Phones are just little PCs and should be treated as such

Folks are having enough issues with their Qtek 8500 phones that they’re starting to want to trade them in on IMate Smartphones, which are the same HTC hardware but different software. Issues include (for me):

• phone not ringing on all incoming phone calls
• phone not providing notification of pending voicemail
• heavy bluetooth interference
• fuzzy pictures

Yesterday, I used Stork’s instructions to turn my Qtek into a Smartflip and have not had any of the problems except for the bluetooth interference.

The real problem is that, unlike with PCs, phone hardware manufacturers don’t actually support their phones. If I buy a Dell, they’ll provide BIOS and driver upgrades. If I buy an Qtek, they send me to the cell provider for a fix who, of course, doesn’t have the Qtek 8500 on their list.

With the flexibility of phones these days, they’re just like pocket-sized PCs and there’s a lot more innovation going on with them then with my PC right now. I used to get excited about my new laptop; now I get excited about my new phone. However, this situation about who you’re supposed to buy phones from and get support from is completely messed up and needs to change.