Looking to get a new phone. Any suggestions?

[HIU8]

I am on the spring network--I have been for the past 20ish years. I only still have a flip phone and I want to upgrade. I saw a couple of options for sprint (one with app capabilities, one like a palm pilot and other I cannot remember). Any good recommendations? Should I look into switching service? DH has sprint through work and has a trio (which I hate b/c the keys are to small for me).

[WatchingThemGrow]

On Sprint here too... love the service and the price. DH is eyeing the HTC Hero and the other Android type phones. We want iPhones, and I'm trying to hold out for them (likely years!)

[HIU8]

In USA Today there was an ad for a phone that did apps. Is that the android type phone? I'm not willing to pay a lot more for service, but I do want to join the rest of humanity with the ability to text easily and post onto facebook and send email.

I know next to nothing about phones b/c I have never followed it. I want to make sure I get something that I will use. Not even sure I would want an iPhone (at least I've never tried one so I don't know if I would use it).

[bigpassport]

I just got the Palm Pre and I love it. Let me start by saying that I was NOT excited to get a new phone and didn't particularly want a new phone. But DH sits waiting in court a lot so he wanted a phone to be able to check his email. Of course, if DH was getting a new phone, I was getting a new phone;) On Sprint, our choices were basically HTC Hero, Samsung Moment and Palm Pre. Hero and Moment are android phones and get more apps than the Palm Pre. I ruled Hero out because I couldn't deal with a virtual keyboard. I ruled Moment out because it was kind of heavy and I didn't think I could use it with one hand. So that left me with the Palm Pre. The keyboard is kind of small, but I do not need to draft lengthy emails or anything so it works for me. The Palm Pre does get fewer apps than the Hero. But I'm not a gamey/gimmicky type person so it doesn't bother me to have fewer apps available. The only app I've downloaded is free e-books. Here is what I love about the Palm Pre. I can check all of my email (I use 3 email accounts), skim Facebook and BBB new posts...all in less time than it takes me for my laptop to boot up. I have also figured out how to have Mamabargains twitter my phone with current deals. We got the $129 per family unlimited phone/text/data plan so I can really use my Pre as much as I want. Things I'm not so crazy about. The re-charging jack seems very fragile, I may have to invest in the touchstone charger. The Pre is very fingerprinty. Also, FWIW my DH loves his HTC Hero too.

[HIU8]

Thanks. DH's plan is paid for. We pay for a plan just for me. Right now we are doing $49/month for my service, anything more is going to be a shock to the checkbook that we will have to get used to. I think I have to go try out each phone. Those are the 3 that were in the USA Today ad I saw. I'm not sure what I am going to like yet. I will be checking BBB, Facebook and sending emails (probably not much texting--only to DH).

[bigpassport]

I hear ya. I ignored DH on the "let's get new phones" issue (for about 6 months!) until he proposed that if we bundled our phone and internet with our cable we'd save $45 per month which was the increase to our cell phone bill when we added data. I think Sprint has the cheapest plans for data services. The people at the two Sprint stores we went to were very helpful so maybe just go in see what they have to say. Good luck!

[WatchingThemGrow]

There were 3 things that I didn't like about the Pre when I had it, but I can only remember one that the PP mentioned -the little bitty tab you have to pull out to charge the phone. The touchstone thing would be a necessity for me. There's no way I could do that charger in the car. Maybe another was a software issue...scrolling through my list to get someone's name was cumbersome. Still trying to think of the other.

[HIU8]

Keep em coming. I need everything I can get before I go to see the phones IRL (so I know what to ask/look for).

[Penny's Pappa]

Thanks. DH's plan is paid for. We pay for a plan just for me. Right now we are doing $49/month for my service, anything more is going to be a shock to the checkbook that we will have to get used to. I think I have to go try out each phone. Those are the 3 that were in the USA Today ad I saw. I'm not sure what I am going to like yet. I will be checking BBB, Facebook and sending emails (probably not much texting--only to DH).

Most phones on the market today will do all of those things. The real cost comes in the plan that you purchase. I have Verizon (VZW) so I can only speak to my experience with them. YMMV (though I suspect it's much the same no matter where you go).

If you're looking to browse the web or otherwise transfer a lot of data, it's probably best to go with some sort of data package. That will probably come close to doubling your monthly cell phone bill. With VZW I can buy data on a per MB basis, but it's $1.99/MB which would be prohibitively expensive for me if I were to do any sort of web browsing.

If you don't want to get the data package, then I'd suggest avoiding any and all Smartphone models -- iPhone, Blackberry, Android -- since those are designed for high data transfer activities like web browsing, app downloads, etc. IIRC, data packages are REQUIRED for the iPhone and Blackberries. I don't know about Android phones, though I think it'd be a waste of money to get one of those phones and not get a data package.

I currently own an LG Dare (which I love) with voice and 250 text messages per month (add'l $5/mo). I could add on e-mail for another $5/mo. Something like this might be your best bet -- get a voice package and add on an e-mail package and/or some texting capability.

[hellokitty]

DH and I both got palm pre's a few months ago and we really love it. I was not too crazy about upgrading. I mean, I went from a dinosaur looking pre-paid virgin mobil phone to this fancy smart phone. I did not think I would like it at all, and was not that thrilled with spending all of this $ on cell phones. HOWEVER, now that we've had them for several months, I really enjoy this phone and I have to admit that being able to text is pretty great and does save me time. It was very well thought out, the only thing I wish they would have changed was that the keyboard came out from the side, instead of out of the bottom, so the keys were a little bit wider, but really I checked out my brothers' blackberry and even though the keyboard is bigger, it's still not that much better. So, I'm not sure how big of a difference it would have made.

My DH really wanted iphones, but AT&T is awful here. I've compared my friends' iphones to our pre and I cannot believe how freaking BIG and heavy the iphone is. My palm pre is like the size of a, "regular" flip phone and fits very nicely in my hand (I don't have very big hands). The apps are ok. I'm not a really big app person. I have a few that I think are nice, but I don't sit there all day looking for apps. I know a lot of ppl think iphones are the IT thing, b/c of the apps, but so many apps are just plain stupid. Just b/c they have a lot of apps, it doesn't mean you'll want all of the apps. DH and I also think that when verizon gets to sell the palm pre that there will be even more apps, just b/c a lot of ppl are still very loyal to verizon, so the palm pre can only continue to, "grow" in the apps and accessories offered. Overall, I really like it. It has been very user friendly for someone who had no exp with smart phones before and I love how I can get online and check prices while I am out shopping, perfected for the die hard BBB'er. :tongue5:

Oh and if you get the palm pre, my DH got us extra phone charges and a car charger (we got rid of our landline) off of ebay for a really good price. If you are interested, PM me and I'll ask me which seller he got it from. It was much more affordable than buying the brand name chargers.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Just a thought, because it is what we do... We still have the Sanyo flip phones, use them for texting sometimes, but not for data. For the additional price of a few months' data plan, we each got an iPod Touch. We can use those for BBB, email, FB, plus a zillion other apps that are very handy (grocery list, to do lists, music, video, photos, etc.) There have been a few times we wished we had web access on the go and we didn't have wi-fi available, but we survive.

[HIU8]

Ok, I'm really not with it. I don't know what an iPod Touch is.

[hellokitty]

Just a thought, because it is what we do... We still have the Sanyo flip phones, use them for texting sometimes, but not for data. For the additional price of a few months' data plan, we each got an iPod Touch. We can use those for BBB, email, FB, plus a zillion other apps that are very handy (grocery list, to do lists, music, video, photos, etc.) There have been a few times we wished we had web access on the go and we didn't have wi-fi available, but we survive.

We have an ipod touch and my DH got sick of carrying around his regular flip phone and ipod touch too, so that is why he wanted to just get a smart phone that could do everything. Thankfully the ipod touch was just a gift, but now it just sits around, b/c we don't use it, b/c we use our phones for everything, including syncing up our google calendars, which has been the first time EVER that I could get my DH to coordinate his schedule with me on some sort of system.

[Penny's Pappa]

Ok, I'm really not with it. I don't know what an iPod Touch is.

LOL

It's a model of iPod. Pretty much like an iPhone but without the phone.

...

Oh and an iPod is a fancy CD player...which is a fancy tape player...which is a fancy 8-Track player...which is a fancy record player...

You know what? Nevermind. I'll just send you a few books of Forever Stamps and you can communicate that way!

[HIU8]

Ok, Ok......

I get it. You see how much I've paid attention to marketing these days......

At least I have a flip phone currently that takes pics and can do texting (really basic texting...). Now you see why I need to upgrade. I need to get with the times, seriously.

[wallawala]

I'm on verizon, so can't speak specifically for sprint plans or phones, but just upgraded from a flip phone to an Android smart phone and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. The model I have is the Motorola Droid, but models will change based on your service provider. Google has a new phone now, that I think can be used on sprint?? Called nexus one.

Big cost over time really is the service plan. Get something unlimited so you actually use the phone. For us at verizon it was an additional $23 a month to our exisiting plan (I have work discount). That is PER smart phone. My husband just wants a phone, so only I got the unlimited data plan... but if both of us did ... it would have been double!

I'm not very tech savy, ie... never text or tweet, but though it would be fun to check email on the road. With ANY Android based smart phone you will have FULL internet access... email, search the web, etc. For us the biggest plus was using Google maps for the android (free app, preloaded on my phone, but easy to instantly download). Basically a GPS for your phone. Search a location, phone finds, gives link to address and phone #. Gives link to click for turn by turn directions from your current location (yes, will speak or type to screen your choice), and can show overlay of current traffic conditions on that map (major roads anyway). NO extra charge for this service beyond your regular data plan. IMO this pays for itself.

For example. Took on xmas vacation out of state 2 days after purchasing, used to navigate at night in unfamiliar rural area to DH's friends house and then via backroads/shortcut DH didn't even know to his parents avoiding nasty holiday traffic. Additionally, we LOVE chick-fil-a and can't get that here in midwest. Was able to use phone to overlay map of all surrounding Chick-fil-a restaurants on route and easily picked one to stop at (we were in GA, so obviously LOTS). May sound silly... but that made our trip. And made it so easy... To do everything we wanted without getting lost or calling multiple times to get directions or find a map totally paid for the cost of phone and service to me and my frugal DH!

Secondly... was at Target in GA looking at getting a blu-ray player for his parents at the last minute. Was able to scan barcode with my android phone on product we were looking at in the store... instantly search entire internet for reviews, prices, etc. Were then able to make a rapid decision to get that product right there at Target rather than driving around to other packed stores or waiting to get home to research. OMG!!! The best phone I have ever had.

So... depends on what you want to do with your phone. I do check and respond to email now, but didn't really expect to. I will probably never tweet or text... although can easily with the phone. I'm just old fashioned. Can't recommend an android base phone enough. Closest thing to having a laptop, phone, and gps in the palm of your hand. Better than I imagined could be! I was waiting for the iPhone as well. I'm satisfied with my android!

[Karenn]

I got a motorola droid a few months ago. It's an android smartphone and I love it! It can do so many things and I use it all the time. IMO, one of the best thing about it is that DH and I each have automatic access to one another's calendars. So, if he adds something to to his calendar (either on his phone or computer) I can automatically see that change on my calendar. We have a grocery list that works the same way. My other favorite feature is that I can give voice commands and it will call people, search the internet or navigate to places. Very fun.

It sounds like a smartphone may be too much for you though. My mom has a Samsung Rogue (from Verizon). She says it's a step up from a regular phone, but a step down from a smart phone. She has a data plan, but it's $10 a month rather than $30. That means she can go on line, but her phone is slower than mine and she has a limit of how often she can go online each month. I"m sure sprint has something similar.

They say you should choose a carrier first and then choose a phone. It makes it easier to narrow down the choices. If you're happy with Sprint, I'd stick with them. They are apparently a lot cheaper than some of the other companies and have some good phones!

[hellokitty]

Oh and I wanted to add that the palm pre has google maps/GPS built in too like the droids. It's very handy.