Cell Phone upgrade time and contracts...

FishrCutB8 · 05-22-2009, 03:50 PM

Dear friends and family,

The Fish is looking at an upgrade from the razor phone. I use Verizon, but I am not married to it. Here's what I want....I think. I use about 400-500 minutes yakking on the phone these days, but that might go up a bit (can't imagine more than 750).

I'd like to check e-mail via my phone. My business does not support getting e-mail on a Blackberry, but I do some business on hotmail. That being said, there is some talk about getting work e-mail pushed to such devices. I've looked at the Pearl...meh. 8830 looks sweet, but again, I am not married to it. Not sure if the iPhone is all hype or if it's as cool as it seems.

Wait? I can surf Teh Intarwebz and poast to JP's from a phone-like device. That could be nice to pop in and see what you are up to. While not critical, it sure looks like fun.

So, my questions are these:
What plan can I get to meet these needs without breaking teh bank?
What device is going to get this done, and like that?
What do you have and what do you love/hate about it?

Phaedrus49er · 05-22-2009, 04:08 PM

I'm on VZW as well with a BB8330 (Curve). By and large, I'm very happy with it and the voice/data plan ($80/month for 400ish minutes and "unlimited" data). The only thing is that the real Internet is pretty mediocre, which is why I'll likely grab a Storm 2 when it drops this summer (if it's not $500 as is rumored). Note that the 8830 doesn't have a camera but is otherwise identical to the 8330.

iPhones are only on AT&T, so your experiences will depend on your coverage area; however, some common gripes about them are: no MMS, no video recorder, EDGE network (AT&T), and no copy/paste (WTF?). For all the hype, BB is way more functional than iPhone IMHO, especially if you're talking email and work-related correspondence.

Aoife · 05-22-2009, 05:41 PM

Some features people complain about that Ben mentioned (like mms, etc) will be coming out for an iphone, prolly like june timeframe, but donno if it's hardware or software, so it's prolly not worth, right now, to get an iphone since they'll be doing a new rev soon.

Otherwise, pretty awsum. But then, I wouldn't want one. I has the touch, and a separate phone, and I like it that way. Just wish I had non-wifi sometimes, but not have to talk to people.

Bytsi · 05-22-2009, 06:08 PM

If you want to spend a lot, I have the htc touchpro from Verizon. I got it with corporate pricing, but it's still a lot (around $250, if I remember)... Once I downloaded Skyfire for the browser, I REALLY got a lot happier with it... Windows mobile based, has a touch screen, built-in stylus and a sliding full keyboard that is VERY easy to type on. I had planned on a BB Storm, but hated the keyboard when I tried it... this one rocks. It's slightly larger than I'd like, but overall a great phone with great internet (again, with Skyfire downloaded - hated Opera and Explorer on it).

jt t · 05-22-2009, 10:12 PM

its a great device.. crappy phone. I swear I talk less on the phone because of that fact. I've owned a Pearl before, and I have to say internet surfing experience is great on the iPhone, bar none. If speed and keyboard are necessary features with a mobile device, I'd suggest looking at a either BlackBerry Curve or Bold.
iPhone's software has an update slated in June that will supposedly add the ability to copy and paste, picture messaging, and other features that should have been since release.
Another options coming from Sprint is the Palm Pre. It is geared to have all the strong points of an iPhone with none of the negatives. I may be selling my iPhone for one of these so I can actually talk to people again.

-JT

LisaS · 05-22-2009, 11:28 PM

I have an older Blackberry for work. It is great for email and is an OK phone. I don't use it for internet at all.

At home, I have a Verizon plan and just replaced my Razr with an LG Dare. I like the phone, but I got this model primarily because I use Rhapsody and it is a compatible device. So I have a lot of music from Rhapsody (DRM but free/included in my Rhapsody cost) and other MP3s, podcasts etc on the phone so that I can take just the one device and listen to music in the car or out walking with the dogs and have the phone as well - before I'd take my phone & my mp3 player.

It looks like it is set up for easy connection to webbased emails but I haven't tried it. Haven't done much on the internet with it either.

Ogedei · 05-22-2009, 11:30 PM

I think you should go with a Subaru. They are...oh wait what? Different thread? Oops.

FishrCutB8 · 05-23-2009, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ogedei

I think you should go with a Subaru. They are...oh wait what? Different thread? Oops.

I heard that's a lesbian phone...

NTTAWWT

Ogedei · 05-23-2009, 10:14 AM

Hmmm I think you can use the iPhone to display lesbian porn....

I am not helping I know, but I don't have a cell and wanted to contribute

Phaedrus49er · 05-23-2009, 11:26 AM

If you decide to go BlackBerry, bbgeeks.com is a great site for tips and rumors. It's where I learned about Storm 2, which most people didn't think would drop until next year. Like JT said about his iPhone, I use my Curve more for text and email than talking (not a phone fan anyway), and I nursed my original "V" phone for a few months longer than I should've so I could have a QWERTY keyboard on a full-featured BB. Beats the hell out of SureType, TrueType, or clicking a button three times for a certain letter.

raymond3 · 05-26-2009, 10:42 AM

I work for Sprint, and the Palm Pre that comes out June 6th, is going to blow all of these phones (yes, including the i-phone) out of the water. I've demoed it, and there is nothing like it.