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900ftjesus posted:The Hero is literally running 3 year-old hardware. Don't buy the Hero or Verizon's Eris. Yeah, besides the Evo i just couldn't think of anything else to recommend.
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May 26, 2010 14:45
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# Country/Provider: USA Sprint (despite my gnashing of teeth for the last decade) # Current contract status: Unlimited Family Plan I think (my sister texts and uses the web like a mad woman) -- Parental units handle it thankfully # Budget (phone/plan): I'm finally up for a new phone not sure how much discount I get, so go hog wild. # Features I know I want: (1) Biggest point of contention is that I drive a 2009 Ford Focus SES and want the full functionality of the Microsoft Sync system that my LG Rumor just doesn't offer. I've checked the Sync site and their list of supported phones is significantly dated but the general trend is that the HTC's are best supported and everything else is hit or miss. http://www.nsapp.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com/sync/usEN/sync_us_EN_iop_1_30.pdf Their "Certified Standard" covers most of my bases. (2) A lesser important feature is that somehow I destroy phones. It might be because I work in an R&D engineering lab making prototypes and they go in my pocket along with multitools, drafting pencils, and my janitor-grade ball of keys. They end up looking like they've been assaulted by sandblasters. They still function for the most part, but I'm just not very kind to phones apparently. I've tried going to the "rugged" route, but despite Nextel (whose structural phone designs I love) being a part of Sprint now, they're still not on the same network and my service would be crap. (3) I've fought tooth and nail to own a simple cell phone, but now that I have Sync in my car, I think I'm going to have to go with a smart phone. I've never had a "smart phone" and haven't paid any attention to them or how the Android system has supposedly revolutionized non-Apple phone interfaces or how Windows Mobile 7 fits into things, but I'm ready to get into it. What the hell is the right, best phone? All of a sudden I feel Amish which is completely foreign as I'm the earliest adopter of new tech in my family on basically everything else. I liked the HTC TouchPro2 because it retains the real tactile keyboard, but I don't want to get left behind if the EVO 4G is just about to come out at exactly the right time for me to get onboard (despite being all touch screen).
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May 27, 2010 02:38
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# Country/Provider: USA/AT&T. # Current contract status: Family plan with my brother. $120 per month for unlimited texts, 550 rollover minutes and unlimited nights and weekends. I am probably going to be leaving this contract. # Budget (phone/plan): I'd be interested in hearing about anything in any price range that anyone might recommend me. My employer gives me a significant reimbursement for a phone plan with AT&T and a brand new phone that'll work on AT&T's network. # Features I know I want: QWERTY keyboard and/or a very smooth (i.e. not 'clunky') user interface, and/or the ability to manipulate (select, copy, paste) text in most of the ways I can on a computer, with shortcut key combinations (i.e. i don't want to be required to go into a two or three-level menu to get to copy/paste). Texting is very important to me. My best experience with a phone was many years ago when I owned a Nokia 6682. As I understand, it was one of the first phones with a fold-out keyboard. I liked using a Motorola RAZR because the form factor was so much more convenient to have in my pocket than anything else at the time. Seems like this is less of an issue today, though. My current phone is the Nokia E71x. I hate how it's QWERTY, but the keys are small enough that I usually need to be looking at it to type anything meaningful. T9 isn't good for me on this phone because there are a number of things I like to do with my keystrokes regarding selection, cutting, copying, and pasting, that are more difficult or hidden than I think they should be. Not having a normal-ish QWERTY keyboard isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but no matter how cheap or expensive the phone is, texting has to feel 'good.' I know that's subjective, but I also know there are people out there who know a lot about this stuff, and know what feels 'good' to them for texting. I like a phone that is configurable and doesn't feel crippled. I like to play with computers so customizability is fairly high on my list. I know I've mentioned Nokia a few times, but I'm not particularly brand loyal. Is it even possible to get a high-technology or well-designed cell phone these days that doesn't have a mediocre camera shoehorned into it? I'd like to think that there's a phone out there that has a camera in it that could make me happy, but I've never used one. Every few years, when I get a new cellular phone, the megapixels on the camera have increased, but it's never been anything I'd ever want to take a 'real' picture with. Is this simply how it is? Thanks in advance 
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May 27, 2010 03:07
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spcefrk posted:# Country/Provider: USA Sprint (despite my gnashing of teeth for the last decade) 1. The sync part i don't know, but I would be surprised if Ford didn't support Android by now. 2. Whatever phone you get: https://www.otterbox.com 3. If you are staying with Sprint, HTC Evo is the best bet. Very likely to work with the sync (i guess), and it is by far the most progressive Sprint phone hardware wise (other Android phones run very old hardware by this point). Win7Phone in my opinion will be released too late to matter (and def in your case). Android is by far the most progressive and versatile mobile OS, you get apps, you get full web browsing, email, multi-tasking, everything you should expect from a modern smartphone. Best thing is that Google vs Apple is really heating up, so the result is innovation on both fronts. Plan wise if you like what you have cool, check and see if you are on the Unlimited Everything Plan, or the Everything Data plan with either 1500 or 3000 mins. Unless your family calls A LOT of landlines those plans are great since they have unlimited calling to any cell phone plus nights and weekends, and unlike the Unlimited Plan you can have your monthly discount apply. Any coverage or Sprint problems really depends on where you live, so i couldn't say if its the best to stay with. In terms of price Sprint and TMobile are always lower.
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May 27, 2010 03:12
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First, Duckman2008, thanks for the advice! I actually don't know squat about Win7Phone so if it's not coming out in the next few weeks, then it's no concern of mine. I will definitely look into a case from otterbox, but it looked like they don't even have a case for the TouchPro2 which has been out for some time. When would they get a case for the Evo 4G if it's about to be released?smug forum rear end in a top hat posted:...Every few years, when I get a new cellular phone, the megapixels on the camera have increased, but it's never been anything I'd ever want to take a 'real' picture with. Is this simply how it is? I think the problem here is hardware. I never would've believed it until I got a DSLR and realized what a difference a really great lens will do. It's a laughable 6MP Nikon D40, but the pictures it takes are phenomenal because of the killer Nikkor lenses available. Sure you can slap a ludicrous 30MP sensor into a phone, but if your lens is an 1/8" thick piece of plexiglass, you're going to get a humongous picture that still looks like utter crap. You could have a good camera in a phone, but it'd need a substantial hardware upgrade that's going to negate the ergonomics of it being small. That said, It may be somewhat possible given how much I've been enjoying my Canon P&S that's about the size of my cell phone. I use the Nikon D40 for airshows and other nice pictures. I use the Canon for quick on-the-spot labwork when someone needs a quick update on a project and I didn't feel like lugging my D40 to the lab. This is a function I think a good cell phone could handle if the lens hardware were half-adequate. As evidenced by the fact that I just used this thread, I'm not at all an expert, but I suspect most phone manufacturers are willing to slap any old sensor into a phone just to claim a higher MP rating as most people won't dig any deeper.
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May 27, 2010 03:39
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spcefrk posted:First, Duckman2008, thanks for the advice! I actually don't know squat about Win7Phone so if it's not coming out in the next few weeks, then it's no concern of mine. I will definitely look into a case from otterbox, but it looked like they don't even have a case for the TouchPro2 which has been out for some time. When would they get a case for the Evo 4G if it's about to be released? Because the Touch Pro 2 sucks, is unpopular and runs Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile may attributed to the suckage though. The only people that use Touch Pro 2s are the cheapos who will have SERO pried from their cold, dead bodies. There is no reason to use Windows Mobile if you're not on SERO which you aren't.
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May 27, 2010 05:07
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Country/Provider: Portland, OR/Verizon Budget (phone): $100 with two year subscription renewal. Features I know I want: turn by turn directions with no subscription (cost of app not important), video/music playback, good gmail support (including gmail chat), faster is better, if its possible to purchase one that's world ready that would be a plus. Lately I've been looking at upgrading from an ancient Razr that's losing its charge, I have no experience with smartphones. I've been looking on Verizon's website at the Palm Pre Plus, HTC Droid Eris, and the LG Ally. Best Buy currently has a sale for the Motorola Droid at $100 that I am also considering. I have mostly reduced it to the Pre Plus and the Motorola Droid. The Pre is cheaper by $50 and seems to have the things I'd want but I'm worried about its reliability (with fragile hardware and warranty issues related to overclocking). At the same time, I've had major issues when I bought phones third parties and that makes me apprehensive to go for the sale at Best Buy. Is there any compelling reason to chose one over the other?
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May 27, 2010 11:29
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Hi guys, I've been looking for the Nokia C5, but that still hasn't been released. Does anyone know when that is coming out by any chance? I've heard Q2 2010 kicked around but I wondered if anyone had some insight on when exactly it might be available in the US. Thanks in advance!
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May 28, 2010 02:03
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Country/Provider: Will be traveling to US for 2 months, will be in San Fran, Atlanta, NY/DC/Boston Current contract status: None Features I know I want:Looking for a prepaid SIM that will work with my nokia 6500 from Australia, will not be using the phone much at all, just to contact my friends who are traveling with me in case we split up. Also looking for some sort of internet that I can plug into my computer, unlimited or about 6+gb of data would be good Budget: Budget is flexible, I have no idea what the going rates are in the US.
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May 28, 2010 02:34
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Jimmie Dimmick posted:Country/Provider: Portland, OR/Verizon You're definitely looking at an Android phone. The Verizon Pre Plus has shoddy GPS and Google Maps is downright awful on webOS. You get free turn-by-turn from Google with Android. Anyways, Android is the best for Google services and Gmail is great on Android. Don't get the Eris. The hardware is 2 years old and you will want to throw your phone against the wall in a few months if you get it. The Droid is a much better option, with the only problem being the keyboard. You don't have to use the hardware keyboard, install HTC_IME from the Aftermarket Android thread. It's much, much faster than the Eris I was playing around with and the Droid was king on Verizon for quite a while before the Incredible. If you're sure that BB does handset upgrades for Verizon, go for the Droid there. I haven't heard any horror stories from the people who have done Sprint handset upgrades with BB in the Sprint thread. You can call Verizon for support and replacement. brotometrist posted:Country/Provider: Will be traveling to US for 2 months, will be in San Fran, Atlanta, NY/DC/Boston For the data card, you can with a 3G USB stick from T-Mobile. The stick is $149 and you can pay $40 per month for 5 GB of data. After 5 GB, your speeds are throttled to EDGE speeds. Or you could use your phone to tether with only EDGE speeds here in the States, get a $60/month plan from T-Mobile with a 10 GB data cap and get 500 minutes + unlimited texts too. cixelsyd posted:Hi guys, I've been looking for the Nokia C5, but that still hasn't been released. Does anyone know when that is coming out by any chance? Sorry, but Nokia doesn't care about the U.S. You can get an imported one, but why the hell are you getting a Nokia "smartphone" in the first place? The only application support is from Google and Nokia. The hardware is old and outdated. My ancient BlackBerry can still point and laugh at Symbian. The C5 is pretty similar to an E52 anyways if you're sure you want a Nokia S60 "smartphone."
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May 28, 2010 03:48
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brotometrist posted:Features I know I want:Looking for a prepaid SIM that will work with my nokia 6500 from Australia, will not be using the phone much at all, just to contact my friends who are traveling with me in case we split up. You can check out the AT&T and T-Mobile prepay plans. There's a few different options that might be good, depending on how much text and voice you intend to use. Generally speaking T-Mobile is cheaper than AT&T. You might want to check T-Mobile coverage maps where you're planning to travel just to make sure, but you should be alright. brotometrist posted:Also looking for some sort of Internet that I can plug into my computer, unlimited or about 6+gb of data would be good. The most convenient way to get data for a laptop would be to tether your phone. Note that US providers generally prefer to charge more for "tethering data plans" but what it really comes down to is whether your phone lets you tether or not. If you can tether with your phone now, it should work in the US with a regular data plan. T-Mobile does sell contract-less service, called EM+, and it's cheaper than AT&T and T-Mobile contract plans because they don't subsidize the phone--which you don't need since you have one already. If you wanted to go that route, 500 voice minutes + unlimited text + unlimited data is $60/mo on EM+. Not too bad really. But since it counts as a subscribed service, as opposed to prepay, I don't know if they'll want a US mailing address for billing or something like that, might be worth asking in the T-Mobile thread. AT&T data plans start these days at $30/mo on top of voice service ($40/mo for 450 minutes baseline), so you're looking at $70/mo minimum and that's without texting costs. I'm also not sure if you can get that without a contract, although you should be able to if you're not buying a phone along with it. As far as data compatibility goes, you might get 3G on AT&T if you're in an area that has 850 MHz 3G service, which it appears that AT&T is starting to roll out, but most of it is on 1900, so you may be stuck with EDGE. Your phone definitely does not support T-Mobile 3G, so you would be stuck on EDGE there. An alternative to phone tethering would be a laptop card like the T-Mobile webConnect. They have 5GB/mo data service for $40, again without contract. But you'd have to buy the card, looks like they're going $100ish used on eBay. Honestly, the cheapest/easier route if you don't need data on an immediate basis would be T-Mobile prepaid for voice/text and just use Wifi hotspots at coffee shops and such. Most places have wifi, and usually it's free or free with purchase. ExcessBLarg! fucked around with this message at 04:40 on May 28, 2010 |
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May 28, 2010 04:37
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cixelsyd posted:Hi guys, I've been looking for the Nokia C5, but that still hasn't been released. Does anyone know when that is coming out by any chance? I don't think it will be available in the US. The E72 is probably the best alternative and has been on sale from Dell lately for $250.
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May 29, 2010 18:52
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I've been eyeballing the HTC EVO for quite some time now, however I just learned that my new employer's cell phone plan will pretty much take away any concern about plan pricing but with one hitch, they don't support SPRINT.  I currently have AT&T, in which case my company will pay for all my cell phone expenses with that carrier. Is AT&T going to start selling any high powered Android phones like the Incredible or EVO anytime soon? I've been using an iPhone 3Gs for the last year and I'm sick to death of it and Apple's bullshit and really want to jump ship to an Android 2.1+ phone.
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May 30, 2010 05:21
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G-III posted:I've been eyeballing the HTC EVO for quite some time now, however I just learned that my new employer's cell phone plan will pretty much take away any concern about plan pricing but with one hitch, they don't support SPRINT. Buy a Nexus One. It's $529 for an unlocked, AT&T compatible one. Sure, that's a lot to fork out for a phone, but you have no contract and your usage is paid for by your company. Over the course of what would be a 2 year contract you'd be paying the equivalent of $22 and change per month.
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May 30, 2010 05:26
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SamDabbers posted:Buy a Nexus One. It's $529 for an unlocked, AT&T compatible one. Sure, that's a lot to fork out for a phone, but you have no contract and your usage is paid for by your company. Over the course of what would be a 2 year contract you'd be paying the equivalent of $22 and change per month. I've played around with an n1 before, it's nice but there's something that feels "lacking" about that phone. Plus I'd be spending buku bucks on just acquiring it. I was really hoping on the HTC EVO since I live in Seattle which has excellent 4G coverage. What's the big differences between say the n1 and the Incredible? G-III fucked around with this message at 05:32 on May 30, 2010 |
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May 30, 2010 05:30
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G-III posted:I did forget to mention that I can jump ship to t-mobile and verizon and the company will still pay for it. So I'm technically not joined at the hip to AT&T and just thought it would be easier to get a phone that works for my existing carrier. Between the Evo, Incredible and Nexus 1 you really can't go wrong phone wise, it just depends on coverage in your area. Obviously Sprint is out, but for what people tend to use their phones for daily, 3G is pretty sufficient. Plus T-Mobile will probably roll out HSPA for Seattle, which is at least close if not equal to 4G speeds. Nexus 1 gets updates faster and runs stock Android, Incredible has HTC Sense UI which can mean slower to get updates. Style wise its up to you, if your employer is paying for the plan I'd say just get Verizon and get the better network nationwide (note, all are probably great in Seattle), If you were paying TMobile is much cheaper.
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May 30, 2010 19:13
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I curentlly have verizon with a motorolla q. My plan is up for renewal which means I can get a new phone at discounted price. I dont really need a new phone or particularly want one. Does anyone know if I can renew my plan get a new phone(droid) and just sell it off and keep my motorola activated?
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Jun 1, 2010 20:00
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DholmbladRU posted:I curentlly have verizon with a motorolla q. My plan is up for renewal which means I can get a new phone at discounted price. I dont really need a new phone or particularly want one. Does anyone know if I can renew my plan get a new phone(droid) and just sell it off and keep my motorola activated? If you don't need or want a new phone right now, then don't get one. Keep yourself out of contract until you need a new phone or stay free to switch to another carrier if need be.
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Jun 1, 2010 21:20
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I live and work in NYC. My company today offered to buy me any Verizon Blackberry or any AT&T Blackberry or iPhone for work since I will be doing some business traveling this year. Currently, I am using a Blackberry Tour on my personal Verizon plan (which I will be keeping). I love Verizon's coverage and would trust it more in other states but it seems their best BB phone is the Tour which I already have. Is the iPhone (and more importantly AT&T's coverage) reliable as a business phone? Maybe I could buy an Incredible on my personal plan and get an AT&T BB Bold or a Verizon BB Storm 2 or Tour for my work phone so I can have one phone for work and one for play. What would you guys suggest? Note, I will be traveling mostly to Wisconsin, Dallas & San Diego.
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Jun 2, 2010 01:54
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Dan Hollis posted:I live and work in NYC. My company today offered to buy me any Verizon Blackberry or any AT&T Blackberry or iPhone for work since I will be doing some business traveling this year. Currently, I am using a Blackberry Tour on my personal Verizon plan (which I will be keeping). I love Verizon's coverage and would trust it more in other states but it seems their best BB phone is the Tour which I already have. Is the iPhone (and more importantly AT&T's coverage) reliable as a business phone? Maybe I could buy an Incredible on my personal plan and get an AT&T BB Bold or a Verizon BB Storm 2 or Tour for my work phone so I can have one phone for work and one for play. What would you guys suggest? Note, I will be traveling mostly to Wisconsin, Dallas & San Diego. Don't get a BlackBerry. Don't get a BlackBerry. Lastly, don't get a BlackBerry. Especially the Storm. Now that that's said, you're probably best off with Verizon. Verizon has a lot more coverage out in the sticks than AT&T does. AT&T from most reports is also complete poo poo in NYC. Get an Incredible on Verizon. The Incredible is better than the Droid, and a much better option than a BlackBerry. Since your company is footing the bill, it's not that big of a deal.
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Jun 2, 2010 02:54
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Godzilla07 posted:Don't get a BlackBerry. Don't get a BlackBerry. Lastly, don't get a BlackBerry. Especially the Storm. My company does not currently allow Android phones, so I would have to buy the Incredible myself for my personal plan, which still leaves me needing a phone for work. Again, I can only get a Blackberry on Verizon or a BB or iPhone from AT&T. By the way,I should mention that I absolutely love my BB Tour, so I've never understood the Blackberry hate on these forums. Most reliable phone I've ever had.
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Jun 2, 2010 03:07
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Dan Hollis posted:My company does not currently allow Android phones, so I would have to buy the Incredible myself for my personal plan, which still leaves me needing a phone for work. Again, I can only get a Blackberry on Verizon or a BB or iPhone from AT&T. By the way,I should mention that I absolutely love my BB Tour, so I've never understood the Blackberry hate on these forums. Most reliable phone I've ever had. What part(s) of Wisconsin will you be traveling to? That could potentially be very important.
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Jun 2, 2010 03:25
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Dan Hollis posted:My company does not currently allow Android phones, so I would have to buy the Incredible myself for my personal plan, which still leaves me needing a phone for work. Again, I can only get a Blackberry on Verizon or a BB or iPhone from AT&T. By the way,I should mention that I absolutely love my BB Tour, so I've never understood the Blackberry hate on these forums. Most reliable phone I've ever had. If you want a smartphone that does everything you want and a bunch of stuff you've never even thought of, don't get BB. If you want a battery sipping email machine, and don't ever like to do cool stuff with your phone, get a BB.
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Jun 2, 2010 04:18
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Noctone posted:What part(s) of Wisconsin will you be traveling to? That could potentially be very important. Verona, WI
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Jun 2, 2010 14:46
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Dan Hollis posted:Verona, WI According to their coverage maps Verizon and AT&T both have comprehensive 3G coverage there. Really it's up to you at this point. If you want an iPhone obviously AT&T is your only choice for the time being. Otherwise if you want a Blackberry you have to consider coverage in NYC (AT&T is notoriously wonky there) and whether or not you value simultaneous voice & data service (which only AT&T provides). Verizon just announced that they'll start selling the 9650 next week, and it's virtually identical to the 9700 on AT&T.
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Jun 2, 2010 15:57
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Godzilla07 posted:If you don't need or want a new phone right now, then don't get one. Keep yourself out of contract until you need a new phone or stay free to switch to another carrier if need be. This plan has multiple lines on it. So we wont be switching anytime soon.
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Jun 2, 2010 16:18
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Dan Hollis posted:My company does not currently allow Android phones, so I would have to buy the Incredible myself for my personal plan, which still leaves me needing a phone for work. Again, I can only get a Blackberry on Verizon or a BB or iPhone from AT&T. By the way,I should mention that I absolutely love my BB Tour, so I've never understood the Blackberry hate on these forums. Most reliable phone I've ever had. I've owned a BlackBerry and I'm coming up on 2 years with one. I am ready to smash this piece of poo poo into the ground for a Nexus One as soon as possible. I'm forced to use my iPod touch as my primary device when in Wi-Fi because I can't use my phone without throwing it against the wall some days. Why do I hate my phone? Here's why. The applications are mediocre and overpriced. If you want to change the colour of your LED light, it's $6. If you want a decent weather app, it's $10. These apps are 99 cent apps with better quality on Android, iPhone for weather. The browser is incredibly lovely. It won't be fixed for another 6 months if you get the 9700 or 9650 because that's when 6.0 is coming out. I got this error message 3 times in one morning, using an 8900 with OS 5.0, the same OS on the 9700 and 9650.  That's right, the web page is "too big for the device." My first-gen iPod touch loaded the page with no difficulty. The OS is ancient and will still be ancient for a while, and when you get 6.0, it won't be too fun of an experience seeing that 6.0 looks to be optimized for touch devices. To add to the BlackBerry shittiness, it sounds like you're going to be using this as a personal device too. If you have this device hooked up to a BES and since work is paying, you will be, EVERYTHING you do on the device can be monitored. SMS, e-mail, BBM, browser logs, the whole 9 yards. That is why corporations love BlackBerrys. Do you really want everything you do on the device monitored in comparison to an iPhone with Exchange which does the same thing info-wise without the complete control of the device? AT&T and an iPhone is your best bet. There are the MicroCell devices or whatever they named their femtocells. I'd rather deal with a mediocre network than deal with a dumbphone that's really good at e-mail.
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Jun 3, 2010 00:43
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My brother currently has a Blackberry Storm, and realized that he doesn't need a smartphone at all. On Verizon, what's the best dumb-phone that can make calls, make texts, no internet/data plan, and preferably has a halfway decent camera? If I can get this on ebay/craigslist for relatively cheap, that's a plus. (He's out of contract, however I figure that full-price on dumbphones shouldn't be too bad) SgtScruffy fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jun 3, 2010 |
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Jun 3, 2010 02:27
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SgtScruffy posted:My brother currently has a Blackberry Storm, and realized that he doesn't need a smartphone at all. Dumbphones won't sell for retail price on Craigslist even brand new. Do that, and then when the next "OMG AWESOME" phone comes out on any carrier he can change easily.
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Jun 3, 2010 13:59
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Definitely look on eBay and craigslist. Verizon has ridiculous full retail prices for their phones, smart or dumb. (Just for example, Verizon sells the Palm Pre Plus for $599.99, whereas AT&T sells it for $399.99.) Edit: Just for the record, people, you don't have to point out that you need a phone that handles calls and text messaging. All phones make calls, or else they wouldn't be phones. And text messaging has been a basic feature for several years now. Noctone fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Jun 3, 2010 |
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Jun 3, 2010 14:19
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* Country/Provider: USA/ AT&T * Current contract status: Finished in July or August * Budget (phone/plan): ???/40 * Features I know I want: I'm not really a phone guy and I'm never really in much of a rush to upgrade to the latest and greatest stuff. So my main concerns are durability and battery life. I keep my cell in my pocket throughout the day so I prefer a slim clamshell. To that end, it's also a bonus if the only button on the outside of the phone is the one that shuts off the sound in case I'm in a meeting and I left the ringer on. The only thing I would change about my plan is that it's 10 cents for each text. I don't typically like to text, but a bunch of my friends do. Big bonus if there's an actual halfway decent camera on it.
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Jun 3, 2010 16:13
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Skeesix posted:The only thing I would change about my plan is that it's 10 cents for each text. I don't typically like to text, but a bunch of my friends do. Your best bet might be to switch to T-Mobile EM+. It's a contract-less (month-to-month) plan that's generally cheaper than most others because they don't pay for a phone subsidy. This means you do need to pay for a phone yourself, but if you're happy with your current AT&T phone you can just keep that, or buy dumbphone for cheap off eBay, Craigslist, etc. If you're specifically wanting a new phone, I'd recommend a Nokia clamshell, but I can't comment any more specifically on that. Anyways, the two plans to consider are the base EM+ 500 voice minutes for $30/mo or EM+ 500 voice w/unlimited texts for $40/mo. The $30/mo plan doesn't include texts, and I think the T-Mobile text rate is 20¢ incoming or outgoing. So if you send/receive more than 50 texts a month--or are willing to pay more just to not worry about it, then the $40/mo EM+ is your best bet. Plus, if you decide to change your mind later you can always just ship at any point. For comparison, Verizon prices are basically the same as AT&T. Sprint has unlimited texts for $50/mo. For either Verizon or Sprint though you would need to get a new, carrier-specific phone and you would most likely sign a two-year contract. ExcessBLarg! fucked around with this message at 19:35 on Jun 3, 2010 |
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Jun 3, 2010 19:30
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ExcessBLarg! posted:You didn't mention what your current plan is, I assume it's the base AT&T 450 voice minutes for $40/mo. Unfortunately there's not much you can do about the text situation and stay on AT&T. A 200 message plan will bump you up to $45/mo. Well you have picked out my plan, and as I said I like it a lot actually. I would probably not switch to T-Mobile as their coverage in the area isn't that great. If anything I'd switch to verizon because my girlfriend is on their network, but as it is the rollover minutes work out great for me because I don't generally talk on the phone that much but of course sometimes there will be busy months. Perhaps I should have made it clear that my phone is becoming a problem. It's a Nokia 6555 I got 2 years ago on a contract. The battery life (a day at best) and Push-to-talk button (unavoidable) have always been pains to me, but now serious things are starting to go on it, like the microphone. So Nokia clamshells have not been so kind to me. That said, I went to an AT&T store today and there were three phones that caught my eye and two of them were even Nokias, the 6350 and the 2720. The other one that caught my eye was the sony w518a. In terms of cameras the sony's is the best and it seems there are serious problems with the 6350's camera. The 2720 seems to have the same camera as the 6555 and it's... okay. The two most expensive ones have mp3 players with external controls. Can these buttons be enabled/disabled in the menu? They also have GPS, is there a data transfer fee for using that?
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Jun 4, 2010 00:46
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Having not had a smartphone before, I have a more general question: I live in Terre Haute, Indiana (yea..) and from what I can tell Verizon is the only company that has 3G coverage in the area--thought admittedly I'm not really sure what to make of the maps on those sites. Does this mean that if I was to buy a smartphone, I would pretty much have to buy Verizon to make it worth it? Also, if this is the case--are there any new Verizon phones coming in the next month that will be better than the Droid, or just buy buy buy?
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Jun 4, 2010 02:15
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maduin posted:Having not had a smartphone before, I have a more general question: Your fancy smartphone is no good if you don't have any coverage. So you're in one of the cases where Verizon coverage reigns supreme, but you have to pay. Check for employer discounts to make it a little easier. The HTC Droid Incredible is the best phone on Verizon right now. The only problem with it is that it's hard to find. The Droid 2 or Droid Shadow (both from Motorola) may be out later this month but no one really knows. The Droid 2 apparently may also have a keyboard you can type on.
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Jun 4, 2010 02:25
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Country/Provider: United States/Verizon Current contract status: Essentially Nil- with AT&T, but for me and my Dad, our contract is stopping Budget (phone/plan): "Lowest" - this isn't a real budget, but yeah. Features I know I want: Unlimited talk, decent amount of texting. Also wondering, what the cheapest is that I'm looking at on a monthly basis if I was to get an Incredible, with unlimited data but a relatively low limit on talk if need be.
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Jun 4, 2010 08:00
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quaunaut posted:Country/Provider: United States/Verizon quaunaut posted:Features I know I want: Unlimited talk, decent amount of texting. quaunaut posted:Also wondering, what the cheapest is that I'm looking at on a monthly basis if I was to get an Incredible, with unlimited data but a relatively low limit on talk if need be. That said, if you sign up for Google Voice and give everyone your GV number for texting, you can do free "texting" over data that way, and don't actually need a text plan. Verizon does have "messaging only" plans which include unlimited text and data but no voice minutes ($55/mo for smartphones). The problem is that, while the plan appears to be unrestricted for dumbphones, you have to go to a Verizon store and provide documentation that you're deaf in order to get it for a smartphone. Presumably this is to keep people from getting data-only plans and using VoIP clients.
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Jun 4, 2010 18:23
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ExcessBLarg! posted:It's not clear, did you want an individual plan or a family plan? Awesome, thank you. To clarify: I'm probably looking for a family plan, but really want a Smartphone too, where my Father wouldn't want one, so that would force us to go dual individual plans. I use Google Voice for essentially everything too, so if I'm going through that, $70/mo sounds fantastic, and even cheaper than the iPhone plan. Awesome. However, just in case I turn into a cheapass, what would I be looking for in a family plan, cost wise? Same thing as stated in the first part.
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Jun 4, 2010 18:55
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quaunaut posted:I'm probably looking for a family plan, but really want a Smartphone too, where my Father wouldn't want one, so that would force us to go dual individual plans. It's $120/mo for a two-line family plan with unlimited voice minutes and no texts, and $150/mo for the same plan with unlimited texts (on both phones). You can also add text plans to each phone individually. So, for example, if you don't need texts at all but your father would want 250 a month, you can add a $5/mo text plan to just his phone. Note that it's only $110/mo for an individual unlimited voice plan ($70/mo) and a 450 min voice plan ($40/mo), so depending on how much your father actually uses voice minutes you might rather not go the family plan route. quaunaut posted:I use Google Voice for essentially everything too, so if I'm going through that, $70/mo sounds fantastic, and even cheaper than the iPhone plan. Awesome. Two more things to note: First, Verizon requires a $10/mo bullshit data plan (25 MB) for any dumbphone that can do EVDO data whether you use it or not, which is actually quite a lot of them. So if your father really doesn't care about data, then you have to find a phone that doesn't cost the extra $10/mo--which they should be able to do for you in the store or on the website, but beware that it does limit your phone options for him. Second, remember to check to see if you're eligible for any employer, credit union, AAA discounts, etc. with Verizon that can knock some percentage off the final monthly cost.
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Jun 4, 2010 20:17
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I'm in Louisville, KY on T-Mobile. I have the old 300-minute plan with 400 texts and I never really stress it. Monthly I pay $40 and change, after tax. Out of contract. I have a Motorola w490 that suffers some serious dead spots at home, if that tells you anything. What I'm interested in trying is data. I'm curious to own a phone with social networking, apps, games, web browsing - stuff to noodle with. What I mean is that I see things like barcode scanners and I think, "That's awesome" - but a barcode scanner seems like it'd be hella useful, too. So I want to try the whole thing out. I'd avoid a contract plan because this is an experiment. It seems like T-Mobile offers the best no-contract plan for me with 450 EM+ at $60, but I'm looking to corroborate that. What other no-contract talk+text+data plans am I missing? I'm curious if you have opinions about carrier quality in Louisville specifically. I'd pay more if it means a better plan around town. And it seems like I'm looking for a entry/midrange smartphone. I'd like reasonable web browsing and good texting, an ok camera, a touchscreen. This is primarily an entertainment buy, so I'm not dying for any one feature. Can I get a workable phone for a couple hundred bucks? What do you recommend for me?
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Jun 4, 2010 21:32
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