(Another) Please help the Smartphone newbie thread

[trout1962]

Guys,
In advance thank you for this site...wow. Also, in advance, please be patient with the newbie. I promise I have tried to do some homework, but it is too overwhelming.

I am a long time Verizon user, but not married to them. My contract is up and I want to step up to a Smartphone. I see many of you hate VZW, but still seem to stay with them. I understand.

I see most prefer Android to Windows. I'm ok with that.

I see many of you VZW users hate the HTC Inc., love the Droid1 but are unsure about the Droid 2 (too new?). Ok.

Newegg and Wirefly are OK if you aren't scared with two ETF's (180 days for 3rd party). Ok.

So, what do I need? I get 24% employee discount on VZW and ATT, 17% on Sprint and zip on Tmo. The rest I pay myself.

I need some data (probably more than 200 MB), but not a ton (certainly less than 5gb).

What I must have is the ability to ocaasionaly tether (for free, preferably...PDANet is fine). As a contract instructor, I routinely am stuck for a week at a time inside industrial facilities with no internet access (to me, anyway).

I hate texting. I need about 400 minutes/month talk.

(On a side note...I do need a basic family plan phone for the wife - talk and 500 or less text mainly, but could do data if that is the best way to go. Add another 300 minutes talk for her.)

I am not nor do I expect to be ever be a power phone user, but I do have ADOS (Attention Deficit Oh! Shiney!) and must admit I like toys.

So, boil it down for me...what phone? What carrier? Buy from...?

Again, thank you all for any input.

Trout

 

[rudeguy]

If you are happy with Verizon, stick with them. We all hate our phone companies, so don't pay too much attention to that. Its going to stay that way until they start paying us to use our phones

There is nothing wrong with the Droid 2. It doesn't have the super screen that some of the Samsungs do. The Fascinate has a very large following, that might be one to check out.

I would recommend going into a Verizon B&M store to get a feel for the phones. Some people find the larger screens cumbersome to use. Some really hate on-screen keyboards. Its always good to start there and see what ones you can rule out.

It doesn't sound like data is that big of a deal to you, so don't worry too much about LTE.

For sure check out the Droid X, Droid 2 and Fascinate.

I will always tell you to buy B&M in case you have a warranty issue. You might save $100 bucks up front but if you need service down the road, you will find yourself willing to spend double that to get your phone working again.

 

[YoungGun21]

The only thing to dislike about the Incredible is its battery life, which is absolutely terrible. It does also have subpar reception compared to the other phones (this is something HTC is known for).

Droid X is good at stock. Droid 2 is good at stock.

Fascinate is good if you don't use GPS much and if you can get passed the Bing search.

It might be best just to pick up a used older one (Droid 1, Incredible, etc) off of CL or Ebay and then add the cheap data plan for a bit to test it out.

 

[shortylickens]

WWYBYWB?

:hmm:

 

[gorcorps]

Going from simple phone to smartphone will be so awesome that it really won't matter WHICH phone you get... you'll still love it. Anyway, I agree that you need to find a store with demo models to get a feel for which one you like best.

There's no reason to jump ship from Verizon if you've had them for a while and like them enough. They have widest selection of Android phones so it's a good choice.