Palm Pre, HTC Hero or Samsung Moment?

[Irishgrrrl]

DH and I are planning to upgrade our cell phones in the near future. We have Sprint, which we''re happy with, so we''re not looking to change carriers. We both currently have Palm Centros, and we''re looking to upgrade to the Palm Pre, HTC Hero or Samsung Moment. DH is leaning toward the Moment, but I''m undecided. So, for those of you who have one of the above phones, what do you love about it and what do you hate? Would you buy it again? Thanks in advance for helping me decide!

 

[rockzilla]

iPhone

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 2/13/2010 2:41:18 PM
Author: rockzilla
iPhone

LOL! I did look into getting an iPhone, but we just can''t switch to AT&T. The plan would be way more expensive than our current plan with Sprint, and AT&T''s coverage in our area isn''t as strong as Sprint''s is. I would have loved to get an iPhone, though!

 

[Tuckins1]

DH has the Moment, and he LOVES it!!

 

[Elmorton]

Don''t get a Pre...I don''t know about the other phones, but DH and I were considering the Pre for awhile. After I bought my BB, a SA told me that they''re already having problems with the Pre breaking. It''s really cheaply made...and tiny.

If you''re going to go with a smart phone, get the biggest screen you can. I love my BB - I actually have one for personal use and one for work. If you''re not on AT&T, a Blackberry is the way to go.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

DH and I are looking at switching to Sprint. He wants and HTC Hero and I am leaning towards the Moment...

 

[mia1181]

I don''t know too much about the Pre, but I really think you should go with the Hero!

I have the MyTouch 3G from t-mobile which is similar to the Hero. It has the same operating system (Android) which I love.

If you think you''d like the iPhone, an Android phone would be perfect because it has tons of apps you can download on the marketplace and many of them are free. I don''t know if Palm has as many (though I doubt it) and I still think iPhone has more apps, but the Android app market has been really growing.

I also love the user interface of an Android phone. You basically have these panels that you flip through with the swipe of your finger and then you have access to widgets instead of icons you have to click on. It''s hard to explain but for example, I like a clean homescreen so I don''t have any widgets there but if I swipe my finger to the left, I can see my facebook widget with a live feed of my friend''s status updates. So instead of having to click on Facebook and open it I can always peek at whats going on. Then I have a calendar and weather widget to the right side, but most of the apps have widgets and there are sooo many options.

Another cool feature of Android phones are that you can multitask! In other words, you can have several apps open at the same time and switch back and forth! I don''t think iPhone does this. Also, you can open many tabs on the internet and multitask that way too.

Ah I can go on for days! Anyway I just really love my Android.

I would also recommend www.Cnet.com for comparisons and phone reviews.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Thanks for the input, everyone! We''re going to RadioShack today to get our new phones. Of course, DH doesn''t know this yet . . . it''s his V-Day gift from me, so I''m surprising him!

Tuckins ~ I''m glad to hear some positive feedback on the Moment, since that''s what DH has his heart set on!

El ~ Thanks for the warning on the Pre . . . I hadn''t heard that! Definitely good to know!

Bella ~ We''ve been very happy with Sprint. When we looked at possibly switching to AT&T and getting iPhones, we were turned off for three reasons: (1) the plan was going to be more expensive with the "iPhone Data Plan" that you have to get if you want an iPhone; (2) AT&T''s coverage wasn''t as good as Sprint''s in our area; and (3) AT&T doesn''t have a phone upgrade option like Sprint does. With Sprint, you get a $75 credit toward a new phone once you''ve had yours for a year, and a $150 credit toward a new phone once you''ve had yours for two years. So I think you''ll be happy with Sprint . . . we really like them!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 2/14/2010 11:19:25 AM
Author: mia1181
I don''t know too much about the Pre, but I really think you should go with the Hero!

I have the MyTouch 3G from t-mobile which is similar to the Hero. It has the same operating system (Android) which I love.

If you think you''d like the iPhone, an Android phone would be perfect because it has tons of apps you can download on the marketplace and many of them are free. I don''t know if Palm has as many (though I doubt it) and I still think iPhone has more apps, but the Android app market has been really growing.

I also love the user interface of an Android phone. You basically have these panels that you flip through with the swipe of your finger and then you have access to widgets instead of icons you have to click on. It''s hard to explain but for example, I like a clean homescreen so I don''t have any widgets there but if I swipe my finger to the left, I can see my facebook widget with a live feed of my friend''s status updates. So instead of having to click on Facebook and open it I can always peek at whats going on. Then I have a calendar and weather widget to the right side, but most of the apps have widgets and there are sooo many options.

Another cool feature of Android phones are that you can multitask! In other words, you can have several apps open at the same time and switch back and forth! I don''t think iPhone does this. Also, you can open many tabs on the internet and multitask that way too.

Ah I can go on for days! Anyway I just really love my Android.

I would also recommend www.Cnet.com for comparisons and phone reviews.

Mia, thanks for the info! Actually, I did check out CNET and watched some video reviews of each of the phones we''re considering. Like you said, the Hero looks very awesome, and I think that''s probably what I''ll wind up getting! I like the Moment (which is what DH wants), but I don''t think it has quite as many cool features as the Hero does. And I pretty much wrote off the Pre, based on El''s post above. So I think I''ll probably wind up with a Hero!

 

[mia1181]

Oh here ya go...

http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/palm-pre-sprint/4540-6452_7-33490473.html?rid=33770759&rid=33941250&rid=33783559&tag=contentBody;compare

They seem to be neck and neck, but I think the Hero will have more apps.

I''ve kinda ruled out the Moment for you. I''m not huge fan of Samsung phones because they don''t seem to be very custamizable. This is not something I know for sure but just based on my husband''s samsung phone. In fact, when I went to Cnet I typed in Palm Pre and selected compare and the Moment wasn''t even suggested as a competitor. My guess is that it''s not quite on par with the other two phones.

 

[Lauren8211]

I just got the Moment last weekend and I LOVE it!

I had battery issues from the beginning but there is a quick fix for it and now I couldn''t be happier.

The operating system works smoothly and flawlessly, and the OLED display is gorgeous.

I don''t know the difference between all of the phones mentioned, but I have a Moment and I love it.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 2/14/2010 11:31:50 AM
Author: elledizzy5
I just got the Moment last weekend and I LOVE it!

I had battery issues from the beginning but there is a quick fix for it and now I couldn''t be happier.

The operating system works smoothly and flawlessly, and the OLED display is gorgeous.

I don''t know the difference between all of the phones mentioned, but I have a Moment and I love it.

GAH! Now I am once again torn between the Hero and the Moment!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 2/14/2010 11:27:58 AM
Author: mia1181
Oh here ya go...

http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/palm-pre-sprint/4540-6452_7-33490473.html?rid=33770759&rid=33941250&rid=33783559&tag=contentBody;compare

They seem to be neck and neck, but I think the Hero will have more apps.

I''ve kinda ruled out the Moment for you. I''m not huge fan of Samsung phones because they don''t seem to be very custamizable. This is not something I know for sure but just based on my husband''s samsung phone. In fact, when I went to Cnet I typed in Palm Pre and selected compare and the Moment wasn''t even suggested as a competitor. My guess is that it''s not quite on par with the other two phones.

Mia, thanks for the info! Sorry if my replies to you guys are kinda short . . . DH is in the room and I''m trying to keep this on the DL!

 

[mia1181]

Yay Irishgrrrl!!!

If you do end up with it we need to discuss apps!

The first must-have app that you need is called Advanced Task Killer. You can find it in the marketplace for free or there may be similar apps but this is what I use and it''s worked great for me. Anyway, while it is awesome that you can have many apps running in the background of your phone the obvious downside is that it drains your battery and without this app there is no way to see what is running. So get this app and then open it and kill whatever you don''t want running. At startup you will see that there may be 10 apps running and this will totally shorten your battery life. Then routinely throughout the day click open task killer to see what is still running and always clear things out. Obviously if you don''t open anything nothing should be running so you really only do it after running a bunch of apps.

Other cool/fun free apps are:
Pandora if you like music
Facebook
Shazam- open it when you hear a song you like and it will "listen" to the song and give you info.
Barcode Scanner- when shopping you can scan a barcode and it will search for it on the internet and you can compare prices, read reviews, etc.
Google Maps
and then there are ton of cool novelty apps like a metal detector, steamy window lets you draw on you phone like a steamy window and then blow on it to fog it up again, and many more!

My favorite game so far I did pay for ($1-$2 I think) and it is called "What the Doodle." It''s a came like pictionary except you play with people all over who have Android phones everyone takes turns drawing and guessing and it''s so much fun!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Mia, you are SOOOO selling me on the Hero!!! The steamy window thing sounds SOOOO COOL!!!

 

[luv2sparkle]

We had the moment, both my husband and I and I hated it. It had a ton of apps but it didn''t do the things I wanted it to. It had no memo app and the ones I downloaded I didn''t like.
I had a palm phone before, a Treo, and loved that. We brought them back after about 2 weeks and traded for Palm Pre''s. I am happy with the functions but have had a few problems with
the phone. It will completely freeze up and discharge the battery to zero so the phone won''t turn on. It has happened to both our phones. It has now happened to me 3 times, and my
husband once. It''s like the phone gets stuck and a full battery is completely dead in an hour. I also can''t log in to facebook and my phone keeps switching itself to military time. I have
had it since early December.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 2/14/2010 11:54:13 AM
Author: luv2sparkle
We had the moment, both my husband and I and I hated it. It had a ton of apps but it didn''t do the things I wanted it to. It had no memo app and the ones I downloaded I didn''t like.
I had a palm phone before, a Treo, and loved that. We brought them back after about 2 weeks and traded for Palm Pre''s. I am happy with the functions but have had a few problems with
the phone. It will completely freeze up and discharge the battery to zero so the phone won''t turn on. It has happened to both our phones. It has now happened to me 3 times, and my
husband once. It''s like the phone gets stuck and a full battery is completely dead in an hour. I also can''t log in to facebook and my phone keeps switching itself to military time. I have
had it since early December.

Luv2Sparkle, thanks for this info! Based on what you and El have said about the Pre, I think I''ll probably stay away from that one. My phone spends a lot of time hanging out in my purse, and I could just see it freezing up like that and me not realizing it, and then my battery is dead before I know it.

 

[mia1181]

Well what did you end up with?

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 2/14/2010 7:48:06 PM
Author: mia1181
Well what did you end up with?

Mia, DH got a Moment annnnnd . . . I got the Hero!

I''m LOVING this thing so far! I already downloaded some of the apps you mentioned, like Task Killer and Steamy Window. I was playing Teeter yesterday, and that was frustratingly awesome! LOL! Did your phone come with Teeter? If not, I think you can download it. I also downloaded Fingerpaint and Magic 8 Ball!

Thanks again for the input, everyone! You guys are always so helpful!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Bumping for Oliver''s mommy!

 

[mia1181]

Yay!!!!!

I haven''t heard of teeter, will look for it now.....

I thought of two other neat apps: TV.com has free tv shows and LukLuk has free movies you can stream onto your phone. The selection is pretty limited on Tv.com, it''s only a few channels. There aren''t a ton of movies on LukLuk, but a decent amount of newer movies Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Meet the Parents, etc. These come in handy for me when I am traveling!

Let me know if you find some other cool apps that I don''t even know about! I know new ones are added all the time. I''m flying to Japan this week so I''m sure I''ll be looking for new apps while I am waiting at the airport!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 2/16/2010 12:17:07 AM
Author: mia1181
Yay!!!!!

I haven''t heard of teeter, will look for it now.....

I thought of two other neat apps: TV.com has free tv shows and LukLuk has free movies you can stream onto your phone. The selection is pretty limited on Tv.com, it''s only a few channels. There aren''t a ton of movies on LukLuk, but a decent amount of newer movies Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Meet the Parents, etc. These come in handy for me when I am traveling!

Let me know if you find some other cool apps that I don''t even know about! I know new ones are added all the time. I''m flying to Japan this week so I''m sure I''ll be looking for new apps while I am waiting at the airport!

Oh, the TV.com and LukLuk apps sound great! I''ll have to check those out. I also downloaded a flashlight program (turns your phone into a flashlight . . . sounds very useful!), a compass and a level. I''m soooo ready for anything now! LOL!

I was AMAZED at the sheer number of apps that are available! I went to the "view all apps" page on my phone, and I scrolled through them for quite a while and never got to the bottom!

Have a great time in Japan! Sounds like fun!