If a ton of the on-box advertised high-end features of my phone didn't work for me, but were working for others, I'd wonder what I was doing wrong and educate myself and fix it. If I was not able to fix it, I'd use the company's official support channels. If they were not able to fix it, I would return or sell that product and buy one that delivered what it says it can do. The last thing I'd do is have repeated temper tantrums about it on the Internet while continuing to use and hate it.

Actually they are cheaper than a new smartphone now:

Garmin Edge 1000 GPS Computer - Computers & GPS Head Units - Excel Sports

I just happened to have bought a new smartphone yesterday (Note 5) and it was considerably more than that. And guess what, it immediately worked with my Edge 1000. I also added a power meter to my bike last week and the Edge 1000 recognized it and calibrated it in just a few seconds. Works flawlessly now as well, just like my other accessories do. What can I say? The Edge 1000 works for me.

I'll concede that early on, the firmware on the Edge 1000 was crappy. There were lots of problems. But Garmin continued to release new (free) firmware with fixes (and additional new features) until the device started to satisfy most customers. Somewhere around 2.80 it got really solid for me.

If the OP was asking whether to buy in August 2014, I might have said, eh... might want to wait a bit. But in October 2015, I recommend it wholeheartedly. If there is a better cycling computer out there, I'm not aware of it.