Find the right smart phone?

[jp7]

It's time for me to upgrade, and I'm a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices that are offered now. Price isn't a huge issue, seeing as it's something I'll use for the next couple of years. Carrier isn't important either, my current contract has run out.

Basically, I want to have unlimited everything with it. I run my own business, so being able to talk calls, or answer e-mails on downtime outside of the house is very valuable for me to have.

Any recommendations?

 

[Lady_Fiona]

That would depend if you were UK or US.

 

[The Gimp]

First off, I am going to assume that you are in the United States in a major city. Your question is a bit vague.

The question you have to ask yourself is how much money do you want to spend? You say that money isn't important, but I find that hard to believe. There's a night and day difference in a food stamps peanut butter and jelly budget, and a filet mignon and caviar budget.

In my area, on the low end you can get an unlimited talk, text, web, and email plan from Straight Talk, which is sold at Walmart, for $45 a month. I've never used Straight Talk, because the online reviews say that the the service is terrible. If you're willing to spend a bit more, major providers like AT&T and Sprint offer unlimited plans for about $70.00 a month. The downside to those cheap plans is that you can't get a fancy handset like an Iphone or a Droid. In order to get top of the line hardware you'll have to spend more.

 

[Luna_Bella]

recommend a phone??

I don't need a smart phone and have already choosen my talk and text plan but can anyone recommend a good phone? I would really like one with a Qwerty keyboard as I find it easier to text with(the one i currently have only has numeric)

I currently have a Motorola KRZR K1m (I have had it for almost 3 years) and was quite satisfied, exception made that within the first 3 month of purchase I had to return it for repair because it wouldn't keep its charge. but since then its been a very good phone for me.

so basically I need a phone that has good battery life ( I forget to put it on charge on a regular basis), with a Qwerty Keyboard.
and a medium budget Max: 300$

Thanks!

Luna~

 

[albertaboy]

I just got a blackberry Torch. I really like it.

 

[jp7]

First off, I am going to assume that you are in the United States in a major city. Your question is a bit vague.

The question you have to ask yourself is how much money do you want to spend? You say that money isn't important, but I find that hard to believe. There's a night and day difference in a food stamps peanut butter and jelly budget, and a filet mignon and caviar budget.

In my area, on the low end you can get an unlimited talk, text, web, and email plan from Straight Talk, which is sold at Walmart, for $45 a month. I've never used Straight Talk, because the online reviews say that the the service is terrible. If you're willing to spend a bit more, major providers like AT&T and Sprint offer unlimited plans for about $70.00 a month. The downside to those cheap plans is that you can't get a fancy handset like an Iphone or a Droid. In order to get top of the line hardware you'll have to spend more.

Yep, US and near a big city.

The price of the phone isn't important. If I can get something that does everything I want to, and does it consistently for cheap, I'll go with that. If it ends up costing a few hundred dollars to get something reliable, I have no problem with spending that. So long as the plan is under around 120$ a month for just myself, I'll be just fine.

I will say that I want to stay away from the iPhone. That's pretty much my only no-no in this matter.

 

[NomadLady]

Yep, US and near a big city.

The price of the phone isn't important. If I can get something that does everything I want to, and does it consistently for cheap, I'll go with that. If it ends up costing a few hundred dollars to get something reliable, I have no problem with spending that. So long as the plan is under around 120$ a month for just myself, I'll be just fine.

I will say that I want to stay away from the iPhone. That's pretty much my only no-no in this matter.

I've got a personal blackberry and I also have a blackberry for work. My personal one is the Curve II and I really like it.

 

[PublicAffection]

Yep, US and near a big city.

The price of the phone isn't important. If I can get something that does everything I want to, and does it consistently for cheap, I'll go with that. If it ends up costing a few hundred dollars to get something reliable, I have no problem with spending that. So long as the plan is under around 120$ a month for just myself, I'll be just fine.

I will say that I want to stay away from the iPhone. That's pretty much my only no-no in this matter.

I am very anti-apple (to anyone reading this post: please, let's leave it at that - no one is going to convince me to love the brand. Many have tried) and I got an HTD Droid ERIS about a year ago. I love it sooo much. The phone itself keeps dropping in price as new models come out, and to be honest, I drool over the new ones and will probably upgrade when my contract renews.

But anyshew... I love it, the service I have is great. I'm also a small business owner and I love the flexibility to talk, email, text and IM with the phone. It took me some time to get used to the querty keyboard on the screen (there is no keypad), but now it's no problem for me. My plan with Verizon is right around $90 for unlimited data/text and enough minutes that I've never even come close to my max.

 

[KoPilot]

If you're going to get a touchscreen phone, avoid the ones that are pressure sensitive rather than heat sensitive, because they wear out much faster.

I got a Samsung Impression when I renewed my contract a little over a year ago. 5 months in (I lost my phone after the first 2 months, so this was my 2nd phone of the same model), my screen stopped responding, so I sent it in and received a new phone. Another 5 months in, and the same thing happened, but unfortunately, my warranty had expired the week before and there was nothing I could do. That's when I found out about the difference in touch screens, and why iPhones don't have the "wearing out" problem.

So anyways, you need to be very careful with what phone you go with these days, because you could be left with a broken POS down the line and no way to replace it without dropping $300.

Needless to say, I don't recommend the Impression.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I don't need a smart phone and have already choosen my talk and text plan but can anyone recommend a good phone? I would really like one with a Qwerty keyboard as I find it easier to text with(the one i currently have only has numeric)

I currently have a Motorola KRZR K1m (I have had it for almost 3 years) and was quite satisfied, exception made that within the first 3 month of purchase I had to return it for repair because it wouldn't keep its charge. but since then its been a very good phone for me.

so basically I need a phone that has good battery life ( I forget to put it on charge on a regular basis), with a Qwerty Keyboard.
and a medium budget Max: 300$

Thanks!

Luna~

Luna - Since you have already selected a plan, it is impossible to make a recommendation without mentioning your carrier. Most phones are specific to the particular network. Each manufacturer will make a variety of phones with overlapping features, but license each phone to only one carrier. That way each carrier can advertise that it is the exclusive carrier for that particular phone.

Yep, US and near a big city.

The price of the phone isn't important. If I can get something that does everything I want to, and does it consistently for cheap, I'll go with that. If it ends up costing a few hundred dollars to get something reliable, I have no problem with spending that. So long as the plan is under around 120$ a month for just myself, I'll be just fine.

I will say that I want to stay away from the iPhone. That's pretty much my only no-no in this matter.

That depends, to some extent, on what you want your phone to do. Nearly all phones today have talk and text. Additional features, like e-mail, are available on all or almost all smart phones.

Blackberry devices are available on nearly all networks--outside of the newest models--and they are pretty much the same from every provider. If e-mail is your primary need for a smart phone, that would be a phone you should consider.

The carriers like to hook you with a high powered phone for free or at a very low price. But the real devil is in the plan. Since you are, essentially, a free agent at this point, what you need to really do is compare the cost of plans. And be very careful of hidden charges and overage costs.

Once you have found a plan that meets your needs and cost parameters, then look at the specific phones offered by that carrier. It is a mistake to shop for the phone first. In the long run, you will spend much more on the plan than you do the phone.

Also think about reliability. ATT has oversold the Iphone, so it is almost useless in some major cities, like NY. Too many Iphones are overwhelming the capacity. We have Verizon and Sprint in our home. Verizon is far more reliable, but it is also much more costly.

I have the HTC Incredible, and I am more than satisfied with it. Were I not already wedded to Verizon, however, I could have selected the HTC Evo from Sprint and saved money every month.

Bottom line: choose the plan first, then look at available phones.

 

[Luna_Bella]

Luna - Since you have already selected a plan, it is impossible to make a recommendation without mentioning your carrier. .

I am with Bell (in Canada) Its not the cheapest but it is the one with the best coverage in my area , I have not signed anything so It wouldn't be hard to look elsewhere though, that is why I didn't mention it.

 

[igniteyourbones]

Like everyone is stating it would be easier to pick the carrier/plan you want and then go from there.
But, I have to say I highly recommend android phones, they're a great alternative to the iphone and most of the apps in the marketplace are free.
I have an HTC Desire, it has 7 customizable home screens that you can fill with widgets for weather, twitter, facebook, your email and even a music player. I barely have to go into my menu because of this, and I love it.
Most android phones can handle multitasking, etc so it makes it great for business.

Though I do have to say, my sister got the iphone4 and the calls are INSANELY clear. Its like the person is standing right beside you. I know a lot of people are worried about the "death grip" and having no service, but its really not that big of a deal. If your carrier's coverage is good enough it should never happen!


And Luna, i'm on Telus and depending on where you are in Canada they have AMAZING service. You'd have to check out the coverage map on their website but I highly recommend them.

 

[dollface007]

Also think about reliability. ATT has oversold the Iphone, so it is almost useless in some major cities, like NY. Too many Iphones are overwhelming the capacity. We have Verizon and Sprint in our home. Verizon is far more reliable, but it is also much more costly.

Seconded. I had to drop my AT&T service recently precisely for this reason. My phone became totally unusable for anything besides texting. I had my phone unlocked and switched to T-Mobile (because their phones work on a similar network, and I could switch without buying a new phone or signing a contract). I haven't had a problem since. It's for this reason that I would say that carrier is VERY important. Your phone will be worthless unless you have reliable service.

 

[Dosxx82256]

Bad time to buy, holidays are coming up, a lot of new phones coming out over the next few weeks.

 

[jp7]

The advice so far has been pretty helpful thanks! I'll start doing some research on each individual phone and the plans to see what becomes of it all.

 

[PublicAffection]

Like everyone is stating it would be easier to pick the carrier/plan you want and then go from there.
But, I have to say I highly recommend android phones, they're a great alternative to the iphone and most of the apps in the marketplace are free.
I have an HTC Desire, it has 7 customizable home screens that you can fill with widgets for weather, twitter, facebook, your email and even a music player.

SEVEN? I only have 5. It's ok though, it's more than enough for the apps I use most often. I also almost never have to use my menu... in fact on the rare chance I do, I get lost in there!

 

[The Gimp]

I would recommend Boost Mobile. Their phones run on the Sprint network, and no contract is required. You can get a blackberry handset for about $150, and the unlimited talk, text, and web monthly service costs $50-60.

 

[Luna_Bella]

ignite Telus' service is one of the crappiest in my area, my best friend is with them and her phone is useless at my place...

 

[jp7]

I would recommend Boost Mobile. Their phones run on the Sprint network, and no contract is required. You can get a blackberry handset for about $150, and the unlimited talk, text, and web monthly service costs $50-60.

I'll look into that one now, thanks!

KoPilot, that's great to know. I very well may have made that mistake if I hadn't been told beforehand.

 

[muzicbaby]

Personally I love Android phones. They are compleatly customisable to your taste and offered on every major carrier. Some have QWERTY and some are just touch so you can totally get whatever suits your fancey. Personally I'm eyeingteh Droids on Vz.

T-mobile has the best prices but you pay for it with slower network speeds (G2 having yet to be played with to see if their 4G netowrk holds up to the hype) and no flash for the camera (which is major for me so i dont have to cary 2 things). I think ATT is from the devil so tahts a non option for me. But if you like over priced plansadn rude customer service for all teh things taht will go wrong, have at it. I hear very good things with Verizon but again you pay a bit more for a faster netowrk (but WAAAY faster compared to T-mo as seen in my vs. my friends phones lol).