Opinions on Smartphones Wanted

[Spot's Meow]

So. I've never had or used a smartphone before, but I am now seriously considering buying one. I would like your useful opinions on what I should get. Opinions on both the phone itself and the operating systems will be helpful.

I'll start by saying that I will be with AT&T, and I really REALLY want the phone to have an actual keyboard, preferably one that slides out. I'm also a fairly tech savvy person who picks up on new technology quickly, so don't think that because I've never had a smartphone before I need something simple to start with.

I am leaning towards an Android phone, but will also consider just about anything except the iPhone. I know, it's the best thing ever, but it just doesn't fit me or what I'd like to use my phone for. The reason I'm leaning towards Android is because I use many Google products (Gmail, Google Maps, etc.) and I have heard there are lots of customization options.

What do you all suggest? What has worked best for you?

 

[RoJoHen]

The only smartphone I've ever had is my current Blackberry Torch. I love it. It has a big touch screen as well as a slide-out keyboard (with real buttons!). I don't really use any of its smartphone features, though. I only use it to call and text (and occasionally check Facebook), but I still think it's a great phone.

 

[Starbreaker]

Android and iPhone aren't that much different. The apps and functions are mostly the same.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

If money is no object, get an HTC Android phone.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I got my first smartphone in June. A Droid Charge thru Verizon.

One of the larger screens and an on-screen keyboard which turns itself depending on how I hold the phone. I prefer "landscape" orientation.

I still don't use a tenth of the potential, but I'll get there. At least I can check lottery #'s at work.

 

[sojourner]

Android and iPhone aren't that much different. The apps and functions are mostly the same.

Try and use an mp3 as a ringtone on an Iphone.

 

[Canadave]

I've had a cheap Android model since the summer, and I quite like it. It's a very customizable OS (if you don't like the keyboard or the camera software, for instance, you can replace them) and it's pretty intuitive. I honestly can't think of any reason why I'd rather have a Blackberry or an iPhone.

 

[Arrqh]

I'll start by saying that I will be with AT&T, and I really REALLY want the phone to have an actual keyboard, preferably one that slides out.

It's actually slim pickings on AT&T for Android if you want a full slideout keyboard, I think. All the ones I see on their site aren't phones I'd recommend. But if that's what you want and you need to stay with AT&T, the Samsung Captivate Glide would probably fit the bill. It isn't released yet, but I imagine it will be sometime this month.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Good advice so far. Oh, another question. I see that a portion of the phones for sale now have 4G instead of 3G...will I notice that much of a difference if I stick with 3G? I don't really get the whole 'G' stuff as I've never had a phone that could access the internet, so I don't know if going up a G will be a huge improvement or not.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I'll start by saying that I will be with AT&T, and I really REALLY want the phone to have an actual keyboard, preferably one that slides out.

It's actually slim pickings on AT&T for Android if you want a full slideout keyboard, I think. All the ones I see on their site aren't phones I'd recommend. But if that's what you want and you need to stay with AT&T, the Samsung Captivate Glide would probably fit the bill. It isn't released yet, but I imagine it will be sometime this month.

I just looked up this and some of the other new AT&T Android phones coming out, and it looks like there are some good options for me. Of course, they also look really expensive! I'll be starting a new contract so there will be that discount, but I'll still be hoping very much for a great sale for the holidays.

 

[Candlelight]

I used to have a Blackberry Curve but upgraded to a Bold. Awesome phone. Not a bad battery life either for a three year old phone.

Really want the new 9900 but am stuck with this one for a bit longer. Which is fine.

The iPhone is a great toy but I like a physical keyboard and the fact I'm not tied to Apple to put whatever I want on it. Never ever seen an Android phone so can't comment.

 

[Trekker4747]

I've got a Blackberry Bold and it's a nice phone, I wish I had gotten the Torch with the full screen and flip/slide out keyboard but I digress. What I like about it is the tactile, physical, keyboard and not having to touch the screen to do things -causing fingerprints all over the thing. The battery life on mine has been good as it goes to a "sleep mode" whenever it's put in the case you carry it in.

I'd personally recommend the Blackberry smart phones over the iPhones is from the "not Apple" thing alone but also so you're not a drone buying Apple products because it's Apple.

I do wish that my phone had a talk-to-text feature but that's not too big a deal. Surfing on is pretty good and as I said the battery life on it is nice. I even got a charging cradle for it when I have it sitting on my desk.

 

[WillsBabe]

I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace. It's bloody awesome. Wouldn't be without it. I love the Swype function for texting, and the camera is so excellent I'm rediscoveriung my love of photography. It's light, and the battery life is great. Can't fault it.

 

[Mary Ann]

I have a Blackberry Curve and I'm not thrilled with it. It's frozen a few times and the camera is crap. People I know who have the BB Bold and Torch are very happy with them, though, so it's probably just my cheapo model (it was free with my 24-month contract) that's iffy.

 

[Sterculius]

Android and iPhone aren't that much different. The apps and functions are mostly the same.

Not really. I have iPhone 4 and my friend has an Android phone. We've compared features on many an occassion, as he's wondering whether or not to go to iPhone with his next upgrade. They share just as many differences as they do similarities.

 

[Newton]

I just got a new phone, the HTC Incredible S, and I'm pretty impressed with it. It's my first smarphone so I don't have much to compare it to, but the build quality impresses, and Android Gingerbread is pretty easy to use. I managed to get a great deal on the plan, and I am very satisfied so far. I have experienced a couple of minor bugs but it was nothing a reset couldn't fix. Also, if you play around with it a lot the battery gets drained quite quickly (one day), but I'm told that is common to all smartphones.

Edit: Typing on a touchscreen takes a bit of getting used to, but once you retrain yourself it's fine. I found that I could type surprisingly quickly on a touchscreen once I learned how. I just had to get used to the fact that I didn't have to press down, like you do on a normal button. Only a very light touch is required.

 

[Deks]

The only conceivable 'advantage' that iPhone held up until recently over Android would be that the UI and 2D graphics in general was/is handled entirely by the GPU.
Android 4 is supposed to fix this little 'problem' though, and '2.3' Android - as in 'Gingerbread' already supports 2D HW accelerated UI in a limited fashion (only certain portions are accelerated though, not the whole thing) - 3D wise - as in games, and apps that were optimized to use the gpu work pretty much the same as they would on the iPhone.

Anyway... Android gives users a bit more in terms of 'free range' when compared to the iPhone.
Although, if you jail break both android and iPhone... you essentially end up with the same ability to install a whole plethora of apps.
Plus, you don't need to send iTunes your credit card info for download of free apps (I distinctively remember my father had to do it on his iPhone).

Numerous Android phones can turn out to be much cheaper compared to the iPhone.
It really depends on your needs and budget.

I got my smartphone in London for £110 (ZTE Blade) on PAYG.
I unlocked it online for free, and installed 2.3 Android on it (it originally came with Android 2.1) that was made by the modding community.
Battery life is pretty good (2 days with moderate use - 4 to 5 days in standby), OS is stable and runs pretty good - heavy use of the phone pretty much amounts to 1 day of battery life - which is practically the same like on other phones.
Keep in mind though that my phone has relatively old hardware inside of it though, but it gets everything done like most other smart-phones do, and I hadn't had a problem with it - oh and I recently got a 16GB SDHC card for it so i can increase my storage capacity (need it for quality Trek games from the 90-ies to run under aDosBox as most 'games' that are made for smartphones are just plain... garbage).

HTC is a pretty reputable company as far Android smartphones go, and there are other budgetary smartphones you could look into.
As I said... depends on what your needs and budget are.

 

[backstept]

I had an iphone for a few years, then I switched to Windows Phone 7 and I am supremely satisfied with it. WP7 has facebook and twitter integration, voice guided navigation, xbox live, and so much more built in . . . most of which you'd have to get an app for on iOS
the metro UI is super slick, and the new Nokia handsets are killer!

 

[TrekkieMonster]

Android and iPhone aren't that much different. The apps and functions are mostly the same.

Not really. I have iPhone 4 and my friend has an Android phone. We've compared features on many an occassion, as he's wondering whether or not to go to iPhone with his next upgrade. They share just as many differences as they do similarities.

I have to agree with this statement. I spent the past several months researching pretty much all the smartphones available in the US and recently went from the BlackBerry Storm 2 to the iPhone 4s. I have to emphasize that this was most definitely NOT because I'm a some kind of Apple fan boy or iClone, but because it was the most logical compromise for my situation (I console myself with the thought that Spock would be proud.) As any of you who might be my friends on FaceBook will attest, I pretty much went kicking and screaming to the iPhone, but it does have its benefits, as well as its limitations, especially if you are interested in any kind of customization beyond the most basic.

I really wanted an Android phone, but it just didn't make sense for my purposes for a few reasons.

For a tech savvy person, though, I would say an Android phone would probably be the way to go. I'm still coveting them. The only problem is that, to the best of my knowledge, there are very few Android phones with a physical keyboard, and there are supposed to be fewer and fewer in the coming year. However, I am on Verizon and was focused on their options; you would have to check with AT&T to see which ones they might have.

Having come from Blackberry, though, I would advise running away as far and as fast as you can. In my experience (and the experience of most BB owners I personally know, though certainly not all BB owners), they are fussy, quirky, high-maintenance, and have severe limitations if you do not have them paired with a company's enterprise server (as I did not.) Add to that the increasingly common world-wide network outages, not to mention the also increasingly precarious viability of RIM (the company that creates them), and I really cannot recommend BB as a good option. That having been said, they do still have the largest selection of smartphones with a physical keyboard at this point, and I do know people who are willing to put up with the inconveniences just to have a keyboard.

For my 2 cents, though, I'm in the crowd recommending an Android phone. I hear great things from everyone who has a Galaxy S2, and people really seem to like the HTC phones, as well.

Hope that helps, and best of luck.

 

[LitmusDragon]

I have an Optimus V android phone through Virgin Mobile. It's an extremely cheap plan, is about the best thing I can say about it. Unlimited texting and internet usage for $35/month. Their support is pretty awful though. I have never been able to download ringtones on the phone and after speaking to the people at their outsourced (indian) customer service office a total of 7 or 8 times I just finally shrugged and accepted that this is one thing I'll never be able to do on this phone.