Shopping for a Smart Phone
Shopping for a Smart Phone
Over the last week I've been looking at upgrading my old Razr flip phone to a Smartphone. I need a phone that can connect to the internet so I can check email, Xomba and other websites.
My main need, or want, is to be able to surf the internet fast and effectively. A QWERTY keyboard is also a concern and something that has a little speed.
I use T-Mobile and do not have any intention of using any other service. T-Mobile works the best in Jacksonville. AT&T is horrible and Verizon is ok.
So, I carried myself to a T-mobile store and talked to an associate.
Please understand I am NOT a cellphone geek. I've never owned a pocket pc or a PDA. I think cameras on cellphones are a waste of money since I already own a much better digital camera. I just want to talk on my phone and surf the internet.
Yes, there are more than a few types of geeks as alluded to here in Brian's article. I'm the owner of Xomba, an internet website, therefore I am an internet geek. I don't think cellphones make you look cool nor do I think the Iphone is more than fancy marketing ploy on an already available phone.
Anyhow, little did I realize that I should have hired a consultant to purchase my phone for me.
There are so many choices out there I instantly got a headache. The T-mobile associate was great. She showed me a new upgraded plan that would do everything I wanted. She also narrowed down my smartphone choices to the Blackberry Curve and the T-mobile Dash.
My understanding of the differences are;
Camera quality -don't care
OS - Windows vs. Blackberry
Tracking ball
That's really about it. The reviews show the advantage going to Curve.
Sounds good right?
Well then I go home and look up unlocked phones.
Ahh, now I could get a pocket pc with phone features, but for hundreds of dollars. Actually, $1000 for some.
Yikes, this just got even more complicated.
So now I'm leaning toward the Curve, but also taking into account all the other devices as well.
If you are a mobile geek you need to start your own business in consulting. I would have easily paid $60 for someone to help me through this. I figure that's about 2 hours.
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By the way
2 things
1. I'm open for advice.
2. Cnet and Endgadget do a fair job of reviewing phones.
However, if you have publishing experience for this sort of thing we'd be interested in making you a featured writer.
Contact us and let us know.
Smart People Don't Need Smart Phone
That's right. I think what you need is a phone with GPRS and a big enough screen to display all three frames of Xomba. I am using Sony and all the three frames come in line one after the other. Big pain, scrolling down.
As for typing i think the most you need to type is three alphabets (Bravo, Alpha, November) and things would get sorted out. Forget qwerty.
These days most GSM Phones with GPRS will match the requirement but the speed sure does depend on the provider's capacity. Can't call the phone un-smart for that. 802.11 still needs more effort.
smartphone decision
Thanks for the input, Taprial.
I prefer Qwerty personally.
Xomba is not made for mobile right now.
The CSS code does not transfer well.
I think Opera does translate it. Iphones might display it correctly.
Any idea for a pocket pc with phone capabilities?
What kind of Sony?
Nokia
Nick i am using a Nokia N- 95 ( an upgrade from a samsung flip) and had a blast using Xomba while on a holiday in Goa. Didn't have the need to look up for a PC. Read the review here
http://www.xomba.com/the_nokia_n95_cell_phone_a_review
The Phone cost me about $500, and is very good. I access all my e-mail and can also keep in touch with my postings on Xomba. However, my usage is limited only because I have a prepaid connection, Maybe I could do a lot more if I had a post paid connection! This also has the GPRS feature and maps etc which is really cool! But the keypad is standard.
Nokia E - 71, on the other hand, has a qwerty pad and features similar to the N - 95. The camera is incidental and anyway a good one. This will be a little more expensive, probably close to $1000. Check it out...
check it out here
http://www.xomba.com/nokia_e71_cell_phone_features
Dumb phone
At the moment I'm using a a pretty dumb phone... a $20 phone that I use on Virgin Mobile, a prepaid phone deal. No camera, very primitive Web browsing, etc. I'd like to get something that's a bit 'smarter' so that I can do Web surfing, etc., if it can be done without costing a lot.
I'll be interested to see what other xombies offer here as advice...
smartphone - nokia
The Nokia N95 sounds awesome, but I really want a QWERTY keyboard.
Plus, it is a little expensive.
The E71 sounds perfect, but $1,000 is a bit much for me to spend on something like that.
I loved the N95 review you wrote by the way. Perfect timing.
Anyone else have any other ideas. I can get the blackberry curve for like $150 right now.
Bought the blackberry curve
Went with the blackberry curve.
It's like I went from 2001 to 2008 in a matter of hours.
Congratulations.....!
The Cell phone costs seem higher in India than what they must be there!
Is it the curve 8310? That costs equivalent of $580 here in India.
Just think about..
Sometimes we use cell phones when we don't really need!
8320 tmobile
$150 :)
I love it.
Wow.... That looks Cool.
And great price too! Wish I had thought of it before. But the price is a little vague here in India. Says $249 or thereabouts. Still, seems cheaper than the Nokia that I bought, and soooo much better ;-((( Wahhh!
Congrats again!!
Smart Phones
Still catching up on some older posts on here. Sorry I wasn't around when you needed help, but you made a good choice. I've used or have owned or bought for my kids several different models. I just helped a buddy of mine upgrade to a smart phone from a standard old Nokia that was about 3 years old to an HTC Touch model. He was amazed.
the black berry
Yeah, I love the phone.
Does what it needs to.