Considering getting an Omnia, but having trouble taking the leap...

[Guest crazylegsmurphy]

Hey everyone,

To give you a little bit of background. I am actually coming off of a 10 year cell phone boycott after a bad experience with my last mobile phone. I have realized however that despite my opinions towards them, it has come to a point where I can no longer avoid getting one.

I live in Canada, and in a few months I will be going traveling for a year or so and would like to get a phone that will work for me both at home before I leave, when I am traveling and of course when I get back.

Originally my plan was to buy and iPhone 3G through Fido on a three year contract, sign up for the smallest plan possible, use the phone unlocked (via Sim chip Any-Network.com) and buy pre-paid when traveling. This plan is still a viable one, but when I stood in the store with the phone in hand something told me to wait...and so...

I knew there had to be an alternative out there. I'm admittedly not a huge fan of Apple to begin with, and so it was great when I came across the Samsung i900. I have been doing days and days of research on this phone, but I am having trouble committing to it for a few reasons. I was hoping that you guys (obviously being better versed in the world of mobile phones) might be able to give me your advice on this.

I have concluded after my extensive research that while this phone has some "quirks", it seems like a pretty decent phone in many ways. The following are questions that I really need an answer to before I can commit to this phone as it is $780.00 to get it here in Canada.

1. What about 3G?

- Ok, I am quite confused on this matter. Some websites show in the specs pages that the i900 has the ability to do 3G in North America, while others say it can't. I have asked this question to both other forums and to the major carriers here in Canada and I can't seem to get a straight answer. As well, I see a topic on here where it seems like it should be able to use 3G, but is perhaps blocked with firmware.

I would like to get a straight answer regarding the capabilities of this phone. Does it have the ability to use the following bands as the iPhone does, or will I be unable to use 3G in Canada ever?

• UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  

The reason this is important to me (and to my decision to go with the Samsung or the iPhone) is that I don't want to spend $780 on a phone for use when traveling, and then be stuck with a slow network when I use it for the years following my return.

2. As a "casual consumer" should I even be messing about with a phone like this?

-I'll admit that I love technology. I quite enjoy getting my hands into it and I'm not afraid to take a chance on a new product if it will benefit me in some way. In this case however because of the costs involved and because I have more important things to worry about when I'm traveling I'm wondering if it's worth it to take a chance on such a new phone.

Because the i900 will be coming from an Asian market I am slightly leery about getting one. When I e-mailed the company I was going to order it from, I was told that it does have a 15 day return policy, and a 1 year manufacturer warranty, but I would have to send it to the Asian division if there was a problem. Now I'm not trying to sound racist or anything, but I have enough trouble dealing with warranties in my own country let alone a foreign one.

So my questions are:

Is it worthwhile to take a chance on this phone or should I simply go and get the iPhone package through Fido?

Will I have any issues upgrading the firmware, getting it serviced, finding software, etc?

Is there enough information on this phone from users to conclude if it is going to last more than 6 months?

3. Are there any "make or break" issues with this phone?

- In my research it seems that there might be a few things with this phone that could be potential problems. A few of which are the etiquette feature might not work correctly if it's upside down in your pocket (meaning it won't ring), the screen locking when making a call, the battery life (some say great, some say bad), the touch screen not working, Windows Mobile not built for touch, etc.

In your opinions (putting all good things aside) what are the things about this phone that may be a problem for the life of it?

As well, do you think these problems will be fixed in firmware updates, or by third party software?

4. Vista?

- I have Vista, I love Vista and I will be putting it on my new laptop that I'll be traveling with. Will I be able to use this phone with Vista to update, sync, manage my music/video (WMP11), charge, etc?

I don't really feel like waiting months to see if it finally works in Vista so it either does now, or I'll have to pass on this phone. If anyone has any experience with this please let me know.

5. i900 or iPhone?

I realize that there is probably a bias here (and rightly so as Apple kinda sucks in many ways), but putting that all aside I would really like to know your thoughts on this. I admit I have been sitting here racking my brain over this for days and with my travel dates looming I would like to get this decided. I'm so confused by all of this that I can't really make a choice, so I'll break it down for you and perhaps you guys can let me know what you think.

Here are my options:

Option 1: Retail iPhone

I can go into Fido tomorrow and get an iPhone with a $30/month voice package on a 3 year contract. The phone will cost me $299.99. If I do this I will have to find a way to unlock it so I can use it around the world. The cost breaks down as such...

Phone = $299.99

Plan = $441.00

Unlock Chip = $60.00

Total (1 year) = $800.99

This doesn't include the cost of pre-paid around the world however so if I were to include that cost (roughly $60.00/m) then the total would be something in the ballpark of...

Total (1 year + World Prepaid) = $1520.99

Pros:

- Warranty with phone

- 3G home and abroad without question

- Known to work with Vista

- Will update without problems (firmware)

- Not a bad phone, will do what I need it to do (GPS, MP3, e-mail, text message, phone)

- Can quickly and effectively add new software

- User interface clean and works

- IF I can't get pre-paid in a certain country, I can default back to my Fido service and use the phone

Cons:

- It's Apple <_<

- Not as powerful as Samsung i900 (seemingly)

- Camera & features not as nice as i900

- Requires iTunes

- Doesn't support DivX

- Must unlock (may or may not void warranty), and there is no guarentee it'll even work.

- Must sign a 3 year contract

Option 2: Unlocked Samsung i900 Omnia

If I order the i900 then I will be able to forgo the contract with Fido and just buy pre-paid cards when I travel. When I get back to Canada after, then I have the option of getting a contract and keeping the phone.

The cost to do it this way breaks down like this:

Phone = $780.00

Prepaid (while traveling and at home - 1 year) = $720.00

Total = $1500.00

This doesn't include an MicroSD card, but I'm not going to factor this into the cost as it's not needed to make it work.

Pros:

- No Contract

- Much more powerful than iPhone (seemingly)

- Can use it on any network I choose before, during, and after travel

- Not Apple :D

- Will do everything I need (MP3, GPS, Outlook, E-mail, MSN, Phone, Facebook, etc)

Cons:

- Costly Phone

- A few problems with the phone (bugs, slow, camera not loading)

(potential cons:) Unless I can get them answered one way or the other

- No Vista support

- No 3G in Canada/U.S. ever

- Asian Warranty means phone is pretty risky

- Windows Mobile 6.1 not good for touch phones

- Battery life (some say good, some say bad)

- Risky to update firmware

- New phone, not enough testing done.

So that is basically where I am at. Of course there are other options such as buying an unlocked iPhone for $1000.00, but it has no warranty at all which seems even more risky.

I realize this is a long post, but perhaps you guys can help me answer these final questions and give me your thoughts on which direction I should go. As well, if you guys can think of a completely different solution to this I would be grateful to hear it.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Jeff

Edited September 6, 2008 by crazylegsmurphy

[Guest bobsbbq]

Considering your request I would pass on the Omnia. 1. it is not on 3g North America network, see other post here of a guy trying to find a way to get his working in USA. 2. Flashing ROM does not work well with Vista, has been done but may cause problems.

It is a good phone and I own one just judging on your requirements. I also like my i780 and I now find myself using it more than my i900 sometimes. It is a really good phone with a qwerty keyboard and has most of the options of i900 for half the price.

[Guest Bad-Co]

For the vista issue's.

I have Vista HP on both the main PC and the laptop.

My omnia has no problem with connecting to either computer to transfer files and upload/download my Mp3/films.

The main issues with vista/omnia seems to be in flashing the rom.

And that's only a problem if you want the latest firmware.

Currently I'm not flashing my omnia on the basis the battery life if more important than the vibrating keyboard.

If I was travelling the battery life would be more valuable surely ??

Tough choice.

And then there's the HTC touch pro :D