Smart phone questions?

[Rico]

Ok, well I'm getting close I think to getting some type of smart phone.  I think most of you use iPhones (if you have a "smart phone").  I'm trying to get some opinions and some comparisons.  Cost is a bit of a factor as are the monthly charges.  Like can you get an iPhone with no data plan (only voice, text, wireless?).  Here are my possible choices:

iPhone
Palm Pre
Google phone
Blackberry

I know there are variations of each of the above.  If anyone know's of a good chart or review site or article where they compare all the current choices - that would be most helpful.  Thanks!

[X]

Ok, well I'm getting close I think to getting some type of smart phone.  I think most of you use iPhones (if you have a "smart phone").  I'm trying to get some opinions and some comparisons.  Cost is a bit of a factor as are the monthly charges.  Like can you get an iPhone with no data plan (only voice, text, wireless?).  Here are my possible choices:

iPhone
Palm Pre
Google phone
Blackberry

I know there are variations of each of the above.  If anyone know's of a good chart or review site or article where they compare all the current choices - that would be most helpful.  Thanks!

First off, who's your carrier?

[Rico]

Other family members use Sprint, but that really isn't an issue since I don't have ANY cell phone at the moment.  Work provided my last cell phone and I haven't gotten one since.

[Bromptonboy]

Perhaps a new phone will be supplied with either new job?  Blackberry integrates very well with corporate messaging systems.  Might be worth delaying until more news is forthcoming?

That being said, I am a new iPhone user - and I love it.  There are a few minor annoyances with it, but the screen is tough to beat.  I moved from a HTC Tilt (Win mobile 6.1) to the iPhone, and before that I used the Palm Treo 650.

Blackberry is the way to go for integration with corporate mail systems (although you can get that app with iPhone and a suitable data - blackberry package).

[Feathers]

The big question is, why do you want it? What do you want to do that an ordinary phone won't do? If it's applications, you nay get one answer. If it's Internet access, you may get another.

I used to consider myself qualified to talk about all this. I wrote for a PDA site for a few years but since I settled on the iPhone, that sort of petered out. Having said that, I've never used Google's phone nor Blackberry but a lot of Palm OS lives in my past as well as some Windows devices.

I can't speak for US price plans since I'm on the wrong side of the pond.

[Meds]

I'm a new iphone user and apart from the battery life it is awesome :D and i get to surf on the forums with ease lol.

[Rico]

I have been waiting to see if either job were to supply a phone.  I don't think the job that is the more likely (one in Charlotte) will provide a phone but the other one might.  Also, I have to be careful about calling to other service plans.  Like if I got an iPhone (ATT) and call my family on Sprint.  Does that usually cost either phone plan more?  Might swing into Best Buy tomorrow and look around some.

[X]

I have been waiting to see if either job were to supply a phone.  I don't think the job that is the more likely (one in Charlotte) will provide a phone but the other one might.  Also, I have to be careful about calling to other service plans.  Like if I got an iPhone (ATT) and call my family on Sprint.  Does that usually cost either phone plan more?  Might swing into Best Buy tomorrow and look around some.

Yeah it does. It burn minutes for both phones, but sprint lets you talk to any sprint for free on most plans. Even if you change all of their sprint plans to the any mobile plan where it's free for them to talk to you, it will still cost you to talk to them and end up biting you in the butt later. People with sprint plans get used to talking to family without worrying about punching a clock and when some people switch out of that network, it tends to burn minutes a lot faster because of old habits.

that being said, a T-mobile my fav 5 plan in conjunction with the unlimited or any mobile plans from Sprint tends to work out well.

[Rico]

Well, that may very well be an answer to the idea of an iPhone.  I won't get a phone that I have to worry about plan minutes.  Especially with probably being away from home a lot in the near future.  So what good phones are on the Sprint plan?

[X]

Well, that may very well be an answer to the idea of an iPhone.  I won't get a phone that I have to worry about plan minutes.  Especially with probably being away from home a lot in the near future.  So what good phones are on the Sprint plan?

Sprint has a lot of great smart phones. What features do you think are a necessity? I love phones with qwerty keyboards, but some people like touch more.

[X]

Here are some that I like:

HTC Touch Pro2

Touch Diamond™ by HTC

[Rico]

I'm flipping through my Best Buy ad right now.  I see these on Sprint:

New HTC Hero with Google (Android Google Phone)
Blackberry Curve 8330 (man this one is cheap $)
Palm Pre

I like the idea of having some type of physical keyboard on the phone.  I guess some good app's would be fine, but I doubt I'll use them much.  That HTC Google phone has a 5 mp camera.  Others seem to be 2 or 3 mp.  Definitely a trip to Best Buy is in order.  Maybe tomorrow.

[Feathers]

Here are some that I like:

HTC Touch Pro2

Touch Diamond™ by HTC

Both WM, I'm losing track these days?

My main beef with Windows mobile is the abilities of the browser but then I've not touched anything beyond 6.0 so things may have improved with later revisions. Certainly the forum was murder on my Toshiba WinMo phone.

I'd be tempted by the Pre if I wasn't wedded to the iPhone but I'm not sure what the its future will be in the current market.

[Rico]

Not Windows Mobile - the HTC runs Google's Android OS.

[Feathers]

Yeah, the Hero does.

It was the two that Chris mentioned that I was talking about.

Battery on the first G-Phone was supposed to be...bad. Hopefully the Hero is better bet. Certainly, having the HTC brand on it does it no harm.