Recommend me a phone!

[best_fullback]

My piece of c**p phone decided to die yesterday so I am on the brink of getting a new one. Seeing as we are clearly into the smartphone era I want to call out to all the members with such devices to recommend me what I should get. Since we are now also in the age of 24 month contracts being fairly common (in the UK at least) it makes the decision to get a phone that is right for you all the more important.

I:

• Text the most (500 at least per month to be safe)
• Call a fair bit (had 600 mins on an old tariff that was fine, my one now is 300 and I occasionally go over)
• Think I would use the internet a fair bit for browsing

I only have experience with the iphone, and my friend recently got the iphone 4. Have to say its absolutely stunning but the tariffs are fairly steep and you need to fork out at least £70 for the handset on the £35 tariff. Because of this I don't want to be blinded by the iphone and miss out on a more innovative, less popular phone.

So guys, what smartphones do you have? What are their pros and cons and would you recommend them to me over the iphone 4?

Cheers guys

 

[Teh Mite]

I run an N900 which is a serious bit of kit. Honestly, if you know how to run it it'll kick the holy snot out of anything else on the market. However, it's a bit techy and geeky for a lot of people.

Blackberrys are awful. Avoid at all costs. Trust me.

iPhones are fashion accessories IMO, but they suit some people.

Androids (HTCs and the like) seems to be popular but I know f-all about them.

I like the look of the new Nokia E7, although the Symbian software is off putting to me.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I've got a "Motorola Dext" few years old now (get my upgrade in 10days) but it runs on Android and I love it
I'm on an Orange contract for £25 a month and it's unlimited texts, 500mins and 500mb of internet (I think it's actually the £30 a month one but because i signed up online I got 10% off, or something like that)

My brother has a Samsung Galaxy S and absolutely loves it, chose it over getting whichever iPhone was around at the time (probably the 3G) and has never looked back
I know people with HTCs and they love them too
I think I'm just going to get the newer verson of my phone when I upgrade (which will be the Motorola Milestone 2) but you can't really go wrong with any android smartphone (imo anyway)


My girlfriend has a blackberry and it's alright, I suppose, but I wouldn't get one

 

[best_fullback]

My phone I have now is a Samsung and I absolutely hate it. Prior I had two Sony-Ericssons and I absolutely loved them.

Does anyone know anything about the Sony-Ericsson Xperia series of phones? The two below look really nice and the tariffs seem reasonable:

Xperia Arc

Xperia Play:

 

[Teh Mite]

The Xperia Play is supposedly a battery-raping PSP with a decent phone bolted on the side (think of a modern N-Gage).

 

[dullonien]

The way I see, you should decide between going for an Android based phone, or if you prefer something a little simpler and less fidly a Windows Phone 7 device. Windows 7 is fairly locked down though, so if you like the idea of a completely open OS like Android then the decision is quite simple. Microsoft it at least willing to work with jailbreakers though, apparently talking with the producers of jailbreaking software to make sure it works propperly, and doesn't brick any phones etc. My phone is jailbroken and none of the updates from MS has undone that.

It may be obvious that I've got a WP7 mobile, the HTC 7 Mozart to be precise. I simply love it, by far the best phone I've ever owned. With HTC you're guaranteed excellent build quality. I've tried a friends Samsung Galaxy S, and whilst the screen is mightly impressive, the build quality isn't quite up to HTC standards, and that can be quite important considering 24 month contacts like you said. I'm not a fan of the big 4"+ screens either, makes the phone a little large for my liking, main reason I chose the Mozart (3.7" screen), over the HD7 (4.3" screen), and considering they're the same resolution, everything looks a little sharper on the Mozart. I'm not much of an App person, but have downloaded quite a few free games etc. and the quality are usually good. I've got full Navigon satnav working (although it's not been officially released yet), which saves me buying a dedicated satnav for the rare occasions I need one.

Warning, WP7 doesn't support removable storage! This could change in the future, but none of the current phones have an SD slot etc. (well one does, but changing memory cards requires resetting the phone). This isn't too big a problem considering the excellent sync support, and that's coming from someone who uses his phone as an mp3 player.

I'm on a £17.50 contract with Orange and get 500mins, unlimited texts and 500mb internet. I think this is actually the £25 or £30 contract, but calling up and haggling a bargain every time my contract has been up for the past 6 years has brought the price down. Upgraded to the HTC Mozart for free aswell. It is a 24 month contract though.

Edit. If you're a facebook man, then WP7 also has excellent facebook integration. It can extract all your facebook contacts, including e-mail adresses and phone numbers, or it can just use facebook to update you're current phonebook, updating old numbers, adding user pictures etc. e-mail support is also top notch, I find it easier to manage my e-mail accounts on my phone than on my pc now.

I think Windows Phone 7 is worth checking out. Avoid anything symbian based imo. Companies very rarely offer updates, meaning any bugs present almost never get fixed. That's one of the main benefits of OS's like Android and WP7, you are guaranteed with Google and MS will continue to fine-tune them for years to come.

 

[Seaton]

I hate Blackberries

I really hate Blackberries

Don't get a Blackberry

Because I will tell you for free

You WILL hate Blackberries

That is all

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Just to bump this up

How do people with touch-screen-only phones get on with the keyboards on them?
I've never had a solely touchscreen but I'm considering one on my upgrade after seeing I'd have to pay extra for the motorola I wanted (and it's got the older version of android on it)
Was looking at the Desire S as it's cheap as chips, and is android 2.3

 

[Teh Mite]

After suffering a Samsung Omnia for 18 months, I will never have a touch-screen-only phone ever again. SLide out Qwerty keyboards all the way.

 

[lynam1104]

I have a Iphone it severs it's purpose, but it's going to try and take over you computer at some point. What i'll say for touche screen keyboards is I have no problem with them, but they're hard to get used to. Also i don't think I will ever be able to use one of the clssic phones where there are 3 letter per each number it's way to slow. If you want a safe phone the Iphone is good but nothing special.

 

[Teh Mite]

iPhones are fashion accessories for idiots, not serious pieces of technology.

A bit like how a Macbook is a laptop for people who can't use Windows or Linux for a month without breaking it.


Good emulation of Angry Birds however.

 

[lynam1104]

I just got it because I broke my Phone and my Ipod was out of date and I know you hate all things apple Bullit so go on have your rant, and yes I agree about the Macbook thing they're overpriced pieces of crap.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I did have a look at iPhones but they're bloomin' pricey!
I like my contract phones to be free, not have to pay £200 on top of a £35 a month contract to have a decent number of texts/minutes/etc

 

[dullonien]

Touchscreen keyboards have come on a long way. My previous three phones have been touchscreen only phones. I first had the LG Viewty, which was a bit pants tbh. The on screen keyboard was unresponsive and in-accurate. Typing on it whilst drunk was close to impossible. Next I had the LG Arena, which was an excellent phone at the time, the on screen keyboard was better, but still a little fiddly on occasion. My current phone, HTC Mozart as I said above has an excellent on screen keyboard (as you'd expect when someone like MS have spent huge sums of money developing the OS), never have any problems with it in either portrait or landscape mode. My gf, who's hated my previous two phones, loves this new one, and it's the first one she wants to have after I upgrade.

I'd expect all the big players to have similar quality on screen keyboards (Apple, Android). Personally I don't see the need for a physical querty keyboard anymore, there's simply less to break with a full touchscreen phone.

Just try out your friends phones, and see what you think. All android devices should have similar keyboard experiences, as most modern phones have similar screens installed (usually samsung).

Edit. One thing about the iPhone. How much did Apple pay Samsung to have exclusive rights to their Retina screen? Afterall, samsung manufacture the retina display, and not even they put it into their own devices. I know they use Super AMOLED screen in most of their phones, but I would have expected Samsung to create a SMOLED version of the retina display to out-do everyone. Must have been alot of cash involved to stop that!

 

[best_fullback]

I did have a look at iPhones but they're bloomin' pricey!
I like my contract phones to be free, not have to pay £200 on top of a £35 a month contract to have a decent number of texts/minutes/etc

Yeah this is the real barrier issue between my getting an iPhone and a HTC. The price is ridiculous; all I feel I will be paying for is the brand. I have always had a cynical outlook on brand exploitation in my life from an early age; for instance I never buy top end football/rugby boots until they come down in price. The most I have ever spent on boots was £60 on Nikes and I thought that was very steep. A good example in the boot world is the new Nike Mercurial Vapours that retail for £200+. Anyone who buys them is an absolute mug because they will cost nothing to produce.

I think I will get a HTC - the reviews are really good and the capabilities seem in excess of what the iPhone can offer + the tariffs are so much more reasonable.

 

[Logorrhea]

You can see porn on an Android, you cant on an iPhone.

 

[lynam1104]

I mange to get a pretty good deal on myine, got the 3gs just after the 4 came out so they were getting rid of stock, but they are still mostly a rip off tbh.

 

[dullonien]

You can see porn on an Android, you cant on an iPhone.

What's the use of a smartphone if you can't view porn? :huh:

 

[Logorrhea]

What's the use of a smartphone if you can't view porn? :huh:

Havent a clue, phone calls, fashion and sexting I spose.

 

[best_fullback]

Thank god! Porn = my life