Smartphone flip phone?

[Guest stevem999]

Well it's been a while! I've been loving/hating/drowning/stamping on/kinda loving again my MPX220 for the last 18 months on a UK Voda contract but that's about to end so I want a new phone.

My phone is carried around in my pocket with all the other junk so a flip phone has always been top of the list (don't want a case if I can help it) but I don't see much in the Smartphone market out there for the taking?

I really like the Microsoft stuff, both smartphone and PPC and would like to stick with it if I can but the new breed of Nokia's is calling (feel free to spit) - help me stay away from the dark side with some ideas? Sad as it may be, one of my real wants in a phone is to still have a proper keypad so I can flip the phone open and text away. Most of the new stuff seems to be touchscreen? Maybe they have a 'virtual' keypad you can use instead but it would still mean a big old screen for me to wreck!

Maybe there's nothing on Voda anyway, but can always move network if I can take my number.

Any ideas on what I can go for or a quick update on the Smartphone/PPC phone scene?

Cheers

[Guest Gorskar]

Any ideas on what I can go for or a quick update on the Smartphone/PPC phone scene?

Cheers

The Qtek 8500 / imate SmartFlip / HTC StrTRK is amongst the best (only?) current WM5 flip-phones on sale.

You can get it sim free for £200 from expansys - less if you take out a Voda or 02 contract with it.

See http://www.expansys.com/b.aspx?i=131162

[Guest Twisticles]

The Qtek 8500 / imate SmartFlip / HTC StrTRK is amongst the best (only?) current WM5 flip-phones on sale.

You can get it sim free for £200 from expansys - less if you take out a Voda or 02 contract with it.

See http://www.expansys.com/b.aspx?i=131162

I got it free, bundled with a 1Gb transflash card and V3 bluetooth heaset from expansys a couple of weeks ago, alongside an O2 contract.

Once I realised I didn't need/use all the features of the MDA compact, I just want to carry all my outlook contacts and calendar ON A GOOD PHONE, the 8500 does the trick very nicely. Its neat too.

[Guest]

yeah the startrk is a great phone. Only thing I'd knock it on is the poor battery life, although there should be an extended battery available soon (all be it at the cost of adding some thickness to the bottom half)

very nice phone though, highly recommend it!

[Guest genaldar]

If you're getting the 8500 you may want to try and get an unlocked cingular version. It has twice the ram and comes with the bigger battery.

[Guest stevem999]

If you're getting the 8500 you may want to try and get an unlocked cingular version. It has twice the ram and comes with the bigger battery.

Thanks for the idea but I'm in the UK!

Thanks also to the other posters - it's a really nice phone and I think the sentiment about not needing all the features of the MDA etc kind of rings true with me. I use my MPX220 for Outlook synching on the whole but with the ability to do other stuff as well if I want to. However other than Expansys it doesn't seem to be available with any sort of contract in the UK which is a bit of a shame. The smartphones just won't catch on with the networks will they?

By the way, just how bad is the battery life? My MPX220 was known for this and can manage a couple of days if I don't use it much - is it the same?

Edited November 21, 2006 by stevem999

[Guest simon211175]

My battery lasts in excess of 4 days without charge. This was tested last week while on call for work, so lots of phone calls and also lots of calendar scheduling texting and such. I charged it after this but it was still at 54% charge.

The 8500 is a great phone, although I have had "issues" with the theming aspect - the only thing I can complain about with this phone.

[Guest genaldar]

Thanks for the idea but I'm in the UK!

Thanks also to the other posters - it's a really nice phone and I think the sentiment about not needing all the features of the MDA etc kind of rings true with me. I use my MPX220 for Outlook synching on the whole but with the ability to do other stuff as well if I want to. However other than Expansys it doesn't seem to be available with any sort of contract in the UK which is a bit of a shame. The smartphones just won't catch on with the networks will they?

By the way, just how bad is the battery life? My MPX220 was known for this and can manage a couple of days if I don't use it much - is it the same?

Well you could still get one on ebay (it's called the 3125) and then get it unlocked. Or some of them are already unlocked. The only "disadvantage" is that they'd have that damn cingular logo on it.

The cingular comes with the bigger battery so I'd assume it's not bad, but I don't own one so I couldn't tell you for certain. Sorry