New Smartphone

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 10:16 pm

It's that time again Very Happy

Thinking about:
Nokia N97
HTC Touch Pro 2
iPhone (need to wait to new year to be available on vodafone)
Blackberry Bold 9700 (also new year)

Tried a Bold 9000 today and was really impressed, but reluctant to get one with a new one just around the corner. N97 and HTC fairly comparable. Is the iPhone still a market leader?

Any one any points of interest?

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:24 pm

i ve had a blackberry nearly a year now , i cant wait to sling it !
And every one i know whose got a smart phone ,has high blood pressure !is the nokia the one that opens on the side ?

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:10 pm

i like my iphone...
internet & email = good
touch screen and games are a doss,
which helps with my job, but the camera is a piece of sh!t though...

can't help bouit the others, this is my first 'smart' phone...
i only got it cos i like macs.

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:22 pm

I'd be weary of buying a "new" phone- I'd not get one until it had been out at least 3 months (so they can iron out all the software bugs they "missed" when they released it..... )

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:14 pm

So we're not big Smartphone users here then!

I've narrowed it down to:

1. Bold 9700
2. N97 (mini?)
3. HTC Touch Pro 2

The new Bold is released on Friday and Vodafone are sending me one for a 7 day trial Cool

Does anyone use Vodafone "Find and Go"? I dont know whether to choose that or opt for a third party Navigation app....?

Audi Nut Joined: Oct 18, 2009 Posts: 53

i ve had a blackberry nearly a year now , i cant wait to sling it !
And every one i know whose got a smart phone ,has high blood pressure !is the nokia the one that opens on the side ?

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:12 pm

i have a htc touch hd, great screen, great phone, if your handy with programming and messing with software ull have fun, if not then it will drive u up the proverbial wall. you cant do anything on it without the help of forum after forum etc. buy an i phone if u dont wanna mess with programming if u dont mind a bit of copy n paste then get yourself a htc. i might be being dramatic.

for the htc you need to sync to a computer for dowloading games etc. there is no 'app store' on your htc to just download free content. it doesnt exist. there is a huge bank of stuff like games, themes, modifycations, programes etc available quite easily though but there all online. u need to be able to hook ur phone to laptop and be atleast computer literate to have one but there mint screens decent camera and good web browsing.

if i had the choice to make again would i get an iphone, probably but the one your looking at is the newer model.

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:29 pm

I have a Bold and whilst it is excellent at managing email it is limited in terms of available memory. Having lots of apps on the phone kills it so you have to limit the number of apps you want to download. Also, the range is nowhere near as comprehensive as that available for the iPhone. The music output is pants. Next time it is going to be an iPhone.

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:56 pm

what about that new sony eriksson phone is that a smart phone?? looks fairly good and the camera will be top notch for out and about photos if your into that thing Wink

i bought my good lady an iphone and its got us out of many a jam be it maps or finding a nice place to eat. the ole real downside as has already been said is the camera is toss. cant comment on any of the other phones as ive never used them and dont know any1 that has them Confused

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:44 am

I have a Blackberry Pearl, not overly impressed with it if I'm honest, however i do fancy the HTC so will let you get it first and then see how you get on with it Very Happy

Site Moderator Joined: Aug 11, 2008 Posts: 1652

got a blackberry pearl here to, but unlike si, i love mine!

had mine for about 2 years, mines was the first gen one so doesn't have the built in wifi of the second gen which allows you to connect to additional wireless networks and not just your data provider.

pearls great for me as i wanted all the fucntionality of getting my emails but not having to have a chunky phone in my pocket. internet comes in handy for checking phone numbers online as opposed to 118118 or somewhere similar. had considered the iphone but decided to stick with my blackberry. as for the nokia, i've never been convinced with it although 'normal' nokia handsets are pretty good.

watch which htc you go for, saw a write up the other day, can't remember where or which models but one got a right slagging

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:45 am

I'm considering the BlackBerry Bold 9700 which is a much nice looking and feeling phone IMO at least Wink

Was supposed to be available today but it's delayed to Monday apparently Sad

Am getting a 7 day trial so should give it a good test in that time. Many contracts are 24 months now, so its worth the work to get it right Very Happy

Site Moderator Joined: Aug 11, 2008 Posts: 1652

when my upgrade came available i thought about changing to iphone, but decided to plump wi blackberry and took a £150 cashback instead of a new handset cos i'd been so happy with it. it's done everything i've wanted it to. however nobody can be guaranteed the same satisfaction hence the lovers and haters.
hope you get on alright with it m8.

Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:42 am

I've had a Bold 9700 for a few days now, it's actually on a weeks trial, but I really like it!

Its a nice size, neither big or small and just feels right to hold. Typing is very easy even though the keys are small they are well placed. I like the BlackBerry OS and setting it up to my existing email address took seconds. The browser is quick, and the signal strength good.

It has GPS and works very well with Google Maps giving your location to within 3 metres which is pretty impressive! I have downloaded Appworld, and there are plenty of Apps available, both free and chargeable.

I'm impressed, does anyone else have one?

Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:23 am

weird, going through the same, but concluded i want an iphone had written off a blackberry with mixed reports. I have a 2nd gen N95 which is bulletproof for me. tried a few sim only contracts mainly to see if O2 works here, nope, basically vodafone is all we can get so thus tied to it. however do i really need it? yes sadly.

new N97 i have seen mates have nothing but problems build quality is poop. functionality on the iphone is very intuative, my oldest boy has an ipod touch, it runs skype within wireless range and its quick to surf the web, pick-up emails. much moreso than any other phone i have used.

altough your feedback is much the same as i am after... free trial you say> never used the blackberry OS before. many aps available? how good is the camera?

Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:31 pm

Vodafone is the only network that works for me too. I have always got on all right with them, be sure to be a business customer (even if taking out a personal tariff) as the customer services is far better with a dedicated helpline number staffed by humans etc...

They have messed up a couple of times, but always sorted it, and upgraded my tariffs to compensate. Its not so much a 7 day trial, but you renew your existing contract, and they send you a phone. You then have 7 days to cancel the contract and return the phone if you want. PM me and I will send you the direct dial number of the Voda op I've been dealing with if you like. I've been with them years so they treat me well as I spend over £40 a month, and they know I will renew with them, but just want to be sure to get the right phone, even more so with 24 month contracts!

The more I get used to the Bold the more I like it, I too was tempted by the N97, which is a nice phone to use, but various reviews etc have made me wary. You never hear anything bad about the iPhone, but I really prefer keys to a fully touch screen phone, even one as good as the iPhone is. And it is certainly a slick phone to use! There are far more apps for the iPhone still, but BlackBerry have the recently launched Appworld which has lots of different apps on it - I've not investigated too much yet just downloading Google Maps which is awesome with the inbuilt GPS!

The camera is 3.2 MP, so far behind my previous C902's 5. Having said that so much is dependant on lens quality. The SE was a specific camera phone, so whilst it didn't have many more camera features than the Bold they were much more accessible in camera phone mode. I use the camera a lot so will have to wait and see here. The pics look fine on the phone, but I haven't downloaded any to the PC yet.

The Xperia2 is out in a few days too I believe. Worth a look?

Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2009 5:19 pm

chuck me an email.pm then!

my mobile is the business phone, i am about £50/month 1000 minutes/ unlimited internet typically. oddly i havent got a business account but it is a business phone.

i agree on the touch screen, i had a Sony 900i and an M600, both touch screens the latter was touchscreen only and inevitably died, thus no phone, thus useless!

although the iphone much as a usually despise all things appl,e is an excellent device. useability is effortless, not for flash, genuinely easy to use.

Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:03 pm

James,

Whatever you decide time spent trying it will be well spent, I have an HTC Tytn II running Windows mobile on Vodafone, quite an old smartphone now. What do you intend to use it for as some smartphones may not be ideal.

With the Tytn II, once I had turned off all the alarms for wifi networks being detected and sorted out the basics it works for me, the physical keyboard is a bit naff but works adequately though wouldn't type a long e-mail or text. I get my work e-mail on it which is useful but crap when I need to pick up attachments or work on documents. Also doubles as a wireless modem so can be used with your laptop (USB or bluetooth).

As with all of the smart phones, battery life can be shorter than you expect and I end up recharging every 2-3 days. Do make sure it can be charged from a USB port, anything proprietry is a real pain.

I would also comment on watching video as the tiny screens can strain your eyes after a while so not a good feature, do have a proper 3.5mm audio socket so you can choose your earphones. Mine has a combined mini USB with audio and crap earphones so I need an adapter to use decent ones.

It is worth having a read of Tracy and Matts blog..

http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/index.php

Hope this helps..

Pete

Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:23 pm

also reminds me the mobile phone manufacturers are all standardising the recharge ports to mini USB, so it can provide power and data. about bloody time!

these are always going to be a compromise, the iphone/ipod touch i find almost as workable as a laptop, N95 takes AGES to navigate online

Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:31 pm

Istoo,

The phone manufacturers aren't doing it because they want to, the European Commission has made them, might be the first useful thing ever done..

Pete

Site Moderator Joined: Aug 11, 2008 Posts: 1652

blackberry already powers/data from mini usb, would avoid the touchscreen phones (especially the BB Storm) heard far too many horror stories about unsatisfied users and repeat faults.

also watch out for appworld, i've had it a while now and the first few apps i got were very much US biased and hence were useless (ie a yellow pages app which i assumed would be uk but wasn't)

Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 11:24 pm

Cheers for the link Pete.

I've settled on the Bold 9700 now I think, I will ring in the morning and confirm tariff details etc. Its got all I can ever need and I find the small keys exceptionally easy to use. It has a 3.5mm headphone socket, and a mini usb charger too. Battery life is ok too, I use it a lot at the moment as it's new, and by the end of the day I still have 40% life which is ok as charging every day is no problem for me.

I've downloaded appworld and a couple of apps, as you say some are US based, but I'm sure the selection will only go from strength to strength as Blackberry and apps become more popular. The 9700 is predicted to be one of the best selling phones over the next 12 months according to Pete's link Very Happy

Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:53 am

I got my BlackBerry 8520 curve around 6 weeks ago, also have one with work but can only read and send work emails on that.

Its the best phone I've ever had, so if the Bold is better I would say defintely go for it.

I stuck to the same Nokia phone for 7 years (I had two, a second as a spare) it was brilliant but not as good as the blackberry - I plumped for the 8520 as at the time it had the best battery life.