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 Read this first if you don't understand why "free" phones are free. No, really, it will explain why an iPod Touch mysteriously costs more than an iPhone, because people don't seem to get that. It's called total cost of ownership, kids, and that monthly bill adds up. This is some more light reading about phones and carriers in general (the FAQ). If you have no idea what kind of phone you want or what the hell is going on, you need to post at least this much info:
Don't expect people to chase you down asking for more info because you post "I need flip phone." And don't get pissed off when someone suggests something you can't afford because you weren't specific at all. If you ask if a specific phone is any good (this happens a lot with brand new low-end phones) and no one answers, you might just need to go check some reviews, there's a chance no one reading this thread has that particular phone yet. You might want to check this thread for used phones if you want something nice and can't afford something new. Current AnandTech battery life leader board: 
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Dec 5, 2008 20:47
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* Country/Provider: USA/AT&T * Current contract status:Family Plan w/PDA Personal * Budget: $150-250 (and i will not be renewing a contract) * Features I know I want: I need something that I can use to take pictures with and attach multiple pictures to an email sent using Gmail. This is something I do at work all day, so its the most important aspect. The pictures don't have to be of very good quality at all. Also I need to be able to search my Gmail. I'd prefer a QWERTY keyboard, and don't particularly care for touchscreens. I've been using the Cingular 8125 for the past couple of years and its on its last legs. One thing I don't need is GPS. The plan is setup by work, so I can't change that at all. Any suggestions? A coworker has been using the Blackjack II and it seems like it covers all of these bases. Any thoughts?
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Dec 6, 2008 01:20
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CitizenKrang posted:Any thoughts? You're going to need to spend more than $200 on an off-contract/unlocked phone to get what you're asking for.
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Dec 6, 2008 03:34
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CitizenKrang posted:* Country/Provider: USA/AT&T You're going to be buying used if you want an off-contract phone. There's no exceptions. I recommend the Motorola Q9h. It's got a QWERTY keyboard and one of the best keyboards out on the market from what I've heard. It has 3G. It has a decent camera. Install the Gmail application on the device so you can search your Gmail. If you're willing to get away from Windows Mobile then I recommend the Nokia E71. It's better than the Q9h. The camera is much better than the Q9h's camera. It has great build quality. The only problem is that it's going to be a bit tough to snag at $250 and most E71s go for $300. But I'd rather pay more for the E71 than have to deal with Windows Mobile. Here's a link for the E71. Here's a link for the Q9h - http://cgi.ebay.com/AT-T-Cingular-M...trkparms=66%3A2
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Dec 6, 2008 16:13
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This thread is perfect, I was just thinking about getting a new phone to replace my ( ) RAZR.I do a lot of texting, being in class and not able to talk, so I'd like a phone that would allow me to do that incognito. A nice camera would be great as well. I currently have a plan with AT&T, and I'd rather not complicate things by changing it, even though AT&T blows in my area. My budget is pretty limited, capped at around $300. Anyway onto the specifics. I'm looking for a capable phone that I can just stick my SIM card into. I'm looking for a nice Nokia or something along those lines. A good Blackberry might be nice, too. Could anyone with more knowledge of Nokias or Blackberries point me in the right direction?
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Dec 6, 2008 20:45
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I'll toss my issue in. I'm looking for something comparable to the functionality of an iPhone that I can get without a contract, and maybe staying on Verizon (I'm in the DC area and the coverage is best here). I could care less about MP3 playback (happy with my iPod), do some text messaging, but mainly I want web access without breaking the bank and cool apps (Urbanspoon caught my attention, although I could be fine just accessing their site). Right now I have a Moto RAZR and a contract that expires in March. The iPhone is really cool to use for net, GoogleMaps, apps, when I use my friend's but I seriously question whether entering a two year contract and the high non-contract price tag is worth it.
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Dec 6, 2008 21:30
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KillerFuzzball posted:This thread is perfect, I was just thinking about getting a new phone to replace my ( The post right before yours pretty much answered your question.
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Dec 6, 2008 23:44
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WeaselWeaz posted:I'll toss my issue in. I'm looking for something comparable to the functionality of an iPhone that I can get without a contract, and maybe staying on Verizon (I'm in the DC area and the coverage is best here). I could care less about MP3 playback (happy with my iPod), do some text messaging, but mainly I want web access without breaking the bank and cool apps (Urbanspoon caught my attention, although I could be fine just accessing their site). Right now I have a Moto RAZR and a contract that expires in March. You can get a not quite as good G1 unlocked for T-Mo for like $400? That's all I can think of. The browser on the G1 is second best only to the iPhone and the monthly plans are cheaper. Also, if you commit to a 2 yr w/ the carrier, it's only 180. e: Staying on VZw, i've got nothin'. That carrier has some pretty lovely phones.
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Dec 7, 2008 06:23
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My problem with T-Mobile is I had horrible coverage and customer service from them two years ago, which led to me switching to Verizon. What about the Blackberry Storm? I'd be fine sticking with Verizon for another year or two contract, plus I should get some funds for the 2 Every New deal. Only downside appears to be that the monthly cost works out to $10 more than ATT/iPhone.
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Dec 7, 2008 08:08
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Thanks for the advice, I went ahead and ordered a Q9 so as not to break budget. It seems like it'll suit my needs just fine.
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Dec 7, 2008 17:44
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WeaselWeaz posted:My problem with T-Mobile is I had horrible coverage and customer service from them two years ago, which led to me switching to Verizon. The general consensus is that the Storm is a very poor device: Wired.com article: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/the-votes-are-i.html The carrier networks have all seen significant improvement over the past two years: It'd be worth asking around for how people are liking / not liking their current T-mo coverage around you. That is, if you can forgive the bad customer service experience that you had (they rate fairly satisfactory in recent surveys.) I'm a huge fan of the iPhone 3G but realize that phone is not perfect for everyone's individual needs.
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Dec 8, 2008 05:14
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Steinbeck posted:The general consensus is that the Storm is a very poor device: Thanks for the help. Actually, after I made my post I tried the Storm and hated it. It was buggy (QWERTY keyboard typed numbers instead of letters), opening programs or going from portrait to landscape was laggy as hell, and having to actually press the screen just feels weird and cheap. I really want to stay with Verizon since most of my calls are in-network and may buy the Omnia, but I'm going to try the iPhone again and see how the rumored $99 4gb Wal-Mart launch plays out.
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Dec 8, 2008 05:59
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*Country/Provider: USA *Current contract status: Virgin Mobile monthly--200 anytime, 500 night/weekend, 1000 texts for around $35/month after taxes and stuff *Budget: $70/month (for 2 people) *Features I know I want: texting, camera phone I have a really low phone usage, even though I don't own a landline and only use my cell phone. I usually hit around 150-200 minutes a month, and I use around 200-300 texts. Now, my fiance is currently on a family plan with his family (AT&T), but he and I are looking into getting our own plan(s) since we're getting married, and to free up a spot on the family plan for his youngest sister. I was assuming that a family plan for us would be cheaper than two separate plans, but I guess it really depends on what we want. His phone usage is nearly identical to mine, except he probably uses closer to 300 minutes a month--still not much. We don't need data plans or fancy iPhones or BlackBerry phones or anything like that--right now we both just have basic flip phones with crappy cameras. I hate the idea of contracts which is why I've been with Virgin Mobile for the last few years, although I saw in the stickied threads that apparently you can just buy a phone at full price and go monthly without a contract? I hadn't heard that before, does that basically just work the same way prepaid does? Anyways, recommendations on either a family plan for the two of us (or if we should just go with two separate plans) and on decent phones would be appreciated.
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Dec 9, 2008 04:53
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Looking for phone recommendations: * Country/Provider: US / T-Mobile No data or texting plan. * Current contract status: In the middle of a 2yr Contract * Budget: $300-$400 * Features I know I want: Movie & Video. I ride the train to work for over an hour a day so having video to watch on the train is super important. I also prefer a sliding form factor, and hate flip phones. Right now I've got a T-mo Shadow, which is ok although I absolutely hate Windows Mobile with a burning passion after having to use it for several months. I'm specifically interested in Nokia phones (N95 mainly) but wouldn't turn my nose up at another brand. My kid dropped my wifes Nokia 6300 in a cup of coffee so I'm relegating the Shadow to wife duty while I get something else. I'm really interested in the nokia N95 (or any N series) and I need something unlocked that will run on T-mobile. I don't care if I have to buy some kind of data storage card to go with whatever phone I get. I don't do a ton of texting, but I found the word prediction / texting function on my wife's 6300 to be pretty poor. I don't know if all nokias are like that, or if it was just the 6300. For what it's worth the texting/prediction on the shadow was pretty good for a non QWERTY layout. I don't currently have a data plan but will probably add one in when I get a new phone. I'm buying this new phone outright, and would like to find something in the three to four hundred dollar range, unlocked.
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Dec 10, 2008 18:03
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Banana Cat posted:I hate the idea of contracts which is why I've been with Virgin Mobile for the last few years, although I saw in the stickied threads that apparently you can just buy a phone at full price and go monthly without a contract? I hadn't heard that before, does that basically just work the same way prepaid does? In the long run, you'll pay less with 2 virgin mobile phones and separate accounts (unless Virgin Mobile has family plans) You should only take up a family plan if you want the free phones phones that come with it and being locked in for two years. You'll end up paying an extra $20-30 per month compared to your Virgin Mobile prices. That said, the Nokia 6650 is kind of nice "[chavez posted:"] It looks like you've answered your own question. If you just need a nudge, go for it. The N95-3 is rated for 3.5 hours of properly encoded video.
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Dec 10, 2008 20:07
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"[chavez posted:"]
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Dec 10, 2008 21:00
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Mostly I just want to make sure there's not some other phones out there I should know about in the same price range - seems like every time I buy a cell phone the next week I find something comparable I should've looked into. And I don't have a problem with getting a dedicated mobile video player, but on the other hand it's nice to have all my functionality in one spot instead of carrying a couple different devices.
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Dec 10, 2008 21:20
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I don't know anything about phones, and I really want to make a smart choice this time, and the budget I posted is what I've been told. Thanks in advance everyone. Truly  :: I like the E71 a lot, and the q9 looks ok too, but a little big... Can you buy those phones on a plan or only unlocked? Umph fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Dec 11, 2008 |
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Dec 11, 2008 05:47
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Dr Tran posted:In the long run, you'll pay less with 2 virgin mobile phones and separate accounts (unless Virgin Mobile has family plans) I got to say if you are looking at primarily movie/video, just get something like iPod Touch or Archos 5 series media player and call it a day. You can get any GSM cell phone and it will work with T-mobile. Personally, I like N95-4 better then N95-4, the slightly larger and flush screen is nice. That said, I returned it, couldn't take testing or web-browsing on the device. Camera was very nice and so was GPS functionality.
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Dec 11, 2008 07:13
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My dear old mum said she'd buy me a new phone for christmas since my current one is an old piece of poo poo. It'd be nice to know what phones I would prefer want so I could tell her, but I have no idea. I want a phone with like wireless network access and a nice browser/screen (the one I had before my current could run opera mini, that seemed nice) I was looking at the S60 phones, some of them were too expensive, but the N78 seemed alright. Then I found out they were sluggish and slow, and I can not stand that in a phone. The iPhone seems to be fast, but I'm not really an Apple fan and it's too expensive here, 4000 NOK ≈ 580 USD for an "unlocked" version (so I can use it with my current operator and not the overpriced iphone monopoly operator). Are there any other smartphones that I should check out?
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Dec 11, 2008 23:37
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Matlock, BRB posted:My dear old mum said she'd buy me a new phone for christmas since my current one is an old piece of poo poo. It'd be nice to know what phones I would prefer want so I could tell her, but I have no idea. I want a phone with like wireless network access and a nice browser/screen (the one I had before my current could run opera mini, that seemed nice) What's the G1 priced like for carriers in your area on NOK moon money ?
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Dec 12, 2008 04:50
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Steinbeck posted:What's the G1 priced like for carriers in your area on NOK moon money ? It's not sold here.
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Dec 12, 2008 08:14
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I have a Blackjack that I have had for 2 years and it has started to breakdown on me. Country/Provider: US/ AT&T Current contract status: I have been with AT&T for almost 10 years and have never had a problem with them. $49.99 1500 anytime minutes (I caught them while they had a sale and was able to keep it when I bought the Blackjack.) Budget:$200-$300. Plus I know I may be adding a data plan for the phone I am looking at. Features I know I want: My current life has put me cross country from the rest of my family ( i am in NY while my family is in CA.) We text eachother like crazy which was why I liked the Blackjack because the keyboard worked perfectly. I was looking at either a Blackberry or jumping the shark and getting an iPhone since I saw the 8G was within my range. I do use my phone for internet access if my computer is not available, but I do not use my phone for music and such. I do however take a lot of pictures with my phone that I end up sending. I guess what I am looking for is a phone that doesn't drop calls, has an easy to use keyboard, can take pictures and send them without ease. And internet access when I need it. Am I looking at either a Blackberry or iPhone or another phone all together?
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Dec 13, 2008 04:44
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voodoonoid posted:I have a Blackjack that I have had for 2 years and it has started to breakdown on me. I say you should read some online reviews and strongly consider the iPhone. It sounds like exactly what you're looking for and it's a loving great device.
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Dec 13, 2008 05:07
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voodoonoid posted:Budget:$200-$300. Plus I know I may be adding a data plan for the phone I am looking at. What are you looking to spend per month or per 2-year contract?
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Dec 13, 2008 16:30
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My family is upgrading their family plan, so we are looking at snagging some phones from AT&T while the upgrade discount applies. I'm really partial to both regular QWERTY smartphone (like the Blackjack II and the Moto Q9h) and slider phones (as long as they're hiding a full QWERTY keyboard in there). I couldn't care less about the quality of the camera, and I won't be using it to listen to music or watch videos. That said, I would like microSD support because people send me a lot of stuff (I think all smartphones phones pretty much support microSD now anyway, but I thought it was worth mentioning for the sake of being specific). I'm not super thrilled with touch screens, but I don't hate them so much that I couldn't be convinced. Good internet support is a plus, but my funds are a little tight right now so I probably won't be adding normal smartphone browser support to my plan right away. Mostly I just need something reliable with a quick, responsive interface. My personal favorite right now is the Blackjack II, but I haven't gotten to use one at length, and they've been around so long that I feel like there might be something better out there by now. Edit: Is the Palm Centro worth a drat? I know I said I wasn't thrilled about touch screens, but other than that it seems like a really good compromise between stuff I want vs. stuff I'll never use. RichterIX fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Dec 13, 2008 |
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Dec 13, 2008 20:11
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[img]http://img.waffleimages.com/e69753d420353473adaae3f3009e80a99504f00c/samsung-sgh-i780-gps-phone[1].jpg[/img] Does anyone here have the new Samsung Epix? I was playing around with it, and I liked the mouse doodad, and it's touchscreen with a stylus. The windows mobile 6.1 professional is getting pretty mixed reviews, but it's the best AT&T smartphone with wifi I've seen for under $200 with a contract. The blackjack 2 doesn't have wifi, and for some reason I'm avoiding blackberries. If you don't like the Epix, what smartphone would you recommend for AT&T under $200? I read that the  Nokia E71 might be coming to AT&T branded, anyone heard anything about a street date?
Umph fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Dec 14, 2008 |
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Dec 14, 2008 04:11
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voodoonoid posted:I have a Blackjack that I have had for 2 years and it has started to breakdown on me. Assuming your budget means 'after rebate price,' I'd recommend the Blackberry Bold or the HTC Fuze. If I remember correctly, the Fuze has the best camera available on AT&T-branded phones, and the keyboard is pretty decent. It's also a pretty powerful device with a huge development community. I've had the Bold for a couple weeks now and it's by far the best messaging device I've ever owned. The keyboard is a class above everything else, and the Blackberry OS is one of the fastest and most well-thought out OSes on the market.
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Dec 14, 2008 05:20
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Umph posted:and for some reason I'm avoiding blackberries. What up with this? Is it the extra monthly fee or? Just asking because they're drat solid all-around smartphones ('cept the Storm, but that's not what we're talking about). I find WinMo to be a gurgling abortion of an OS and would recommend pretty much any other smartphone OS instead. The E71 gets pretty high marks in the TCS threads for balance of usability and overall cost. If that ends up being an option on AT&T, that'd be the way to go if you hate blackberry that much.
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Dec 14, 2008 06:23
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RichterIX posted:My family is upgrading their family plan, so we are looking at snagging some phones from AT&T while the upgrade discount applies. The Centro has phenomenal review and user satisfaction ratings overall compared to the other phones you had mentioned. I think it'd be worth your while to give it a hands-on test drive and see how it suits you.
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Dec 14, 2008 06:26
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Steinbeck posted:What up with this? Is it the extra monthly fee or?
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Dec 14, 2008 07:18
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Umph posted:Yeah I guess, I don't even really understand the fee, but is it for the pleasure of using a blackberry? Also I like to have something different then other people, that Nokia really hits the spot. I've previously suggested staying the gently caress away from Windows Mobile QWERTY-bars because they're all running WM Standard which isn't a platform -- it's a failure. A lot of people use a Moto Q or a BlackJack or some poo poo for a month or two and go around declaring "grrr i h8 winmo it fuken sux" based on that experience which is a pretty big disservice to what the proper version of WM has become. 800w, Treo Pro, Epix, and another device that I'm blanking on the name of represent a new class of QWERTY-bars packing 320x320 touchscreens and WM Professional -- which is great news if you've been craving that form factor. A lot of the big deal applications for WM Pro have started adding compatibility for the 320x320 resolution which is nice. These things also run the poo poo out of Opera Mini and it looks even better than it did on the Titan/Mogul and Kaiser/Tilt (last generation's sliding HTC QWERTY-bricks). All that said, I think Epix requires you to pay AT&T's fucknose $30/month "keyboarded smartphone (or iPhone) tax" so I'd skip it for that reason. If you can buy an Epix from eBay, add the $15/month data plan on your own, and then put your SIM into the Epix to get around it then you're good to go -- but if that's not possible you're going to want to look elsewhere. Peep an unlocked Palm Treo Pro if you'd like to roll with WM Pro (since it's not an AT&T phone, it should work fine with the $15/month data plan), and stick with the Nokia E71 if neither of those options pan out. It's a great phone on a sturdy-as-gently caress chassis, but it runs S60 which works wonderfully "as a phone" but harshly limits your "cool nerdy smartphone flexibility" options. Good luck!
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Dec 14, 2008 10:38
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Steinbeck posted:The Centro has phenomenal review and user satisfaction ratings overall compared to the other phones you had mentioned. I think it'd be worth your while to give it a hands-on test drive and see how it suits you. Thanks a lot! I picked one up today and I love it. I just wish any of the Palm OS theme programs were free.
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Dec 14, 2008 18:51
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* Country/Provider: Canada * Current contract status: Virgin Pay-As-You-Go * Budget (phone/plan): money isn't a huge issue, I'll pay up to 60$ a month * Features I know I want: I'm looking for something I can run an IRC client on for business, as well as a decent screen for watching AVI/mp4 files as I'm on the road a lot. Email + Camera as well... do they make any decent 3.0+ MP camera phones yet that do what I'm looking for?
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Dec 14, 2008 19:42
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kalibar posted:
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Dec 14, 2008 21:34
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I'm on a family plan with AT&T which is a year into the 2 year contract. I want to be able to move myself over to Verizon along with porting my number over. Is this possible without hitting my family who's staying with AT&T with fees? EDIT: Nevermind, I finally got hold of someone and I do have to pay. Sorry! brokenreticent fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Dec 15, 2008 |
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Dec 15, 2008 00:51
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Umph posted:[timg]http://img.waffleimages.com/e69753d420353473adaae3f3009e80a99504f00c/samsung-sgh-i780-gps-phone[1].jpg[/timg] I had this before I got the iphone 3G. Great WM phone, usability wise. Awesome batter life as well, and it has almost everything. A couple of gripes are: a) Only 128 MB of ram (compared to 192-256 on the latest high-end WM phones) b) Smallish screen Other than that, its great, if you can tolerate windows mobile.
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Dec 15, 2008 01:47
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shodanjr_gr posted:a) Only 128 MB of ram (compared to 192-256 on the latest high-end WM phones)
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Dec 15, 2008 08:27
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I've had my K790a for way to long now so its time for an upgrade...please read the following and tell me what I should do! Current provider: At&t Wants: Nice responsive touch screen, simple UI, Decent camera, 3+ inch screen, easy to use onscreen keyboard or a nice slide out qwerty. Reliability (not always crashing) etc. US 3G 850/1900mhz, ability to install/use Opera Mobile or something at least comparable. Don't want: A piece of poo poo, something with ToughWiz UI, or something running just standard WM6 Today screen. Uses: Internet, Email (Both work and personal), texting (a lot), and normal calls for business and such. Things that don't really matter: MP3 playback or general multimedia. If I got an iphone obviously I would use that over my ipod, but I don't really have a need since I already have the ipod. Video playback would be minimal at best, maybe showing youtube to friends or a video every now and then when I fly around the country if I don't want to pull out my laptop. Phones: I like the iPhone, though I am not really a fan of phones that don't let you change simple things in the UI. I would like it a lot more if I didn't have to jailbreak it to change small things. I like being able to choose what I want to use or at least be given a decent solution otherwise. Lack of Flash and Java support is slightly annoying. I like the newest blackberry OS revision, it seems to have improved quite a bit over the previous one with shows up on older pearls or world edition BB's. The Storm is actually pretty awesome even though the clicking screen is slightly odd at first, problem here is I don't have VZW and don't really care to switch. So try and recommend me a phone based on this. Price doesn't really matter as long as its under 1000 dollars, unlocked. Right now I am torn between 4 phones... Sony Ericsson Xperia X1a, iPhone and BlackBerry Storm (need to switch:() and HTC Touch Pro, even though it has a smaller screen that I would like.
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Dec 15, 2008 16:00
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 18:08 |
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You've pretty much covered all available options, unless you want to hold out for the Nokia N97. I've heard a ton of complaints about the Storm, but otherwise your options are all good and it mostly depends on which one you like best.
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Dec 15, 2008 16:41
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