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Johnbmx26 · Nov 3, 2005, 08:43 PM

Hello,
I'm pretty sure their are a few cell phone threads, but I'm in need of help picking the perfect phone for myself. I've been using Verizon, and I'd really like to stick with it. The new LG VX9800 really caught my eye.. Really similar the sidekick. but I was wondering if I could save any money.. I don't need some of the features..

What I Need
web browsing - I used a friends sidekick 2 and it was great to be surfing the net anywhere really.. Also the AIM feature is great.

mp3 player - My 3G Ipod freezes like crazy and I'm really sick of it.. and I sort of hate carrying it around.. I don't need that many songs with me so a phone with one of those memory stick slots and a mp3 player would be awesome.

Don't Need
Camera - It'd be nice to have one but, eh, if I could save money by not having one, I could live without it. Quality isnt that great anyways..

Keyboard - The LG VX9800 has this (full keyboard) and it looks alright. OK size, but again, if I can save money on one without it that'd be cool. It'd be nice to have a normal sized phone. I wouldn't mind using a regular keypad.. (I hear the LG VX9800 is a bit bulky, but it's not Sidekick size)

Also,
Anyone have an LG VX9800? I've heard it's quite expensive to use all the futures with verizons service..

Thanks
John

DigitalEl · Nov 4, 2005, 12:05 AM

I don't know much about CDMA phones, which is what you'll be getting if you stay w/Verizon. GSM-based services, such as T-Mobile or Cingular, offer you much more flexibility when it comes to hardware. You can buy an unlocked GSM handset from pretty much anywhere, pop your SIM card in it and you're set. With Sprint/Nextel or Verizon, you're stuck with the hardware they offer... And good luck getting them to activate a handset they don't sell.

IMO, the Sidekick II is very long in the tooth. I was looking at them more than a year ago... All this time has passed and - to the best of my knowledge - there's still no word of an update. If your friend's does everything you want in a handheld, by all means, go for it. You can get one much cheaper now than you could a year ago. Not to mention, if you actually bite on a new T-Mobile contract at the same time, you'll get a subsidized rate.

Personally, I'd skank around on the HowardForums, visit sites such as MobileBurn and Mobique... Read the upsides & downsides of some devices which interest you and go from there.

iMOTOR · Nov 4, 2005, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by Johnbmx26

My 3G Ipod freezes like crazy and I'm really sick of it..

there's something seriously wrong with an iPod that freezes.

Johnbmx26 · Nov 4, 2005, 08:55 AM

I've dropped it many, many times..

His Dudeness · Nov 4, 2005, 03:03 PM

I don't know about any of you guys, but I'm having a helluva time trying to make a phone call on my iPod.

olePigeon · Nov 4, 2005, 04:07 PM

Whatever you do, DON'T get a Nokia. My god, that's the wost interface in the world.

I really enjoy Sony-Ericsson's interface. If you get a phone, get one with that.

I think the Sidekick is pretty decent for web, email, and ICQ/AIM/MSN/JABBER. My friend got one and their service plans are reasonable.

Johnbmx26 · Nov 5, 2005, 01:34 PM

Can you go on the internet with regular, normal sized phones?

Timo · Nov 5, 2005, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Whatever you do, DON'T get a Nokia. My god, that's the wost interface in the world..

I, OTOH, really like my Nokia and its symbian o.s.-- the first good phone I've ever owned (I really dislike, e.g., the LG interface).

rozwado1 · Nov 5, 2005, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by johnbmx26

Can you go on the internet with regular, normal sized phones?

Yes, most nowadays. You'll most likely be limited to text based sites that are less than intriguing. I posted on HowardForums with my SE T610, but it took 20 mins.

Most people here will tell you to drop Verizon because they have no good hardware options. I am one of those people.

Ratm · Nov 5, 2005, 04:57 PM

^^^ I wonder what he's trying to tell us.

DigitalEl · Nov 5, 2005, 07:17 PM

Whatever you do, DON'T get a Nokia. My god, that's the wost interface in the world.

I really enjoy Sony-Ericsson's interface. If you get a phone, get one with that.

I couldn't disagree more. Nokia's Series 40 is the gold standard in simplicity and usability for phone-only devices. Series 60/Symbian is a killer smartphone OS. Both are hard to beat in their respective categories. That being said, the Sony Ericsson UI is slick and pleasing to use. I have a Nokia 6170 and a SE W800i and can't decide which I like best. The latter is far superior technology wise, but I love the Nokia's simple elegance.

Yes, I'm a phone geek.

production_coordinator · Nov 5, 2005, 07:24 PM

Verizon: Horrible Hardware, Wonderful Reception

I have a Moto. e815. I've never used the MP3, camera or web feature [beyond "hey, check this out"] but the screen, reception, IM and buttons work wonderfully IMHO. Best phone I've ever had.

His Dudeness · Nov 6, 2005, 05:33 AM

Verizon Wireless: horrible horrible phones, decent reception, even horribler customer service. Same with Sprint, Alltel, yada yada yada. All US cell phone companies suck ass.

Why do you have to sign a contract to get cell service, but not to get home service or cable or internet???

The Godfather · Nov 6, 2005, 10:16 AM

^ That's because they subsidize all of their phones, and they want to collect their cancellation fees if applicable. Not pretty, but that's why.

You can get prepaid with no contract.

ThinkInsane · Nov 6, 2005, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by His Dudeness

Verizon Wireless: horrible horrible phones, decent reception, even horribler customer service. Same with Sprint, Alltel, yada yada yada. All US cell phone companies suck ass.

Why do you have to sign a contract to get cell service, but not to get home service or cable or internet???

Verizon has horrible customer service? Customer service is the main reason I've stayed with Verizon over the last 14 or so years. I've never had a single problem with calling customer service, but when I attempted to switch to Cingular last year for the better hardware selection, it was a debacle which ended up getting my card charged fir the same phone three times and it never arrived, and nothing but annoyed smart ass comments from their customer service people.

When I explained what had happened to Verizon they gave me my phone free (their top of the line phone at the time, $250 with a two year contract) and three months free sms service. The helpful attitude of the Verizon customer service people and their willingness to hook me up kept me with them while Cingular couldn't seem to care about picking up a new customer from their largest competitor.

I'll deal with hardware without all the bells and whistles as long as they continue to do right by me and make sure I get a signal when I need it.

SirCastor · Nov 6, 2005, 03:21 PM

I've got a Series 60 Nokia 6000. It's pretty sweet. I got it because I needed something newer than my old nokia and something to mostly replace my Visor Edge. I don't have it right now, but I've seen Opera on these things, they make full-size websites comfortable to browse on a phone.

The Symbain OS is great. The only downside the amount of software that's not available for free. A lot of people are jumping the Palm ship for something better (including PalmOne I understand, who is going to abandoning Palm OS for Windows Mobile.

maxintosh · Nov 7, 2005, 01:02 AM

I love my Nokia 6682 on Cingular. Series 60 is fantastic! But Cingular's customer service is either really friendly or really rude. However, I've had better experiences with the people in the store. I switched from T-Mobile after many problems with local towers (in NYC no less) and I get much, much better reception with Cingular. They're pretty much neck in neck with Verizon in terms of coverage now (Verizon's is slightly larger mostly due to old analog cells). UMTS is being rolled out now.

Dark Helmet · Nov 7, 2005, 01:21 AM

Does Nokia have any phones with a talk time over 4-6 hours?

el chupacabra · 04:58 PM

does anyone know of any really small cell phones? It seems phones are getting bigger and bigger these days as garbage such as mp3 memory, full keyboards and cameras are included into the phones as they become PDAs. All I need is a really small phone that fits in my pocket.

Buckaroo · Dec 18, 2005, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Whatever you do, DON'T get a Nokia. My god, that's the wost interface in the world.

I really enjoy Sony-Ericsson's interface. If you get a phone, get one with that.

I think the Sidekick is pretty decent for web, email, and ICQ/AIM/MSN/JABBER. My friend got one and their service plans are reasonable.

Wow, I had the exact opposite opinion. I think Erricson phones are the worst. I have never tried a one since Sony bought them out. Nokia in my opinion has been the best.

wdlove · Dec 18, 2005, 06:25 PM

Paying extra for a warranty is a good idea.

TheoCryst · Dec 18, 2005, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by el chupacabra

does anyone know of any really small cell phones? It seems phones are getting bigger and bigger these days as garbage such as mp3 memory, full keyboards and cameras are included into the phones as they become PDAs. All I need is a really small phone that fits in my pocket.

Most Samsung flip-style phones are, in my experience, quite petite. I have a Samsung x475 from T-Mobile. It does absolutely nothing interesting besides make calls, and that's just fine by me. Pretty much every major carrier has something small and flippy from Samsung. I love the interfaces, and they tend to have decent battery life too.

production_coordinator · Dec 18, 2005, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by His Dudeness

Verizon Wireless: horrible horrible phones, decent reception, even horribler customer service. Same with Sprint, Alltel, yada yada yada. All US cell phone companies suck ass.

Why do you have to sign a contract to get cell service, but not to get home service or cable or internet???

I disagree. I did a TON of research and found positive reviews for the Moto. e815 just about everywhere.

http://www.mobiledia.com/reviews/mot...815/page1.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Motorola_E81...-31280474.html
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/use....php?phone=663
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...17417?v=glance
http://laptopmag.com/Review/Motorola-E815.htm

All of the above reviews (randomly selected from Google) are far from "horrible, horrible." I also have very solid reception, but agree that all US cell phone companies suck ass. Verizon could open up their phones and simply stomp all the others, but their rediculous charging for things like ring-tones and wall papers is sad.