A Rare Non-Galaxy

I've always tried to mention in this blog when I get a new phone, if for no other reason than someday I'll want to look back and see which phones I had and when I got them.  In January of this year, my Samsung Galaxy S5 was pretty much shot.  The screen had been cracked for months (it mysteriously cracked when Meghan and I were in Maui for Club last April while we were on the catamaran, and I have no idea how it happened).  I could live with that, but then mechanical things started failing.  The headphone jack didn't work, which was problematic, since I would really like to use it with headphones for my work, and also when driving in the car.  Also, the gyroscope broke, meaning it no longer had orientation awareness, so I couldn't take any pictures in landscape mode.  Finally, people were complaining that sometimes they couldn't hear me when I was talking.  That was the dealbreaker, because I use my phone for work, and I can't have that happening.  So I needed a new phone.  Unfortunately, I wasn't eligible for an upgrade until April 1.  That meant I could either pay full price through Sprint, or buy one off Craigslist, which is what I decided to do.  I did have an HTC Touch Diamond back in the day (2008 to 2010, or so), but in 2010 I got the Samsung Epic 4G, which was actually the version of the Galaxy S for Sprint.  At that time, that brand (the Samsung Galaxy series) didn't mean much, but it quickly emerged as the main alternative to the iPhone.  I really liked it, and since I'm eligible for an upgrade every two years, and because they release one each year, I then had the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S5.  Anyway, so the S6 was the latest one in January, but it was really expensive, so I needed a stopgap, and I found a HTC One M9 on Craigslist that was in good condition and a good price.  It got great reviews, but because it's not an iPhone or Galaxy, the resell market was weak, so I took advantage of that and got the phone.  I've really liked it, and it would make me actually consider getting another HTC, but my hope is that I can keep it until spring of next year when the Galaxy S8 will be out, and I'll definitely be eligible for an upgrade by then.  I also like the way the phone looks.  In a world of plain black phones with the occasional white phone thrown in there, I like the gold color this phone has, including the back, as it's different but not obnixious.  I have a very lightweight case on it that actually has a clear back, so the unique color of the phone comes through, which I like.  So this will be my phone for awhile, but I'm planning to get back on the Galaxy train next spring, unless something convinces me otherwise.