I would like a phone that has:
Necessary
GSM (i.e. not CDMA), quad band is ideal
Bluetooth
802.11 wirelless
Would like to have
GPS
expandable memory
speakerphone
i would prefer the form factor to be a touchscreen phone. no swivel out keyboards or any of that junk. like an LG VU, Iphone, etc.
so far all i’ve got is the Iphone (not an option) and the LG incite. any others? are there any offerings from the European and/or Asian market that I ought to look at?
Thanks.
Blackberry Bold is probably the best phone on the market. Touchscreen is a mistake.
am i under the incorrect apprehension that in order for a blackberry to be useful you need to pay for the phone company’s blackberry services?
Since the OP is actually looking for factual opinions, let’s move this to IMHO.
samclem Moderator, General Questions
I used a Samsung Blackjack phone for 3 years. It was the best smartphone I’d ever used, and I’ve used pretty much all of them. It doesn’t have a touchscreen, though it has the other features you mention. Is the iPhone not available on your carrier’s network? If not - bummer. I just got one myself, and I think it’s great. The LG KF700 is pretty close to what you want, but has the slidu-up screen to reveal the keypad.
Dang. Close but no cigar on all three here.
Based on my experience you are correct. With my carrier at least, a smartphone necessitates a data plan ($30 or $45/mo.), and there’s really no way around it.
T mobile G1 fits the bill. It has a keyboard but you don’t need to use it if you don’t want to.
The iPhone does not have expandable memory, so that’s out for you. What about one of the Nokias?
Thanks for all the replies… some clarifying answers:
I have AT&T but I despise the notion of contracts, so I do not want to get an iphone (unless I can buy one on ebay and then just pay for internet month-to-month? is that an option)
Do swivel keyboards increase phone width? I thought they did?
The G1 keyboard does not make the phone wider but it does make it a little bit thicker.
This is confusing to me. You’re currently out of contract with AT&T and just want to get another phone? So you already have a data plan? AT&T will try to get you to go back into contract if you get another phone - you have to make sure you purchase it at the non-contract-renewing price, or you will be stuck with another 2 years.
If the above is the case, your not wanting the iPhone makes sense since you have to sign up for the iPhone exclusive data plan and that locks you into a new contract no matter how much you paid for the phone or if you purchased it from somewhere else.
I tried an LG Incite in June, since I don’t mind the contract and got it for free - I returned it after 8 days. I couldn’t stand it. I got an iPhone instead.
If your heart is set on touch-only phones, I’d recommend one of the Samsungs if you don’t want to go the iPhone route. If you don’t already have a data plan, though, signing up for one may renew your contract, too. It’s separate from a voice plan, though, so I’m not sure. You’ll have to check with AT&T or someone more expert will have to chime in.
Spending all that extra dough on a non-contract phone seems silly to me, but I’ve had the same account for 14 years, so I guess it’s not a bit deal to me.
I appreciate not negotiating from a deficit position when something goes wrong with my service. It’s well worth the extra one fifty or so I’ll pay for a phone without having to re-up my contract
So you can’t get an iphone from somewhere else and use it with a 3G data plan? you have to sign up for the “sooper dooper iphone only data plan”?
Right. I was a little miffed when I got the iPhone because I already had a data plan that was $20 a month. I had to get an “iPhone data plan” for $30 a month. No negotiating. Since I was renewing my contract anyway, I didn’t look into whether the new data plan was a contract, too, or if it’s month to month. Or if it also locks you into a new voice plan at the same time. It might be separate but I think that’s why you can’t take the iPhone to another network. The data plan is somehow different, but maybe a jailbroken phone will work with another carrier?
I believe you can use an unlocked iphone with any data plan service. You just have to get an unlocked iphone.
The iPhone voice plan is separate from the data plan. I didn’t change the voice plan when I got my iPhone. The $30 a month data plan is contracted, though. That’s the only data plan AT&T will provide for the iPhone.
I don’t care, though, because it’s unlimited. I used to have other plans that would charge extra per kilobit used and I could easily rack up data charges in excess of $100 a month.
Is that possible?