The Hindu Business Line : The `mobile' obsession

For 28-year-old Jai Narayan Raj, mobile phones represent an expensive hobby. This Chennai-based accounts manager has changed in three years... hold your breath... 25 handsets! Last year alone, he used eight different sets and spent around Rs 75,000 on them.

He now uses a Nokia 6600 (Rs 11,500) with all the latest features (blue-tooth, video recorder, camera etc), apart from a small Panasonic model. "I cannot hang on to a phone for more than a couple of months, although my wife keeps complaining. I just have to grab anything new in the market," says this mobile junkie, who is eagerly waiting to move on to Nokia's pen-sized avatar.

A. Alagappan, a Bangalore-based business analyst, is not far behind. Since 1998, when he started using mobile phones, he has changed so many models that he has now lost count. The 24-year-old's enviable `collection' includes Nokia 6110, "one of Sony Ericsson's early models", Motorola Startac, Motorola V60, LG VX4600, Motorola T720i and Samsung E800.

For the last three months, Alagappan has been using a Samsung D500, straddled with a blue-tooth, an MP3 player, a video recorder, 1-mega pix camera with different picture modes, flash, and a loudspeaker. It cost him Rs 21,000.

Just when you begin to wonder whether any more features could ever be packed into a tiny mobile and, could anyone possibly want any more, Alagappan unleashes his wish list. "I want a phone with a bigger screen and something that's more stable. I prefer the slide or flip phones. I am waiting for some new models from Samsung."

Bangalore-based IT professional Gurmeet Kaur has changed nine phones in three years. "I used to upgrade handsets every now and then. But when I lost my Samsung x600, I decided not to buy any more expensive handsets, and bought a low-end Nokia 2300. I started believing a phone's basic utility is to make/receive calls or send/receive messages," she says.

But when her friend showed her the shiny grey Sony Ericsson K700i, Gurmeet's heart flipped. Her resolve went for a toss and so did Rs 15,000! In the last one year alone, this 23-year-old has spent about Rs 50,000 on handsets, rental charges and accessories.

With the arrival of newer technology and enhanced features, the urge to upgrade too swells, says Ronobijay Bhaumik, who works for an MNC in Bangalore. He has already changed three handsets within a year-and-a-half.

Bhaumik's latest possession — Motorola E365 — cost him Rs 14,000 and comes with a VGA camera, 64K colour display and a 2-MB memory.

Unhappy with his old handset as it lacked certain "essential" features, Pavan Divakar, a software engineer, lost no time moving over to Sony Ericsson's K750i, which comes with a hands-free device, USB data transfer cable, memory card, searchlight and built-in stereo speakers. It cost him Rs 20,000. It also has "an excellent battery life", a 96-MB memory, and wireless network connectivity.

While Divakar has changed his handset thrice in six months (in the last one year his mobile expenses touched Rs 65,000), George Oomen, a financial consultant, is on a tighter leash — he changes them once a year.

Oomen loves "unique" models as they make him feel "ahead of the pack." He has spent nearly Rs 40,000 in the last one year.

His latest obsession is the Motorola A760 Smartphone, which he bought last year for a "steal" at Rs 12,000. "My phone has everything a mortal needs — blue-tooth, infrared, PIM, touch screen, MP3 playback and tones, MMS, camera... "

Although Oomen loves his "awesome" handset, his mandatory `one-year' limit has come to an end. And he has already begun scouting the Net for information on new buys (he keeps a close tab on sites such as cnet, zdnet, engadget, mobile-burn and mobile-review); and cost is no real concern.

Mobile accessories such as blue-tooth, memory stick, additional battery packs and adapters to transfer data onto a laptop are also much in demand and their cost could run from a few hundred rupees to several thousands.

But this is something gadget freaks are willing to pay for — for that unique personalised experience. Says Divakar, "Just like you upgrade your computer, mobiles too offer the possibility to pack in more memory and accessories (hardware and software). I add several customised applications or accessories. For example, there is software to convert your mobile into a universal TV remote, or encrypt data stored on the phone. It's all about customising and personalising your mobile."

Picture by Bijoy Ghosh

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Travel in style

They splurge... and save too!

The `mobile' obsession

Catching up... with good food