I have used Nokia phones since 1995 with a 2110i and onto a 5110 in 1999 then 3310 in 2002. 2004-05 I was in Canada with some awful phone and then China with 6210 and E71 and recently X3. One thing that has struck me is that the phones over time have had Nokia phones the shorter and shorter the lifespan of each phone. From 5 years on the 2110i to a recent 18 months on the E71.
I didn’t buy new phones because of new models I buy a new phones because they have problems. With the E71 the battery lost charging capaility and the microphone had issues. The X3 is actually my wife’s phones as she upgraded.
Much of the media hype around the Nokia & Microsoft tie up has been around whether Nokia made the right choice for their operating system platform. For me, Nokia choosing Microsoft, Android or continuing with Symbian/Meego is not the big issue. The issue for me is that Nokia hardware is less reliable and sturdy than back in the late 90’s early 2000’s. Will I be choosing Nokia again after 15 years of customer loyalty – probably not – maybe a Android 3.0 on a HTC, Motorola, Samsung or LG or if rumors are to be believed the cheaper iPhone.