A great idea for cell phone stores

[Image: blackberry]With the exception of a very few phones for a very few people, buying a new cell phone is always a bit of a gamble. You’re switching up the device that you keep with you and use almost every day, all day. And it’s one hell of an expensive device (getting more expensive - I’m looking at you, iPhone).

One of the biggest reasons I wait on buying cell phones is that I can never know how well I’ll actually like it. Sure, i can go into the store and futz about with it, but that’s not really using a phone, and everyone knows it. It’s about having in your pocket for a week, picking up calls with it, making it sync with your computer (if it’s a smartphone), adding ringtones…is it really worth $600?

So cell phone stores should have loaners.

Leave your old phone and credit card info (hell, they have it already) at the store, and pick up one of the loaner models for a week. If you don’t bring it back in a week, they’ll charge three arms and a leg. But you get to try out a phone for a week before you buy it.

I’ll bet anything loaner phones would dramatically increase the number of smartphones sold. Because people who use cheapo phones would feel OK trying out “better” ones. And then they’d get addicted to some of the new features, and…bam, new customer.

Blackberry sales would shoot through the roof. My friend Ethan gets to use one for free for a year, and he’s already decided to buy one once that trial period is up. They’re called “crackberries” for a reason.