smartphones in the US

[Guest JesusDoesVegas]

I know this forum is run from somewhere in that dark and mysterious place called "yourope" where people talk strange and wear funny hats (so ive heard). But it seems as though the market for smartphones is nonexistant here in the US. I see lots of business types walking around with blackberrys wearing goofy suits and acting important, but that seems to be as far as it goes here. The only smartphone i was able to find was the audiovox smt 5600 (c500) wich i like, however I would like a phone that has better capability. I cant find any stores or websites for that matter that sell the higher class models (like the c550 or c600).

I hear alot of talk about Orange. Are they an all smartphone provider? Is there any reason the smartphone market is so small here? just wondering.

edit - adding the obligitory "DONT MESS WITH TEXAS".

Edited January 16, 2006 by JesusDoesVegas

[Guest fuku]

lol i hear they talk funny in texas and its europe.....

[Guest ricardo the fish]

Howdy,

although I know nothing of the US phone market, I can suggest you look at the American Expansys site for smartphones here's a link

http://www.expansys-usa.com/

Also Orange is network provider, just like T-mobile, Vodafone, cingular etc..

I'm sure theres plenty of Modaco members from your side of the pond who are better placed to point you towards a provider / shop(or website) that will you suit you.

[Guest nickcornaglia]

I dont know why the US is slow to adopt MS phones in the mainstream. But they are there if you look for them...just not as broadcast is does Orange in the UK.

Verizon:

Samsung i600 (Smartphone)

Audiovox Thera (PPC w/phone capabilities)

Samsung i700 (PPC-Phone Edition)

Samsung i730 (PPC Phone Edition)

Treo 700w (PPC)

AT&T/Cingular:

MPx200 (Smartphone)

MPx220 (Smartphone)

Audiovox 4100 (PPC-Phone Edition)

Audiovox SMT-5600 (Smartphone)

Cingular 2125 (Smartphone)

HP Ipaq 6500 (PPC-Phone Edition)

Siemens 6600 (PPC-Phone Edition)

Sprint:

Samsung i600 (Smartphone)

....various PPC Phones

Nextel:

Motorola i930 (Smartphone)

There may be some that I'm missing and some that are out-dated and are no longer offered. Point is, they are there....but just now becoming put out to the forefront in offerings.

I think the Treo 700w will change that. Businesses will need to know that Verizon is not the only one offering these phones, and the carriers are sure to show it.

[Guest JesusDoesVegas]

could the reasoning be that the European market has taken to mobile phone technology more than America has? I dont know if this is true, but ive heard that some European countrys have done away with land lines because cellular phones are more cost effective. (i dont know if thats true, Ive never gone further outside the US than Canada)

While shopping for a new phone I tried to find smartphones in the stores and clerks looked at me like i was a madman when i said there were other devices than blackberrys. I checked ebay, and the audiovox smt 5600 was the one of the very few that was consistantly offered.

[Guest Whitster]

I dont know if this is true, but ive heard that some European countrys have done away with land lines because cellular phones are more cost effective.  (i dont know if thats true, Ive never gone further outside the US than Canada)

I'm not sure about that. But I know that mobile phones are becoming quite popular in some Eastern European countries were a country wide residential phone line service has not been installed.

[Guest JBW]

It looks like smart phones are actually slowly picking up adoption. The previously mentioned treo 700w is coming out first in the US. The cingular 2125 is a rather nice successor to the typhon (its the tornado hardware minus the wifi, which is no real loss because the tornado wifi blows). Sprint has the Apache, which is like the wizard, but CDMA and a decent processor.

Speaking of the tornado, Tmobile is taking preorders for it now, as it is for the Wizard (sorry, I don't know the model names tmobile is releasing them as off the top of my head).

Oh, and motorola just announced that the Q would be out first in America, and perhaps never in Europe. I have some reservations about this device since Motorla is pretty much reknown for making crap hardware, but a lot of people seem excited about it.

~ JBW

[Guest xiaosen]

The main problem with the US and Canadian market (I'm from Canada), is that you can basically only purchase phones from providers. I'm currently living in China, and I have to say it's pretty nice to be able to buy mobile phones just about anywhere, and use them on any network you like. Mobile phones are also pretty cheap here. It helps that China is located close to Korea and Europe, so that the market only lags behind a few months.

In Canada, if your provider doesn't get the phone you want, you're basically screwed, unless you want to pay high prices for a phone shipped from overseas. Over here in China, providers also sell mobile phones, but unlocked phones are common, cheap and easy to come by. When I head back to Canada, I'll definitely be taking my mobile phone back with me, and I'm sure the guys at Rogers will wonder where the hell I got it from when I go to purchase a plan.

[Guest Socrates]

only smartphone i was able to find was the audiovox smt 5600 (c500) wich i like, however I would like a phone that has better capability.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which better capability are you looking for exactly?

[Guest larsdennert]

I've had an i600 for about two years here in LA. All the cell providers are now charging a fortune for data/internet. Many non-smartphones now sync with outlook too. It's making my smartphone obselete. The newer ones have wifi and BT which is nice.

[Guest JesusDoesVegas]

Which better capability are you looking for exactly?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wouldnt mind a C550 type phone. QVGA and the ability to have multiple keypresses (so i can properly appreciate paralax's emus)

[Guest BikerPower]

There are companies that offer unlocked smart phones internationally, even phones that are European version or international

[Guest wbremner]

I know this forum is run from somewhere in that dark and mysterious place called "yourope" where people talk strange and wear funny hats (so ive heard).  But it seems as though the market for smartphones is nonexistant here in the US.  I see lots of business types walking around with blackberrys wearing goofy suits and acting important, but that seems to be as far as it goes here.  The only smartphone i was able to find was the audiovox smt 5600 (c500) wich i like, however I would like a phone that has better capability.  I cant find any stores or websites for that matter that sell the higher class models (like the c550 or c600).

I hear alot of talk about Orange.  Are they an all smartphone provider?  Is there any reason the smartphone market is so small here?  just wondering.

edit - adding the obligitory "DONT MESS WITH TEXAS".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As you probably know by now (but I will post anyway!), a number of the US phone companiues have released Windows Mobile smartphones. I have just purchased a TMobile SDA with unlimited data plan, which includes TMobile HotSpots. The SDA supports GPRS (EDGE) and WI-FI, the latter being very useful when I am in a Starbucks - it automaticaaly logs into my account!

So far, thumbs up for this device.

Cingular has also released an upgraded version of the Audiovox SMT-500 to support Windows Mobile 5, EDGE, etc.

Both TMobile and Cingular support GSM. The other two provider, Sprint and Verizon, have a number of Pocket PC phones available, but these are mostly PDA devices, not Smartphones.

Hope that helps!

[Guest mym786]

Wait for few more months or less and you will find the best phone ever released "

[Guest nickcornaglia]

dont keep us in suspense....which one?