New Contact - New Phone?

[Guest JakReloaded]

Hey Everyone!

Okay first post, so hope i got the right area...if not then you can kick me :D

Okay, i am currently on a contract with orange which is due up for renewel shortly, however my circumstances have recently changed and im not sure what phone would be best for my needs. I have spent hours on google searching around but am just not confused more than anything

At the moment i can spend long periods away from home, so i am looking for a phone that will let me keep in touch with my family and friends (mostly over email and the web, messenger, etc). I have been checking out the Blackberry Curve, iPhone and the Orange SPV range of phones.

The Blackberry 8310:

This thing looks idea for my needs from what i have read, but with the lack of 3G should i be worried? Would i be better hanging in to see what if they release a 3G version of the phone?

I wont run over the features as im sure you all know about it more than i do! However some of the things i like is that it has a nice juice screen, full internet browsing capability and also push-email.

The iPhone:

Well im iPod is due for an upgrade shortly anyway...but thats not the point! :(

The phone again seems to sport allot of the features i am after, but with the (not so smooth) web browser and again lack of 3G should i just spil this one to the side and forget about it? Sure it has some funky features that i would love...but i already have most of the devices that do the same so i cant really see what advantages this would offer me. And i may be wrong but again i dont think it supports push mail?

The SPV:

I have owned one of these now for the past year (the M3100) and its a great piece of kit, however the use of a stylus and t he clumsy interface lets it down for me. I need something that is just quick and easy that i can use on the go without the fear of dropping stylus`s and stuff.

So withall that in mind i guess im a little confused as to what is best and if there are any other devices out there that maybe i havent looked at or am i hyping up 3G too much?

Most of my emails comes through gMail and i also use exchange services for some of my other mail accounts so a phone that supports this is key for me. I also do allot of mobile browsing (news and ebay, etc) so a phone with a good screen and a nice battery would be great too.

Thanks in advanced for any help

JakReloaded

[Guest chucky.egg]

Welcome!

Firstly let me point out that this is a Windows Mobile forum, so you'll probably get loads of "iPhone is rubbish" type replies. Take any of that (including mine) with a pinch of salt.

You say "email, web, messenger" are going to be your biggest uses of the device, so I'd say go with something with a hardware keyboard.

In Windows Mobile terms that would include things like the HTC Kaiser (successor to your 3100), Samsung SGH-I600, HTC Vox etc. Have a look at www.pdadb.net for details, but bear in mind there are sometimes mistakes in their specs.

If you don't like stylus then avoid "Windows Mobile Professional" and go for "Windows Mobile Standard" instead. Bear in mind that Professional is what you have now, and Standard can be a shock to the system! I've known people reject a Standard device because they couldn't adjust to the lack of touch-screen.

If you do a lot of browsing I'd also suggest a VGA (or high res) display. QVGA is standard on most Windows Mobile devices (there are VGA ones too though).

2G vs 3G won't make that much difference to your use by the looks of it. In fact 3G devices often have worse battery life (the Samsung SGH-I600 being a good example of that) so, if you're travelling a lot, that might be an issue.

Emails through GMail are fine on most handsets I suspect, but your "exchange services for some other mail accounts" may be an issue. AFAIK no device (Windows, Symbian, iPhone) can sync with more than one Exchange account at the same time. Sync'ing through Outlook and one Exchange account is fine, but more than one isn't possible. AFAIK.

A couple of final points:

1. The Samsung SGH-I600 (not a perfect device, but actually one of my all-time favourites) is dirt cheap SIM-free now. Sell your network-subsidised handset and make a profit!
   
2. I've never owned a Blackberry, but I know several people who swear by them for ease of use and reliability. For me the 1980s-style interface is horrific.
   
3. The iPhone interface is great, really really great. You lose some functionality (like MMS, which nobody I know ever uses anyway) and it seems quite "locked down", but if you're accurate in your requirements it may not be an issue to you.
   

Good luck!

[Guest JakReloaded]

Thanks Chucky!

Really appreciate the time on this, looks like i have a few new handsets to explore before i take the dive and make a choice :D

However if anyone else has any comments, keep `um comming!

Cheers,

JakReloaded

[Guest Dark Horse]

Hi there,

I second Chucky Egg's comments and would add:

2G vs 3G won't make that much difference to your use by the looks of it. In fact 3G devices often have worse battery life (the Samsung SGH-I600 being a good example of that) so, if you're travelling a lot, that might be an issue.

I have a Samsung i600 and battery life is not bad at all even with 3G. If you have the thing on constantly with push email every 15 mins, it'll kill the battery within a day but you can always reduce the frequency, after all, who *really* needs to access their email every 15 mins? Also, the i600 does come with an extended battery that's good for 2 days if you must use 3G heavily.

• The Samsung SGH-I600 (not a perfect device, but actually one of my all-time favourites) is dirt cheap SIM-free now. Sell your network-subsidised handset and make a profit!
  

Agreed, it's my all-time favourite smartphone too handset along with the S710 and a steal at the current price. I wish I'd bought more than one!

• I've never owned a Blackberry, but I know several people who swear by them for ease of use and reliability. For me the 1980s-style interface is horrific.
  

I've had several of these hoisted onto me from work and the Curve is a lot better than the crappy 8800 series which had a terrible keyboard. I would say the interface is simplistic but effective and agree that they are ultra reliable and won't let you down. If you want a no-nonsense device that's bulletproof and won't let you tinker under the hood, it's worth looking at. Oh, and battery life is great :D

[*]The iPhone interface is great, really really great. You lose some functionality (like MMS, which nobody I know ever uses anyway) and it seems quite "locked down", but if you're accurate in your requirements it may not be an issue to you.

The new 3G enabled version of the iPhone is out this summer which is why the current handset has been given a hefty price cut. The interface really is that good and makes you wonder why nobody else thought of it however, battery life is rubbish. Sure, it's a real smart, tasty looking handset that'll impress when you whip it out but all things considered, it offers nothing new over other handsets except for that shiny new interface. It hasn't sold anywhere near as many units as was expected here in UK, most likely because UK consumers are more savvy than their over-awed American brethren and cost is the primary business driver here. With a stupidly expensive contract and high markup, it was never gonna sell by the bucketload especially given the competition and network lock.

Personally, I'd avoid the iPhone and stick with a Windows handset. If you want something without a stylus that offers 3G, a keyboard and small form factor, I'd consider the HTC S730, Samsung i600 or Samsung i640 (this doesn't have wifi though).

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Dark Horse

Edited May 24, 2008 by Dark Horse

[Guest Confucious]

I would never get another phone without 3G! And for that reason wouldn't use Orange, all the other major operators now have decent data plans. When you say you are away a lot does that mean in this country or abroad? Data prices abroad are still very expensive so you might want to consider wifi if using abroad.

Windows handsets are excellent - either Touchscreen (WM Pro) or not (WM Standard). Blackberrys are mainly email devices and if you have a Blackberry server they are a good idea - otherwise push email on a WM device is good enough and WM gives you so much more.

You might also like to consider a N*kia - I've just got an e90 with large screen and keyboard but can be used like a normal phone as well. Not as customisable as WM devices though and not as much s/ware available. Way down the list as far as customising and s/ware is the iPhone - nice style but little substance.

It very much depends on what you want to do with your phone.

Good luck.

[Guest chucky.egg]

Confucious has a point

I always buy SIM-free handsets, but if you're looking for a network subsidised device you'll be limited by your choice of network.

Coverage has to come first IMO, no device is much use without a signal, so start there and see what handsets are available on the network of your choice.

If you're using network data (eg GPRS/3G from your service provider, as opposed to WiFi in Starbucks) the value for money goes like this IMO:

T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2 then Orange