I need to get a new cell phone....

[miraclesrule]

MIne can only be describe as ancient. It isn''t a flip phone. It''s the oldest Nokia in the world. But the new laws in CA go into effect on July one and I need a new phone and an earpiece. I may buy one of those new gadgets for the car that attaches to the visor. So my question is what type of phones do you use and what is the best value out there for a new phone?

 

[FrekeChild]

What service do you have? (I won''t be able to answer because my phone is 2 years old, and I have no idea whats on the market right now....but I figured it would help everyone else.)

 

[violet02]

I work on MSN Mobile for a living... what kind of phone are you looking for functionality-wise? Do you care about things like internet browsing, picture or video sharig, camera phones.. sync''ing with outlook (like i do for work), checking mail or txt''ing a lot? Or do you just want a call easy to make basic calls on?

Do you like touch screens or keypads?

I''ve gone through a lot of phones in my time. I was on a Treo 700w, too bulky but a PDA nonetheless. I went to smartphones with the blackjack but the keyboard was too narrow. I''m really enjoying my Motorola Q9 global, its a smartphone with a wider keyboard and it''s on the faster network offered by AT&T since I used my data plan a lot. I can''t handle iphones because they require heat sensitive touch and I have longer nails. I also like having buttons I can tough vs ones I have to find on screen. They definitely are the ''it'' phone right now though. My FI uses an ''Tilt'' PDA phone which is another popular one but I find that one to be too much phone and a pain to use.

I am using a bluetooth headset by plantronics which works great for hands free, you can get them on amazon and they work way better than the motorola headsets by far and they are reasonably priced.

So yes, what service are you currently using and what do you want your phone to do? We test all models of phones so I can probably give you some suggestions and let you know how some of them work.

Another option is http://www.phonescoop.com they have great phone reviews on there.

 

[Deelight]

Having owned two Motorola''s before and FF owning 2 as well I would highly disrecommend them. I have never had as many problems with phones as I have with these before and all the people I know that have owned Motorola''s have said the same thing. I can''t wait till my contract expires so I can get another phone.

 

[neatfreak]

I still LOVE Nokia!! IMO they are the best phones on the market. I have a newer flip phone version and I love it. But they still make some great candybar type phones but with completely updated everything.

They aren't the best if you need every single bell and whistle, but if you use your phone as a phone, and just want to use a headset with it, they are super easy and reliable.

I have had a LOT of phones and I keep coming back to Nokia.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 6/23/2008 10:33:25 AM
Author: neatfreak
I still LOVE Nokia!! IMO they are the best phones on the market. I have a newer flip phone version and I love it. But they still make some great candybar type phones but with completely updated everything.

They aren''t the best if you need every single bell and whistle, but if you use your phone as a phone, and just want to use a headset with it, they are super easy and reliable.

I have had a LOT of phones and I keep coming back to Nokia.

HI:

Timely thread--I also need a new phone. (not that I use it much but mine is old and faced is sratched so it is hard to read.....)..

BTW; what is candybar mean? Is that the shape?

cheers--Sharon

 

[miraclesrule]

Wow Violet, you know a lot about phones!!

Freke, I have AT&T, since they took over Cingular. I don''t even know if I am still in a contract wtih any provider. I keep it because it doesn''t cost me much to talk to my daughter and other people that have those types of plans.
canuck, if mine could be described as a "candy bar" it would be a fattening one, because this bad boy is thick!!

I could have opted for a "Crackberry" at work, but I don''t want to be a text addict like my friends with their iphones. Those people don''t even answer their phones anymore, they just text, which takes me forever on my phone.

So a full keypad would be nice. And one that took pictures. That would be a nice feature too, since I seem to be the only one I know who can''t take a phone photo.

Has anyone seen those small phones where the top slides up and reveals the keypad as a phone but you can flip it sideways and then it look like a qwerty key pad? I have only seen it once, but I don''t recall the name of the phone.

Delight- That is what my last boss said about his Motorola phone

Neatfreak-I am so hearing you on the Nokia-And hearing people is about the most important thing to me in a phone. I have used Nokia''s since I was able to stop having to use a "squawk box" Nextel that my former employer made us wear.

I have one week left to figure out what type of phone I am going to buy...

 

[FrekeChild]

I''ll only use Motorola. I have had 3 Motorolas and 3 Nokias and I would never ever go back to the Nokia. I love my Motorola PEBL and I won''t get rid of it until it dies-which may not be too long because it''s 2 years old and starting to suffer a bit. But I use the #377 out of my phone between texting, talking and whatever else.

Having said that, I''ve thought about getting a blackberry, but I don''t think I''m cool enough to need one yet.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

MiraclesRule, though I've been sold on a getting new-gen iphone when it comes out in July, I kept an "ancient" Nokia for the longest time too. It was a reliable workhorse phone; I only replaced it a few years back with a teeny tiny Samsung that really is so small that whenever my tech-head big brother sees it, he calls me Derek Zoolander.

 

[oobiecoo]

I have to say that I can''t recommend Motorola. Haven''t had the best luck with them. I did have an ancient nokia for about 4 years or so and it was one of the best I''ve had. Currently, I have a Sprint HTC Mogul (pretty much same as AT&T Tilt). It''s a smartphone and I LOVE it. I purchased it less than a month ago to replace my Motorola Razr and I couldn''t be happier! It does have email and texting thats super easy because of the slide out keyboard.... but I haven''t become addicted to texting or anything like that. It''s really nice to have your email available on the home screen, as well as having the internet. I find the features very handy since I''m a college student. If I get to class early or I''m waiting inbetween classes then I can check my email or work on a paper since it has Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. I have small hands and it''s a little bulkier than most(because of the extra thickness for the keyboard) but I don''t find it uncomfortable at all. It''s touchscreen and runs Windows Mobile 6.0 (except I hacked and now run 6.1). From what I''ve heard and experienced, Windows Mobile is a much better system to run than the blackberry or Palm systems (although a COUPLE have windows also) because its more flexible. I think you have to have the palm or blackberry software on your computer if you want to connect your phone to sync up anything. That means you can''t connect with anyone else''s computer unless they have the software also. Please correct me if I''m wrong about this but I think pretty sure thats correct. Windows Mobile phones can connect with any PC.

As far as friends and family, they haven''t had great luck with LG... they kept losing their charge and the reception wasn''t very good. Mr. Oobiecoo has 2 phones (one for work, one for personal) and he loves his really basic personal one. No camera or anything and always has good reception and volume. Its a motorola though... maybe they do a better job with the basic phones and maybe having Sprint makes a difference (I had a motorola with Verizon).

 

[violet02]

Depends on the Motorola. I highly recommend the Q9. It's a great phone, has windows mobile 6 and works like a champ.


ETA: I have a lot of friends on AT&T in the bay area... and a lot of us get weird 'no-reception' zones. I had this problem a lot with my blackjack in my apartment. I can say that the motorola has a great antenna on it. I get reception in places where my friends don't with my Q9.

 

[violet02]

The ''tilt'' is a pain to use. The thing is a brick, definitely doesn''t fit in a pocket... it has fast service but the keys are a pain to use on the keyboard, the screen is impossible to view in bright light and the little buttons need a stylus to push on the screen or else you have to get your nails in there to push them. (this is on the main screen before you slide the phone open). To get to the keys you have to slide it open and I like to just pick up the phone and use it. Try dialing that thing on the go when you can''t look at the screen with 100% of your attention. Not fun.

 

[violet02]

Date: 6/23/2008 12:30:47 PM
Author: miraclesrule



Has anyone seen those small phones where the top slides up and reveals the keypad as a phone but you can flip it sideways and then it look like a qwerty key pad? I have only seen it once, but I don't recall the name of the phone.

Is this the phone you're talking about?
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-details/?device=Pantech+Duo+-+Red+(Refurb)&q_sku=sku2610223

 

[violet02]

Date: 6/23/2008 4:53:56 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I have to say that I can't recommend Motorola. Haven't had the best luck with them. I did have an ancient nokia for about 4 years or so and it was one of the best I've had. Currently, I have a Sprint HTC Mogul (pretty much same as AT&T Tilt). It's a smartphone and I LOVE it. I purchased it less than a month ago to replace my Motorola Razr and I couldn't be happier! It does have email and texting thats super easy because of the slide out keyboard.... but I haven't become addicted to texting or anything like that. It's really nice to have your email available on the home screen, as well as having the internet. I find the features very handy since I'm a college student. If I get to class early or I'm waiting inbetween classes then I can check my email or work on a paper since it has Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. I have small hands and it's a little bulkier than most(because of the extra thickness for the keyboard) but I don't find it uncomfortable at all. It's touchscreen and runs Windows Mobile 6.0 (except I hacked and now run 6.1). From what I've heard and experienced, Windows Mobile is a much better system to run than the blackberry or Palm systems (although a COUPLE have windows also) because its more flexible. I think you have to have the palm or blackberry software on your computer if you want to connect your phone to sync up anything. That means you can't connect with anyone else's computer unless they have the software also. Please correct me if I'm wrong about this but I think pretty sure thats correct. Windows Mobile phones can connect with any PC.

As far as friends and family, they haven't had great luck with LG... they kept losing their charge and the reception wasn't very good. Mr. Oobiecoo has 2 phones (one for work, one for personal) and he loves his really basic personal one. No camera or anything and always has good reception and volume. Its a motorola though... maybe they do a better job with the basic phones and maybe having Sprint makes a difference (I had a motorola with Verizon).

You have to have microsoft active sync running on your machine to sync a windows mobile phone and yes you have to have palm or blackberry software to sync those phones. But why do you want to sync your phone on someone else's machine? I don't carry my cable around personally and I know that my phone has a non-standard cable so unless I had my cable in my pocket or used bluetooth I wouldn't be synci'ing anyways. My main thing about windows mobile is I like to sync my my exchange server at work. So I can use outlook on it. That's one of the biggest pluses.

The new iphones will offer exchange support by the way when they drop in July.

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 6/23/2008 8:47:04 PM
Author: violet02

Date: 6/23/2008 12:30:47 PM
Author: miraclesrule




Has anyone seen those small phones where the top slides up and reveals the keypad as a phone but you can flip it sideways and then it look like a qwerty key pad? I have only seen it once, but I don''t recall the name of the phone.

Is this the phone you''re talking about?
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-details/?device=Pantech+Duo+-+Red+(Refurb)&q_sku=sku2610223

Yesssssssssss!!! I love you right now!!

Thank you everyone for your input on the phones you use. I find it all very useful.

This was the phone that I someone had and told me that of all the phones they have had, they really loved this one. I thought it looked pretty cool, but I was worried that it came with too many bells and whistles, when the reality of it is...I only need the basics. I am still trying to figure out how to use my new dictation/conferencing device. If it''s too techie, I just get overwhelmed.

I am going to price this phone...and since it is an AT&T phone and that is the service I use, I might be able to get a better deal.

*air kisses for you Violet*

 

[pennquaker09]

You don''t want the Pantech Duo. I''ve read a lot of bad reviews on it and it''s cheaply made (i.e. it''s plastic).

One of the best phones that AT&T carries is the LG Shine. It''s a slider and I was actually considering getting one when they sent me my upgrade card.

I have a RAZR V3r that I need to get recycle because it''s in a box somewhere. I told myself that I would use it from time to time, but I don''t. The main phone that I use is the Samsung BlackJack II. It''s a great phone all around. I thought that I wouldn''t be able to use it because I have chubby fingers, but I can text likke crazy with it.

the other phone that I use is an iPhone, but I''m OCD and I hate getting the screen dirty.

 

[violet02]

I loved my blackjack when I had it. I liked the 1''s better than the 2''s because they had that nice rubber type finish and got less scratched up. The only thing I didn''t like about it was how narrow the keyboard was but I also have nails so that always makes it a chore to type. They''re great phones though. The blackjack II has that cool scroll wheel in the middle of the phone.

They had a recall on the first blackjack I had which fixed that horrible antenna problem I had as well so it turned out to be a good phone. I went for the Q9 over the blackjack II due to phone finish and keyboard size.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 6/23/2008 4:53:56 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I have to say that I can''t recommend Motorola. Haven''t had the best luck with them. I purchased it less than a month ago to replace my Motorola Razr and I couldn''t be happier!

As far as friends and family, they haven''t had great luck with LG... they kept losing their charge and the reception wasn''t very good. Mr. Oobiecoo has 2 phones (one for work, one for personal) and he loves his really basic personal one. No camera or anything and always has good reception and volume. Its a motorola though... maybe they do a better job with the basic phones and maybe having Sprint makes a difference (I had a motorola with Verizon).

The RAZR kind of sucks. I don''t know what generation they are on now, but I had two friends that had them. One of them went through 6 of the RAZRs before giving up and getting something else, while the other one had 8 of them-I don''t know to what generation, but he ended up getting a blackberry. I''ve heard that the PEBL was the best phone Motorola had made (this was when it first came out) and I have had no problems with it at all. And I abuse the heck out of my phone. But as for the RAZR. Stay away.

Oh and I have T-Mobile.

 

[KimberlyH]

I have a cell phone aversion and only replace mine when they quit working. I just got a Soney Ericsson w580i, because it was a free upgrade through AT&T/Cingular and my last phone went wonky on me, and I like it. I don''t text message, I don''t browse the internet, I don''t do anything but dial, answer, talk, and hang up, so I may not be the best person to ask, but it''s been a good phone so far.

 

[Anna0499]

I have a Cingular 8125 - got it about a year ago - I think the new version is a "Tilt" but I''m not sure how good it works. I love my phone though, and if you''re already an AT&T customer and have a SIM card you could just pop it into the new one (you could get one on ebay or something I''m sure). Anyway, my phone has a camera, full keyboard, touchscreen, WIFI (BIGGIE FOR ME as I didn''t want to pay to connect all the time), etc., etc. Hope you find what you''re looking for!

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 6/24/2008 12:36:50 AM
Author: pennquaker09
You don''t want the Pantech Duo. I''ve read a lot of bad reviews on it and it''s cheaply made (i.e. it''s plastic).

One of the best phones that AT&T carries is the LG Shine. It''s a slider and I was actually considering getting one when they sent me my upgrade card.

I have a RAZR V3r that I need to get recycle because it''s in a box somewhere. I told myself that I would use it from time to time, but I don''t. The main phone that I use is the Samsung BlackJack II. It''s a great phone all around. I thought that I wouldn''t be able to use it because I have chubby fingers, but I can text likke crazy with it.

the other phone that I use is an iPhone, but I''m OCD and I hate getting the screen dirty.

That appears to be the consensus of the folks I have talked to. I am going to try to get the LG Shine on Sunday. Wish me luck. I hope it doesn''t take forever to figure out how to use it. I am on techie traning overload.

 

[chiquitapet]

I highly recommend Sony Ericsson. I wouldn''t go with any other brand anymore. They are very easy to use, quite slick and have all the useful functions, such as camera etc. However, given that you are used to Nokia, you might want to go with one of the newer models. A friend of mine just got a brand new one with the GPS system and she LOVES it.

But I can''t say I can recommend Motorola. My DH`s Motorola has been giving him LOTS of trouble. We were told by the phone company that we`re not alone and that they can''t fix it, as it`s the Motorola production problem. His plan is expiring soon, and can''t wait till he gets a phone that will actually receive my calls.

 

[tinatark]

Funny about Motorolas - my husband has had one since the days of the Motorola StarTac - he has a Razr and would never get another type of phone! My son has the Krzr by Motorola and loves it, too.

I have the Sony W580 and am very happy with it. I like the new sliding walkman phone. Have seen the LG Shine and it's pretty. REALLY want a new iphone - coming out on July 11th!

We have either 12 or 14 lines with AT&T, the best thing about AT&T is that you can use a prepaid phone with your sim card if your phone dies. We keep several on hand for just that!

When you go in - the store will price match to other retailers - and they have access to their prices, too, so you don't have to run around checking on prices. I think the site you can use for pricing is phonescoop.com - I know it's a great phone resource site!

 

[krisvrn]

Date: 6/23/2008 12:30:47 PM
Author: miraclesrule
Wow Violet, you know a lot about phones!!


Freke, I have AT&T, since they took over Cingular. I don''t even know if I am still in a contract wtih any provider. I keep it because it doesn''t cost me much to talk to my daughter and other people that have those types of plans.

canuck, if mine could be described as a ''candy bar'' it would be a fattening one, because this bad boy is thick!!


I could have opted for a ''Crackberry'' at work, but I don''t want to be a text addict like my friends with their iphones. Those people don''t even answer their phones anymore, they just text, which takes me forever on my phone.


So a full keypad would be nice. And one that took pictures. That would be a nice feature too, since I seem to be the only one I know who can''t take a phone photo.


Has anyone seen those small phones where the top slides up and reveals the keypad as a phone but you can flip it sideways and then it look like a qwerty key pad? I have only seen it once, but I don''t recall the name of the phone.


Delight- That is what my last boss said about his Motorola phone


Neatfreak-I am so hearing you on the Nokia-And hearing people is about the most important thing to me in a phone. I have used Nokia''s since I was able to stop having to use a ''squawk box'' Nextel that my former employer made us wear.


I have one week left to figure out what type of phone I am going to buy...

Blackberry all the way. I have the Blackberry Curve 8310 Red with ATT.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 6/28/2008 1:15:35 AM
Author: miraclesrule

Date: 6/24/2008 12:36:50 AM
Author: pennquaker09
You don''t want the Pantech Duo. I''ve read a lot of bad reviews on it and it''s cheaply made (i.e. it''s plastic).

One of the best phones that AT&T carries is the LG Shine. It''s a slider and I was actually considering getting one when they sent me my upgrade card.
I

That appears to be the consensus of the folks I have talked to. I am going to try to get the LG Shine on Sunday. Wish me luck. I hope it doesn''t take forever to figure out how to use it. I am on techie traning overload.

HI:

I looked at this one earlier in the year and almost bought it. When my son enter HS this Sept, I''ll get him the phone of his choice and I still think I will get the Shine (my DH thought the single color key pad would be too difficult to see....)....let us know what you think....

cheers--Sharon

 

[pennquaker09]

I wanna know what you got. I hope I recommended something that really works for you!

SDL, Verizon has some amazing phones, but sounds like you''ll like the Palm Centro, Samsung Glyde, or Moto Q. Personally, I see you with the Moto Q. I have a friend that has one and she loves it.