What new phone to get (now or near future)

[Astrof]

I currently have AT&T and our contract just expired. If I were to get a phone now what should I get (on any carrier)? What is the "next" phone to look for in the near future (1 month, two months, etc)?

 

[Muadib]

What sort of phone are you looking for, and what's your budget?

 

[AstroManLuca]

HTC EVO 4G on Sprint. Supposed to come out this summer.

- 4.3" screen
- 4G compatible (only in certain cities for now)
- Free tethering
- Dual cameras
- HDMI output, supports 720p

It will be this year's killer phone.

 

[YoungGun21]

HTC Desire should be out on in May or June. Look it up. This is if you still want AT&T.

If Sprint, HTC EVO 4G.

If Verizon, HTC Incredible should be out this month.

 

[Astrof]

Smartphone, budget is not really a problem (not horrendous and probably not an unlocked phone as those run a bit steep)

When is "summer"? end of June? I hate relative terms (I know people don't know much about it but still). If this gets released in summer, what about a new iPhone? (I usually shy away from iPhones but how would it compare to the EVO 4G?)

 

[Muadib]

Smartphone, budget is not really a problem (not horrendous and probably not an unlocked phone as those run a bit steep)

When is "summer"? end of June? I hate relative terms (I know people don't know much about it but still). If this gets released in summer, what about a new iPhone? (I usually shy away from iPhones but how would it compare to the EVO 4G?)

Can't truthfully answer the iPhone question, because there is nothing but rumor at the moment. Read this for iPhone rumor. The iPhone has always come out in late June, and I bet the new one will too. If you want to stay with at&t, I would wait.

If you plan to go elsewhere, the EVO would be my pick, especially if you are in an area that has Wimax. Right now, I plan to get one, but if it doesn't come out until June, I will wait for the iPhone.

The Nexus1 will be on Verizon & Sprint very soon, but due to the issues it has, you should wait to see if they have been fixed.

 

[preslove]

For the iPhone, the only thing we can be sure about is that there will be an update to the specs of the AT&T iPhone. There will *probably* be a new OS released with it.

All the other rumors are just bullshit that internet hacks spout to drive page views.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Smartphone, budget is not really a problem (not horrendous and probably not an unlocked phone as those run a bit steep)

When is "summer"? end of June? I hate relative terms (I know people don't know much about it but still). If this gets released in summer, what about a new iPhone? (I usually shy away from iPhones but how would it compare to the EVO 4G?)

The iPhone is divisive to say the least. Some people would rather have a first-gen, non-3G iPhone than the newest Android phone, and others wouldn't take one for free if you offered.

Setting aside my personal feelings, at the moment I'd say the current iPhone 3G S is roughly the equal of the Nexus One, but it's definitely behind what the EVO 4G will be. But maybe the next iPhone will even things up a bit. We'll have to see. The EVO looks amazing, but you never know with Apple.

 

[zerocool84]

The iPhone is divisive to say the least. Some people would rather have a first-gen, non-3G iPhone than the newest Android phone, and others wouldn't take one for free if you offered.

Setting aside my personal feelings, at the moment I'd say the current iPhone 3G S is roughly the equal of the Nexus One, but it's definitely behind what the EVO 4G will be. But maybe the next iPhone will even things up a bit. We'll have to see. The EVO looks amazing, but you never know with Apple.

3GS equal to the Nexus One??? In what universe?

 

[AstroManLuca]

3GS equal to the Nexus One??? In what universe?

In the universe where you're not a fanboy.

Okay, so the 3GS doesn't have as fast a CPU as the Nexus One, but on the other hand it's running more highly optimized software and the two CPUs aren't really comparable anyway. And it doesn't have to multitask like the N1 does.

 

[whoiswes]

And it doesn't have to can't multitask like the N1 does.

FTFY.

/sorry, have had to use both iPhone and Android for a phone OS - android is superior in every way, IMO.

EDIT: I'm talking stock, not jailbroken.

 

[YoungGun21]

The Nexus One (and a large number of other Android phones) are better cell phones than the iPhone. The iPhone is better for multimedia.

 

[boomhower]

In the universe where you're not a fanboy.

Okay, so the 3GS doesn't have as fast a CPU as the Nexus One, but on the other hand it's running more highly optimized software and the two CPUs aren't really comparable anyway. And it doesn't have to multitask like the N1 does.

Lower screen res, no real multitasking, pretty much no customization. It has a far superior apps store but other than that it is pretty much inferior.

 

[Astrof]

I'd also like to add that I plan on doing some light programming for the phone.

 

[herkulease]

I say the 1st thing you have to decide is what network works best for you. Unless you happen to live/work in an area were AT&T, Verizon and Sprint are all equal then you should then decide on a phone.

It would be pointless(IMO) to pick a phone but doesn't really work in where you live/work

 

[zerocool84]

I say the 1st thing you have to decide is what network works best for you. Unless you happen to live/work in an area were AT&T, Verizon and Sprint are all equal then you should then decide on a phone.

It would be pointless(IMO) to pick a phone but doesn't really work in where you live/work

Yea this is always the most important. Then when you learn if they suck, you're stuck with a 2yr contract. Maybe try out Sprint since they have a 30 day money back guarantee they just rolled out. If they turn out to be good then that's great cus they're the cheapest around but if you don't end up liking them you can leave in a month and not lose any money.

 

[tatteredpotato]

I'd also like to add that I plan on doing some light programming for the phone.

I would say Android is best for this purpose... the entire OS is open sourced (or at least the vast majority of it), and all apps are written in Java. Google provides the "NDK" that allows you to write some native C/C++ code, however it's advised most of your code be implemented in Java.

Of course the iPhone SDK is readily available as well, however iPhone development requires an OSX install, which is a limiting factor if you don't own a Mac or an easily Hackintosh'd PC. As far as I know, iPhone apps are written in Obj-C, however I've never played around with the platform.

I believe the WinMo7 SDK is already out and that is all done in C#, and at this point MS is not providing any means of writing native code. Microsoft does, however, allow XNA programs to be compiled for WinMo7 which makes it very easy to program 2D/3D games for the device.

WebOS and Blackberries are less familiar to me so I can't comment on their development environments.

As I mentioned I feel the Android platform is the healthiest from a developers point of view, as far as options and simplicity. iPhone has a larger marketshare at the moment, so if you want to market your app there's a wider customer base. Microsoft on the other hand has always, IMO, provided very intuitive APIs and mature development tools for programmers, however they are also known for less open environments.

 

[Astrof]

I don't think service is that big of an issue. I live in the DFW area (but go to school elsewhere). I know a few people per carrier around here and there aren't that many complaints.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Has Sprint said how much the service for the EVO will cost?

If the EVO data plan is reasonable, that would be my choice or the Desire, since youre going with a subsidized phone.

You really didnt mention what you want? Touchscreen?

Wild card might be the new LG Aloha http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/04/02/lg-c710-aloha-outed-in-official-documents/ or the Dell Mini 5 http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/19/dell-mini-5-prototype-impressions/

 

[Astrof]

I want some form of a smartphone, most phones touchscreen nowadays. I would like a Qwerty Keyboard (or a comparably fast software touch keyboard possibly through multitouch) though this isnt a deal breaker as many phones are ditching the full keyboard. I'm leaning towards Android phones.

What carrier is the Desire going to be on? Or the LG Aloha? And what are the predicted release dates for the EVO, Incredible, Dell Mini 5, etc? I kind of want a new phone soon but wouldn't mind waiting a month or so if it's worth it.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Here's what I found with some Google searching:

1. HTC Desire is confirmed for the UK for later this month. Nothing is official for the US yet, but rumor has it AT&T will release it... at some point. It's definitely a good option though - basically a Nexus 1 with Sense UI.
2. The LG Aloha hasn't even been announced yet. People found evidence of its existence, but who knows when it'll come out? Probably after everything else you mention since it hasn't even been announced.
3. EVO is supposed to be summer but there's nothing more specific.
4. Everyone thought Verizon would announce the HTC Incredible and/or Verizon Nexus 1 a week ago, and they didn't. Not sure when that'll happen.
5. No release date on the Mini 5 either.

So there's a whole lot on the horizon, but we have no clue how far away all of it really is. Rest assured there will be at least one or two awesome phones available over summer. If you can wait, I'd wait.

 

[aceO07]

The Nexus One (and a large number of other Android phones) are better cell phones than the iPhone. The iPhone is better for multimedia.

WM is better for multimedia. It can support almost all the audio/video codecs. Both iPhone and Android can only play the few codecs that it supports, which is fairly limited. They need to be converted before it will work.

I'm not saying WM is better for everything, but for multimedia support WM is better. It's nice to be able to connect to the file server and watch any video on there.

 

[dguy6789]

In the universe where you're not a fanboy.

Okay, so the 3GS doesn't have as fast a CPU as the Nexus One, but on the other hand it's running more highly optimized software and the two CPUs aren't really comparable anyway. And it doesn't have to multitask like the N1 does.

The difference between the Nexus One and the Iphone 3GS is about as large as the difference between an Iphone and a non smartphone. The difference in hardware, performance, screen, OS capability, and overall functionality is enormous. The N1 is more of a portable computer than a phone. The Iphone is more of a portable phone than a computer.

 

[preslove]

Basically, don't make a large investment in a phone before August. There are tons of new phones coming out this summer, so getting one right now is kind of silly. I just bought a HTC HD2 on wirefly for $100-50 bing cash back, but plan on switching to the EVO after a couple months, because the t-mobile etf is only $200. Hopefully I can make most of that $250 back on ebay

 

[Fox5]

WM is better for multimedia. It can support almost all the audio/video codecs. Both iPhone and Android can only play the few codecs that it supports, which is fairly limited. They need to be converted before it will work.

I'm not saying WM is better for everything, but for multimedia support WM is better. It's nice to be able to connect to the file server and watch any video on there.

N900 is even better for media, supports basically every open source codec and file transfer protocol.