Looking for a phone. Could use some informed advice.

[Pr0d1gy]

OK folks, how is everyone? Here is the scoop. I have not recently owned a cell phone (don't ask, solitary type of person, well I had one 6 years ago for a few months), but I am in the market right now for one. What should I take into account, what do I need to know? I'm willing to dive into any tutorials, read any linked threads, etc to bone up on my cell phone knowledge...which is nil at the moment.

Here is what you should know about me in regards to the phone:

A) I have big hands, very big. I hate using my girlfriend's phone because it feels so tiny.

B) I really like music, video games, and fun software that you can do cool stuff with.

C) Internet access is not a huge importance for me on the phone, I am close to a computer about 100% of the time. Still, I definitely wouldn't complain if the phone has that option, especially if you can explain to me it's value (for instance, my company uses WebSense to block certain pages online).

D) I know nothing. I mean the last cell phone I had was like 6 years ago and I barely even carried a beeper back in the day. Let me know why these phones cost a car payment and why certain ones are worth that money in your eyes.

E) I live near Atlanta, Gwinnett county to be specific, and work in Winder-Barrow so keep that in mind for coverage if that is an issue.

F) I appreciate your help. Anyone who chooses to spend their time helping a cell phone noob is appreciated here, because I need the help and don't trust retail sales people to give me straight answers.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Providers don't matter?

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Why are you asking me? I just spent quite a bit of time explaining that I don't know anything about this stuff...

Do providers matter? Got a link to what the differences are if they do matter?

 

[Slick5150]

Why are you asking me? I just spent quite a bit of time explaining that I don't know anything about this stuff...

Do providers matter? Got a link to what the differences are if they do matter?

Well it matters a lot. Look at their coverage maps on their websites for your area. If there's not good coverage, you don't want them.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I meant is as does the provider matter in terms of are there people you talk to a lot that you want to be calling without using your minutes?

By your first point, I would not recommend any touch screen phone.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

OK, no touch screen, but those little keyboards are so tiny.

Anyhow, no it doesn't really matter who I have to call because my girl and I will probably both switch to whoever I go with.

Well it matters a lot. Look at their coverage maps on their websites for your area. If there's not good coverage, you don't want them.

Will do, thanks.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

What's your price range?

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Price isn't really the issue. Obviously I don't want to throw a thousand dollars into a phone but price isn't the main concern.

 

[BigSmooth]

Do you know what phone model your girlfriend has? Might help us determine a size range for you.

 

[Tlan]

go with sprint you can get everything for $59.99 a month

get a palm pre for $149 after rebate. to ge the discounted plan go to sprint.com/sero

 

[Pr0d1gy]

It's a lot like this one, these size buttons are about half the size of my fingers. To give you an idea a video game controller's buttons are about the right size for me, but still kind of small. What about a PSP Go? What are the issues with those? I liked my PSP before I modded & traded it for a Wii...lol

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/NET10+-...obile Phones_SKU_9498689_TXT&id=1218115078404

 

[boomhower]

Unfortunately phones have gotten fairly small so the button are relatively small, especially on smartphones, and touch screens are far more prevalent than non.

If you want to browse the net often get a smartphone. Browser on featurephones plain suck. Opera Mini is available for most and is decent but can't compare to a real mobile browser.

My first suggestion would be a Blackberry. Of all the smartphone platforms it has the weakest browser options but it has the best combination of a non-touchscreen with a good keyboard. The 8500 series is a good value for the money. The higher end options may not be worth it to you if you don't need the power they offer.

Then you have Symbian, namely the E71 on AT&T. It's pretty solid and the phone itself is excellent with a similar form factor to the BB's.

Android is very very nice but with you non-touch screen loving ways limits you. The G1 is dated and has a small keyboard. The Moment is a brick.

WebOS rocks but the Pre's keyboard is going to be to small for you and the Pixi is underpowered IMHO.

Windows Mobile is a non-starter IMO. They are scrapping it for a reason.

Really what you need to do first is find out what providers have good service in your area. Howardforums would be my first suggestion for an online source but really I would just ask friends, family, and co-workers who they have and how the coverage is.

 

[vshah]

step 1: check coverage maps

step 2: go to stores and play with phones. don't talk to salespeople

step 3: come back with moar questions based on step 2

 

[AstroManLuca]

I was in a Best Buy earlier today and virtually all of the plain flip phones had excellent, easy-to-use keypads. Unfortunately they were all plain flip phones with very few multimedia functions. Perhaps a music-oriented one with a headphone jack and microSD card slot would be a good idea so it can function as an MP3 player, but most of those phones don't have much beyond the basics.

One option is the LG enV Touch on Verizon. It's a feature phone, not a smartphone, and it does have a touchscreen. But it also has a nice large QWERTY keyboard. It requires at least a $10/mo data plan and can get a $30/mo unlimited one as well. Not sure if it quite fits your needs but it's worth a try at least.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

I would concur with any of the V's from Verizon. Good coverage. Good hardware keyboards.

 

[DivideBYZero]

I'd second checking out the 85xx series BlackBerry.

The current browser they are shipped with isn't an issue as the replacement due shortly will be one of the best mobile browsers available.

 

[AstroManLuca]

I'd second checking out the 85xx series BlackBerry.

The current browser they are shipped with isn't an issue as the replacement due shortly will be one of the best mobile browsers available.

And BlackBerries have some of the best keyboards available. I think the HTC Touch Pro 2 also has an outstanding keyboard but it's huge, heavy, expensive, and it's on Windows Mobile which is not ideal.

 

[cardiac]

I would concur with any of the V's from Verizon. Good coverage. Good hardware keyboards.

You could pick up one of the eNv's from LG off of Craigslist or eBay, and then use a plan such as from Page Plus if you won't use it much. They have a 1200 minute voice/1200 minute text plan for $29.99. They are a Verizon reseller, so coverage is great. I recently signed up with them and I love it. I had been with AT&T for 10 years and they were getting a little pricey...

http://www.pagepluscellular.com

Bob

 

[AstroManLuca]

Page Plus is a good option for some people, but I have a feeling it would be a terrible option for this guy. You really don't get the same level of customer service and support from Page Plus as you would get from any of the major carriers. PP is a good deal, but you have to do your own hand-holding. The fact that the OP said that cost isn't the most important thing just seals it.

 

[Muadib]

step 1: check coverage maps

step 2: go to stores and play with phones. don't talk to salespeople

step 3: come back with moar questions based on step 2

I agree with all of this, except for not talking to salespeople.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Thanks for all the info guys, it has been invaluable. I will look into those phones and plans mentioned. We're already getting our home internet through AT&T, so I may look into those phone.

On other question, should I look into jailbreaking/unlocking the phone?

Guys, I did not rule out a touchscreen, someone mentioned that they might be annoying given my hand/finger size so I said OK what else is there? If there is a good touchscreen I would not be against it at all, especially if the touch buttons were large enough.

Sorry I haven't got back with you sooner guys. We just moved into a new place and our internet won't be hooked up until the first of next month. I will be posting on my work days though, Mon-Wed + Fri & Sat, 9 to 5.

 

[hanoverphist]

Guys, I did not rule out a touchscreen, someone mentioned that they might be annoying given my hand/finger size so I said OK what else is there? If there is a good touchscreen I would not be against it at all, especially if the touch buttons were large enough.

i have large fingers as well, but i have no problem ith no physical keyboard. i also use a resistive touchscreen and windows mobile that everyone says using a stylus is almost necessary, but have no real issues with using my fingertips on.

i dont really have any suggestions for phones to look at, not many people like the winmo phones i tend to like lately. i do like the enV series for the most part, as long as you can avoid getting a crappy one that has the power down issue (enV3 has an issue with it on some handsets) or the keys not working on the front side (enV2 has that issue on some handsets). im a fan of the voyager and enV touch so far, ive used them all and liked them as far as ease of use.

 

[vshah]

I agree with all of this, except for not talking to salespeople.

well, at least take everything they say with a grain of salt. then bring the grain back to AT for scientific analysis.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Another thing. If you want to make sure you can actually use all the phones you're considering, find corporate-run stores for the carrier or carriers that have the phones you want to try. Retailers like Best Buy may have a few working demo units for you to try, but they don't always have very many. And a lot of the franchise stores don't have any working phones you can try. I went into a franchise Sprint store a few days ago and they had exactly one phone that wasn't a dummy phone. They were at least able to point me to a corporate store.

You'd be surprised at how difficult it is to find a mobile phone store that doesn't suck. Most are pretty bad. They're understaffed, have few or no phones to try, yet they still sell phones at the inflated carrier-direct price.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

All very useful info guys, thanks, but what I'm kinda looking for is more general info on what the phones can do.

Like, what can an iPhone do and what can an Android do and why would I want one over the other?