Sometimes they say that less is more. I always think that's rubbish. I'm speaking from experience here. I'm writing this with a coffee made from five scoops even though the packet says I only need two. But who cares. I'm high as a kite!
In many other ways though, the less is more mantra is now becoming true. Case in point: The Galaxy S5. Yes, I know I'm late to the party here, but having heard that the pre-orders are opening made me wonder if the annual cash-draining-ebay-frenzy-phone-merry-go-round should begin again.
My opinion of Samsung has actually been slightly changed. It was always the slightly crazy one. Remember the toe-curling launch of the Galaxy S4 launch last year?
Hiring out New York's Radio City Music Hall, getting some poor fool to ping around the stage in some crap musical role play and then launching a phone which had more WTF features than Buzzfeed.
It sold well - but as so many people agreed: it was just TOO MUCH!
So, in many ways, it looks like Samsung reigned itself back with the S5. It's sat on its hands. Put the crazy pills back in the cupboard and the designers clearly laid off the gin during this design phase. Because looking at it: it looks like it just works.
Samsung hasn't given us a phone that is a perfect circle in shape just because it can. It hasn't given us one with a 4K display which would be great on the spec sheet but utterly pointless right now. It has created sensible features. Bits and bobs we will actually use.
Good doesn't need to be new
Sure, some are not original ideas. The fingerprint scanner can hardly be described as ingenious. But others really are useful. The monochrome display to save power.. the after-shot focusing of photos. These are things that you'll find come in handy. A darn sight more usable than Smart Stay.
Maybe Samsung had no choice. Maybe we are entering the age of sensibility because we have to. Face it, there isn't much space left for real innovation any more.
The iPhone was the last big device to really give us something completely new (I'm preparing for an onslaught here - but I'm talking iPhone 1 which, regardless of where you sit on the fence, you have to admit really changed things.) Prior to that, it was the Motorola RAZR.
Other devices have tickled my fancy, but none have really wined and dined it, good and proper.
I've been using an iPhone 5S since November (jailbroken since January, I hasten to add!) Why? Because I got bored of the S4. It started to slow down, I got fed up with its various nuances.
But after days of ennui over an identikit Samsung phone, suddenly I can't wait for the S5. April usually means one thing - my bank manager starts to panic.
OK, he doesn't really - he's wringing his hands with glee, because he knows I'm about to go ballistic on the old flexible friend. If he's any sense. he'll be popping the champagne already. It's an inevitability.
