MP3 Player and Cell Phone... I'm in the market for both

[jdkick]

As stated, i'm in the market for both devices and i'm curious what the general thoughts are on purchasing a phone w/ a built-in MP3 player. My primary thought is that a combined device would be the most practical - only one device to carry around and keep charged.

First off, I am on a budget, so i'm not looking to spend like $500... more like $200. Second, i'm not looking for high-end devices. My requirements for both devices are pretty basic. My cell is my primary phone and I use it for voice calls and maybe the occasional text message. The MP3 player is for music playback but I can appreciate an intelligent interface.

At the moment, i'm looking at the LG Glimmer (Vantage here in Canada). I have not yet seen the phone in person, but it appears to have a decent touch-screen interface that has some decent consideration for music playback. And since i'll be using Bell (corporate agreement) i'm tied to CDMA phones.

Thoughts?

 

[uli2000]

Im with Alltel, who was the first carrier to carry the Glimmer. I cant speak about the phone personally, but Alltel recently discontinued the phone due to multiple software problems that LG was either unable or unwilling to fix. Things like the ringer not ringing I know was a major one. There were others, but Im not really sure of them all. If I was in your shoes, Id go with seperate devices. Ive been thinking of picking up a ipod touch. Here in the states apple is selling refub 8gb touches for $180. Id get that then get a free basic phone from the carrier.

 

[jdkick]

Are you sure Alltel discontinued the Glimmer? It's still available for purchase on Alltel's website and from some quick Google searching there seems to be conflicting reports as to whether it's actually (being) discontinued.

 

[uli2000]

Sorry, the EOL'd (end of life) it. They will continue to sell remaining stock, but wont replace stock when its gone.

 

[jdkick]

Well, i've been looking at some alternatives to the LG Glimmer/Vantage and came up with the Samsung Instinct or HTC Touch Diamond, however, they have there own issues. Reviews of the Instinct indicate it's rather laggy when reading from SD... and the Diamond can't even be expanded with SD memory.

Any other recommendations for a cell phone with a decent integrated player? If not, I may need to give up and go with separate devices after all... not that I want to. I like the idea of having everything in a single device.