vB Easy Archive - In Need of a New Phone, What to Stay Away From?

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In Need of a New Phone, What to Stay Away From?
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Posted by: slickhare

So my LG just died in a freak accident. I bought the phone because I wanted a cheap mp3 player capable phone, but I quickly realized the whole phone was pretty low quality (i forget which model it is, but AT&T doesn't carry it anymore). So now I'm looking into getting a new one, and I was wondering what the consensus was on best brands and models were and whatnot?

I'm not looking for a mp3 playing phone in particular, since i don't want to use my phone for that anymore as I learned it cuts into battery life. I just want a nice, quality phone.

Posted by: WirelessAndy

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickhare

What to Stay Away From?

Another LG.

But seriously... What other features are important to you? Clamshell vs. bar phone? 3G or no 3G? Etc...

Welcome to the HowardForums, slickhare!

Posted by: slickhare

Quote:

Originally Posted by WirelessAndy

But seriously... What other features are important to you? Clamshell vs. bar phone? 3G or no 3G? Etc...

3G's not a huge issue to me, because I don't think i'll be shelling out the extra $29.99 a month for unlimited data. other than that, I just want a quality, durable phone. I'll be talking and texting with it (not sure if sms performance can vary phone to phone...especially since cingular doesn't offer a phone with a keyboard like the Sidekick)

Quote:

Originally Posted by WirelessAndy

Welcome to the HowardForums, slickhare!

Thank you

I've never see a forum with 16k members online at once

Posted by: Shadowless127

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT get the Samsung A707 (SYNC).

The Moto V3xx is really nice if you're not concerned about internet and what not (I didn't really like the browser).

Posted by: bigb252

V3xx, W810i, or KRZR

Posted by: slickhare

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowless127

The Moto V3xx is really nice if you're not concerned about internet and what not (I didn't really like the browser).

Hmm, I somewhat don't like the RAZR. I've fiddled with countless friend's RAZRs and the design isn't really to my liking, but if it's the best phone AT&T has to offer, then I suppose I could learn to like it.

but are there any other options?

Posted by: Heavy Fluid

W810i, even though it has an mp3 player, nothing says you have to use it. Outstanding phone, great reception, excellent battery life, easy to use.

Posted by: npaladin2000

I'm looking into a Nokia N75 personally.

AT&T had some good deals recently on refurb "Cingular" 3125 Windows Smartphones too, if you're into giving a Smartphone a shot (and aren't too afraid of Windows Mobile).

Stick with Nokia and Motorola if you want a high-quality phone. LG is definitely a lower tier. Don't know too much about the more recent Sony-Ericsson phones, but the one I had a year ago didn't impress me...seems like their RF isn't quite up to Nokia/Moto standards. That may have changed since the last one I used.

Stay clear of Samsung. The only thing they did right was the u740. They then proceeded to screw it up by selling it to Verizon.

Posted by: slickhare

Quote:

Originally Posted by npaladin2000

AT&T had some good deals recently on refurb "Cingular" 3125 Windows Smartphones too, if you're into giving a Smartphone a shot (and aren't too afraid of Windows Mobile).

I wanted a smart phone, but the cost of the unlimited data plan is pretty steep for a poor college student and as I'm told, anything less than the unlimited plan, and you're going to end up sorely frustrated. so i suppose I'm just going to stick to texting and calling.

but thanks for the tips everyone! I'll be going to check out what Moto's and Nokia's are on sale tomorrow.

Posted by: npaladin2000

Nice thing about the 3125 is it uses the Smartphone data plans rather than the PDA ones. Unlimited data is only $20, same as on a normal phone (assuming they HAD unlimited data for normal phones, which they don't...only MediaMax plans that combine it with text messages for $25 and up).

It's conceivably LESS expensive to get internet service on the 3125.

Posted by: slickhare

Quote:

Originally Posted by npaladin2000

Nice thing about the 3125 is it uses the Smartphone data plans rather than the PDA ones. Unlimited data is only $20, same as on a normal phone (assuming they HAD unlimited data for normal phones, which they don't...only MediaMax plans that combine it with text messages for $25 and up).

It's conceivably LESS expensive to get internet service on the 3125.

Thanks for the tip! I'll take it into consideration

Posted by: Baldilocks

You could always wait for the RAZR2 V9

I am hoping that will be the next focus phone for AT&T once the iPhone crap dies down.

Posted by: nave462000

I just had a nokia n75 and I HATED it! horrible battery life so i returned it four days later. I literally charged it at 10:00 one night and at 7 in the morning it was dead!

Posted by: vitin

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heavy Fluid

W810i, even though it has an mp3 player, nothing says you have to use it. Outstanding phone, great reception, excellent battery life, easy to use.

hands up and reabile phone and aftermarket support

Posted by: OtotheZ

yeah don't get the N75!! or the BLACK JACK. I returned both phones in a matter of days after i tried them out by renewing my contract. I had to then call CS so they could reverse my contract extension because they couldnt do it in store.

Posted by: GearTripper

Sony Ericsson W810i is a great phone.

Posted by: slickhare

So I just picked up a Nokia 6126. I absolutely love it! Awesome phone, awesome price. HUGE quality jump from the LG, the thing looks like a toy now. Thanks for the advice!

Posted by: XninjaR

I think its pretty funny how these guys went out of their way to advise you on a new phone and you didnt take ANY of their advice. (maybe not TOOOO out of the way but you know what i mean)

Posted by: npaladin2000

The 6126 isn't too terrible a choice. A2DP, and I think it's Symbian S40 (No app support, but it's got the WinMobile-like shortcut bar option. Personally I would have gone for more in a phone, but it's a viable option for a somewhat simple device.

I'm surprised you didn't go for the Cingular 3125 though.

Posted by: slickhare

Quote:

Originally Posted by XninjaR

I think its pretty funny how these guys went out of their way to advise you on a new phone and you didnt take ANY of their advice. (maybe not TOOOO out of the way but you know what i mean)

The 6126 was the best value I found. Someone said stick to Moto, Nokia, and the W810i. I don't like RAZRs, the KRZR was more expensive, the w810i was more expensive. Had I not asked I might have gone with a Samsung which was nicely priced, but since I was warned they were a no go, I didn't. So I did reap something from this thread.

Posted by: Baldilocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by slickhare

Nothing wrong with the 6126. It is often overlooked, but its a good phone. Great screen, above average reception.
Build quality is pretty good and the push-button to open feature is kinda neat.

Posted by: Jayden0606

Hearing the complaints in customer service everyday... I have not heard one about the razr in over a year. I have rarely hear complaints about Nokia/Sony Ericsson in regards to RF. Ease of use is another story.

Phones I like:
Sony Ericsson w810i (camera preferred)
Nokia 6126 (RF and build quality preferred)
Motorola v3xx (size preferred)

Edit: If you win big in a casino or find 500-600 dollars, the iphone I just purchased Sunday is awesome on all those fields... Lol. Even build quality as I know some who's going to show me a video of someone dropping it repeatedly and scratch and hiccup free.

Posted by: OtotheZ

Stay away from Nokia N75. If you're new to Symbian OS it's rather confusing to change and mess with settings. My personal experience with the phone was that the phone had a lag. It felt like I was running windows 98. I couldn't deal with it. After that I tried the Samsung Blackjack. Again, not a great pick for me. If you're not using it for business and writing lots of emails, its not worth it. I found it tedious enough writing a simple text message on tiny buttons. Just my thoughts. I'm waiting for the RAZR 2 or RIZR to show up to upgrade.

Posted by: pje200

I like to add my two cents, since I owned most of these phones in the last 18 months or so, I currently have the a717,6126, w810 unbranded and unlocked, e50 also unbranded and unlocked, had the 707 when it first came out, and my wife has the v3xx, without a doubt the samsung a717 is the best of all of them i have. you should give it a try, dont be put off by the previous samsung a707, this one is much better, its like comparing the v3xx to the origanal razr. yhe two best phones in my household are a717 and the v3xx, si I will give you a quick comparison, reception- about even, the a717 does seem to switch less between 3g and edge than v3xx, this is a big improvement for samsung because the v3xx had the best reception of any phone i had until I got the a717. camera-without question a717. earpiece sound- a717 slightly, speaker sound-even, internal screen-a717,keypad-slightly a717, size- about the same but the a717 is a little thinner, 3g speed- edge to v3xx, but pretty close, battery- a717 is much better it seems to last atleast twice as long as my old a707,looks- here the big one,nothing on at&t looks anything like the a717 its unique, while most people around here have some sort of razr, hope this helps you out.

Posted by: sharksfan

v3xx... hands down.

Posted by: gammite

Quote:

Originally Posted by OtotheZ

Stay away from Nokia N75.....My personal experience with the phone was that the phone had a lag. It felt like I was running windows 98.

that is one of the funniest lines i have read on here in a while. i felt the same way about a nokia e62.

Posted by: Joel954

Quote:

Originally Posted by npaladin2000

I'm looking into a Nokia N75 personally.
Stay clear of Samsung. The only thing they did right was the u740. They then proceeded to screw it up by selling it to Verizon.

Samsung has been good to me. I liked the A707 SYNC a lot and now I have the A717 and love it even more. Both are winners!

Testimonials

Posted by: walkguru

Wirelessly posted (Walkguru's: MOT-RAZRV3xx/96.71.95R BER2.2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; 11063081) Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 Opera 8.00 [en] UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharksfan

v3xx... hands down.

yep the v3xx is the best.

Posted by: pje200

No the v3xx is not the best, the a717 is the best, I have both.

Posted by: Baldilocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by pje200

No the v3xx is not the best, the a717 is the best, I have both.

LOL. I just came from the AT&T store and i took a look at the A717. It's ok if you dont like having an outer color display. It also feels rather plasticky.

I prefer the V3xx as it has a more solid feel and to me just felt more like a real phone and less like a toy.

Posted by: Joel954

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldilocks

To me the V3xx feels like a toy and the A717 feels like a real phone. Very solid. Why do you need a big battery-robbing display on the outside? Can't you read? Or can you only identify callers by their picture? These are rhetorical questions and not aimed at anyone here. I guess it's personal preference.

Posted by: Baldilocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joel954

Part of the reason I dont like Samsung's is the extremely bad luck I have always had with them.
I prefer Motorola's to the newer Samsungs. Even the SYNC is not known for its call quality or RF performance.

I dont see how the aircraft grade alunimun interior body of the phone can seem like a toy, but ok

To each his/her own I guess.

Posted by: pje200

I also had the sync and it was pretty bad, but this one the a717 is alot better, in every way, the a717 seems much more sturdy than my wifes v3xx, yes its plastic, but made of very good plastic, go try it out, and compare head to head with your v3xx and see which one you like better,but please be honest.

Posted by: Baldilocks

Quote:

Originally Posted by pje200

I also had the sync and it was pretty bad, but this one the a717 is alot better, in every way, the a717 seems much more sturdy than my wifes v3xx, yes its plastic, but made of very good plastic, go try it out, and compare head to head with your v3xx and see which one you like better,but please be honest.

I checked it out at the AT&T store earlier today. I really didnt care for it.

Posted by: pje200

I mean test them side by side, like far as reception, earpiece volume, camera, call clarity, battery, etc, which i found all of the above to be better on the a717, except reception which was about even, except the v3xx switched alot more between 3g and edge than did the a717.