LarBrd33

I know this is such a horrible newb question, but up until recently I haven't really had much interest in getting a fancy phone. I was hoping maybe someone on here could point me in the right direction on making the leap. I apologize if any of this message makes you cringe. I admit I'm an ignorant, naive, lost soul in need of some guidance. Lol

I currently have some crappy LG phone from Verizon. I make phone calls with it, text (a lot)... and that's about it. I've had the phone for a couple years. Prior to that I had been with Cingular for years with some garbage nokia. The only reason I even switched to Verizon was because I saw someone using VZNav for turn-by-turn GPS directions and loved it. I'd say I use that GPS (I know it's weak compared to a true GPS like TomTom) about as much as I use the phone to make calls. I use VZNav all the time and definitely value turn-by-turn directions. But I pay $10 bucks a month for it and in total my bill from Verizon is over $100 bucks a month thanks to the data plan, unlimited texting, etc.

I recently started exploring the idea of getting a phone like the iphone. The main draw for me (as you might guess) is the web browser. It would be nice to be able to surf the web whenever and wherever. I like to keep up on sports scores and such...

So the main phones I've been trying to compare are AT&T's Iphone, Verizon's Blackberry Storm and T-Mobile's G1. They all seem to have drawbacks. Storm has no wi-fi. Neither the G1 or the IPhone seem to currently have any form of turn-by-turn directions although they both seem to have reports of possibly adding in the future a VZNav-like service (Telenav) for $10 bucks in the month. I read a few things that maybe the G1 would have the ability to download "the much better" TomTom onto the phone with a 1 time fee (instead of paying the subscription service for a VZNav/Telenav)...

I like the idea of being able to check my e-mail from a device.

I like the idea of being able to chat on AIM/Windows Live/Yahoo Chat from a device... my phone can do it, but you can imagine it sorta works like garbage.

I am sorta iffy on an all-touchscreen device. I seem to think a keypad would be missed.

So anyways... I was comparing the Storm, Iphone and G1 and suddenly went down a confusing rabbithole that is the HTC Kaiser, TyTN II, AT&T Tilt, AT&T 8925. I read a few things that seemed to suggest the Storm/G1/Iphone are all mass-marketed garbage and the AT&T Tilt might be a far superior device. Then I started wondering about the HTC Touch... Fuse... or whatever you call it.

Any pointers? I should mention that I'm actually relatively tech savvy. I read some of the drawbacks of getting a Tilt is that some people get confused with installing 3rd party software, flashing bios or whatever is required. I don't think that would be a problem for me. I just have never cared enough about cell phones to research this stuff and at this point all the misinformation has me a bit confused.

The majority of the "comparison" articles I have read online are frustrating. Stuff like, "Try as they might, the Storm and G1 are just playing catchup to the Iphone" without backing it up with anything substantial. I also don't really care for ITunes and buying music through Apple's site... I mean... I bought a Creative Zen Vision M as my mp3 player just so I didn't have to deal with the IPod's DRM, for example.

Any guidance would be appreciated :)


BTW... To Sum up what I think would be useful to me in a phone.
-Calling people (obviously)
-Unlimited Text Messaging for as Cheap as Possible (people constantly text me)
-The Best GPS turn-by-turn solution for least money
-True internet web browsing
-Maybe some games, but it's not really a priority
-E-mail/AIM/MSN Messaging/Yahoo Chat would all probably be used if I had a device that wasn't a pain to use for it.

I'm sure I could probably find other uses, but that's really all that pops out for me.

Kool Breeze

Hi LarBrd33,

If you are willing to change carriers, Sprint/Nextel has an excellent "Simply Everything Plan" right now for 100/mo which includes unlimited phone calls and unlimited data. The unlimited data plan also includes the Sprint Navigator which is based on TeleNav.

May I suggest a Blackberry Curve or Palm Treo with their QWERTY keyboards if you're going to be texting a lot. The Blackberry Storm has just been introduced and I've heard that it's got some issues that are typical of a brand new device. I've never used one, but I heard that the touch screen is difficult to type on and the rotating display gets confused sometimes. As for the iPhone, I would not buy one for serious web browsing or texting. If you want a phone that can be used as a great iPod, then go for it. But if you want a real business phone, then avoid it.

The Palm probably has more going for it in terms of 3rd party applications to customize your phone, but the Blackberry takes the prize for ease in synchronizing both your business and personal email accounts, calendars, contacts and task lists.

Hopefully I haven't just confused the issue even more. Good luck in your search for the perfect phone! And let us know what you end up getting!

Pedah

The touch pro on sprint, which is the AT& T Fuze

If you want WinMo

CodeBubba

LarBrd,

I am with Verizon myself and I just got a Moto-Q 9c a couple of weeks ago. Extremely easy to use with a great keyboard and screen. Judging from your list I think you would find this phone will fill the bill very well. It's running WM6.1 and is great for text-messaging, e-mail and web browsing (as much as any pocket device is good for web browsing). The web/e-mail with unlimited data use is only $29.99 which is pretty reasonable if you use it a lot.

Like you, I wasn't into "fancy" phones but got the gadget itch a couple weeks ago. I text a lot with the wife and kids and the RAZR keyboard was just kind of slow.

I don't think you'd be disappointed with the 9c. I added SBSH Facade and PI8 to it and it's a pretty formidable device. You can still use VZ Navigator on this one if you want to as well as anything else you could install to a WM machine. Sweet little box, this.

It does not replace my full-blown PPC (hx2495) but it does complement it very nicely. The keyboard is REALLY easy to use and the screen is gorgeous to look at. Even with small text it's easily readable to aging eyes.

The phone reception and clarity of the calls is excellent. I'd say it works at-least as well as the RAZR (if not better) in that regard. It really is a sweet device.

Go get one, you'll like it.

-CB :D