Which smartphone?

So I figure this place is full of techno-geeks (God bless us!), and while I may be guilty as charged myself my knowledge of smartphones is sorely lacking. The main thing I know is that I want one! But which should I buy?

 

iPhone? Link? Rumour? Xenon? Neon? Keybo? Palm Pre? Rival? Slyde? Storm? Tour? So many choices!

 

Lots of different service providers too - Any big thumbs up (or horror stories) about Virgin Mobile, Fido, Telus, Rogers, Bell or Koodo?

 

I suppose it matters what exactly I want the thing to do I'd use it mainly for surfing and probably playing some games... A few phone calls (almost all local), maybe a text or two (or maybe not). I'll be mainly checking emails, chatting on web forums like this, checking out my fantasy team's performance on the weekend, and so forth. I'll take the odd picture or little video of someone's curling slide, no big expectations. And I like affordable subscription rates! (And flexible contracts!)

 

Also interested in GPS/street directions functionality, mostly for the coolness factor to be honest. How does that work anyway? Extra service for a monthly subscription? (Whether for phones or for a Garmin dashboard unit)

 

Your thoughts are appreciated!

Edited September 8, 2009 by Fatherpeteus

i love the iphone which i currently have the only thing that kinda pisses me off about it is texting/typing on it is slightly annoying but other than that i love it... games are super fun plus all the app's holy ba-jesus (recomend getting igun)

 

this is why i recomend igun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=audWg1VQ_94

 

my friend jimmy has a palm-pre... now thats a web surfing phone you can open multiple web pages in stuff and it has a full keyboard... down side is sprint... ick

 

 

i also hear all the crackberries are good as well

 

iPhone.

Iphone.

 

Blackberries are nice, too, but I think for what you want, Iphone would be best.

 

I think BB does better for a business man at the moment, though.

BB is better in a big enterprise environment because IT can use blackberry enterprise servers to manage mobile device policies. But iPhones can still sync with exchange and remote wipe.

Lots of different service providers too - Any big thumbs up (or horror stories) about Virgin Mobile, Fido, Telus, Rogers, Bell or Koodo?

 

Ugh, Telus was one big screw up after another for me. Whether it was having services randomly show up on my bill, or my service randomly cutting out for days, I would not recommend Telus, at all.

 

I just recently (3 weeks) got an iPhone and I love it. Rogers is the only provider for iPhones in Canada, or Fido, but again that's just Rogers anyway. I haven't experienced any problems with their services.

 

Also interested in GPS/street directions functionality, mostly for the coolness factor to be honest. How does that work anyway? Extra service for a monthly subscription? (Whether for phones or for a Garmin dashboard unit)

 

The GPS functionality on the iPhone, at least on the app that the phone comes with, I would call adequate at best. Maybe its just a lack of coverage where I live, but it seems to only seamlessly track my location in and around Toronto and the GTA.

 

Hope that helps.

Good stuff so far! Bang... I have tears running down my face right now

Well I use Bell as my providor so I cant get the Iphone but the blackberry Storm is a very sexii alternative <3

I dunno about canada, but i think t-mobile has the most affordable unlmited data plan, only 400 mins though. i shopped around, sprint, verizon, and at&t's data plan with minutes were all more expensive.

 

I use a BB, and it's nice, the PC desktop manager allows me to backup everything and easily transfer things on it and off it, has expandable microSD slot also. BB's are no where near as saturated with apps as iphone's are.

 

I want a mytouch 3g from t-mobile though, or the new BB curve. A few reasons i don't want/can't get an iPhone, is it would be too expensive for me to switch carriers right now, the phone is expensive, and if you drop your iphone it will probably break, and that scares me. also i love a physical keyboard.

 

i heard the GPS functionality on the iphone drains the battery life really fast so buy a car charger.

 

the palm pre from sprint is also good. browse around engadget mobile, it's full of information http://www.engadgetmobile.com/

Edited September 8, 2009 by Erlin

.. I need that iGun >.>

I have personally seen an iPhone that fell from about desk height to thin carpet. The screen had a pretty marbled affect after that (think a car side window but all the glass stayed together after a shatter). I have to agree about the advantages of a real keyboard as well. I have had to work on a few iPhones and fat fingering is a very common experience for me.

 

I have T-Mobile right now and the nice thing about that is if you have them long enough they offer you a loyalty plan. Unlimited calling for only $49 a month plus $39 a month for each additional line.

I've dropped my iphone once and it landed on a corner, from table top to stone tile. The corner is scuffed, but I really thought it was a goner. I have some dust under my screen but from what I read they are easy to open the front and use canned air to clean. They are fragile, but the glass hasn't scratched yet.

Well I use Bell as my providor so I cant get the Iphone but the blackberry Storm is a very sexii alternative

 

I have yet to talk to a single person that owns a Storm that doesn't absolutely hate it. The second generation one I hear is supposed to be better, but the one out now really is terrible. >.>

anything with a resistive touchscreen is garbage.

I have yet to talk to a single person that owns a Storm that doesn't absolutely hate it. The second generation one I hear is supposed to be better, but the one out now really is terrible. >.>

 

*Raises Hand*

 

I have a Storm, and I've actually been quite pleased with it. It serves my purposes well, and I've yet to have any problems out of it. The only slightly drawback, from my perspective, was getting used to the touch screen - as it's much different than the one on my LG Voyager was prior.

 

All in all, I have no complaints. In addition, I think the VZ Navigator is one of the better Navigation options among the cellular providers. My recommendation would be to go play with the Storm for a good while in the store before making a decision. It certainly isn't for everyone, and there is absolutely a ton of negative feedback from some people. Regardless of what phone you buy, try before you buy. I'd imagine that different phones and their functions feel differently to everyone.

iPhone probably has everything you want, AND it has the wowarmory app. it's awesome. my friend is 6'5 and like 300+ lbs big ass bear paws for hands, he does just fine texting on his iphone. I am a HUGE fan of keyboard phones, but i think i could deal with the iphone.

 

just get a rubber "skin" for it. a thicker one, ive dropped it a ton of times and that rubber shell thing RULES. I like rogers too. When i go to canada, my phone roames on rogers and its always been good.

 

oh and the new iphone 3gs or whatever, has the oil resistant screen. it really works. it's crazy how it doesnt pick up smudges like most other touch screens ive used.

Edited September 10, 2009 by Killerpriest

Well I use Bell as my providor so I cant get the Iphone but the blackberry Storm is a very sexii alternative <3

 

Yeah, It sucks. My dad works for Bell and gets a 35% discount on everything and since they don't provide service for the iphones, It just blows. :/

 

.. I need that iGun >.>

 

Yep, Same here >.>

Where did they find that dude for the iGun video? Saying the word N***A doesn't make you gangsta... holding the phone sideways when you shoot does.

 

 

/sidewaysin e'ryday

I hate white people.

Oil resistant screen sounds like a good upgrade!

 

Hmm - I need more friends (handy) with various smartphones I can try! I can only think of a couple, and they have blackberry's - no iPhones or Palm Pre's. I suppose I could go in to the store and try them out...

 

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I wonder, those who have smartphones and use them to surf, do you find a 500Mb/month cap restrictive? (Or what do you have/use up on your plan, if you know?) I burn through hundreds of times that on my desktop, but I certainly don't plan to download any movies or play WoW on the phone. It's hard to tell how much bandwidth browsing websites, forum chatting and IM use, compared to intensive stuff like downloading patches or movies. Well, until you see it on your bill I guess!

Edited September 12, 2009 by Fatherpeteus

I work for Rogers, loving my 50% discount;) Sorry about your luck with Bell, lol

 

To tell you the truth, in the US, iPhone may be leaving AT&Ts exclusive deal and being sold through the other GSM/3G providers in the US. Bell and Telus are beginning to piggyback Rogers' 3G network (which is causing massive capacity issues (damn you CRTC) so you never know, Bell and/or Telus may grab the iPhone when they go GSM in 2010-2011.

 

Rogers is beginning to build the 4G network in Vancouver and Victoria (in time for the 2010 Olympics hopefully) BUT here is where my point lies

 

I work for iPhone Tech for Rogers, rumor has it that the iPhone 4th gen (iPhone 4G) should be released August 2010. Wait til then for an iPhone as it will have more RAM, more vRAM, and will probably be 32gb and 64gb models... Two other phones that seem to be doing pretty good are the HTC Dream and HTC Magic all done up all nice and pretty by Google. Free Google GPS type dealies, etc etc... If you wanna know anything fun about cells without being lied by Customer Service people who only care about selling, reply to this thread or PM me...

 

BTW, try NOT to go with Bell and Telus for a while as they are planning to go GSM and your pretty Blackberry may be obsolete when they do as they go through different frequencies and they may not have much knowledge on how SIM cards work and stuff..

 

PS. Trenton, I have a 73 Shammy and the wife has a 73 Shadow Priest Hordeside now, any guilds you know that would accept new 80s (80s soon enough).

PS. Trenton, I have a 73 Shammy and the wife has a 73 Shadow Priest Hordeside now, any guilds you know that would accept new 80s (80s soon enough).

 

Not really sure, Power. Although I could get you an invite to Psychaotic as a friend if you wanted. With that being said, Maybe if we were down a couple people one night due to something, It's would be a possibility to get in.

Am pretty sure that in the near future (August 2010) that Verizon in the states will be picking up the Iphone. Am not sure about any other companies in the states that will be or not. Not sure if they are gonna sign any other exclusive deals or not. Father from what I can tell man do your shopping around try out as many as you can and take EXTREME advantage of return policies. Know Verizon will pay for everything (Activation (within 3 days), and will even cover your phoen usage in 30 days.) SO try em out but find out exactly how long you have to return them without it costing you anything. I work in Cell Phones sales and I have sold a lot of Iphones and to everyone that I have sold one to has loved it and come back for more. The only Blackberry models that I have had any good luck with have been the Curve models, the few of those that I have sold people have been happy with. All I can really say is try em out find the one that will fit you the best and GL on the search man. S

Edited September 12, 2009 by Shean

Thanks Powerstripe! Yeah, a good buddy of mine is a manager for Rogers here in Kingston (I'm not telling him that I'm in the marget until I know what I'm buying - lol)

 

So, subscription-type question: If I buy an iPhone now, it seems like they demand a 3-yr contract... So when the iPhone 4G comes out next year and I want to upgrade, would I end up having to pay the full $500 or whatever for the phone? I assume the same voice/data package would work with it, but I guess I wouldn't be getting a "with a new suscription" price (unless my buddy could work something out for me from the inside?)

 

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Shean - That's a really good call on the "test drive" idea!

Edited September 12, 2009 by Fatherpeteus

Well, Rogers made exceptions and allowed people who just bought the iPhone 3G to buy the iPhone 3Gs. Depending on when the bought the phone, some got the iPhone 3Gs for free if the bought the 3G withing a few months before.

 

Right Now (Prices):

8GB Black- $99

16GB Black/White iPhone 3Gs- $199

32GB Black/White iPhone 3Gs- $299

 

The 3-year contract ensures you don't pay the $750 Apple asks for a new phone. Until then end of September, there is a 6GB dataplan for the same price of a 1GB dataplan. If you have a buddy in sales, you is to your advantage.