Cell Phone suggestions

[Checkm8]

So... to make a short story even shorter, my phone is slowly dying. I am in search of a new one. It will most likely be a smart phone since that is really the only route anymore for a decent phone. I have an iPod touch so I am familiar with how an iPhone would function. I have never messed with an Android based phone so I am not quite sure of how they function. I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions. I am contracted with verizon and plan to stay with them because they have the best service in my area, so I am limited to their selection of phones (which for smart phones is a relatively large selection). I read all the reviews on their site but I have not made a real serious selection on any phone. Of course a budget is in place here since I can't afford some crazy $340 phone. Verizon gives me a buy new every 2 year deal so I will be given a discounted price. I am just looking for something with decent battery life and a simple user interface (which iPhone has and makes it a good candidate thus far in my search). Size isn't an issue since I carry it in my back pack and it needs to be my mp3 player as well (which I am sure is a feature on any smart phone).

Thoughts...

[Flaming Cheese Wheel]

Some thoughts for you:

An iPhone would obviously present you with the most similar interface.

Different manufacturers have different UIs; Motorola phones have something whose name I forget, HTC has Sense. There are also a couple of phones out there that essentially use just the plain Android interface. This can vary from phone to phone, and you'd probably want to try them out.

A removable microSD card is a nice thing to have.

Are you planning on rooting the phone?

[Dog]

Android is good. Lots of apps and works really well. If you are into Google (Gmail, calendar etc) Android syncs really well with it.
One issue with Android is the frequent failure of cell companies to upgrade the Android version.

iOS is the usual stuff from Apple...simple to use.

I haven't played with Windows Metro yet, but it looks fun.

My cell provider (Telus) offers LG Optimus phones (crappy little phone but cheap and cheerful) for $0 with no data plan!
So if you can get WiFi (and there's lots of places that have free WiFi!), then getting online isn't a problem!

[Blown65]

I love my wifes Samsung Galaxy II S on ATT. Battery life is great, screen is great and takes awesome pictures with the camera. My Motorola Atrix on the otherhand is ok, but the battery life is not so hot and the camera sucks, takes good video though.

I've had 3 Iphones over the years, I will not go back to one personally. If you were to get one, I dont know how long till the Iphone5 is to be released but it night be worth getting a temp phone till then.

[Flaming Cheese Wheel]

To note: I have an HTC EVO 4G; HTC's higher-end phones aren't known for great battery life (particularly if you've got all the antennas running at the same time), but if you don't mind the size (and I don't either), it does pretty well with an extended-life battery (even if it's now at bullet-deflecting thickness).

[Checkm8]

Are you planning on rooting the phone?

Maybe. Once I learn how to, I would probably mingle and mess around with things. I am not savvy in that department yet. It would be neat to modify things given the option. I guess that gives the android a plus since I do like to customize things.

If you were to get one, I dont know how long till the Iphone5 is to be released but it night be worth getting a temp phone till then.

I plan to wait for my phone to die completely so it could be tomorrow or in a year if it decides to be a trooper! I just have to be ready for it to fail at any time.

[DDYzErO]

I switched to an Android phone after my iPhone kept crashing on me and everytime I updated I lost something. My buddy has the RAZR MAXX and says it is a great phone just because the battery life on it is the best out there.

I got the Galaxy S II Skyrocket for AT&T and as for interface it took me a couple days to get used to it. But overall I am happy I switched to an Android phone.

[Jesus_Faction]

if you only need it to play mp3's you dont really need a smart phone

[Checkm8]

if you only need it to play mp3's you dont really need a smart phone

I don't want it just for that. That is just the main thing I use my phone for. I don't mind it having a game application or 3 on it for when I am bored. The standard phone selection in my area is horrible. They are phones from like 1999 it seems. Cell phone makers have abandoned the market for standard phones and verizon pretty much enforces it that you have to get a smart phone with their crappy standard selection. Just a way to trap people in to pay more.

Also, I can't use my "buy new every 2" years if i buy from someone else so i want to use my discount from verizon and not buy from a 3rd party (in case anyone suggests that). So, I have made the decision to be part of the "cool" crowd and let google or someone else use my personal data straight from my mobile device!

[bullet4o1]

Important things to look into:

What would you use it for? Email? Web? music? or just phone.
Would you like a physical keyboard?

[Cpt._Keyes]

razr or razr maxx

[kallous]

At work, I'm on Sprint and have an HTC EVO (got one the day they launched). I happen to like the the HTC Sense UI. As for Verizon, my wife and kids are on their network. None of them have a spartphone yet, but I have been eyeing the HTC Incredible 2. It's running Android 2.2, which has most of the android goodness and comes with a 16g microSD preinstalled. It has a 1GHz proccessor just like my EVO. Don't think it's 4G, but I'm not running 4g on my EVO and I can't say I miss it. (4g is nice, but it usually cost more and drains the battery quicker, I think). Finally, the Incredible 2 is just $100 (I priced one up for my wife... she's eligible for the same discount you are). At $100, it's a bit cheaper than the device I would like to have, which is the Razr Maxx. Battery life on those is amazing, but the price tag is around $300+.

Having said that... I'd probably get my wife an iPhone... Just because it's easy to use and the kids can help her figure it out if need be.

EDIT: Never mind... no physical keyboard in any of these phones...

[Checkm8]

Important things to look into:

What would you use it for? Email? Web? music? or just phone.
Would you like a physical keyboard?

Good you brought that up. Physical keyboard is a definite. I can't stand smuding up my screen or having troubles with the darned digital keyboard. I would only use "internet" related applications when wifi is available. I would really only use the verizon data plan for emergencies most likely. Like when I need my adult content and I am at a lake noodling for catfish or something. So mainly, I'd use it as a phone/mp3 player/game related. Tis about it. I don't really need it for email as I am not important enough for that nor do I keep up with all these social mocking birds (no offense to you twit heads out there).

I should just get a pager and call it a day.

[bullet4o1]

Needing a physical keyboard changes the whole picture! I would recommend either the Samsung Stratosphere or the LG Enlighten.

Droid would be cool to have but giving that you will rarely take advantage of all the smart phone features I would stick with the Samsung or LG.

[Flash]

I'm happy with my iPhone 4S, but if you want a physical keyboard that kills a lot of options.

One thing to consider with an Android phone is the fragmentation issue that Dog mentioned.
http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2012/02/ ... id-part-2/

Another thing to consider is from what I've read many of the 4G LTE phones have bad battery life due to needing a separate 4G chip. This is why the newest iPhone is still only HSPA+. Qualcomm has a new chipset out now, Gobi 4000, that supports everything in a single chip. Devices with this chipset will have much better battery life than older 4G LTE phones.