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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Need advice on buying a new phone
Need advice on buying a new phone
2009-04-15, 9:12 PM #1
I have a second hand RAZR that's got a waning battery and overall becoming flaky. I'd like to spend less than $200, but I know that's not possible for the features I want. So, realistically, under $300.

What I want:

  • Wi-fi support, I want smart phone features but I'm too cheap to pay for a data plan. I can get wi-fi virtually anywhere on campus and in many places throughout the city, so that's good enough.
  • 3G would be nice if I pony up and get a real plan
  • Runs a real mobile OS like Windows, Symbian, etc., no in-house crap like on some cheap phones
  • Is unlocked
  • Camera would be nice but hardly necessary (anything must be better than the RAZR's "camera")
  • QWERTY keyboard, doesn't have to be the best but better than T9
  • MP3 would be nice but I really don't care
  • MicroSD slot


If there's a REALLY amazing offer I'll consider a contract, but otherwise I'd like to go unlocked.

So far I've found the Nokia E63, which seems to do what I want and has decent enough reviews. Anyone have thoughts?
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2009-04-15, 9:16 PM #2
Okay I'm looking at the contract deals on Newegg and they're better than I thought. I pay about $40 now for 300 anytime minutes, unlimited weekends and 400 texts. Contracts running $40 per month get me a lot more.

Also, how are GPS features in phones? I'm planning on getting an entry-level GPS (under $100) for when I have a car up here this summer, but if I can get a phone that will do something similar, why not?
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2009-04-15, 9:19 PM #3
iphone? iphone. iphone!

to answer your question about GPS - the one in the iphone works okay... sometimes. it once told me I was in the middle of the atlantic though.
[01:52] <~Nikumubeki> Because it's MBEGGAR BEGS LIKE A BEGONI.
2009-04-15, 9:26 PM #4
I want a phone that makes calls, so the iPhone is out.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2009-04-15, 9:38 PM #5
Originally posted by Emon:
I want a phone that makes calls, so the iPhone is out.


Not sure what you mean by that, but meh.

The Touch Pro is an amazing phone if WinMo is your deal. I don't have much experience otherwise. I'd recommend staying away from the HTC TYTNII, as it's a piece of crap (use it as a corp phone).

But iPhone. It's the best handset on the market right now. :-/ In June we may even see an iPhone pro with a hard keyboard.
-=I'm the wang of this here site, and it's HUGE! So just imagine how big I am.=-
1337Yectiwan
The OSC Empire
10 of 14 -- 27 Lives On
2009-04-15, 9:49 PM #6
If you don't want to get the iphone, you're silly. It's the best handset on the market.

That being said, in a distant second would be the Blackberry Bold. It has the microSD, plays mp3s, has wi-fi and 3g, with a full qwerty keyboard. It does run the proprietary blackberry OS, which can be a bit wonky. I got sick of using the interface after about a week.

If you want pure features, wait for the palm pre (Maybe May or June) or the bold. If you want a phone that doesn't fight you at every turn to get things done, go with the iphone.
"If you watch television news, you will know less about the world than if you just drink gin straight out of the bottle."
--Garrison Keillor
2009-04-15, 9:52 PM #7
Wait until June when all networks release their second quarter phones. I'm sure you'll find something.

I would say the Omnia, but you want a sim card network so thats out of the picture.
"They're everywhere, the little harlots."
-Martyn
2009-04-15, 10:10 PM #8
Originally posted by fishstickz:
If you don't want to get the iphone, you're silly.

No, because I don't want AT&T and I want a phone that is first and foremost a phone and that is good at making calls.

Originally posted by fishstickz:
It's the best handset on the market.

:circlejerk:

Originally posted by fishstickz:
If you want a phone that doesn't fight you at every turn to get things done, go with the iphone.

You mean like using cut and paste lolol

It doesn't matter really, since I don't want a touch screen for typing. Maybe if it were some of the newer touch screen tech like Stantum showcased a few months ago, which was ridiculously accurate (more accurate than the LCD, they needed to zoom in to see the movement!)
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2009-04-15, 10:20 PM #9
Emon, be a baller and buy the N97 when it comes out this quarter or next.
\(='_'=)/
2009-04-15, 11:31 PM #10
You looking for a new phone or used? I have a samsung i760 I may want to sell. It's damn near brand new condition
"Nulla tenaci invia est via"
2009-04-15, 11:42 PM #11
A second hand N95 would be cheap and fulfill most of your criteria.
2009-04-16, 12:38 AM #12
Second hand is fine as long as it's unlocked.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2009-04-16, 6:18 AM #13
Don't ALL phones have 3G now?

...That said, I'm still not overly sure what 3G is.
nope.
2009-04-16, 6:22 AM #14
Originally posted by Emon:
You mean like using cut and paste lolol


My iPhone has cut/copy and paste. :P
2009-04-16, 6:42 AM #15
Seconding the Palm Pre mention. Plus it's not on AT&T.
2009-04-16, 7:18 AM #16
Originally posted by Baconfish:
Don't ALL phones have 3G now?

...That said, I'm still not overly sure what 3G is.

I thought 3G isn't available on CDMA (Verizon, Sprint, etc.)
Code to the left of him, code to the right of him, code in front of him compil'd and thundered. Programm'd at with shot and $SHELL. Boldly he typed and well. Into the jaws of C. Into the mouth of PERL. Debug'd the 0x258.
2009-04-16, 7:24 AM #17
3G is almost completely available on CDMA. As a matter of fact, they have the MOST 3G (Sprint being the most, Verizon being slightly less so).
2009-04-16, 7:56 AM #18
Originally posted by dalf:
I thought 3G isn't available on CDMA (Verizon, Sprint, etc.)

Different country/continent/suppliers/networks etc.
nope.
2009-04-16, 8:04 AM #19
iphone is pretty great. but from the list you posted it sounds like you want a g1.
gbk is 50 probably

MB IS FAT
2009-04-16, 10:03 AM #20
If you dont mind 2nd hand, and the lack of qwerty, then the N95 will definitely be your ideal phone. The latest firmware update makes the already snappy phone snappier. The web browsing speeds are also faster than the iphone. It also has flash lite 3 support which pretty much supports 85% of all the flash based websites out there... which means amazing youtube desktop playback, or whatever else floats your boat. Many may disagree on this, but Nokia's firmware releases often go unnoticed, and the criticisms that you often hear are problems of the past.
\(='_'=)/
2009-04-16, 11:03 AM #21
Quote:
If you dont mind 2nd hand, and the lack of qwerty, then the N95 will definitely be your ideal phone. The latest firmware update makes the already snappy phone snappier. The web browsing speeds are also faster than the iphone. It also has flash lite 3 support which pretty much supports 85% of all the flash based websites out there... which means amazing youtube desktop playback, or whatever else floats your boat. Many may disagree on this, but Nokia's firmware releases often go unnoticed, and the criticisms that you often hear are problems of the past.


Or just install Skyfire and play everything flash.
"They're everywhere, the little harlots."
-Martyn
2009-04-16, 11:07 AM #22
The N* series is excellent. I love my N82, and it's a ******* child of the N95. The N95 is pretty sexy, but the N97 looks sexually pleasing.
D E A T H
2009-04-16, 3:47 PM #23
My requirements are almost identical to yours, and I'm also looking for a phone.

Right now Nokia E71 is probably the best thing to buy (329 on newegg now, was on sale for even cheaper a week or two ago) , if you don't mind waiting HTC Snap and Nokia Xpress Music 5730 will be coming out in the near future and will also satisfy our requirements.

All three of these phones are probably better than the G1, and I don't know why everyone is pimping the iphone/htc touchscreen phones, as not everyone wants a touchscreen phone, dammit!

E71 has everything you are asking for, plus it has GPS that you can use without a data plan, and it's getting very good reviews.
2009-04-16, 10:38 PM #24
Originally posted by Connection Problem:
My requirements are almost identical to yours, and I'm also looking for a phone.

Right now Nokia E71 is probably the best thing to buy (329 on newegg now, was on sale for even cheaper a week or two ago) , if you don't mind waiting HTC Snap and Nokia Xpress Music 5730 will be coming out in the near future and will also satisfy our requirements.

All three of these phones are probably better than the G1, and I don't know why everyone is pimping the iphone/htc touchscreen phones, as not everyone wants a touchscreen phone, dammit!

E71 has everything you are asking for, plus it has GPS that you can use without a data plan, and it's getting very good reviews.

They're not better than the G1--the applications and things you can do on the G1, the interface, everything makes it an extremely sexy and awesome phone. A full qwerty keyboard also kicks ***. But it's all in what you're looking for--the G1 might not be what you want.
D E A T H
2009-04-17, 1:42 AM #25
I've got my eye on the HTC touch pro2. Whatever network that drops on will be my new network. Personally, I think it blows the N97 out of the water.
"They're everywhere, the little harlots."
-Martyn
2009-04-17, 9:29 AM #26
Originally posted by Onimusha:
I've got my eye on the HTC touch pro2. Whatever network that drops on will be my new network. Personally, I think it blows the N97 out of the water.

hahahaha what
D E A T H
2009-04-17, 10:29 AM #27
hahahaha this

[http://www.techfresh.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/htc-touch-pro-2-01.jpg]
"They're everywhere, the little harlots."
-Martyn
2009-04-17, 10:41 AM #28
lol no
D E A T H
2009-04-17, 12:08 PM #29
The HTC touch pro 2 blows the N97 out of the water with what? Inferior specs? LOL
\(='_'=)/
2009-04-17, 4:11 PM #30
Yeah... I like HTC products too, but they're right. The N97 is a more powerful device. Plus, I'm not keen on them adding the tilt function to that phone. That's why I don't like my frigging Tilt in the first place.
-=I'm the wang of this here site, and it's HUGE! So just imagine how big I am.=-
1337Yectiwan
The OSC Empire
10 of 14 -- 27 Lives On
2009-04-17, 4:30 PM #31
After seeing the videos of both, the interface on the HTC is by FAR smoother. That to me is a selling point, because I hate all the choppy flash based iphone imitators. Not saying the Nokia is one either before someone ****s a brick.
"They're everywhere, the little harlots."
-Martyn
2009-04-17, 8:06 PM #32
Just wait until the N97 hits retail before judging. Most of the videos are from waaaaaaaay back. And the recent ones mainly show off their real time widget platform that relies on the internet.
\(='_'=)/
2009-04-17, 10:08 PM #33
Which is the final design for the N97? I see two designs alternating on the internet. One solely touchscreen and another closer to the N95 in design.
"They're everywhere, the little harlots."
-Martyn
2009-04-17, 11:25 PM #34
Two of my friends have N95's, they hate them. One threw his phone at the wall the other weekend. You'd have to hope the N97 would be better.

Go the G1, touchscreen, qwerty, random apps, proper internet browsing. The data-based GPS is a letdown though.
2009-04-17, 11:29 PM #35
sounds like they don't update their firmwares.
\(='_'=)/
2009-04-17, 11:46 PM #36
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/04/kyocera-eos-pho.php wait till we get something like this.

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