mobile phone advice

[flat6buster]

Hoping someone whizzo at this techie stuff can give me some advice.

Looking to upgrade my old mobile phone (a smartphone running windows mobile) and can't get my head around whether i should go for an iphone, blackberry, android (samsung galaxy) or something else.

Main criteria (apart from good reception) is a great email client that will enable me to handle multiple email accounts. I think I like the sound of push email because now that airtime includes unlimited internet within reason I am guessing I don't need to worry too much about downloading the rubbish emails we all get.

I then will want to surf t'interweb so a good screen is helpful (helps if I can read without my glasses!).

Then (finally) I have tomtom on my current phone so it'd be nice to have something compatible with this excellent sat nav (although not essential as I can keep the old one in the car for sat nav only duties).

I'd love to hear from any blackberry/android/iphone fans who might point me in the right direction.

Cheers.

 

[Sp!ke]

I think its a personal thing. All three choices will do what you want but each one has its own benefits and pitfalls.

The blackberry is primarily a corporate email tool, great battery life for a smartphone, great at email, not so good at browsing and silly games etc.

The iPhone has a great interface, has a beautiful screen but is let down by chronic battery life, cost and its fragility. (you can insure a small car for less per month than you can an iPhone)

Android devices are catching up with the iPhone but imho they aren't quite there yet. Better battery life, great screen but even with the latest 2.2 firmware I find them still a bit glitchy and buggy.

 

[Ted]

Iphone
multiple e-mail
excellent screen
tomtom satnav
excellent pocketgpsworld camera alert app
skobbler satnav if you're a cheapskate like me

downside - you WILL only get around one day on the battery if you use it a lot.

Edit - just read Spikes post
"I think its a personal thing."

That really does sum it up.

 

[SpikeUK]

Sp!ke's summary is correct - in a nutshell.

 

[Rory]

Looking to upgrade my old mobile phone (a smartphone running windows mobile) and can't get my head around whether i should go for an iphone, blackberry, android (samsung galaxy) or something else.

I'm in exactly the same position. Have a Palm Treo Pro at the moment.

I had been thinking I might as well just get an iPhone4 - if nothing else, I can say I've done it, and then perhaps move on.

But the most important thing to me is good call quality and I'm unnerved by the issues with iPhone4. I know some people say its all hype, but they vary a lot - I know people who got them and they're all but unusable.

 

[flat6buster]

trouble is I don't know that one can get a 'test drive'...makes an 18 month commitment difficult. Before I've just bought the phone but times are a bit harder at the mo and I can live without spending £500 on a phone so my choice means I'm stuck with it for 18 months....don't want to goof and get a duffer!

 

[Peter DLM]

I have an iPhone 4, and yes it did drop calls if you touched it inappropriately, but since it has been wearing its case I've not had any problems.

I can get two days use of it as well with average use, and 3 days of just phone calls only.

Screen is amazingly good as well, the best there is.

Apple will instantly give you a new phone if there are any hardware problems as well.

 

[A210AMG]

I'm probably changing my Nokia E71 very soon for a iPhone 4.

I keep picking up my wifes Iphone 3Gs and its great

Insurance wise, both ours are insured under gadget cover with our bank account (for a monthly fee) but we get a lot of other stuff we use also.

As I see it No one NEEDS an iphone but a lot of people want one, they are very good at making nice to hold / feel / touch items...

 

[fast_eddie]

Hi,

give some thought to the HTC HD2 - I got this some months back after many years Nokia-ing, and a brief but happy foray to the Samsung Omnia i8910. I had some XTC phones briefly in the past, but was not convinced until the HD2.

I also have an iPhone 3G for work, and to be honest prefer the HD2. Using HTC's Sense interface, it is hard to tell that it's Windows Mobile underneath, and using a custom ROM like Artemis (have a look at the device-relevant page on www.xda-developers.com for non-factory firmware) it gives good battery life as well.

To my mind, and for my usage pattern, the only significant superiority of the iPhone is the ease of use of the App Store.

Regards,
Eddie.

 

[ringway]

Probably a little old hat now but the Samsung Omnia i8910 (we have two) is a useful tool.

Camera is 8mp and very good.
I use it for web browsing and it is on the whole very good.
Not as user-friendly as a Nokia but after time is easily navigable.

I used my mobile phone service provider for insurance for the first time with the i8910, but cancelled when checking with my home insurance provider MORE TH>N. All the mobile phones in the household are covered free of charge. :bannana:

 

[GMW]

Iphone 4

I prefer the Iphone. I just bought the Iphone 4 and haven't had the dropped call problem yet though I can see the bars going down if you hold it in that specific way.

Coming from the original Iphone from 3 years ago, I must say the Iphone 4 is superior in every way!

1) The screen is the best I've ever seen on any device. The day TV's have a screen that detailed will be the day we move to Super HD! Surfing the internet is easy and you can read more without even zooming in on things. It's basically the HD screen of the mobile world you almost feel you can reach into the screen and touch the icons.
2) The battery life is better and the wi-fi is much better. I can now pick up my home wi-fi network anywhere in the house and outside it too. The downloading speeds are much quicker than before and the general operations are much faster too.
3) Then there is Facetime. All you need is a wi-fi connection to have a video conversation with someone else who also has an Iphone 4 and a wi-fi connection. Think business trip and keeping in touch with your family etc for free! and with video!! However, you initially have to first make a phone call to that person to set up the facetime link. This ONLY has to be done the very first time. So if you are linking to your wife just do it at home before you go anywhere then after that all you both need is a wi-fi connection, regardless of where you are in the world. No phone charges! I recently had a video call with a friend on another continent and it was quite amazing to say the least. We could switch camera's front or back on the fly, so that I could get a look at his surroundings and greet his family. That has spurred me to buy my wife an iphone 4 too. That said, all you single bachelors are going to have a lot of fun with this and your Iphone 4 equipped girlfriends!
4) Then these is the usual benifits of having an iphone connected to your newer model MB. Audio, video (with Media interface and MB video cable - ask your parts guy).
5) Bought a business card scanner app on the Apple App stpre so now all my business cards are kept in a nice virtual folder arranged alphabetically and all the contacts are scanned and saved direct to my contacts list.
6) The camera is much better. Very good and sufficient for a phone because beyond this I would take the proper digital camera out. It works much better in low light and the flash is quite good too.
7) There are tons of apps to choose from to suit your tastes or requirements for leisure or work.
8) I believe you can set up various e-mails though I have not tried that as I only use my gmail on it. I try to leave work e-mail at work with only a few key contacts having my gmail address too.
9) I have a GPS satnav app to create my own tracks but there are numerous big name providers on there. You would just have to do a bit or researching on which is best for you.

Sorry for the lengthy write up but this product does what I need it to do very well. However, at the end of the day it all depends on what you want out of your phone. I know a few people who only want a phone to make calls so they bought something else. To each, his/her own.

 

[Pappilo]

I say go for an Android powered phone if you are switching over from WM. I am also planning to switch from the WM platform after 5 years but I am waiting for an Android device with a 5 row hardware keyboard.

 

[englishdas]

HTC Desire would be my humble recommendation. I have the HTC Wildfire, my other half has the Desire. Basically the same phone but the Wildfire has a sligtly smaller display and the screen res is slightly lower, but it's still brilliant and when I compared it to the Iphone, the HTC hammered it. all for 20 quid a month? No contast. The Aps are great, and on the Desire the latest version of Andoid works fantastically. And you don't get the irritation of having to make everything you own Apple-Compatible. I'm not saying it's the Best phone in the world because we own one. We own one because it appears to be the best phone in the world.

I suppose it comes down to those moments when you go "why wont it do this-or-that?" but unlike a few of my mates who run iphones, that's not happened with th HTCs, months after purchase and totally niggle free. And I'm no longer technically minded like kids these days, it's just that it does all the thinking for me.

I really think it should be a make to consider. Hope this helps, even though sometimes more choice just makes your head hurt

 

[Rory]

And you don't get the irritation of having to make everything you own Apple-Compatible.

I did wonder about that - I have no interest in Apple or iTunes etc and I did wonder if that rendered the iPhone somewhat pointless, and possibly awkward even, for me.

 

[Big Dan]

HTC all the way.

 

[mbenz76]

I have always been a Nokia person (since my first mobile in the mid-90's).

I made one transgression and went to a Windows Mobile powered HTC device a few years ago which I stopped using after a couple of months because it was crappy.

Got myself an iPhone 4 when they came out (never liked the look or spec of the earlier iPhones) and have to say I am VERY impressed. Can't see myself with anything but iPhone going forward now.

There are so many different phones out now though that if you are not certain on a particular one, you need to go and play on a few and see which you like and which suit your needs the most.