Hey ya'all, first time here. I need to buy a new smartphone after inadvertently destroying my iphone 3G. My decision is as much a moral dilemma as a hardware dilemma, so I'd appreciate your thoughts, whatever they are.
Background: I live in China, where phones are all unlocked and service is cheap month to month, but phones are all sold at full retail prices above what you would pay in the USA - for example the iPhone 4 costs 780 USD.
So, after breaking my phone, I realize I need a new phone. I'd like a smartphone. But, I know nothing about phones. When I say nothing, I mean nothing. Like a person who would ask "which key is the 'any' key" on a tech support line. So I asked my lover, who likes phones, to give me some suggestions. I gave her this criteria: must have a flash for the camera, must be touch-screen style with no physical keyboard, touch keypad should be at least as good as the iPhone 3G, and not an iPhone (long story). She came up with just two options: HTC Incredible (~$500) and Samsung Galaxy II S (~$700).
So, I need your advice on which to choose, or if there are other options that fit my criteria, which one of those would be better. Obviously the Galaxy II S is better, but is it worth 700 dollars? I'm not sure if the ego boost of having the best phone (until the iPhone 5 comes out) would be worth it. I could buy a one year membership to a great gym for the extra price of the Galaxy. But would I actually go to the gym? I could die tomorrow, and then I would be glad I got the better phone today. I'm also a little worried the Galaxy is too big to fit in my pocket. I don't want it to look like I'm Happy to See You when there's just a phone in my pocket.
Actually it gets even more confusing. She told me I could get Incredible as a smuggled phone from HK with no warranty for $500 or from a retail store for $600. How often does a phone's hardware actually break? Is it worth $100 just for a warranty? No, it does not cover user water, loss, theft, etc.
Any thoughts you have on this or alternative solutions are welcome.
Background: I live in China, where phones are all unlocked and service is cheap month to month, but phones are all sold at full retail prices above what you would pay in the USA - for example the iPhone 4 costs 780 USD.
So, after breaking my phone, I realize I need a new phone. I'd like a smartphone. But, I know nothing about phones. When I say nothing, I mean nothing. Like a person who would ask "which key is the 'any' key" on a tech support line. So I asked my lover, who likes phones, to give me some suggestions. I gave her this criteria: must have a flash for the camera, must be touch-screen style with no physical keyboard, touch keypad should be at least as good as the iPhone 3G, and not an iPhone (long story). She came up with just two options: HTC Incredible (~$500) and Samsung Galaxy II S (~$700).
So, I need your advice on which to choose, or if there are other options that fit my criteria, which one of those would be better. Obviously the Galaxy II S is better, but is it worth 700 dollars? I'm not sure if the ego boost of having the best phone (until the iPhone 5 comes out) would be worth it. I could buy a one year membership to a great gym for the extra price of the Galaxy. But would I actually go to the gym? I could die tomorrow, and then I would be glad I got the better phone today. I'm also a little worried the Galaxy is too big to fit in my pocket. I don't want it to look like I'm Happy to See You when there's just a phone in my pocket.
Actually it gets even more confusing. She told me I could get Incredible as a smuggled phone from HK with no warranty for $500 or from a retail store for $600. How often does a phone's hardware actually break? Is it worth $100 just for a warranty? No, it does not cover user water, loss, theft, etc.
Any thoughts you have on this or alternative solutions are welcome.