Open Thread: What Mobile Phone Do You Use?
March 16th, 2007 (5:57am) Anne Zelenka 30 Comments
Blackberry is selling its popular Pearl smartphone in red and Sony introduced its W660i Walkman music phone this week, available in rose red or the more staid black. Those are some nice-looking phones — but color’s not usually the main thing that matters in a phone. You’ll want to carefully consider which mobile OS might be for you, of course, and decide whether your phone needs a high IQ.
Beyond that, there are many factors to think about: do you need a phone that fits in your pocket? What style works for you, flip or candy bar or PDA-esque? Do you need to take reasonably high resolution photos? Do you want music with your phone calls? Do you need Bluetooth, Wi Fi, and/or EVDO capabilities? What about fancy features like push-to-talk or voice-activated dialing?
Share here what mobile phone you’ve chosen, how you like it, and what you’d do differently if you were buying a phone right now.
30 Comments Post your own comment
Chris Ledoux says: March 16th, 2007 7:00am
Well for work I have a company issued i305 Nextel. It’s thick as a brick and useless in terms of features, call quality and reliability. I swapped the SIM to a clamshell i530 just so I could carry something less clunky. The only reason I “need” it is for the PTT capability so I can “radio” other members of the company.
In addition to this I’ve been carrying my personal phone, a Cingular branded Moto RAZR V3XX. I bought it for the 3g, bluetooth and the camera. Most of the time I forward my calls to this phone. What I really need for my job is one device that has a quality camera to take pictures of jobsites. Internet access so I can use google maps, gmail and the occasional blog post. I’d prefer a device with a QWERTY keyboard, but would settle on a regular phone keypad. Above all else I need good network coverage. The biggest problem I have is that we’re like many construction companies that have all their eggs in the Nextel/Sprint basket because of the PTT capability.
Ric says: March 16th, 2007 7:45am
Motorola RAZR - pre-3G … synch contacts and calendar, but no email (too much spam, and I DON’T want to see it 24×7) - will eventually get 3G for net access.
Isabel Wang says: March 16th, 2007 8:04am
I’ve had my Blackberry Pearl for 6 months and would buy it again if I were looking for a new phone today. The SureType keypad works about 95% as well as full QWERTY, and I like having an integrated camera. It’s definitely an improvement overall compared with my old-style Blackberry. I recently ditched Blackberry’s email client for the Gmail mobile app though.
Dave says: March 16th, 2007 8:25am
My wife just got a LG chocolate (pink!), which she loves but I think the keyboard and controls are hard to use. Camera on it is great, and the speakerphone is pretty good. The voice commands seem to work ok, unless you use a lot of non-english names. I’m still on my motorola v710. I love the outside screen, but the camera is weak and the phone is a little bulky. The motorola interface is annoying, but the keypad is really nice. I’m glad to continue to try to avoid the blackberry and other more advanced smartphones, since I already spend enough time in front of the computer - I just want good quality calls, easy text/pic messaging, and good battery life.
Audrey says: March 16th, 2007 8:39am
I have a Nokia 6101. It’s my favorite “dumb” phone so far. I went with the $6/month data plan that lets me access the internet through T-Mobile’s built in browser, and that’s good enough for things like checking soccer scores and getting the address of a restaurant when I forgot to write it down. I like that it’s a comfortable size for my hand and not too expensive.
Deepak says: March 16th, 2007 8:56am
Samsumg Blackjack
Serves my needs. The form factor and 3G did it for me. Plus the phone quality is excellent.
jbroome says: March 16th, 2007 9:25am
I have a samsung sgh-c417 on cingular. Not my first choice but my SE z520a went through the wash and i needed something cheap fast. It has bluetooth but will only talk to a headset, which is lame.
Not sure what my next phone would be. I haven’t palyed with a perl, but it does look nice.
stephen o'grady says: March 16th, 2007 10:22am
LG CU320 here, and while i quite like it (despite it’s size) i don’t believe it’s sold any longer.
Mark says: March 16th, 2007 12:11pm
I’m still getting by just fine with my T-Mobile Sidekick II. I funnel all my email through Gmail, so it filters out spam. The web browser works well, I’ve got AIM.
the daniel says: March 16th, 2007 12:47pm
I recently ditched my windows mobile brick for a samsung d820, aka t809, and I’m loving it. RSS reader, simple email client, good signal and call quality - don’t need to carry a half-ass computer (aka t-mobile MDA) around when i already spend 12 hours a day sitting at a computer!
Kartik says: March 16th, 2007 12:49pm
Currently using Sony Ericsson P990i:
-Direct Push e-mail through Exchange Server ActiveSync
-WiFi
-2 MP camera
-Business card scanner
-Qwerty keyboard
-Office and PDF document support
All nice features to have particularly when I’m traveling. Sadly, I wouldn’t recommend this phone unless you’re willing to put up with a Beta-like Symbian UIQ OS that crashes frequently, even after 4 firmware upgrades.
I’m waiting for the Nokia E90 or E61i which has most of the above but a more stable Symbian S60 platform.
Jeff O'Hara says: March 16th, 2007 12:53pm
I use a Blackberry 7100i on Sprint/Nextel. Sure Type is really nice, works very well, but not 100%. We also have a Blackberry Enterprise Server at work, so integration with our corporate groupware (Novell Groupwise) solution is seamless.
-Jeff
http://blog.zemote.com
Pablo Apanasionek says: March 16th, 2007 1:11pm
As Audrey said, the Nokia 6101 is the perfect “dumb” phone. Since mine was stolen last June, I had to switch back to 6061, which is pretty the same one, without cam (not really missed) nor radio (not a competitor for my Palm T|X as MP3/4 player). The basic requirement for me, is the clam-shell style and a clear big screen, nothing else. If I had to buy a phone now, I’d go with the 6131 for the Bluetooth and the incredible screen size.
KenP says: March 16th, 2007 3:11pm
Sprint’s MotoQ, and employee discounts put it about $47 a month with an unlimited data plan. It’s a sweet deal and I have not had a major issue (DST was a minor interuption). I use mobile IM, Gmail, and sync with work email. QWERTY keyboard is very usable and the screen is not huge, but does the job.
And have not had an issue in with reception either. Best $99 I ever spent for a phone.
Just need to get a miniSD card and bluetooth headset and I am good.
Dub Dublin says: March 16th, 2007 3:41pm
Treo 650. I’m a big Palm smartphone advocate, and the Treo replaced my much-missed Kyocera 6035 smart phone. (Sure it was bigger, but I routinely took week-long trips without a charger!, and to be honest, it’s phone integration was better than the Treo’s.)
Like a lot of people, I have a love-hate relationship with Palm (much like Windows): PalmOS is showing its age and is seldom updated, integrates semi-horribly with the rest of the world, and Palm’s “support” is non-existent. Despite all that, it’s still the best option out there - and (IMO) far better than the Microsoft and Symbian alternatives. (I’ve been a Palm user since the 1000, but I’ve seriously looked at alternatives several times.)
One reason I still have a smart phone is that it’s really nice not only to carry only one box, but for that one box to be able to do what *I* want it to, not just what the manufacturer built it to do. From a real RPN calculator, to the wonderful Google Maps as a native Palm application (why would I want a GPS?), to whole Bible, to John Walker’s EatWatch program for maintaining weight, to the PocketTunes MP3 player (because the RealPlayer that ships with the 650 is beyond lame - newer Treos come with PocketTunes) and many more, I’ve become quite used to having these capabilities with me - and I’ve discovered that even a mediocre camera beats no camera at all.
Interestingly, I find synchronization is less of an issue these days - I’ve pretty much abandoned the ToDo list for my own handwritten system, but still use the calendar, contacts, and memos quite a bit. I only sync with the badly neglected Palm Desktop, because I hate Outlook, and refuse to use it. I never sync with a computer I don’t own, either, so sync to work systems is not an issue. This preserves a clean delineation between my data and everyone else’s. The only calendar that really matters is the one in my pocket.
I don’t use the built-in e-mail app or text messaging, but in a pinch, I use the execrable built-in Blazer web browser to read web-mail.
The real value of a smartphone, to me, anyway, is as a application platform - this is the way that a PDA-type device becomes truly personal. I think the ultimate success of the iPhone or any other smartphone-type device will really depend on how well it works as an app platform - running “OS X” doesn’t help if you can’t easily add the things you want. (And note, by the way, that I’ve paid for only about half of what’s on my Treo - much of what I use is free.)
buster says: March 16th, 2007 4:12pm
blackberry pearl- i would def buy this again today. i love having my work email on the blackberry platform and personal via gmail. gtalk is incredibly awesome too. i only wish more of my friends were on gtalk.
i would be interested in whatever this google phone may be, especially if wiFi is in the mix, and i lived in a place with muniFi…like san fran, someday…
Coops says: March 16th, 2007 4:14pm
Nokia 6110. It makes calls, sends SMS messages, has a phone book and cost $70
(It even has a loudspeaker!) I’ve had no problems, and I carry around a $1.75 organizer to make up for the lack of a calendar. No, it doesn’t have WAP, or even a color screen, but I have a computer at work and at home, so the few times I’m not at either of those places, I call it “balance” — not taking your work with you everywhere. :)
Jon says: March 16th, 2007 4:19pm
SE K800i at the mo for my personal phone - 3.2 mp camera which is pretty good - some recent shots here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnymoss
Have a Nokia 6230 for work but looks like we may be getting Blackberrys. I will get an iPhone when it arrives in the Uk :-)
Leisa says: March 16th, 2007 8:45pm
Nokia N73. Avoid it at all costs. It’s awful, in so many ways.
Nakul Malik says: March 16th, 2007 9:24pm
I have a Motorola A780 as my primary phone. I’ve had it for over a year and i love it. It handles all my POP accounts perfectly and i can use it to connect my laptop to the internet should my data card happen to be out of the service area. In a pinch i can use it to telnet to client routers. The interface is great and the best part is that i can charge it using the USB cable which means i am almost never out of Juice. I went on an impulse vacation 2 weeks ago and charged it off my laptop’s USB port the entire trip. The camera quality is amazing. look at my vacation photos @ http://photos.nakulmalik.com for an example. Click on Ranikhet Trip. The best part is that i dont have to carry a thumbdrive anymore since i can just plug it into any system and it appears as a removable disk without the need for driver installation. Im thinking of buying another copy before they stop producing it. This time i’ll buy the one with the integrated GPS.
For my secondary phone i have a Motorola C115. smashed against a wall 7 times dropped into a bucket of water twice and constantly abusedfor over a year, it still only needs a charge once every two days.
-N
kelly says: March 16th, 2007 10:25pm
Put up my Treo 650 for sale today. I’ve had it with Palm. Instead, I have a Nokia N80 Internet Edition on order, and am using my SE k700i in the interim. Switching back to my SE has made me realize what a huge brick the Treo really is.
When I sat down and looked at my usage and what I rally wanted out of a mobile, it was phone/email/internet. And stability. The Treo likes to crash. A lot.
I want IMAP email, Google maps, internet access with a good browser, and decent battery life. I’m ok with charging everyday, since I’m not an average user. We’ll see how the Nokia holds up I guess.
Raj says: March 17th, 2007 12:26am
Samsung Blackjack, I like the design and sound quality is really nice.
Jochen Lillich says: March 17th, 2007 4:19am
I’ve been using a Nokia E61 since last year and I love it. It’s got a decent battery life between charges, even if I’m using it for visiting web sites or chatting with IM+ over WiFi or UMTS. I also like how it syncs automatically with our corporate Exchange server over the WiFi network, keeping me always current on appointments.
JT says: March 17th, 2007 4:00pm
I use a Treo 750 on Cingular. It’s nice having 3G.
Cell_Fella says: March 17th, 2007 9:02pm
I use a Nokia 6630. It’s a bit ancient and has pretty much destroyed the pair of jeans I wear for work every day, but it does the trick, I can pick up email and take good quality photos.
Mrinal says: March 18th, 2007 5:16pm
Have a Treo 650 now - loved it so far with RSS feeds, Email, Wikipedia, etc etc on it.
Its not catching up though and form factor is too clunky now (relatively) - moving out to either BlackJack or BB8800. Why - Form factor, 3G and muti-media.
Thejesh GN says: March 19th, 2007 11:09pm
I carry my k750i
– I have Opera Mini installed on it. I use it to browse and check my webmail
– Very good camera
– Very good phone functionality
– Upgraded it to 2GB card. Now has lots of music on it.
– It has a recorder ( from call too)
– It has a radio
TIM says: March 20th, 2007 10:46am
What Thejesh said above - only I’ve got a SE w810.
By far and away the best phone i’ve ever had - and in spite of the lack of 3G i use Opera Mini (and Gmail and Google Maps) a LOT.
The phone’s user interface is spot on.
Christopher Johnston says: March 20th, 2007 1:13pm
I use the Treo 700p and I’ve been somewhat happy with it. The Palm OS leaves something to be desired when it comes to system stability but I need to run certain software that will only run on Palm. I currently use my Treo to:
*Read RSS feeds with Google Reader mobile
*Listen to downloaded podcast using pTunes
*Find places and get directions to my appointments with Google Maps
*Occasionally check my email with a cool Java Gmail app
*SMS for Twitter!
*My work proprietary app that pays the bills (for the time being!!!)
*Camera for taking pics for my blog and to upload to Twitter
*Oh yeah, I also manage my calender, notes, and address book.
*Sometimes I make a phone call or two.
I sync my Palm with Outlook only because I had a Blackberry previously and it was the least painful way to transition from one device to the other. I only open Outlook on my computer if there is an issue that was created during the sync. My ideal solution would be a device that would sync strictly with Google Calender and Gmail for my contacts. I will be interested in the new that is rumored to be in the works.
Tim says: March 30th, 2007 11:14am
I’m a little late to the game on this one, but I just got one of the red Blackberry Pearls and I’m a big fan. Camera, media player, Gmail, Opera mini, good voice quality, international coverage for when I’m on the road and the best email client available on a mobile device. As a former perl programmer, I even like the name. Oh, and the sleek red form factor is pretty sexy too.