Cell Phone Plans for Gmail App

December 26, 2006 1:35 PM

Cell phone confusion: I need a good family plan with support for the Gmail java app.

Been researching new phones/plans and I'm terminally confused. Here's what I'd like:

- a family plan with 2 lines and middling minutes
- a camera phone that takes ok pictures and will let me send to flickr
- a plan & phone that can handle the Gmail java app

I've been looking at the cell phone finder thingy to narrow down plans, and any of the ~$59 family plans seem ok. Mrs. Muckster seems to be especially fond of the RAZR. So far, so good.

What's confusing the hell out of me is Gmail. Sounds like most phones (with a data plan?) can get to m.gmail.com, but apparently, the java application is a lot nicer. Google has a list of supported phones, and I asked on their newsgroup, but the answers have only been confusing me further. BREW? MIDP2? Argh!

Ideally, I'd get the Verizon RAZR, but it doesn't sound like Gmail will work. I'm also confused about the data plans--do they all add another $20x2 to the bill? Do I need those even to get to m.gmail.com?

I'd love it if somebody could steer me right because it's giving me a headache.

Thank you AskMe!

posted by muckster to Shopping (3 answers total)

If you want the razr, you might consider a plan that has the Katana. It's not quite as nice as the razr, but will do pretty much everything that the razr can do.

And my experience with plans is that you have to pay an extra fee per phone for the data services.

Whatever you do, just make sure you act like you think everything is too expensive and string them along. They'll cut you deal after deal in order to get you under contract.
posted by allthewhile at 1:59 PM on December 26, 2006

I hate to only give you .1% of an answer to your question, but yeah, you can check your Gmail on your phone without the Java app.

In fact, you may prefer it. I get my Yahoo Mail over my phone pretty much exclusively. I've found that just checking it on my phone's built-in browser is so much easier than the slow-to-open, slow-to-close Java Y!Mail application. (Keep in mind though, that my phone is a little old.)

Good luck!
posted by Ian A.T. at 8:20 PM on December 26, 2006

I have a samsung mm-8300. It handles gmail (and i like it better than the browser). It takes ok photos (if you need flash for hte picture, the phone's is too bright so I cover half of it with my finger). It's a plan that my mom pays for and I know she pays a little extra to get us unlimited data access. It's through sprint.
posted by nadawi at 9:26 PM on December 26, 2006