Smartphones

[ajoyce02]

I'm probably soon going to be in the market for a new phone and wanted to get some feedback from people who have a few I'm interested in.

Right now I have a Blackberry Pearl, which I like. I use Verizon and I think I want to stay with them because I can get a discount through work, but I would be open to changing.

I'm thinking about a Motorola Driod, iPhone or maybe a Blackberry Storm. I've read online reviews about each phone, but they mostly seem to come from a more technological standpoint, but I'm more interested in everyday usability from people who actually have it.

Any feedback or other smartphone recommendations is certainly welcome.

 

[JF_Gophers]

Re: Smartphones

The answer lies partially in what you are going to use your phone for?

If you want to mostly use apps, then your two choices would be 1) iPhone and 2) Droid.

If you want to mostly use email. calendars and other business type functions you are probably best off staying with the Blackberry line.

If you are mainly going to make phone calls and just want to have the internets handy to screw around with then you would just want to stick with your current carriers (verizon) phones (BB, Droid, etc.) since the iPhone isn't that great as an actual phone.

 

[ajoyce02]

Re: Smartphones

Well, I don't really use my phone for work, other than the occasional phone call I have to take. I do use it for personal e-mail quite a bit, but could live without it if necessary.

I've looked into some of the apps that are available, and they seem interesting though I've never really used any before.

Curious about the ease of use for the devices, or anything else that might make one prefer one over the other.

 

[NMUKat82]

Re: Smartphones

I'm probably soon going to be in the market for a new phone and wanted to get some feedback from people who have a few I'm interested in.

Right now I have a Blackberry Pearl, which I like. I use Verizon and I think I want to stay with them because I can get a discount through work, but I would be open to changing.

I'm thinking about a Motorola Driod, iPhone or maybe a Blackberry Storm. I've read online reviews about each phone, but they mostly seem to come from a more technological standpoint, but I'm more interested in everyday usability from people who actually have it.

Any feedback or other smartphone recommendations is certainly welcome.

The answer lies partially in what you are going to use your phone for?

If you want to mostly use apps, then your two choices would be 1) iPhone and 2) Droid.

If you want to mostly use email. calendars and other business type functions you are probably best off staying with the Blackberry line.

If you are mainly going to make phone calls and just want to have the internets handy to screw around with then you would just want to stick with your current carriers (verizon) phones (BB, Droid, etc.) since the iPhone isn't that great as an actual phone.

I actually picked up the HTC droid right before Christmas and really like it. I didn't think the keyboard on the MotoDroid was worth the extra $100. I too get a discount for Verizon through work so decided to just add a data package since I didn't already have one.
It syncs with my computer, making uploading mp3s easier (uses mp3s for ringtones too). I've also set it up to check my gmail (takes you step by step through set up). The phone itself is crystal clear (which can be a good & bad thing). Overall it's really easy to use, just make sure to get the screen protectors and a case isn't a bad idea either.

 

[JF_Gophers]

Re: Smartphones

I have been contemplating moving to the Droid when the Nexus One hits Verizon (within the next few months).

I have the Blackberry Storm1 right now. I like it and since the software upgrade to 5.0 it has run great. But I kind of want a phone that supports WiFi as well as Cell for internet. I'm not sure if the Storm2 has that feature or not.

 

[ScottM]

Re: Smartphones

I'm probably soon going to be in the market for a new phone and wanted to get some feedback from people who have a few I'm interested in.

Right now I have a Blackberry Pearl, which I like. I use Verizon and I think I want to stay with them because I can get a discount through work, but I would be open to changing.

I'm thinking about a Motorola Driod, iPhone or maybe a Blackberry Storm. I've read online reviews about each phone, but they mostly seem to come from a more technological standpoint, but I'm more interested in everyday usability from people who actually have it.

Any feedback or other smartphone recommendations is certainly welcome.

I had an iPhone for a few months and really liked it. AT&T on the other hand really sucked, and not just on data. If iPhones are offered by Verizon, I'd probably get another one.

I have a Blackberry Tour back with Verizon which I really like. I thought about a 'Droid, but wanted to give them time to work out any bugs on their own dime. I *believe* the newest Storm supports WiFi if that's important to you.

As far as apps, I had a few dozen on my iPhone, most of which I could have lived without. In my experience the BB has a much better battery life than the iPhone, and you don't have to send it back to Apple if the battery dies.

 

[ajoyce02]

Re: Smartphones

Yeah, AT&T's network has really been the one thing that's made me pause and think about switching to an iPhone.

I have heard the new Storm supports WiFi, which is nice, but it hasn't been getting the greatest reviews online (at lease ones I've read).

 

[GoBucky36]

Re: Smartphones

Im personally not a fan of Verizon's network. My girlfriend has a Blackberry Curve on the Verizon network and theres quite a few times where she will send me text messages and the messages either wont go through or they wont arrive until hours after she has sent them. She also has a problem with the network having poor signal reliability and it will drop calls frequently.

 

[hockeyplayer1015]

Re: Smartphones

I've got the storm1, and have had no issues with it except the charging jack on the phone itself got screwed up but Verizon replaced the phone at no cost. Basically what has been said is what I would say: Apps aren't BB's strong point due to the increased security features. This is good and bad. I've heard good things from a couple friends who have the droid.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Smartphones

I just bought an HTC Hero (the Sprint Droid) and I love the thing to death! I spent way too much time downloading apps

 

[crazypotatoes]

Re: Smartphones

I have the original Storm. It's a pretty decent phone, but it can be frustrating sometimes. I love the "click" touch screen, but the screen itself seems to misinterpret my input a lot. My phone is also pretty slow and stupid occasionally, but it's usually not a problem.

If I was buying a phone now, it would be one of the Android models. I haven't really done research into any specific phones, but Google usually has their act together, so from a software side it would seem like a safe bet.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Smartphones

I have the Storm 1 and I love it. I've never had any problems with it, and after the 5.0 upgrade is has run very fast and smoothly. I have used an iphone before I got my storm, and didn't like it. I didn't consider an iphone when I got the storm because I wanted to stay with Verizon.

I don't have alot of apps, just the basics: quickpull, BB slider, iheartradio, pandora, google maps, Bolt browser, Weatherbug, Shazam, Poynt, Trapster, BerryUnitConversion, flashlight, YouTube, Crackberry App Store, Flickr...

If you do get the Storm, I recommend downloading Bolt as your internet browser. I like it much better than the original BB Browser, and it is much faster.

 

[huskyfan]

Re: Smartphones

Yeah, AT&T's network has really been the one thing that's made me pause and think about switching to an iPhone.

I have heard the new Storm supports WiFi, which is nice, but it hasn't been getting the greatest reviews online (at lease ones I've read).

I've got the new Storm. Because I needed Verizon coverage. The WiFi, email, camera, phone, voice navigation, all works great.

It IS a little difficult to use. The touch screen is a b****. and getting it to interface with the Mac wasn't fun. I'm still working on music and pictures.

 

[gmann]

Re: Smartphones

I have a Blackberry Storm through Verizon. It took some time to get used to the touch screen but all in all it is a pretty decent phone.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Smartphones

I have the iphone and I love it. I haven't even noticed alot of the typical issues people talk about like dropped calls. The big thing I've been annoyed with is that the apps bigblue can get for free, cost me money. For example, Bolt browser is like $4 for me and he got it for free.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Smartphones

I have the iphone and I love it. I haven't even noticed alot of the typical issues people talk about like dropped calls. The big thing I've been annoyed with is that the apps bigblue can get for free, cost me money. For example, Bolt browser is like $4 for me and he got it for free.

Where in Minneapolis are you? My friend with an Iphone has all sorts of issues here...especially in Uptown whereas with Sprint I never have them.

 

[moose97]

Re: Smartphones

I just bought an HTC Hero (the Sprint Droid) and I love the thing to death! I spent way too much time downloading apps

This

I've had the Hero for almost a month, and can't recomend Android phones any more highly. I understand that iPhones have more apps, but that will change. Google has things going in the right direction. If I had known the Nexus One was comming, I would have likely waited and gotten an unlocked one for my Sprint account (the latest and greatest version of Android and a better processor than the Hero), but I still can't complain about my phone...

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Smartphones

Where in Minneapolis are you? My friend with an Iphone has all sorts of issues here...especially in Uptown whereas with Sprint I never have them.

north metro, as much as people say its the network, every network has its bad spots and horrible service. I have been plenty of places where my at&t phone was the only one that got a good signal or done field work with coworkers who said cell phones don't work there but I managed to contact our boss with a question.

 

[Handyman]

Re: Smartphones

This

I've had the Hero for almost a month, and can't recomend Android phones any more highly. I understand that iPhones have more apps, but that will change. Google has things going in the right direction. If I had known the Nexus One was comming, I would have likely waited and gotten an unlocked one for my Sprint account (the latest and greatest version of Android and a better processor than the Hero), but I still can't complain about my phone...

So far the processor on mine has only been noticeable if I am downloading a few apps at once. The browsers are fast as hell (I use both Oracle and the included one) and with the apps I got I hardly use it anyways. (the Newspaper one is great...I can read like 200 different papers whenever I want including the Strib, NY Times and a bunch of international papers) The one complaint is the vibrate is rather weak but there is an app where I can customize the vibrate so I just have it repeat a pattern a few times so I notice. (and I have a different pattern made for phone calls so I can tell the difference)

I am obviously still tinkering since I got this yesterday but I have had no issues of yet.

SG,

North metro is a great spot for all services these days...when I lived in the burbs up there though a few years back almost none worked. As the burbs expanded west and north they blanketed the area with towers and so on.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Smartphones

SG,

North metro is a great spot for all services these days...when I lived in the burbs up there though a few years back almost none worked. As the burbs expanded west and north they blanketed the area with towers and so on.

I guess its a good thing that I don't spend any time in uptown