Looking for Phone Suggestions (Cingular)

[CurseTheSky]

My current phone has a badly cracked screen, making it hard to text or even add to my contact list. Unfortunately, I don't have insurance on it. It's an LG CU500.

I'm looking for a semi-similar phone that has a decent camera, decently large screen, and good battery life. The Razr's don't look too bad, but everyone I've talked to complains about the horrible battery life. Other features like MP3 players and microSD slots are definately nice, but not required. I would MUCH prefer microSD over onboard storage.

Since I already have a plan (not due for renewal for another year...), I'll be paying full price. I can drop up to $250-300ish at the absolute maximum, but the phone would have to be REALLY nice for me to consider it.

Any sweet deals out there, or should I wait to see how the Razr 2 is?

 

[CurseTheSky]

Anyone?

 

[nace186]

How about add another 50 and get the sony k790a? it's 346 on amazon with free shipping. It has a nice music player, and also 3.5mp camera. If you think it's too expensive, you could also look for the sony w810 on ebay. Also, don't buy it retail, buy it on ebay. Because some people sign up to get the free phone and sell them on ebay for cheap in order to get money to buy phones that at&t doesn't have.

 

[kevinf2090]

i use the n75. many people say that the battery life is horrible, but after a few charge cycles its been pretty good.

 

[intogamer]

Originally posted by: nace186
How about add another 50 and get the sony k790a? itS 346 on amazon with free shipping. It has a nice music player, and also 3.5mp camera. If you think it's too expensive, you could also look for the sony w810 on ebay. Also, don't buy it retail, but it on ebay. Because some people, sign up to get the free phone and sell them on ebay for cheap in order to get money to buy phones that at&t doesn't have.

Ditto. You should def check out Sony Ericsson phones if you like Candybar type

 

[caivoma]

Isnt the RAZR 2 is much more expensive than your budget? RAZR 2 V8 is going around for 430 dollars give or take right now without renewal discount.
How about the SE w300i for 170 (flip form) or w610 for 240 (candybar form)?

 

[CurseTheSky]

Originally posted by: caivoma
Isnt the RAZR 2 is much more expensive than your budget? RAZR 2 V8 is going around for 430 dollars give or take right now without renewal discount.
How about the SE w300i for 170 (flip form) or w610 for 240 (candybar form)?

Didn't realize how much it went for. The $400+ is definately outside of my budget. Oh well.

What about Sync by Samsung? It seems to have some decent features, but I don't hear a ton of talk about it. Is it worth the money, or are there better phones out there for the given price? I can pick it up for about $250.

Edit: I should also mention that I LOVE the larger LCD screens on the LG CU500. Going back to the smaller (usually cheaper) flip phones actually hurts my eyes now.

 

[Reckoner]

Razr2 V9 came out for Cingular today at $299. If you have money to burn, you should be happy with it. Although, the V3xx can be had for much cheaper (1 cent on Amazon), and has most of the functionality of the new razr, minus CrystalTalk.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Razr2 V9 came out for Cingular today at $299. If you have money to burn, you should be happy with it. Although, the V3xx can be had for much cheaper (1 cent on Amazon), and has most of the functionality of the new razr, minus CrystalTalk.

It's $499 without a plan, though. I'm looking for just a phone - my plan isn't due for renewal for another year and a half.

I bit the bullet and bought a SYNC by Samsung. The sound quality isn't as good as the LG I had, but everything else seems great.



SYNC

Pros:
-Large, clear primary screen
-Decent battery life (so far)
-Light
-Decently thin
-2.0 megapixel camera
-MicroSD card plugs into the side of the phone
-Software allows alarms to be configured by time, day, off/on, sound, snooze, etc. (yes, I use my phone as an alarm...)

Cons:
-Feels like it's going to break easier than the CU500
-Camera and text message options are a bit difficult to figure out
-Charger plugs into the side of the phone (odd, but maybe it'll be good; who knows)
-Smaller secondary screen



CU500

Pros:
-Swivel Camera (has some decent uses, but not many)
-Tough construction (who knows what it's made it, but it's sturdy)
-EXCELLENT sound quality
-Camera, text messaging, and other normal options are very easy to use

Cons:
-1.3 megapixel camera
-"Stereo" speakers are used for regular conversations - people talking too loud or shouting HURTS
-Buttons for space and "next word or symbol" are switched compared to most phones, takes a while to get used to
-MicroSD card plugs into the back of the phone; requires you to remove the battery
-Software only allows alarms to be configured as 1 day, all week, weekdays, or weekends - not individual days
-Cover for the charger connection breaks easily


I think the CU500 was a much more hyped-up phone, but I'm actually happier with the SYNC... and I've only had it for a day now. I haven't found anything that beats the sound quality of the stereo speakers on the CU500; a normal voice conversation sounds like it was recorded in a studio and played back on a multi-thousand-dollar sound system. The downside, though, is any loud noises coming into the phone come out twice as loud or more. Even someone sneezing into the phone was enough to hurt my ears for a while (and turning the volume down would make me miss parts of normal conversations).

 

[nboy22]

Originally posted by: CurseTheSky

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Razr2 V9 came out for Cingular today at $299. If you have money to burn, you should be happy with it. Although, the V3xx can be had for much cheaper (1 cent on Amazon), and has most of the functionality of the new razr, minus CrystalTalk.

It's $499 without a plan, though. I'm looking for just a phone - my plan isn't due for renewal for another year and a half.

I bit the bullet and bought a SYNC by Samsung. The sound quality isn't as good as the LG I had, but everything else seems great.



SYNC

Pros:
-Large, clear primary screen
-Decent battery life (so far)
-Light
-Decently thin
-2.0 megapixel camera
-MicroSD card plugs into the side of the phone
-Software allows alarms to be configured by time, day, off/on, sound, snooze, etc. (yes, I use my phone as an alarm...)

Cons:
-Feels like it's going to break easier than the CU500
-Camera and text message options are a bit difficult to figure out
-Charger plugs into the side of the phone (odd, but maybe it'll be good; who knows)
-Smaller secondary screen



CU500

Pros:
-Swivel Camera (has some decent uses, but not many)
-Tough construction (who knows what it's made it, but it's sturdy)
-EXCELLENT sound quality
-Camera, text messaging, and other normal options are very easy to use

Cons:
-1.3 megapixel camera
-"Stereo" speakers are used for regular conversations - people talking too loud or shouting HURTS
-Buttons for space and "next word or symbol" are switched compared to most phones, takes a while to get used to
-MicroSD card plugs into the back of the phone; requires you to remove the battery
-Software only allows alarms to be configured as 1 day, all week, weekdays, or weekends - not individual days
-Cover for the charger connection breaks easily


I think the CU500 was a much more hyped-up phone, but I'm actually happier with the SYNC... and I've only had it for a day now. I haven't found anything that beats the sound quality of the stereo speakers on the CU500; a normal voice conversation sounds like it was recorded in a studio and played back on a multi-thousand-dollar sound system. The downside, though, is any loud noises coming into the phone come out twice as loud or more. Even someone sneezing into the phone was enough to hurt my ears for a while (and turning the volume down would make me miss parts of normal conversations).

I've actually had a lot of calls in to the warranty center for AT&T about the reception on the SYNC, I know most of the calls that come in about that phone are for dropped calls/bad reception.

 

[thecritic]

The latest V3xx with full 3G support is very nice. Should have the best reception of the AT&T phones right now.

Ever try Ebay? I've seen new Treo 680s go for $300 on there regularly.