My Love for Consumer Electronics

This docs shares the consumer electronics I’ve ever owned till the date I wrote this docs down, with some interesting and very boring stories.

Mobile devices

• Nokia Candy Bar with 10-key keyboard
  • text messages, calls, Bluetooth, camera, FM radio, and Snake!
  • Great durability, survived numerous times when I directly throw it down to the mini sofa downstairs from the bunk bed.
• Some random 3G phone from China Unicom
  • Comes with an unlimited 3G live TV plan. Watching TV is fun, especially when from a 3.0(?) inch screen. I guess that’s one of the first time I feel the concept of the live event.
• iPhone4
• Samsung Galaxy tab 3
  • Got it during my first visit to US. My first Android device.
  • I’m still in love with its back curve and the amazing holding experience. Really had a lot of fun on that device along with my friends in high school. Thanks Samsung!
• Coolpad F1
  • Got it from the second year in my high school. My first Android phone, with 2G RAM! I think that’s one of the first phone that has a 2G RAM that costs less than 1500 RMB.
  • Had a lot of fun in trying different tastes of Android UIs on this one.
• Lumia 620
  • Got it myself as it just looks so cute. Never seen a phone with the back cover of this interesting materials any more. Smooth glass and metal back are so boring.
  • I’m still in love with Windows Phone OS, so ** MS!
• Nokia phone (full-keyboard, Sybian system)
  • Got this for myself to restrict my mind on the college entrance examinations.
  • Very special skin-like feel of that keyboard, love it.
• Meizu Note 1
  • Got it during my last semester in high school. Love the appearance the first time when I saw its rendering picture.
  • The first generation Meizu Note is truly THE BEST budget phone for almost two years. Somehow they managed to make Note 2-6 all worse than the first generation, how?
  • I’m still in love with Meizu’s circle home button and its gesture controls. Compared to that, gesture controls in Android 12 is just *(how am I supposed to view the drawer??).
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
  • Got it in the first semester during my freshman year as I do want a flagship with special features. As my first Android flagship, meet most of my expectations.
  • Glass back is boring, but the green color is a little sexy.
• OnePlus 3T
• OnePlus 6T
  • First phone with notch.
• iPhone 11
  • Got it because I need iMessage.
• OnePlus 8 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
  • Disappointed.
• iPhone 13 Mini

Laptops

• VAIO
• Terrans Force X599
• XPS 13
• Thinkpad T470
• Macbook Pro 16 2019

Gaming device

See Game I Played for details. I guess that’s another interesting story.

Postscript

I have a great passion about trying new consumer electronics. This passion is one of the most important reasons why I chose to join the tech industry. However, the passion of owning new and fresh electronics can lead to a fragmented life-style, so there’s a trade-off between seeking for the latest hardware and making the best use out of your devices. For example, I do love to take a close look at the appearance of these hardwares, appreciating their functional beauty. However, most people would argue that using the applications on the hardware should not be less, if not always more important than “appreciating the functional beauty”. Briefly speaking, I love Consumer Electronics because of the following reasons.

1. It is cool to have something that others want and don’t have, especially when it combined with discipline, gaming, peer pressure, and vanity.
2. These devices help me build the precious relationships with people I love.
3. Since the launch of iPhone(after 3Gs), I believe that’s the most important technical revolution at that time, and I enjoyed being part of it. In my feeling, the life without such products is no difference with 100 years ago, especially in a moral society.
4. When the whole world is focusing on a product, that product will exceed people’s average expectation in almost every dimensions. There was a time when the aesthetic of smart phone and its operating system is far beyond almost anything else that we are using daily, especially back in my hometown at around 2012.

Honestly, I’ve never had a time where I can have whatever hardwares I want. But that’s not exactly a bad thing, since 1) 书非借不能读也, 2) the more hardwares you own, less time you can cultivate on one beloved device, and normally harder for you to focus on gaining productivity. Thanks to Cloud Services and cross-platform open-source softwares, device hardware functionality is gradually separated from its software compatibility, so time I need to gain productivity after picking up a new device is much shorter than I need before(months->week), so that maybe I will keep trying more and more devices. Hope I gain the capacity to love them all.