but the difference is negligible).
- $60 for the S4 flip cover? And I thought Apple price-gouged on accessories...
Both had Windows Mobile Phones for the last 20 months. My dad is a software engineer and Windows developer who jumped aboard the Windows Phone train to "support the platform." Now, 2 years later, he bailed. Not nearly enough apps. And the Windows Mobile 7 platform has basically been abandoned for WM8.
He has an iPhone for work, but wanted something else to "tinker" with. So he got the Galaxy S4 Active. Good for him.
My grandfather is very tech savvy for his age, but also grew tired of the Windows Phone. The reason? Again, not nearly enough apps -- especially for his banks. All he wanted to do is to deposit checks via his phone. And none of his banks have Windows apps. He was torn between the S4 and iPhone 5. The liked the size of the S4, but the simplicity of the iPhone 5. He was going back and forth between the two, trying to make a decision.
Then I remembered "simple mode."
If you're not familiar with it, "simple mode" is a feature of the S4 that hides most of the advanced features, widgets, settings, etc. It basically turns the home screen into a simple grid of icons. No hand-gesture or eye-blinking to worry about. Basically, it makes it look like....an iPhone.
That's all he needed to see. Simple mode sold him. He uses his phone for calls, email, photos, calendar, GPS and banking apps. That's it. And Simple Mode made it real easy to put those apps on the home screen and forget about anything else that the phone can do.
I know there a was lot of snickering when Simple Mode was announced - "the phone so complicated that it needs a simple mode" - but that was the deal breaker he needed to get the S4.
So my dad got the S4 to tinker. And my grandpa got the S4 because of its simple. Same phone, two completely different usage cases.
Stray observations:
- Before this, I didn't think Apple needed to make a bigger iPhone. But I doubt my grandpa is the first senior to debate between the simplicity of the iPhone and larger screen size of Android.
- Microsoft is in big trouble when a self-proclaimed "fanboy," who attends developer conferences and regularly wears "Windows ME" t-shirts to do yard work doesn't even consider a new Windows phone.
- They both got S4 "Actives" for the same price as the regular S4. Why would Samsung splinter the S4 like that? If they have the technology to make a phone water proof and dustproof, why not make that a distinguishing feature of the S4, rather than create a whole new model? (I know the specs are slightly different, but the difference is negligible).
- $60 for the S4 flip cover? And I thought Apple price-gouged on accessories...
and my full support for the S4
