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December 18, 2008 6:33 PM Subscribe
I've been looking at getting a new cell phone for a couple of months, but lollygagged around and now my old one is DEAD. Decision-making is not my forte, please help!
Currently with AT&T and intend to stay with them due to spotty coverage in my rural area with other providers. I don't do a LOT of texting...maybe half calling, half texting.
I was sort of waffling between the AT&T Quickfire and the Samsung Eternity, both of which are getting great reviews, but neither is exactly a bargain and I'm not convinced that I "need" that much phone. Also a bit afraid I'll hate a bar phone after having flip phones for so long.
Requirements: camera, international capabilities, music. GPS capabilities would be nice but not essential. I prefer new, and I'm eligible for upgrade through the carrier so will get the discounted price.
Assuming this phone will last me the next 2 years (ha), which will I not outgrow in 6 months? In case it's not obvious, I'm totally open to suggestions beyond the two phones mentioned. I've read a lot of reviews, personal experience would be great...talk me into or out of your current phone, please!
Currently with AT&T and intend to stay with them due to spotty coverage in my rural area with other providers. I don't do a LOT of texting...maybe half calling, half texting.
I was sort of waffling between the AT&T Quickfire and the Samsung Eternity, both of which are getting great reviews, but neither is exactly a bargain and I'm not convinced that I "need" that much phone. Also a bit afraid I'll hate a bar phone after having flip phones for so long.
Requirements: camera, international capabilities, music. GPS capabilities would be nice but not essential. I prefer new, and I'm eligible for upgrade through the carrier so will get the discounted price.
Assuming this phone will last me the next 2 years (ha), which will I not outgrow in 6 months? In case it's not obvious, I'm totally open to suggestions beyond the two phones mentioned. I've read a lot of reviews, personal experience would be great...talk me into or out of your current phone, please!
I'm on tmobile with an unlocked iphone. I'm very happy with it.
posted by Hands of Manos at 8:41 PM on December 18, 2008
posted by Hands of Manos at 8:41 PM on December 18, 2008
I went through Amazon, and got the Motorola Z9, after reading good reviews about it.
It was free with the contract, but only on Amazon. It is more or less the slider version of the RAZR2. it comes with Opera Mobile pre-installed. GPS capable, music with stereo bluetooth, etc. all i had to do was take the SIM out of my old RAZR and put it in the new phone to get it to work. it has a micro sd slot to expand.
I've only found a couple downsides in the 2 months i've had it. One is there isn't really a good selection of free apps for it (that i have found anyway, other than google maps). The other being the battery life; being a 3G phone it is much less than the old RAZR I had when it was new (ie 3-4 days vs 1 week+). Other than those two things it seems to be a well-built phone.
I stayed with Motorola, because I was already familiar with the interface and texting setup. I didn't go with the iphone, because I hated the touchscreen.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 9:15 PM on December 18, 2008
It was free with the contract, but only on Amazon. It is more or less the slider version of the RAZR2. it comes with Opera Mobile pre-installed. GPS capable, music with stereo bluetooth, etc. all i had to do was take the SIM out of my old RAZR and put it in the new phone to get it to work. it has a micro sd slot to expand.
I've only found a couple downsides in the 2 months i've had it. One is there isn't really a good selection of free apps for it (that i have found anyway, other than google maps). The other being the battery life; being a 3G phone it is much less than the old RAZR I had when it was new (ie 3-4 days vs 1 week+). Other than those two things it seems to be a well-built phone.
I stayed with Motorola, because I was already familiar with the interface and texting setup. I didn't go with the iphone, because I hated the touchscreen.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 9:15 PM on December 18, 2008
If you want a smart phone, i would certainly recommend any of the phones by HTC. a month ago when i got my iphone, the att store didnt have any HTC phones on display, hopefully it ha changed.
i love my iphone, you might look into that if you think you could swing the extra $30/mo for the net
i would avoid the sony phones, poor interface
i would avoid the blackberry storm, its getting very blah reviews
my wife decided she didnt like the roller ball "mouse" on the blackberries
my mom and mom-in-law both have a palm centro and like it, last i checked, amazon was handing them out for free
palm is coming out with a new OS soon, but critics are still saying palm is a dying company
posted by phritosan at 7:28 AM on December 19, 2008
i love my iphone, you might look into that if you think you could swing the extra $30/mo for the net
i would avoid the sony phones, poor interface
i would avoid the blackberry storm, its getting very blah reviews
my wife decided she didnt like the roller ball "mouse" on the blackberries
my mom and mom-in-law both have a palm centro and like it, last i checked, amazon was handing them out for free
palm is coming out with a new OS soon, but critics are still saying palm is a dying company
posted by phritosan at 7:28 AM on December 19, 2008
Best answer: Your choices from AT&T are really limited. Since taking over from Cingular, and especially since picking up the iPhone, they've really, really gutted their selection of "smart" phones.
Personally I am completely sold on Nokia phones. Won't buy anything else. AT&T now offers a grand total of about 5 to choose from. Thanks, idiots. You can probably get a good deal on an unlocked phone from a third party, drop in your SIM card and be all set. Advantage here is that you won't be locked into their shitty selection, so you'll have more choices as to what phone you want, and you also won't have to re-sign another 2-year contract.
Look at it this way: If you try a different unlocked phone and end up hating it, nothing stops you from selling it on Craigslist or etc. and picking up whatever freebie phone AT&T is currently offering. If you pick up a freebie / low cost phone from AT&T and end up hating it, you can't sell it to just anyone (because it's locked) and you can't cheaply pick up a new, different phone (because you're locked into the 2-year upgrade cycle again).
posted by caution live frogs at 7:34 AM on December 19, 2008
Personally I am completely sold on Nokia phones. Won't buy anything else. AT&T now offers a grand total of about 5 to choose from. Thanks, idiots. You can probably get a good deal on an unlocked phone from a third party, drop in your SIM card and be all set. Advantage here is that you won't be locked into their shitty selection, so you'll have more choices as to what phone you want, and you also won't have to re-sign another 2-year contract.
Look at it this way: If you try a different unlocked phone and end up hating it, nothing stops you from selling it on Craigslist or etc. and picking up whatever freebie phone AT&T is currently offering. If you pick up a freebie / low cost phone from AT&T and end up hating it, you can't sell it to just anyone (because it's locked) and you can't cheaply pick up a new, different phone (because you're locked into the 2-year upgrade cycle again).
posted by caution live frogs at 7:34 AM on December 19, 2008
Response by poster: Well, I wasn't really looking for a smartphone...I was just mesmerized by all the bells and whistles on the touch-screen phones. I got desperate today and went in and picked one up from the store...ended up with the Matrix. Cheaper than the other two, does what I need. So far so good, although it'll take some time to get used to ~ my last 3 phones were Sony Ericsson, I loved their menus but that last phone I got from them was crap.
Thanks for the help, y'all!
posted by kattyann at 6:38 PM on December 19, 2008
Thanks for the help, y'all!
posted by kattyann at 6:38 PM on December 19, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
The Eternity is a nice phone. Since you are an existing customer, you can always threaten to leave and see what kind of deals they'll throw your way.
posted by purephase at 6:49 PM on December 18, 2008