What Phone Do You Have?

[HRT-Scibba-GTR]

My mobil phone is the nokia N95 8GB not a bad phone to get

 

[Jondot]

the sound quality kills everything else I've had this far

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks SEs have the best call audio quality. I used my friend's iPhone to call someone the other day, and it might be my imagination but I noticed a drop in quality. It sounded more like my DECT home phone does - sort of tinny and disconnected. I never paid much attention to call quality before, but it sort of hit me when I used something other than the K800i.

 

[Aldo]

Got a Motorrolla L6
Had it for 4-5 years
I too don't see the point in getting a new phone whenever one comes out or getting a new one every years
Its ludicrous I tells ya

 

[Dragonistic]

I hate the iPhone in all honesty, I hate touch screen, I hate gimicky features (who needs a spirit level on their phone? seriously?), I hate iTunes, I hate how you buy a phone but you have to continue pouring more money into it to get features (also why I hate DLC). I like to just be able to push buttons, text people, phone people and maybe take the odd opportune photo, oh and the iPhone camera sucks to...

 

[Der Alta]

I finally broke down in January and put my beloved Q aside. I now own a Blackberry Storm. and I'm not all that happy with it. If it wasn't for the instant (push) email, I'd have dumped this and returned to my Q.

The most disappointing and disparaging aspect of this phone, is the speed of the OS. I am not happy with the time it takes to switch between operations and start operations. My Q was faster than my fingers in its operation. This one, I frequently hit a button and wait for the operation to commence. As the UI is slow, it detracts from the phone overall. Aggravates me as I tend to have to wait for the phone.

For instance, My Phone will buzz with an incoming call. I wait for the UI to open and orient itself, before I can hit the Accept Button. I then have to wait and watch the phone to see it accepted the button push. Unacceptable for my point of View. This is the biggest reason why I wouldn't buy another BB.

I would often leave my Q on for weeks at a time, and never have a problem. This one, I have to do a battery pull every few days to reset the phone. If this is a BB acceptable standard, their standards need to be re-evaluated. My wife has an Alias, that she hasn't turned off in months. That's how a phone is supposed to operate.

I've had video playback issues, with the video stuttering. Be it a loaded video, or a downloaded video. Music playback is great, though. I use it when I work out, and its excellent. Even with the standard earbuds.

I wish there was a "default" orientation to set the phone to. Laying the phone on its back, should default it to a Portrait mode. As you're more likely to pick it up vertically, rather than horizontally.

The touch screen websurfing is aggravating. As it more often zooms in, rather than activating the link you tried touching. Then the time to process the back button request aggravates you further.

The Camera is nice, but extremely slow. Even taking still images, its a few seconds from button push to image snap. And I regularly get blurred images. When a picture is taken, the quality is pretty good, though. Picture review is good, unless you zoom, then its simply horrifying to move the image around. Again, the UI speed is the problem.

My wife has an iPod Touch, that is fantastic. If BB was trying to create an "iPod Killer" they missed by a wide margin. The speed of the iPod UI is astounding. The smooth operation instead of the hilted changing of the Storm makes it a much better UI. If the BB was that smooth, I'd be in love with it.

The Keyboard idiosyncrasies give me a Grrr! everytime the keyboard accidentally vanishes. The missized keys are a distraction. The portrait Keyboard is miserable and nearly useless (except for the number pad).

So by now, you're wondering why doesn't he go back to his Q, or go get an iPhone? The Push Email. Getting my emails so fast is something I couldn't live with out. Being an admin here, and combined with the report button, I get notifications in less than 2 minutes, rather than waiting for 15min/hours to check my mail. On the construction site, I get notes from subs/project Managers/architects/owners nearly instantly, instead of checking the email via laptop in the trailer every few hours. My wife emails me, and I don't have to wait. I'm in the process of running a Non-profit Organization and being in touch with whomever, is tantamount to start-up. I also work as a consultant to a few architecture firms and their ability to keep in contact with me so easily has helped in many regards.

The speed at which I can stay in contact with people is something I couldn't live without. That's why I'm using a phone I don't enjoy.

 

[Jondot]

DA: I think the problems you're discovering are more to do with the 'Storm' bit than the 'BlackBerry' bit. I'm 90% sure that the rest of their phones actually work moderately well. Stephen Fry called it 'embarrassingly awful' as I recall, and reckoned it was 'rushed out unfinished'. Seems to click with what you've found.

I hate the iPhone in all honesty, I hate touch screen, I hate gimicky features (who needs a spirit level on their phone? seriously?), I hate iTunes, I hate how you buy a phone but you have to continue pouring more money into it to get features (also why I hate DLC). I like to just be able to push buttons, text people, phone people and maybe take the odd opportune photo, oh and the iPhone camera sucks to...

It's actually quite good as a concept I think, but I couldn't live with one as a phone. I've got an iPod Touch which I adore, but the iPhone just doesn't work for me. As I mentioned above, I used my friend's one the other day and I didn't like it. As I held it up to my ear, it felt about as logical an item as a banana. Sorry, but I want my phones to be phone shaped.

I don't like the snobbery either. It's become an item for spoilt children in my opinion. There are people who actually want to use it for its original purpose and don't give a damn about the image (my friend, for example, who has his in some hideous case so nobody can see what it is), but equally there are many who seem to have one just because iPods aren't expensive enough anymore.

But yeah, it's irrelevant as I couldn't use it as a phone anymore than a could a BB Storm. I need buttons, dammit!

 

[YSSMAN]

I've heard of those problems semi-frequently on the Storm, which is a major reason why I didn't bite (besides the crappy Verizon part). Although, one of the phones I'm now pondering might be of interest to you Der Alta:

The HTC Snap

It was announced early on this week at CTIA, their own interesting shot against the Blackberry Bold and the like, presumably at a value price. That funky little green button down on the bottom right corner takes you directly to your E-Mail, and allows you to prioritize it by who you actually want to hear from. Would be nice, especially for business folks, I assume. The phone is supposed to launch somewhere in the second half of 2009 (I'm banking on Summer, so far), and prices are supposed to be "reasonable" (less than $200). With the 2.0MP camera and WiFi (b/g) available, it seems like a good deal, and certainly a good smart phone for people who may not need all of the things poured into most other phones.

Truth be told, I'm considering it. Possibly. But, as always, this one looms on the horizon:

The Palm Pre

The news from CTIA has been surprisingly positive, minus that important part where they tell us how much it is, and when its coming out. Assuming Sprint is smart, they'll kick it out the door for $200 (or less) and have it out by May. Beat the iPhone update to the punch, and keep some Sprint folks (like me) while they still can.

 

[mPWRD]

Samsung SYNC

 

[TorqueHappenS08]

New HTC Diamond touch

 

[TB]

LG 200C

I've had it for right at a year now and have used 94 minutes and 1 second of airtime (she has used even fewer minutes). One hundred dollars a year for 800 minutes that rollover is more than enough for me.

 

[YSSMAN]

So once again, I'm in the market for a new phone... so far here is my short list:

1. Palm Pre
2. HTC Touch Pro 2
3. HTC G2
4. Upcoming Android phones by Samsung

I guess what is going to come down to will likely be how much you're looking to spend, and what kind of carrier you want to be with. With what you've got listed there, based on what I've read, its going to come down to Sprint and T-Mobile for most of those phones, although given that none of them have an official attachment to a brand (other than the Pre), much less a price, or a launch date... It gets iffy.

I'm personally looking to buy a Pre upon release later this quarter, as it offers up one of the better plans for the money (450 mins, unlimited text and data, $69.99 a month). Generally speaking, the way in which the phone operates appeals far more to me than the otherwise good iPhone. Having the apps running in the background, sometimes on top of each other, just makes sense. Assuming that it does come in for under $200 (I'm betting on $179), it seems like a great value. Add to that the drop down QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, and really one of the biggest selling points, the open search... Its just awesome.

Unfortunately, the Touch Diamond 2/Touch Pro 2 seem to be a bit more distant to be solid choices right now. They will have the updated Windows Mobile platform, which should be awesome, as it should drastically improve what is currently offered (which is already pretty good). The update to the G1 (the name escapes me at the moment [EDIT: Must be the G2?]) should actually be a very good HTC phone, and should it show up in a reasonable amount of time, I would consider it against the Pre as my next phone. Problem is, its locked to T-Mobile, and that sucks big time.

One phone that isn't on your list that you may want to consider would be the HTC Snap. Although it doesn't have a fancy touchscreen, it seems like it would be a very utilitarian phone capable of doing the Blackberry dance... Albeit for less money, and without the Blackberry nametag. There hasn't been a commitment as far as I know to any major carrier, although I hear that both T-Mobile and Sprint are being considered early on. Should they push it out for $150, it might not be too bad of a deal.

 

[J-PaP]

After having a nokia n81 and then a HTC Touch Diamond till about 3 weeks ago my new phone is now *drumroll*

A Nokia 1100!

So I have ended up being stuck with this phone now out of my own error. I was sure that my current contract was up come this June/July and knew that the HTC touch diamond 2 was due as well as some new Nokia N-Series phones so thought I could sell my touch diamond now while it is worth a bit more and get something come June/July. How wrong was I! My contract actually finishes early 2010 so will be going retro till then unless I decide to buy something outright in the mean time. Bar the distinctly lower call quality and short battery life the retro ringtone and oh so simple UI is sort of refreshing.

 

[Casio]

Nokia 1100.

Nice.

 

[FoolKiller]

I guess I should put this in here since this is the first time I have been excited about the phone I got (I've always gone for the freebies before).


On Monday I got this:

Samsung Eternity

This is nice. I wanted the local functionality of a smart phone (media player, full QWERTY keyboard, organizer calendar and full address book, etc) but not the PDA apps which almost always seem to require an expensive package.

So, my goal was what CNet reviewers were calling non-smart phones. The problem was that these also required an Internet package. But this week Best Buy put them on sale for new or upgrade customers with no additional package required. Sold.

Mostly I am happy with it. I wasn't in the market for a touchscreen, but it had great reviews, comparable to the iPhone. So, with a 30-day no questions asked return policy I decide to give it a go. I have no clue why I was opposed to a touchsreen. I didn't like it at first, but after running the calibration, then running it a few more times as I determined whether I preferred using my thumbs or a finger I finally got it just right. It is designed for use with fingers, but a stylus may be useful in some instances where apps are poorly designed or Web sites have small links.

But I did finally crack and get the Internet package so that I could at least get new ringtones, games, etc without incurring extra charges and make sure that none of my games are connecting online on the back end (my wife got bit by a leaderboard updating game). AT&T's app descriptions are short on details.

Anyway, I have since bought three games: Monopoly (original version), World Series of Poker Pro Challenge, and LocoRoco Hi. It also came with a Tumbling Dice app included, where you shake it and the dice roll.

WSOP: Pro Challenge has a bad touchscreen layout and so I have to use a pen cap as a stylus to avoid accidentally hitting fold instead of check/call. They are very tiny and next to each other. LocoRoco has thrown me off as it does not utilize the tilt function of my phone.

Anyway, the other exciting thing I found that I never had before was a 3MP camera. Now, I have never had more than a 1MP camera phone, and they were always crappy. With my digital camera I only use 2MP mode unless I am trying to get a wallpaper or need better detail on a distant object (like an airshow), so this is way more than I need, but I will make good use of it. The only complaint I have is that without a flash some indoor images require me to hold it steady for more than a full second, but it is likely to only be used for quick second "OMG did you see that" moments anyway.

It also includes some decent photo editing stuff. Here is an image cropped from a larger image I took of my wife sitting on the sofa with our dog in her lap.

I also used the Web browser to upload this to imageshack just now, which surprised me that I could do that. Thinking on this: I may use the camera more than I expect.


My only major con that I have is that I am not able to customize my main menu, so I am stuck with the options you see in my picture. There are five things I will not use, or can be launched from another menu, and that I would like to replace with other tools. But not being able to do that only means I have one extra "button" to press.


I highly suggest this (or the equivelant on other companies) for anyone that likes smart phones but doesn't want/need the $30 monthly fee people try to tack on to it just so you can run PDA email features. If you buy the cable and software this will even synch with Outlook for you.

 

[WallRunner]

As of yesterday.

LG Dare (LGVX9700) Touchscreen Mobile Phone
$50 through "New every 2" type program from Wal-Mart.

I'm liking it thus far, my old LGVX8350's battery was crapping out, with a charge only lasting a half-day or so, and so my parents decided I needed to buy a new phone before my church trip this weekend.

Gotta get an 8GB MicroSD card for it though, then it'll probably be my main music device. (Music sounds pretty good using my Sony earbuds.)

From,
Chris.

 

[YSSMAN]

Nice! A friend of mine has the phone and really enjoys it. I've used it quite a few times, and while it certainly is no iPhone, its a halfway decent competitor on the Verizon network. Well, until the iPhone shows up in 2011. Probably. Assuming AT&T doesn't gobble up the rights to it, again.

Anyway, I thought the screen was pretty responsive, and the web surfing was pretty smooth when I need to find some quick information. On-screen typing was decent, I thought. I've always found the text interface for the iPhone a little "dumb," but being able to switch the Dare into portrait mode to type was a smart design move. Still, I find Verizon's UI to not be all that great, but that is something I usually level across the board.

Still, a solid phone. Sounds like you grabbed a fantastic deal as well!






Side Note:

Good luck getting a Pre around here. I've been searching for more than a week now to no avail. Best Buy is getting "drop shipping," so you pretty much have to be there at just the right time in order to nab one. As for the actual stores themselves, while I would prefer not to have to wait for the $100 mail-in-rebate (BB gives you the credit immediately), I may have to suck it up and take it. The Ada store near my home has been getting a very, very slow trickle of phones with a healthy wait-list, something I'll have to put my name on to get one... Eventually.

Good news for Sprint folks is that the HTC Snap is now available, which is a most-excellent WinMo device. But of course, it isn't be Pre. Given the $50 price difference, I'll go with the Palm. Well, after I find one.

 

[Joey D]

Good luck getting a Pre around here. I've been searching for more than a week now to no avail. Best Buy is getting "drop shipping," so you pretty much have to be there at just the right time in order to nab one. As for the actual stores themselves, while I would prefer not to have to wait for the $100 mail-in-rebate (BB gives you the credit immediately), I may have to suck it up and take it. The Ada store near my home has been getting a very, very slow trickle of phones with a healthy wait-list, something I'll have to put my name on to get one... Eventually.

What's the obsession with the Pre? It looks like it's more or less just like the iPhone with a physical keyboard, better camera, a less supported apps store, and a clunkier operating system (I hate PalmOS, although it will never be as clunky as Windows Mobile).

I do like Best Buy though and how they give you rebates right away instead of having you send them in. Plus at Best Buy they aren't horribly biased either, or at least from my experience. Not to mention their return policy is awesome if you end up hating your phone.

A week or so ago I got a Samsung Blackjack and didn't really like it, coming from a Blackberry it just didn't really feel the same and I didn't like Windows Mobile very much. I had sort of used it on a Treo in the past and it was tolerable, but I found out I couldn't live with it, so I returned it. Best Buy made it very easy to return, which I was happy with. The sales guy suggested maybe I should get an iPhone since the price had just dropped to $99. He walked me through everything on the phone and I ended up liking it, so I made the jump. So far, so good. The only complaint I have is that like the PS3 they made the damn thing piano black...which is impossible to keep clean.

 

[Casio]

I'm debating about holding off till January next year when my contract runs out and seeing if the Pre is out here for a reasonable price, or changing over to a Bold now and locking myself in for another year. And before anyone says iPhone, I want a physical keyboard.

 

[YSSMAN]

What's the obsession with the Pre? It looks like it's more or less just like the iPhone with a physical keyboard, better camera, a less supported apps store, and a clunkier operating system (I hate PalmOS, although it will never be as clunky as Windows Mobile).

Well, for starters I'd say that between the iPhone 3G and the Pre, its a close tie that ends up leaning in the Pre's favor based solely on the possibilities of the WebOS software (PalmOS is dead). It uses more "common language" tools than the iPhone, in addition to having Flash support, as well as a slew of other things that were built-in long before Apple screamed "ZOMG!" and threw some new things together for the 3.0 software, and the 3GS. As for the App store, what would you expect? The iPhone has been out for three years now, I'd certainly hope that there were more applications available. My guess is that once the WebOS SDK is released, there will be a steady trickle of applications for the Pre. Thing is, when you really think about it... How necessary is iBeer and "That's What She Said!" versus actual applications that you'd use on a daily basis - Google Maps, Google Mail, Twitter, Navigation (hey, its FREE for turn-by-turn on Sprint), NFL and NASCAR applications, etc.

There are actually some good comparison sheets online:

It really comes down to network preferences, plan pricing, and a few small feature differences between the Pre and the 3GS. The G1 could be an upset pick in the future, but Android just hasn't taken off like I had predicted. The Pre ultimately becomes the last best hope against the iPhone, and my guess is that once it's Sprint exclusivity goes dry early next year - it'll blow up on Verizon and such. Well, assuming Verizon doesn't get the iPhone away from AT&T's exclusivity contract.

 

[WallRunner]

Nice! A friend of mine has the phone and really enjoys it. I've used it quite a few times, and while it certainly is no iPhone, its a halfway decent competitor on the Verizon network. Well, until the iPhone shows up in 2011. Probably. Assuming AT&T doesn't gobble up the rights to it, again.

Anyway, I thought the screen was pretty responsive, and the web surfing was pretty smooth when I need to find some quick information. On-screen typing was decent, I thought. I've always found the text interface for the iPhone a little "dumb," but being able to switch the Dare into portrait mode to type was a smart design move. Still, I find Verizon's UI to not be all that great, but that is something I usually level across the board.

Still, a solid phone. Sounds like you grabbed a fantastic deal as well!

It was a great deal, it'd just dropped in price the weekend before I got it from $99 to $50.
I find Verizon's UI to be great and easy to use, probably because it's all I've ever had

From,
Chris.

 

[Joey D]

Well, for starters I'd say that between the iPhone 3G and the Pre, its a close tie that ends up leaning in the Pre's favor based solely on the possibilities of the WebOS software (PalmOS is dead). It uses more "common language" tools than the iPhone, in addition to having Flash support, as well as a slew of other things that were built-in long before Apple screamed "ZOMG!" and threw some new things together for the 3.0 software, and the 3GS. As for the App store, what would you expect? The iPhone has been out for three years now, I'd certainly hope that there were more applications available. My guess is that once the WebOS SDK is released, there will be a steady trickle of applications for the Pre. Thing is, when you really think about it... How necessary is iBeer and "That's What She Said!" versus actual applications that you'd use on a daily basis - Google Maps, Google Mail, Twitter, Navigation (hey, its FREE for turn-by-turn on Sprint), NFL and NASCAR applications, etc.

I'm still a bit put off by an operation system made by Palm, it's always felt clunky to me. And you are right a lot of apps on the iPhone are gimmicky and unneeded, I have a couple of the free ones like the piano, lightsaber, and one called Fluid. Other then that every other app I have I use on a daily bases.

It really comes down to network preferences, plan pricing, and a few small feature differences between the Pre and the 3GS. The G1 could be an upset pick in the future, but Android just hasn't taken off like I had predicted. The Pre ultimately becomes the last best hope against the iPhone, and my guess is that once it's Sprint exclusivity goes dry early next year - it'll blow up on Verizon and such. Well, assuming Verizon doesn't get the iPhone away from AT&T's exclusivity contract.

Ya I suppose, I hate Sprint with a passion though since they more or less ruined Nextel when they took them over. I loved my Nextel that I could drive over with the car and it would still work. Plus Sprint didn't have a good GSM phone and their international calling plan sucked. Verizon is the same way, expect when I had them I didn't get any coverage in any area I was at frequently...like my house and school. AT&T is the best all around company I've found so far, the pricing isn't bad, the coverage is great and the international calling is excellent.

 

[barryl85]

Well i'm proud to own a Sony Ericsson Xperia X1i

Love this phone! Will be looking forward to getting a hands on with the Nokia N97 when it comes out to compare!!

 

[YSSMAN]

Ya I suppose, I hate Sprint with a passion though since they more or less ruined Nextel when they took them over. I loved my Nextel that I could drive over with the car and it would still work. Plus Sprint didn't have a good GSM phone and their international calling plan sucked. Verizon is the same way, expect when I had them I didn't get any coverage in any area I was at frequently...like my house and school. AT&T is the best all around company I've found so far, the pricing isn't bad, the coverage is great and the international calling is excellent.

I had Nextel previously, and after they were purchased by Sprint, I made the jump immediately. I was getting sick of constant dropped calls, and I never used the push-to-talk feature, so it became pointless. Post-change, I've had fewer than 10 dropped calls in the past two and a half years on Sprint, as the coverage around here is absolutely amazing. Friends with Verizon and AT&T have trouble when we go out north or south of the city, but I have good reception almost everywhere.

As far as the GSM vs CDMA deal, I guess it just depends. International stuff obviously requires a GSM phone, or a GSM sim card, but seeing as how I've yet to leave the continent, it was never all that big of a deal for me. Sprint offers "a few" GSM-capable sets, some are halfway decent, but I haven't kept up on the new developments lately. The AT&T network around here is just too spotty to justify the price, particularly when it comes to the data services. The AT&T 3G network can be quick, certainly much faster than Sprint's EVDO-A services, but it seems to be a somewhat rare occurrence... Sprint is far more constant.

The plan deal, I suppose, comes down to a wide variety of variables that can have positives and negatives. If your AT&T network performance is good in the area, and you already have AT&T services to take advantage of the package discounts - their pricing plans make sense. The thing is, their PDA pricing plan is still pretty silly, especially when comparing the iPhone with the other smart phones out there. When I'm getting 450 minutes, unlimited data and texts (not to mention MMS, ha!) for $69.99 at Sprint, versus only the minutes and data at AT&T for the same price - it just seems like a rip off. Especially when their text plan is an extra $20 on top of that.

Apple and AT&T have a great platform on their hands, but the fact that they have not let it out of that network has really limited how great the device could be. I mean, could you imagine how the iPhone would EXPLODE if it were on the larger, and arguably better (well, not in pricing) Verizon network? Its a device that is almost evil in its own awesomeness, diabolical in its own possibilities. I hope, nay - pray that Apple is smart enough to dump AT&T exclusivity next year.

 

[Legendary]

Im getting an LG kp500 for my Bday in a few weeks.

Shame over here, brown is the only colour available.

 

[Glanza-V]

Ahh all my freinds have that phone, while im stuck with a k610i with broken buttons... It's a nice phone.. the drawing game on it is fun :L..

 

[YSSMAN]

I just ordered my Palm Pre today, and should have it in one to two weeks, depending on how constrained supplies remain for sprint. Apparently there are 20 people ahead of me at this Sprint store to get the phone, but I'm okay with that I suppose. It sucks that I'm going to have to shell out the $300 in-store, and then wait for the $100 rebate. But... Whatever. The phone is epic. Soooo blah.

 

[wing_0]

Oh, forgive me, for I have sinned and bought myself a Scheissung i780 (the US version is known as i907 Epix).

Currently running WM6.1 (official ROM for Singapore or some other Asian country) with realVGA. It may lack in the camera department, but I love the flexibility and practicality. I initially wanted a HTC, but all the current HTC's have sucky Qualcomm CPU's, which are neither powerful nor energy-efficient.

 

[Nicksfix]

LG Dare

 

[WallRunner]

LG Dare

Copycat! You even used the same picture!

How are you liking it so far? I've been given the duty to take panorama pictures at church because of the awesome camera

From,
Chris.

 

[gt3_racer05]

Here's the device I use to make/receive calls