Help getting a new phone

[boravr6]

I have been shopping around for a phone last few days. My god im getting dizzy just figuring out what plan i want. Now i also have to choose a phone!

Im not too tech savvy so reading the specs on iphones, black berries and windows mobile phones just confuses me more!

Basically this is what i want to be able to do with my phone...

- If i understand correctly a wi-fi phone can surf for free if your near a hot spot or at home with a wireless setup? If yes i definatly need that option.

- Unlimited access to the net. I hear phones like HTC touch from bell are limited?

- I want to be able to use MSN Messenger

- Need to be able to visit youtube

- Would like a "touch" phone but iphone is out. Im not getting raped by rogers plans! But im open to all phone suggestions.

TIA!

[karmad]

ur describing the Iphone but dont want it then try the BlackBerry Thunder/Storm, or Htc Tytan 2

[Audi0005]

prepare to get raped!!!

[boravr6]

ur describing the Iphone but dont want it then try the BlackBerry Thunder/Storm, or Htc Tytan 2

i DO want an iphone but dont want to pay Rogers rates. They have the worst rates on the market. Tytn is also with rogers only its a cool phone as well.

[A4A4A4]

If you would be able to live without a touch phone i'd go with a blackberry bold. Also, I dont think the storm has wifi so you might want to reconsider that one.

[A4A4A4]

Woops, didn't see that you didn't want to go with rogers, so i guess bold is out of the question too.

[boravr6]

Bell has the bb world which is pretty much the same as bold but with the "world" features.... and 200$ more 'spensive

[drevil2k2]

Having unlimited access to the internet via your cell phone under any provider would be a costly option. Also, some providers do not allow free access to all websites from the phone.

I think the BB Storm for now is limited to Verizon in the US and as previously mentioned, no wifi.

The HTC max 4G looks nice, but might be pricey.

http://www.htc.com/www/product/max4g/overview.html

or maybe the HTC HD

http://www.htc.com/www/product/touchhd/overview.html

You could always purchase an unlocked phone and insert your sim from your provider to get the right phone with the right plan?

[orangelmo]

I thought the Touch HD is staying out in Europe only

Having unlimited access to the internet via your cell phone under any provider would be a costly option. Also, some providers do not allow free access to all websites from the phone.

I think the BB Storm for now is limited to Verizon in the US and as previously mentioned, no wifi.

The HTC max 4G looks nice, but might be pricey.

http://www.htc.com/www/product/max4g/overview.html

or maybe the HTC HD

http://www.htc.com/www/product/touchhd/overview.html

You could always purchase an unlocked phone and insert your sim from your provider to get the right phone with the right plan?

[MacDaddy]

- If i understand correctly a wi-fi phone can surf for free if your near a hot spot or at home with a wireless setup? If yes i definatly need that option.

from what i understood when i looked into VOIP capable cellphones is the network had to be programmed into the phone, and wouldn't automatically connect to any WIFI in its range, hopefully that has changed now.

[Tanner]

girlfriend picked up the iphone, nice indeed, can use her iphone on somebody's wireless to check my email, etc. but that keyboard is ANNOYING. I rather get a BB if I wanted something for email.

[BryanR]

Personally went with an iPhone with Fido. $15 plan (some special they had) with 200 minutes + after hours and weekends or something, call display, voicemail, blah, blah, blah (I hardly use it as a phone most of the time anyway), 6GB data plan... ...works out to about $80/month-ish.

6GB may as well be unlimited - I used it as much as I could the first month (web, text, email, youtube, etc, etc) and only cracked 1.6GB...

[B5 Quattro]

Wow !
Ok For Internet serv. try Tellus. 15 Bucks will get you on unlimited for the month. You want a tuch then HTC.
If you want a GREAT phone get the Nokia E90. But very pricy. And It uses a sim card so then you can only go Roges ar fido.

[evilgabbie]

I have been shopping around for a phone last few days. My god im getting dizzy just figuring out what plan i want. Now i also have to choose a phone!

Im not too tech savvy so reading the specs on iphones, black berries and windows mobile phones just confuses me more!

Basically this is what i want to be able to do with my phone...

- If i understand correctly a wi-fi phone can surf for free if your near a hot spot or at home with a wireless setup? If yes i definatly need that option.

- Unlimited access to the net. I hear phones like HTC touch from bell are limited?

- I want to be able to use MSN Messenger

- Need to be able to visit youtube

- Would like a "touch" phone but iphone is out. Im not getting raped by rogers plans! But im open to all phone suggestions.

TIA!

if you want touch screen phone w/ wifi there really are only two "reliable" choices

go with the HTC lineup or the iphone, anything else will just cause problems down the road

HTC, yes there are quite a few models out there but they are all the same damn thing

good dollar value - HTC Cruise + HTC TyTN II (quadband + HSDPA + WIFI + touch screen + reliable + expandable memory + GPS built in - TomTom, etc...)

want something more exotic - HTC HD, Diamond, Touch Pro, just a "nicer" looking HTC IMO

iPhone - it's a love or hate, it does everything pretty much but I hate it, just doesn't do it for me... still a pretty decent device especially with the rates nowadays from Rogers ($30 for 1GB a mth - a lot actually for on device usage, or $30 for VM, caller ID + 500mb a mth - still enough for many people)

there will be a HD N/A variant, all that means is, the phone will support 850/1900 HSDPA instead of 900/1800 which are on the devices in stores now, everything still works, you just won't be able to hit 7.2mbps download speeds (not that it really matters)

let me try to clarify a few more things up

access to internet is just network dependent not device, so if bell offers it, it's because bell has it, not because their devices support it

msn messenger are available in A LOT of phones, from a pocket pc to the regular semi pda like phones, it may not be the MSN client you are using, but there are many IM clients such as "fring" that's free and installable on many platforms

wifi - just wireless internet, basically if you laptop or computer can go online via wifi @ any given point, so can you phone (assuming you have a wifi phone)

youtube - uses a lot of flash, either your phone must support flash + browser supports streaming OR it has a "youtube" client such as the ones on iPhones... currently, out of the box without much editing, Sony Ericsson symbian platforms (ie G900), Nokia symbians (Series 60 and up), HTC (via client) and iPhones supports this.... if you have a phone that supports the new mobile browser "SKYFIRE" that will do the trick as well, great browser btw

HTC 4G is going to be running on a new network, Bell and Telus are going SEMI gsm, they are going to skip 3.5G and just hop onto 4G when that's up and running

Rogers / Fido - GSM (sim cards) you can either buy a phone from them or just pick up any "unlocked" phone and you are good to go - ie. Tytn is not just from Rogers

Bell / Telus - CDMA can't really switch phones, phones carry the ESN and everything else is pretty much programmed in the phone

any other things you might wanna know about ?

e90 - too big.. a little old..

if you want a good phone i recommend, the nokia E71-2, quadband, great battery life, 3.2mp camera, built in GPS (can be cracked or just install Garmin/TomTom), Wifi, HSDPA up to 7.2mbps download, great nokia browser, supports many apps, qwerty keyboard, etc etc etc =)

[karmad]

the new fido is pretty nice

[J Ozzie]

As a telus customer DO NOT GO WITH THEM!! they are fuckin dorks! go with a better company like fido or rogers that has the better towers! Im tired of telus..

I have moved up the hill and get no reception at all. anyone calls it goes to my voice mail i call back it drops the calls. so i have to like get in my car drive down the mountain to talk. or walk down the street and stand in one position...but if i move the service is gone and the call is dropped!

So as a audi member be smart and dont go with telus!

[boravr6]

Wow thanks so much! thats exactly the info i needed broken down! all these acronyms was making my head spin!

One last question though

How do i know if a network is wide open for internet? what key words am i looking for?

if you want touch screen phone w/ wifi there really are only two "reliable" choices

go with the HTC lineup or the iphone, anything else will just cause problems down the road

HTC, yes there are quite a few models out there but they are all the same damn thing

good dollar value - HTC Cruise + HTC TyTN II (quadband + HSDPA + WIFI + touch screen + reliable + expandable memory + GPS built in - TomTom, etc...)

want something more exotic - HTC HD, Diamond, Touch Pro, just a "nicer" looking HTC IMO

iPhone - it's a love or hate, it does everything pretty much but I hate it, just doesn't do it for me... still a pretty decent device especially with the rates nowadays from Rogers ($30 for 1GB a mth - a lot actually for on device usage, or $30 for VM, caller ID + 500mb a mth - still enough for many people)

there will be a HD N/A variant, all that means is, the phone will support 850/1900 HSDPA instead of 900/1800 which are on the devices in stores now, everything still works, you just won't be able to hit 7.2mbps download speeds (not that it really matters)

let me try to clarify a few more things up

access to internet is just network dependent not device, so if bell offers it, it's because bell has it, not because their devices support it

msn messenger are available in A LOT of phones, from a pocket pc to the regular semi pda like phones, it may not be the MSN client you are using, but there are many IM clients such as "fring" that's free and installable on many platforms

wifi - just wireless internet, basically if you laptop or computer can go online via wifi @ any given point, so can you phone (assuming you have a wifi phone)

youtube - uses a lot of flash, either your phone must support flash + browser supports streaming OR it has a "youtube" client such as the ones on iPhones... currently, out of the box without much editing, Sony Ericsson symbian platforms (ie G900), Nokia symbians (Series 60 and up), HTC (via client) and iPhones supports this.... if you have a phone that supports the new mobile browser "SKYFIRE" that will do the trick as well, great browser btw

HTC 4G is going to be running on a new network, Bell and Telus are going SEMI gsm, they are going to skip 3.5G and just hop onto 4G when that's up and running

Rogers / Fido - GSM (sim cards) you can either buy a phone from them or just pick up any "unlocked" phone and you are good to go - ie. Tytn is not just from Rogers

Bell / Telus - CDMA can't really switch phones, phones carry the ESN and everything else is pretty much programmed in the phone

any other things you might wanna know about ?

e90 - too big.. a little old..

if you want a good phone i recommend, the nokia E71-2, quadband, great battery life, 3.2mp camera, built in GPS (can be cracked or just install Garmin/TomTom), Wifi, HSDPA up to 7.2mbps download, great nokia browser, supports many apps, qwerty keyboard, etc etc etc =)

[evilgabbie]

"How do i know if a network is wide open for internet? what key words am i looking for?"

What do you mean ? Were you referring to "mobile" internet or "wifi"

if it's mobile, then all providers has it, that will just be dependent on the "internet" plan you sign up from them

cheapest one out there - $7 gets you unlimited wap browsing (Rogers) - wap are basically simplified internet pages in html only.. no msn no other stuff you can really do

if you mean wifi, there are only a types

broadcasted + password - ones you can detect when you do a search on your device and when you try to connect it asks you for the password to the network (it may a wep key, etc...)

broadcasted + open - same as above except when you try to connect, it just does, ie usually bubble tea places, or ones still names linksys or dlink lol

not broadcasted - the network is there but unless you have the settings in your device already, you can "detect" these, a bit more secure, usually not for the general public to use - ie. many restaurants or stores, well you can't really tell since it's not showing anyways

[boravr6]

Ok what i mean for "wide open internet" is:

Im told the bell mobil browser is very limiting. You cant go everywhere on the web like you can with an iphone or your pc. Now this was for the first gen HTC touch so may not even apply for the BB storm.

- Can i go to any and every website with a storm?
- Will i get full page loads with pictures and everything and not just the mobile device version?
- Does storm ahve flash and java?

TIA btw! appreciate your time answering these questions

[orangelmo]

Gabriel, any opinions on the Sony Xperia X1?

[evilgabbie]

Ok what i mean for "wide open internet" is:

Im told the bell mobil browser is very limiting. You cant go everywhere on the web like you can with an iphone or your pc. Now this was for the first gen HTC touch so may not even apply for the BB storm.

- Can i go to any and every website with a storm?
- Will i get full page loads with pictures and everything and not just the mobile device version?
- Does storm ahve flash and java?

TIA btw! appreciate your time answering these questions

-storm uses traditional bb browser, loads MOST pages but lacks flash content
-i am not too sure with bell but if you get on device browsing, only html + a little picture pages will show, usually with "unlimited" that's what you get, to get the full browsing experience you will usually need a "limited pkg" such as rogers $30 for 1 GB plan
- storm "could" support flash, but only certain content for some reason, may be upgraded later if Rim comes out with a fix, java.. java i actually got to check up on, but if i remember correctly bb's don't run java applets properly or at all so i would say no for now unless proven otherwise

sony xperia x1 = tytn II with sony branding and "sony interface called panels"

the x1 is made by HTC, pretty much based on the TyTN II specs, if you like it for the looks, then i have nothing to say, but if you ask me, i would grab the TyTN II @ 65% of the price and be happy

i am sure the panels software will be ported to other devices soon

[headshok2002]

Yeah, I got the iPhone 3g back in September. Keyboard is definitely annoying as hell, but everything else is near perfect. I've lately been having issues with it being a bit sluggish though... opening SMS or whatever apps... it seems to lag. I'll likely format it and restore it.
If you don't type a tonne, I'd recommend the iPhone. You can get plans that are okay... Rogers rates aren't terrible, either. All CDN plans are terrible. :P

[karmad]

Wat about Virgin mobile

[jefferson88]

Virgin Mobile runs on Bells network.... I have a Bold with Rogers. Best phone I ever had. Opens all web pages except flash which is far and few between. GPS mapping I use all the time too.

[headshok2002]

I told rogers to shove their system access fee... and they did. It's only a matter of time before all the big companies drop that fee to catch up with the newcomers.

I've been happy with Rogers... for the most part.
I hate typing on the iPhone so much, however, that I sometimes think of switching to BB. Would be hard to let go of all the awesome features, though.

Hrm.

[evilgabbie]

give in and try a decent HTC =)

yup Virgin is just off Bell's CDMA

iPhone... i still only like the "games" part... =)

[headshok2002]

I don't know... I've gotten used to the browser, which is really the iPhone's best feature. App store is amazing, though... Many great apps out there. Fring alone, has the potential the make the iPhone unbeatable. Skype calls over wifi... seamlessly integrated. So easy to use it, it just works like crap right now. Haha, but if they fix it, and get it to work over 3g... You could pretty much dispense with everything but the basics, and keep a data plan.

[karmad]

I don't know... I've gotten used to the browser, which is really the iPhone's best feature. App store is amazing, though... Many great apps out there. Fring alone, has the potential the make the iPhone unbeatable. Skype calls over wifi... seamlessly integrated. So easy to use it, it just works like crap right now. Haha, but if they fix it, and get it to work over 3g... You could pretty much dispense with everything but the basics, and keep a data plan.

And if u jailbreak it then even better

[boravr6]

With the new storm.. think BB will ever have its own version of an "app" store?

Can you fully access future shops website? say you were trying to find a camera model to compare prices on the go...

[evilgabbie]

blackberry's won't have appstores

futureshop's website.. should work fine

[headshok2002]

And if u jailbreak it then even better

Haha, I tried to reply to this earlier, on my iPhone, but Safari crashed. I had 8 windows open (the max), and apparently it couldn't take it. :P The irony!

What I was trying to say, was:

I still don't even know what jail breaking the iPhone even DOES. Haha

[boravr6]

Well this narrowed down my selection...

iPhone is out!

iPhone 2.2 OS reportedly locking Apple-unlocked iPhone 3Gs

Source:
http://www.intomobile.com/2008/12/02...phone-3gs.html

[evilgabbie]

jailbreaking allows for non apple certified apps to be installed and thus ssh so you can "edit" the file structure, entering ringtones, wallpapers, themes etc...

2.2 is a really good firmware in terms of stability, blah on the unlock, you can do it, just costs more money - $250 was the last quote i was given

as for jailbreaking + freezing, there are a lot of ways to get it done, some are more "reliable" some aren't.. we have done a lot, so far so good =)

[boravr6]

What is available for modding / cracking for BB's?

im 90% leaning on the new storm comming out. Curious what my options will be for mods. Im gonna have a kick ass plan with Bell so i dont need any carrier mods but curious to see what else is available out there mod wise.

1 app i would LOVE to see on the BB storm is an app like on the iphone that mesures G's when you drive. also can give you 1/4 mile stats and complete race / lap times. Forget what its called but it was pretty extensive and sweet looking!

[RippleChip]

There is no issue jailbreaking version 2.2 on the iPhone. Yes every OS release locks the phone back up, but they always end up breaking it shortly after.

Don't expect the same support for apps on the Storm as there is with the iPhone, its just not going to happen.

[sammi_s]

What is available for modding / cracking for BB's?

im 90% leaning on the new storm comming out. Curious what my options will be for mods. Im gonna have a kick ass plan with Bell so i dont need any carrier mods but curious to see what else is available out there mod wise.

1 app i would LOVE to see on the BB storm is an app like on the iphone that mesures G's when you drive. also can give you 1/4 mile stats and complete race / lap times. Forget what its called but it was pretty extensive and sweet looking!

Hey man, i work for Telus Mobility I was at the Storm Release party in Toronto last night, and truly great phone, effective of January 1st 2010 ( a year from now) the whole entire TELUS network will be 4G, there halfway through building the towers now, so Sim cards are coming very shortly.

As for the Storm, id get it, its a great device and really love typing on it with the push screen. umm in terms of phone that u can unlock u can always get the HTC Touch Pro, its a touch screen w/ full slide out keyboard. WM (windows Mobile) devices you can unlock easily and many different things out there for them.

that should help u abit with choice.

[drevil2k2]

There is no issue jailbreaking version 2.2 on the iPhone. Yes every OS release locks the phone back up, but they always end up breaking it shortly after.

I still have the same old iphone that I got 1 year ago, it was jailbroken when the hack came out for the 1.1.2 firmware; before that I had used a stealth sim.

Lately, decided to upgrade to 2.0. Now I have app store as well as other sources for ringtones, games, wallpapers, etc. The best of both worlds.

The keyboard is tricky and can't use the phone with gloves on. Because of the damn iphone, during the past year, I bought a Mac Book Pro, Airport Express and recently, Airport Extreme.

[boravr6]

well i think i made up my mind.. gonna try and get a blackberry storm. Going with Bell since they have the best rates / coverage in my area. Just hope i can get my hands on 1!!

[evilgabbie]

well i think i made up my mind.. gonna try and get a blackberry storm. Going with Bell since they have the best rates / coverage in my area. Just hope i can get my hands on 1!!

good luck !

[boravr6]

i heard there are 20,000 phones comming to canada.... If i cant manage to get one the only reason will be that i didnt try hard enough