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I know, I know, we’ve been very heavy on phones as of late, between all of the iPhone coverage, and some other Android-related things. However, it just feels like there’s a lot of energy in that segment of the tech world, and I’m going to keep covering the stuff I find interesting. One of the latest I ran across over on Kickstarter is the Teracube.
Now, when it comes to phones, we often get caught up on the hardware specs – how fast it is, how much storage it has, etc. And while the Teracube certainly has that aspect covered (8-core processor, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB storage), that’s not the big story here, at least in my book. The big story is the warranty they’re offering.
For a phone, these days, any brand offering a 4-year warranty is something we simply have not seen. Yes, phones can last that long (as, say, my aging iPhone will attest) but brands are hesitant to say that. They want you stuck in that upgrade cycle, and buying more hardware from them. What does that do in terms of environmental impact, though? Think about what it takes to recycle your device, as well as produce a new one. So, if you can extend the longevity of a device, that helps reduce your footprint for sure.
If they’re planning for the Teracube to stick around that long, the OS becomes a concern. I mean, sure, Apple devices can generally get updates that far out, but for Android? Even Google phones have had trouble getting updates more than a few years out. So, we asked. What the co-founder, Anthony Tsim, had to say is this:
Teracube will receive three years of software updates.? We would like to go beyond that, but we do not want to over-promise and under-deliver.? Three years software update is something we know we can do and capable of.? Beyond that would require scope outside our control (Google, CPU and chipset suppliers, etc).
– Anthony Tsim, co-founder of Teracube
So, the phone is long-lasting and should be getting software updates for a good long time. What if you drop it? Or, say, need to replace the battery because it’s gone through it’s charge cycles? Well, there again, the brand has you covered – just check this out:
So, in the world of tech, that is quite the promise. I, for one, really want them to be successful. Breaking this cycle of needing to replace things every year or two is a great idea in my book. Sure, we’re not likely to get to the way things used to be (say, my Goodyear-welted shoes that can simply be resoled and, with proper care, last decades) but any improvement is good in my book. And not just mine – the Kickstarter campaign, which wraps up on October 18th, is already fully funded. If you want to through your support behind this ambitious development effort, earlybird pricing starts at $199 which is not just a solid price for a nice-looking phone with good specs, it’s a solid $150 discount off of the MSRP. We’ll keep an eye on this project, and we’ll also see if we can get a review unit in at some point as well. myteracube.com or campaign page
