We love our smartphones – those powerful mini-computers that do everything except wash the kitchen sink. We love to be able to install our favourite third party applications to make our devices fit our needs.

There are times that in order to enhance the user interface or functionality of the final product, mobile manufacturers customise the these devices by adding their own layer of interface and/or services. For example, HTC continues to release devices that have their own custom user interface imposed both for their Windows Mobile and Android line-ups.

HTC are not alone in doing this. Samsung, Sony Ericsson and others do the same thing. Often, the results are excellent. Motorola’s MotoBlur, HTC’s Sense, and Sony Ericsson’s Timescape/Mediascape UI are ready examples.

The Downside
Usually, developers of the firmware (the operating system that these smartphones run on) release updates to either improve performance, add features or fix existing problems on the original release.

If you are particular about enjoying the benefits of firmware updates, you may need to think twise before spending on a manufacturer-customised device. You might be better off with a vanilla smartphone. A “vanilla” device is one that runs an OS that has not been customised.

When firmware updates are released by the developers, owners of vanilla devices are able to update immediately to get the benefits of those updates. For customised devices to be updated, the manufacturers have to spend more time and resources customising the new update with their custom interfaces.

As such, owners of manufacturer-customised devices are left to the mercy of the manufacturer. The manufacturer may decide that it is not profitable for them to put in the resources to provide an update, or it may take forever for them to provide it.

Your Call
It is up to you. You can choose a customised device that gives you a better interface or some extra features and hope for the best. Or you can opt for a vanilla device and get to update your device without hassles.

Both sides have their pros and cons and ultimately the choice belongs to you, the end-user.

In choosing to buy a mobile phone or mobile computer (as I choose to call smartphones these days), a Manufacturers Warranty should be a very important consideration.

The manufacturer’s warranty is your insurance that if something should good wrong with the device you purchased (usually within 12 months) the manufacturer will carry out any repairs needed, and where the device is beyond repair, a replacement will be issued.

Note that the warranty is only valid if the said fault is not as a result your carelessness or abuse. The warranty covers non-damages only.

Contrary to what some consumers would like to do, a manufacturer’s warranty is a guarantee from the manufacturer to you. It is not a guarantee from the retailer.

For example, if you purchase a phone from an i-Cell store, usually the i-Cell warranty specifies that you can fall back on i-Cell should the phone develop a fault. But if you purchase a Nokia phone with a manufacturer’s warranty from ABC Stores, should the phone develop a fault, you turn to Nokia; not ABC.

Please be sure to read your warranty terms, so you know exactly what to do should you need to fall back on it someday. Of course, at the point of purchase be sure to confirm that your purchase has an official warranty covering it.

There is no point venting at the retailer if the warranty terms do not specify that the retailer is a support channel. While as a consumer you may be aggrieved, your grievance is being channeled in the wrong direction if you do not follow the guidelines of the warranty. The retailer did good selling you a device covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. Now take up your case with the manufacturer or their appointed agents.

For information purposes, i-Cell provides warranty service on devices from Nokia, Sony Ericssson, HTC, Samsung and Motorola. Nokia also has its own care centres on ground. But be sure to check the warranty cards and pamphlets included in your sales package for details.

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• The Manufacturer Presence and Support Factor

Various factors are available for consideration in making the decision to purchase or not to purchase a particular phone. Usually, cost is a major factor here.

One factor that does not seem strong in these parts is manufacturer presence and support. By manufacturer presence and support, I mean that the mobile manufacturer has an official presence (directly or through a third party) through which they provide support.

Picture this: you buy your spanking new smartphone at over N60, 000, and excitedly return home with your new toy, probably your wife’s only competitor (ladies, marry a geek, and you never have to worry about “the other woman”).

Two weeks (or 4 months) later, some keys on the phone stop working. Or its the touchscreen. Or some other thing. Suddenly, you realize that you are helpless, because the manufacturer of your device has no presence and provides no support here in the country. In effect, your one-year manufacturer’s warranty is not worth the paper on which it is printed.

On the contrary, consider the following real-life scenarios:

Scene One
My mother purchased a phone by a popular manufacturer late last year. Last month, the bottom row of keys stopped working. No problem. Why? The phone has a year’s manufacturer warranty and there’s a support centre available.

We sent the phone to the support centre, and its back within three (3) weeks fully functional, and at absolutely no cost besides what we spent tgetting to and from the support centre.

Scene Two
October last year, I took possession of a brand new Nokia E90 communicator. Being the geek ever on the cutting edge, I immediately proceeded to carry out a firmware update on it, so I could enjoy the latest, greatest features the device had to offer.

Well, in a few minutes, I had bricked the phone. To “brick” a phone is to kill it. Something went wrong during the update and the E90 simply refused to boot from that point. Same day I purchased it!

Off to Nokia it went and came back in two (2) weeks with all systems functioning. Absolutely free. Without the manufacturer presence in the previous two scenarios, some significant amount of money would have been spent getting those devices back in shape.

Several mobile manufacturers have setup presence in Nigeria already and offer support for their products. Many others are yet to.

Is manufacturer support important to you? Do you put this into consideration in making new phone purchases?

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