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selowitch · Dec 10, 2007, 10:53 AM

My dear friends at MacNN, help me sort through the mess of picking a new phone!
If possible, I'd like it to come from Apple's list of iSync compatible devices. That narrows it down a bit. Then I'd like to it be cheap, fully unlocked (no plan), yet usable in my very remote region of western Maine (I live in Farmington). It's just such a morass of data to sort through and if any of you kind people (snarky Google-is-your-friend remarks excluded) can help make this a shorter process?

Thanks!

CharlesS · Dec 10, 2007, 01:52 PM

Phones that work with iSync: Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia

Phones that don't work with iSync, and thus should be avoided: LG, Samsung

Phones that kind of confuse me in this department: iPhone (syncs via iTunes? why?)

frdmfghtr · Dec 10, 2007, 01:58 PM

Before I got my iPhone, I had a Motorola RAZR, and it would sync using iSync and Bluetooth. I would sync contacts and calendar events, and it worked quite well--I would say that, with respect to the ease of syncing, it was better than the iPhone, simply because I could sync via Bluetooth.

butterfly0fdoom · Dec 10, 2007, 02:04 PM

Sony Ericssons are awesome from experience. The Z750 and the K850 offer every GSM/UTMS/HSDPA band that's used worldwide, so either of those should have you covered really well.

Big Mac · Dec 10, 2007, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by frdmfghtr

Before I got my iPhone, I had a Motorola RAZR, and it would sync using iSync and Bluetooth. I would sync contacts and calendar events, and it worked quite well--I would say that, with respect to the ease of syncing, it was better than the iPhone, simply because I could sync via Bluetooth.

It's possibly the lamest technological fact ever that the iPhone only supports bluetooth for headsets.

NewOldbie · Dec 10, 2007, 04:51 PM

If you are in remote areas you need to make sure the phone has a good antenna to pull in signals.

I just upgraded to a Motorola Razr V9 and it has a significantly better signal quality than the Razr it replaced. I'm now getting signal and am able to make calls in areas that used to be dead cells.

Unfortunately, it is not supported by iSync. Oh well.

You could always wait for the 3G iphone . . . .

selowitch · Dec 10, 2007, 06:32 PM

Well, not being the demanding type, all I want is a great phone they pay me to buy even though I'm not getting a contract; that syncs via Bluetooth and USB; that is iSync compatible; and has superb battery life. Photon torpedoes optional. ;-)

CharlesS · Dec 10, 2007, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by NewOldbie

If you are in remote areas you need to make sure the phone has a good antenna to pull in signals.

I just upgraded to a Motorola Razr V9 and it has a significantly better signal quality than the Razr it replaced. I'm now getting signal and am able to make calls in areas that used to be dead cells.

Unfortunately, it is not supported by iSync. Oh well.

It does support SyncML, though, so you could probably hack together an iSync plug-in for it.

I did this for my brother's V3a (Leopard's iSync supports it, but Tiger's doesn't), and it seemed to work fine.

Cold Warrior · Dec 10, 2007, 08:46 PM

I'm getting the Motorola W385 from Verizon, and am looking forward to its bluetooth features.

butterfly0fdoom · Dec 10, 2007, 09:17 PM

...which Verizon generally cripples.

CharlesS · Dec 11, 2007, 12:55 AM

...although not as much as the iPhone does.

The good news about Motorola is they're one of the more hackable brands - there's often some way to re-enable the Bluetooth features by modifying some file or other.

markponcelet · Dec 12, 2007, 06:09 PM

I asked a similar question to this a few months ago and decided to go with something from Nokia. I was pressed for time when it came time to buy, so I sprung for the Nokia N75. True to form, it syncs perfectly with isync (in both Leopard and Tiger). Speaker phone is good; screen is nice, and so on.

However, I wouldn't recommend getting a branded version of this phone. AT&T (whom I chose because I want to get a 3G iPhone someday) configured the phone so that the buttons on the front of the flip-phone activate the music player whenever they are pressed. The result is a constant battery drain as the phone plays ringtones and audio files while it is in my pocket. Apparently the phone can be de-branded and updated via Nokia software, but I haven't been brave enough to try.

If I've learned anything, it's that cell carriers taint what might be good technology when they brand a phone. Aside from that music player annoyance, I've had to put up with pre-installed bloatware, an inability to update or otherwise modify the software on the phone, and annoying (and expensive!) accidental connections to the internet because some key on the phone is configured to jump to an internet address with a single push.

If you do go Nokia, it'll prolly work well. Just de-brand the thing or buy it unlocked to start with.