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Retailers find fault with hero handsets
11:17AM Thu 10 May 2007
The Nokia N95 and the LG Prada handsets were released around a month ago, with massive expectations for both. After a lull in hero-handset releases, the market was set for two winners to pick up sales in a slowing market.
But one month on and many retailers say they are disappointed with the handsets' performance. A senior operator retailer told Mobile: 'People have very high expectations of these devices – that can lead to returns.'
Several retailers commented that the Prada's fashion appeal was likely to be short-lived: 'When it was first released, everyone was buying it for two reasons. One, it's Prada. Two, it's touch-screen. I think people are realising it's a lot of money for a phone.'
Others have complained that customers find it difficult to access the keypad on the Prada handset when on a call, particularly when trying to use voicemail. 'When you use an auto pre-select service such as needing to press one, two or three as an option, as it is all touch-screen, the selections are not recognised,' one dealer said. However, LG's Steve Fraser said: 'There are no technical glitches with the Prada. People just don't seem to know there is a button to press to access the keypad.'
'The Prada has started to die down a bit, but the N95 is still going well,' a Phones 4u salesperson said. The N95 continues to attract interest, but customers have started complaining about software issues, battery life and the GPS system. One dealer who uses the handset said: 'It crashes a lot and the GPS takes ages to lock on. It turns off when I am using a Bluetooth headset.'
Despite complaints, both the handsets have been holding top positions on the Mobile Tracker chart. The N95 has been the bestselling handset for the past three weeks, while the Prada has been holding on to second place for the last two weeks.
Source
© Noble House Media Ltd
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Posted: 2007-05-11 10:03:37
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I always thought the Prada was over priced and when I had a little play with it I got bored very quickly.
I also expect that this feedback for the N95 is based on original firmware as we know now that its alot better for the current firmware, though the average consumer expects it to be perfect from the outset (though we know no phone is really like that at first)
I also think returns of *any* high end phones are higher at the start, not just for the reasons given, but also people get caught up in the hype and buy on impulse then realise they spent too much money, or it wasn't really what they wanted etc and so make up excuses to return the phones.
a few initial weeks is no real indication IMHO, perhaps 3-6 months is a better indication
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Posted: 2007-05-11 10:14:25
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I would never buy a fashion phone anyway as fashion comes and goes and its one phone that will end up in the draw when the next 'fashionable' phones come along.
Regarding the N95, I think most people aren't aware of fw update concept and it would be a pain for the retailer to use this as a reason to 'bat away' the returns.
I can't see the battery life changing that much though after an update, that's something that has to be right first time around. My brother just got an N95 and he is amazed by it. I want to get my hands on one too which shouldn't be a problem as he works in CPW.
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[ This Message was edited by: goldenface on 2007-05-11 09:26 ]
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Posted: 2007-05-11 10:25:53
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I've never been one with this batetry life issue. you can get 2-3 good days from the N95 but all I ever expect is a full day with some reserve. Why do we need endless days of battery life and why do people complain when they don't get it, especially in a device like this. Do we not all go home every day and put our phones on charge? or if we are travelling we take a charger with us
I don't really want to get into a whole debate about battery life but alot of it also comes down to the fact that we're expecting (and getting) more in our devices but battery technology simply isn't keeping pace
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Posted: 2007-05-11 10:30:25
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exactly, and i'm sure fuel cell technology will be here to help soon anyway.
not sure about these people complaining to phone shops about the N95, i guess some users are less educated and leave wifi scanning on all day and forget to exit GPS properly.
and they didnt think, talking to a satellite's miles away on the edge of space doesnt use battery life pfft. clear line of site to a large area of skyline helps lock on speeds...
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[ This Message was edited by: batesie on 2007-05-11 09:39 ]
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Posted: 2007-05-11 10:37:33
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That may be true but any device with GPS would automatically appeal to people for whom outdoor activities play a big part in their lives, hikers, cyclists etc
If you're away on a hike / trek for a few days and making good use of the GPS etc then I suppose battery life would be very important but then again they would bring a spare anyway. If I was a retailer I would just offer them a free or half/price battery.
Really, I can't see the average person coming back and complaining about the GPS as when driving they could probably get by easily without it.
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Posted: 2007-05-11 10:45:53
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Their the two phones we've had mostly come back for repair, such a shame, the N95 had such potential...
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Posted: 2007-05-23 10:21:28
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On 2007-05-23 10:21:28, Daedalus85 wrote:
Their the two phones we've had mostly come back for repair, such a shame, the N95 had such potential...
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Posted: 2007-05-23 10:30:34
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....and mine(N95)'s in the service centre for the SECOND time, as we speak....
....and I STILL haven't made a single call on it yet, yet alone used the GPS.......
....as another point with N95, the build quality does NOT match the specifications of the device/pricing! Mine's being sold as soon as it gets back in proper working order!
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Posted: 2007-05-23 10:36:13
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@Daedalus85
Where do you work?
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Posted: 2007-05-23 10:36:17
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