SmartPhone Race Jamaica - Why so many Blackberries?

[owen]

In this article, I will delve further in to the various social,cultural and economic reasons why (in my humble opinion) the smart phone race in Jamaica will be a long and boring battle. Full disclosure; I have recently bought a BB after years watching and analysing the cellphone market both locally and abroad. I should also say that the Dominican Republic has the best cellphone network in the region. Now, back to the article, I will run across stereotypes, cliches and general opinions based on my personal observations and educated guesses based on...well speculation.

Jamaicans have limited reasources
Jamaicans will only spend their money on things that they cannot get for free, cheap or things that they think are valuable. The credit culture in the end it is all about practicality and a lower cost of ownership - it is not about being “cutting edge” or “trendy”. Why would they spend a small fortune on a smart phone just so that they can download free apps? It is almost like buying a big plasma tv for the benefit of watching burnt DVDs.

Jamaicans Hate Contracts

The majority of the iphones and Android phones require post paid plans, long contracts, lots of cash up front or both. The Jamaican cellphone users are on Pre-Paid plans and withdraw their money in a $1000 dollars at a time from the ATM. It is not because there is not a better, faster or more efficient way - they are just fear varies forms of ENTRAPMENT. Two bills, a bank statement and down payment? Yeah sounds pretty affordable compared to AT&T. Phones get dropped, stolen, sold to pay for car insurance, and left in taxis, it happens everyday in Jamaica....

full article; SmartPhone Race Jamaica - Why so many Blackberries?

[rudie_dukie]

Blackberries is in my view the best phone to use with any of the 3 soon to be 2 mobile service providers

[wishlist]

The author of this opinion based article (regardless if humble) knows that
a) when you post on techja your talking to me
b) when you say jamaicans as a group your talking to me
c) you know any statements that step foot outside opinion without sited facts will get a response
d) you know any false generalization of jamaicans will get an (opinionated or factual response)
e) you know that i have to give that newbie user to techja the ability to see 2 sides and another view
f) dont worry i went to your site so you got a page hit count :-)

now here I go

Jamaicans have limited resourcesJamaicans will only spend their money on things that they cannot get for free, cheap.

RUBBISH I know many many jamaicans who waste money on these expensive blackberries both from digicel and ebay those prices as shown below are more expensive than my android which is 50+ times better



The majority of the iphones and Android phones require long contracts, lots of cash up front or both
RUBBISH lime 3g $1000 jamaican per month cheap cheap

Slow Phone Networks
RUBBISH Lime 3g 2Megs down fast fast only noobicel sorry digicel has slow speeds

Jamaicans do not care about Apps
RUBBISH besides making phone calls everything else about the phone is app based.

free apps are usually bait for paid versions
RUBBISH not usually but rarely come to the market and see

We Are Wagonists
ok you get this one most jamaicans are but that explains why they buy old blackberries.

overall keep writing your blogs I'll read them

ALL JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION

[jomo]

Lol, exactly, we just choose bb cause the competition SUCKS.....

[papa_d]

Lol, exactly, we just choose bb cause the competition SUCKS.....

Sucks in the confines of the jamaican telecom market and definitely not the broader scale cuz BB's are dumb and I can say so cuz i've owned em too!!!

[nehrou]

LOOOOOL..this article was quite entertaining i must the least...gave me quite a few good laughs!!!
somebody cudnt write this and seriously meant some of this STUPID points....
go away troll....go away

[jomo]

Sucks in the confines of the jamaican telecom market and definitely not the broader scale cuz BB's are dumb and I can say so cuz i've owned em too!!!

Guess what WE LIVE in jamaica

Bb are popular in jamaica

Get over it, or get out the section

Tired of you trolls now man!

[vylle]

mi nuh have nuttin else to say but that article was funny ?

[Cultus]

All I can say is, it is 100% Pure Anecdotal Evidence. Nothing Else. wishlist already rebutted quite nicely. Jomo, you just prove your ignorance everyday. I am here trying hard to waste my 3Gigs of Data. Seems very much impossible to me now. I just have to accept that I cannot exhaust 3gigs of Data in any given month. Thanks to LIME 3G which is very affordable. So the argument about Data Plans not being available no longer hold any ground. Again I say that article was purely anecdotal.

[jomo]

Cultus no one cares about your stories, we like bb, we use bb, look around we are all over we aint goin nowhere even with a 5 dollar data plan we nah switch

Lol