Cell Phone Technology Is Moving Too Fast

For those who don't know, I'm a cell phone whore.  It actually hurts me to not have the most up to date phone on the market.  For years, I've been the type to switch phones like I switch clothes.  It's really easy to do; sell old phone on eBay or craigslist, use the money towards the new phone.  I typically wind up paying little out of pocket.  But this is becoming far more difficult to do because carriers and manufactures are rendering their own phones nearly obsolete an an alarmingly fast rate.

Let's take RIM's Blackberry for example.  I purchased the Tour 9630 last September.  Shortly thereafter, the Storm 2 (better software) was on the horizon and the Bold 9700 (an overall much better device) was introduced.  Not only that, but a Tour 2 was announced, that improved on the most glaring shortcoming of the current Tour.  In less than 6 months, that's three phones that already make that purchase seem like a mistake.  I'm seeing the same problem with other platforms.  The Motorola Droid was released and instantly looked upon as THE definitive Android phone with the best hardware/software the platform has to offer.  Three months later, the Nexus One is released and bests it on both counts.  Three MORE months later, the HTC Incredible (pictured above) is announced which is rumored to be even more powerful than the N1.  As a phone nerd, it excites me that manufactures are able to improve upon their own creations, but cell phone purchases are never the most inexpensive purchases you'll make.  How is one supposed to feel comfortable dropping $400-500 on a phone when it's all but inevitable that a bigger, better, more powerful alternative will be available just a few months down the line for the same price?  I know not everyone cares about software versions or processor speeds, but for those of us who do, the decision on what phones to buy is becoming an increasingly difficult one to make.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.