would like recommendations

[SuPrEIVIE]

Hi, I have noticed a huge push towards all-in-one device design for phones which i think is great and exactly what i want since im still carrying a cellphone+mp3+camera. Basically im looking for a device that does the 3 aformentioned funcitons as good or better as a standalone device. I dont mind much about internet access/download a popular feature set in phones today, but more abut txting email and make/take calls.

I been out of the loop in phones been using the nokia 6800 and using prepaid with t-mobile, im wondering how the experience would be if i continue to use prepaid and get unlocked? i have been told about the Samsung i8510 seems nice but expensive. I could consider contract but always hesistant of those dont feel like doing more than 40$/month if i would.

i appreciate any help

 

[SuPrEIVIE]

i guess i should keep on the look out?

 

[pm]

To get a really good MP3 player + cell phone, or a really good camera + cell phone, you usually need to choose two out of three. I don't know of any cell phones that do all three well.

The best one that I know of is the Sony Cybershot C905a.
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/c905a?lc=en&cc=us

It has a very good camera, a decent MP3 player and it's a pretty good cell phone.

On a similar note, the Samsung Memoir and the Casio Exilim C721 are also both excellent camera + cell phones. But the MP3 player on the Casio is only ok, and the Samsung's is only slightly better.

On the MP3 player + cell phone, the obvious choice is the iPhone since it's essentially an iPod Touch with a GSM radio attached. But it's camera is only ok - and only on the 3GS, the cameras on the original iPhone and the 3G iPhone both fall into the not-very-good-at-all catagory in my estimation. The other Mp3 playing cell phones that I think stand out are the Nokia N90, Motorola ROKR E2, the Nokia N85, the Nokia 5300 Xpressmusic, the Sony W600i, and the Samsung MM-A900. None of these have very good cameras in my opinion - where I define "very good" as something with a reasonable pixel count, a good lens and a flash that takes pretty good pictures even in low light.

 

[gorcorps]

I'm a little biased about mp3 players and believe there's not a phone out there that gives proper sound quality. If I were you I'd go with something pm mentioned to get the best camera in a phone, and then pick a dedicated mp3 player.

 

[Nebor]

The new Sony Ericsson X10 has an 8.2 megapixel camera, Exchange Direct push email, video calling, and Windows media player built in, plus SE's own media xperiance panel, which is a pretty slick media interface.

I use my X1a as phone and mp3 player. It also plays audio books well. The 3.2 mp camera on it is absolute trash though. Coming from a Sony Ericsson K850i with a 5.0 mp camera that was just as good as a real digital camera, this one is truly disappointing. But I've heard great things about the c905a if you're looking for a smart phone. It will easily play all your media, take great pictures and is a great phone.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The new Sony Ericsson X10 has an 8.2 megapixel camera, Exchange Direct push email, video calling, and Windows media player built in, plus SE's own media xperiance panel, which is a pretty slick media interface.

I use my X1a as phone and mp3 player. It also plays audio books well. The 3.2 mp camera on it is absolute trash though. Coming from a Sony Ericsson K850i with a 5.0 mp camera that was just as good as a real digital camera, this one is truly disappointing. But I've heard great things about the c905a if you're looking for a smart phone. It will easily play all your media, take great pictures and is a great phone.

Do you think the X10 is worth holding out for? The X1 was a flop. By the time it came out the Touch Diamond had already swept the market. The Touch Pro was out long before. By the time the X1a even came out.... LOL.... And the X2? The X2 seems lost.

The X10 looks great on paper though. The downside is that it's running Donut 1.6? That's fine as long as we get a 2.0 or 2.1 upgrade or whatever.

Should I jump back to SE? When is this phone due out anyway? I suspect the usual SE delays and probably it won't be till summer before I can get my hands on a good price. And by then everyone will be drooling over iPhone 4.0 right? Heh.

 

[uli2000]

All in ones dont really work for me. There is allways something that suffers being stuffed in with everything else. I think currently, it the camera. Cell phones just dont have enough room for a decent image sensor let alone optics. I think dont expect great pictures out of anything >3mp or so. Ive got a 3.2mp camera on my phone, and though it works great in a pinch, I wouldnt dream of shooting photos on it full time. Music shouldnt be a problem. Alot of smartphones have alternate music players if you dont like the built in player, many of which also support many more filetypes than your standard built in player will handle. Just make sure the phone has a 3.5 mm connector so you dont have to worry about proprietary headphones or adapters.

 

[boomhower]

You could always pick up an iphone and jail break it. The biggest downside of the three functions is going to be the camera. You will also be limited to edge speeds on T-Mobile.

 

[secretanchitman]

You could always pick up an iphone and jail break it. The biggest downside of the three functions is going to be the camera. You will also be limited to edge speeds on T-Mobile.

basically. however, the camera isnt that great on the original iphone and iphone 3G, but on the 3GS, its a lot better, since it includes video, tap to focus, etc.

 

[pm]

The camera on the iPhone 3GS is decent for a cell phone camera, but it's pretty awful if you compare it to a "real" digital camera IMO. The tap-to-focus and especially tap-to-white-balance allow it to take decent pictures outside or well-lit buildings, but it doesn't have a flash and it takes horrible pictures in low-light and it doesn't have a zoom and the megapixel count is pretty low for modern camera.

I tried to take a picture of my daughter singing in a Christmas choir a few weeks ago with a 3GS and all you could see were the candles. For a cell phone it's a decent enough camera, and the video capabilities are decent too but it's no replacement for even a low-end discrete camera.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The camera on the iPhone 3GS is decent for a cell phone camera, but it's pretty awful if you compare it to a "real" digital camera IMO. The tap-to-focus and especially tap-to-white-balance allow it to take decent pictures outside or well-lit buildings, but it doesn't have a flash and it takes horrible pictures in low-light and it doesn't have a zoom and the megapixel count is pretty low for modern camera.

I tried to take a picture of my daughter singing in a Christmas choir a few weeks ago with a 3GS and all you could see were the candles. For a cell phone it's a decent enough camera, and the video capabilities are decent too but it's no replacement for even a low-end discrete camera.

Well low light even with the LED flashes we have are pretty bad don't you think? The N86 does farely well but it's because it has F2.8 and the LED flash is pretty darn powerful. Unfortunately, the phones out here don't seem as camera oriented, and even a LED light won't do much. I think the true solution is Xenon but there are far too few phones with Xenon.

 

[hanoverphist]

ive been pretty happy with the 5mp camera on my omnia. it also does a decent job with music, even with the wmp that it comes with. ive loaded different players to try them out, but i end up back in wmp anyway. its easy to use, plays full screen mp4s and sounds decent. its a pretty good phone as well so far.