In the market for my first smartphone

[trane_fanatic]

I'm so confused w/ all the options and hype out there. They all seem to be very close in terms of cost and I am in the market for a new smartphone as my regular plan just expired several days ago.

What's the best smartphone? iPhone? Droid? BlackBerry? Palm Pre?

What's the best plan? AT&T? Sprint Nextel? Verizon? T-Mobile? It looks like Sprint is the cheapest with their $60 flat rate "Unlimited Everything" plan whereas other companies hit you with the $30 data plan on top of your regular bill, but I dunno.

Any O-Board members can chime in w/ their advice and experience on shopping around?

Edited December 8, 2009 by trane_fanatic

[rockefeller center]

Your regular plan expired several days ago? In the meantime:

[Dave Garrett]

iPhone is tops in my book. Its polished, intuitive user interface and number of available apps trumps all other contenders for now, but I expect the Droid to put up a respectable challenge.

Expect to pay $70-100/month for a decent iPhone plan (data plan is unlimited but text message plans run around $30/month, plus whatever level of voice plan you get). Also, you are stuck with AT&T for now if you want an iPhone, and I've seen many complaints about AT&T's 3G network coverage (both in terms of area, where Verizon has them beat, and network overload, which I've never had a problem with but is really dependent on where you live).

If you don't qualify for an upgrade or a new-contract discount, the iPhones are extremely expensive. Since I'd been with AT&T for quite a while on a month-to-month plan after my last contract with them expired, this wasn't an issue for me. My 32GB 3GS was $299 with a new 2-year contract, but I've heard that if you have to buy it without the discount it's more like $800. AT&T is actually subsidizing the real cost of iPhones, which is good for Apple's bottom line and not so good for AT&T's.

[Matthew]

I have a BlackBerry Curve 8900 and it works like a dream -- email, downloads, attachments, calendar, syncing up, speaker phone, etc. all the functions are outstanding. That $30.00 extra on my AT&T bill is a little much though, but I travel a lot, and need to do office stuff off my cell phone, and the BlackBerry has met my every need. The one downside is that I have to recharge to phone every night when I heavily use it. Plus, it doesn't change the time when I go to a different time-zone.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Matthew

[rockefeller center]

The best thing about this thread: the OP wants suggestions but nobody knows shit about his needs. LOL

[Chuck Nessa]

The best thing about this thread: the OP wants suggestions but nobody knows shit about his needs. LOL

Like most O posters, he needs porn, junk food and beer.

[rockefeller center]

The best thing about this thread: the OP wants suggestions but nobody knows shit about his needs. LOL

Like most O posters, he needs porn, junk food and beer.

... and Nessa records.

[Jim Alfredson]

I have the Samsung Blackjack II (on AT&T). I needed a phone that ran Windows so I could use my piano tuning software. I like it; it does what its supposed to do. My only complaint is it can get bogged down when using the camera or scrolling pictures, but if I put some more memory in there it would probably solve that issue.

I do like that it syncs with Office / Outlook.

[.:.impossible]

Alto or tenor?

[mjzee]

I've been a Palm user since they were introduced more than 10 years ago (my first was a Pilot 5000). I migrated to Handspring, and have used a Treo 755p for 2 years now. Sadly, I will not continue with Treo/Palm when this one dies, as I don't think the company will survive long-term. Just MHO.

I've used it with Sprint, and I have to say I've never had a problem with them. Sprint doesn't seem to be high up on anybody's list, but coverage has always been OK, customer service is decent, and their pricing is good.

So what to do going forward? I'm waiting and hoping that Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T will expire soon, and they'll open up the iPhone to other carriers.

[Jazzmo]

the blackberry gets the job done for me get the Tour - it's awesome and i pay 60/month