Hey people, i see the G1 thread, not sure theres been any other cell phone ones, i looked a page or 2 back and didnt see anything.

Anyway, im looking for a new cell phone. I want a few specific features however:

1) Real time Gmail and Gmail Chat(always on)- My work is being special and i dont want to be caught in the storm when the IM reporting goes in.
2) Full or Virtual keyboard(so, blackberry or iphone style, im fine with)
3) Highly functional web interface
4) GPS that integrates with some form of mapping
5) Good battery life

Now I think this is limiting me to the G1 or a blackberry... However, im not sure if i want the G1. I currently have no contract and use a unlocked japanese RAZR through AT&T.

From what ive been told the gmail and gmail chat is severly misfunctional in the IPhone(single threaded application model, and you have to pay to get 'real time'(15min delay) email notifications).

Anyone have suggestions..? Quite a few people at work and personal friends have suggested to just wait until the new andriod phones come out this summer, but i cant seem to find real solid dates or model info on them. Or to wait until the new iphone comes out. They pointed at things like the N95? or some of the Blackberry models which can do it also...

Thanks in advance you guys are always helpful.

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My sig got eated by the bit bucket...
Fellenwhite Moonsong
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iPhone has two data modes. One is fetch, which will periodically check the server for more information: 15, 30, 60 minute intervals or manually. The other is Push, which is much more frequent, very close to realtime, and will suck the battery life. Still, I use Push and the battery life lasts through a full day of use. I use my iPhone a LOT for data. If you turn it onto fetch every 15 minutes, the battery life doubles if you leave it idle a lot of the time.

There is no additional cost for either option. Data plans are pretty much unlimited. Again, I use the shit out of it.

I sync with both work e-mail and g-mail. Both work very well.

I'm not familiar with how good Gmail chat is on the iPhone. I did find this, though: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/c ... phone.html

The iPhone does everythign you want. My best advice is to find a friend who has one,with a lot of apps, and try it out. You'll also want to look at the app store - the best part of the iphone is how it's just about infinitely expandable. Some of the apps I use every day are:

Shazam - audio detection. Useful when trying to find a song on the radio. I used it while in a hotel room in Salt Lake City - there was a "See Utah" video with some cool music. I used Shazam, found the song, bought it on iTunes, and went to see the band a few weeks ago at Eddie's Attic in Atlanta. Not every use is as dramatic but it's a good example of how much it's changed how I listen to music.

Urban Spoon - tons of restaurant reviews and recommendations.

Flixter - movie reviews and times, finds your current location and tells you movie times near where you physically are. Watch movie trailers on the iphone.

Facebook - the Facebook app is easier to use than the web site. Amazing app.

Pandora - Works exactly like the web site. I can load up my playlist and play it through the audio-in jack in my car. Pretty amazing quality, considering I'm driving through traffic.

Maps - The built-in map software has traffic overlays.

There are other apps I use - Flickr, tip calculators (when at restaurants), Eventful, Google Earth, etc., but those above are the ones I use the most.

blackberry bold.

has a gtalk client, it integrates well with gmail, and has a real keyboard.

the iphone sucks for IM, since (currently) it can't background applications so you need to keep the IM client open and up front all the time.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

This is exactly my hangup with asking the 8 people i know who have iPhones, they either say it cant do it or theyre not sure... Basically what ive heard is if a) the screen goes black, or b) you do something other than chat(say check your email or get a call, or surf the web, *anything*), you get signed out of chat...

I live on chat for family and friends... So id like something to be able to be as close to real-time as possible.

I really want the iPhone, but thats the only hangup i have about it, the single threaded application model

Ill take a look at the Bold, i havent looked at it specifically.

The only reason I suggest the bold is because it's currently the only blackberry with real 3g support so you have fast data. It also has wifi, which the blackberry storm and the blackberry curves do not have.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

The Blackberry Curve (8320) certainly does have Wi-Fi, as does the Pearl (8120), but they do not have 3g.
 

I have the storm and it's okay. It doesn't have wifi as Van pointed out, and it also becomes REALLY SLOW if you have too much data on there, and it won't even tell you. It just goes super slow.

It's great for e-mail, and IMing and I really like the GPS on it. As far as the apps for it go, there may be some good ones out there...but I don't use them. I just need it to pick up and respond to email for work, and the IMing is a nice bonus.

And it was basically 2 storms for $100 or $150 or some ridiculously low price, so I went with it. If I needed my phone to do more, I'd go with an iPhone, though I know someone who's had problems now a couple months with being charged like $800 for data (though in fairness the first time it happened they apologized and corrected it. And I'm sure they did the same the 2nd time...but that stuff is worrying). I know I'm paranoid about getting some wonky ass bill.

Though through verizon it's already pretty pricy, I write it off as it's a business expense, but it's still pricy. And given the costs I'm paying ANYWAY...I probably could've gotten more going iPhone. /shrug

But hindsight is 20/20.

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Having had both, the iPhone does not "do more" than a blackberry. They just do the same things differently.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

It seems like the iPhone has a lot more 'fun applications' that you can't get on the blackberry. Or if you CAN get most of them on the blackberry, it's much easier to get them on the iphone. Granted, I wouldn't want or need most of the iphone applications, but it would be nice to have access to that variety.

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I haven't had both, so that's based on my perception with the iphone. Just wanted to clarify since you've had the actual experience of having both.

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I've used a blackberry from one of the early greyscreen "black" blackberries to the Curve. They were all garbage. The browsers suck, they load WAP sites whereas smartphones will load the original HTML web site.

If you want to support a company that only innovates when facing death, then support RIM and buy a Blackberry. BB had the monopoly on Exchange integration and their devices never improved... then, WHAM, iPhone and Android come out, and they finally release a product that doesn't suck. The Bold is the cable companies DVR to the Tivo. Not original, but unlike DVRs, you have a choice.

While you're at it, just write a check to your local cable company of a thousand dollars, because they're similar. Or, cash in a $1k and put it in a barrel, then light it on fire.

I'm not bitter!

eh, the bold's browser is fine, so is the storms.

I just really hate touchscreens =/

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

and the best part is, I don't have to pay RIM for the privilege of writing software for blackberries.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Bad argument. Please show me how the iphone can accomplish task#1, because everyone ive talked to(even folks that have an iPhone) say it can't. Everytime you navigate from your browser or take a call or anything else other than be in that window, chat goes away.

Hack it. Problem solved.

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I have the LG Voyager and believe it fits all your criteria except maybe #3. It does access a lot of web content ok but my laptop is usually as convenient as my phone when I want to surf so I rarely use it for that. I haven't used it for chat recently either but when I did I was able to keep multiple chat formats active while using the phone for other things (never used it for gmail chat however). I haven't looked recently but remember that the LG Dare replaced it. I like the actual keys of the voyager though. A couple things I find frustrating about the voyager is that I can't do anything else with it while playing music or navigating with the gps.

Van, ive heard that the bold battery can be 'lacking' and die fast... Have you heard/seen this? I dont know if i want a phone that can't hold a charge for at least 24 hours.


Ill check that out, haven't looked at that one yet.

My bold lasts 36-48 hours with decently heavy use (texts, twitter, email)

If I go on a spree I tend to have to recharge it at the end of the day, but I can always get a quick filler charge off my laptop since it charges over usb.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Look at jailbreak applications as well when considering IM options. My iPhone at this point is unrecognizable as an iPhone if all you could see was the screen heh.

Agreed. I was using an instinct for a while but I caved and got an iphone 3g. What makes it great are the mod communities.

With the right mods that iphone will do everything you asked.

Specifically the 'everything you asked' part. Can you please detail how its possible to be permanently logged into gmail and gmail chat? Ive only seen items stating the contrary.

I have a Blackberry 8300 World Edition. I keep it on vibrate so that I know when to check my work email, since my Blackberry usually picks up new email about two minutes faster than my laptop. The google application suite for it is very nice - nice enough for me to consider switching to gmail as my main personal email account. And the google GPS/mapping package is *much* better than Verizon's piece of crap version. I haven't yet tried google chat on it.

I wouldn't recommend this particular model for its ease of web use, though. It is designed to be a functional machine for the international business traveler, not a web device.

One really nice thing about Blackberries that I honestly don't know if other brands have is the ability to function as a wireless modem for your laptop. You can't send/receive calls at the same time (but you can email / text) that it is running as a modem, but it has come in really handy at client sites where they won't give us network access, in airports, etc. You don't want to game on it (I've tried and it works, sort of) but otherwise it is awesome. I think there's any extra monthly charge for it, but that may vary by carrier. I haven't had to pay my own cell phone bill since I started at my current job.

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Hope is the new black.

No offense, but you're the one in the market for it, so do the research. Look up iPhone + jailbreak + software. Don't rely on the fanbois to tell you what you need heh.

Yes, you can do that on an iPhone.

It's called iPhone OS 3.0, the feature is push notification. Will be available this summer.

http://news.zdnet.com/2422-19178_22-279406.html

I get your argument, I disagree with it. If I esentially have to 'break' my phone then its not doing it natively. I guess I should have specified that I want this functionality either native or through an authorized source(such as the open source software available for the G1). The iPhone is a closed ass phone, just like the blackberry, however, the BB has the feature. Sadly im not trying to argue, I want an iPhone, however this is the single deal breaker, and all the research I have done on my own proves it not possible, however I was hoping there was something I missed.

Thanks everyone for the help, I have lots of awesome tools beyond what i had before to move forward, I guess ill let you all know once i choose a phone, but its looking likely to be either a BB or possibly a G1 or the new android phone...


I will check that out, thanks Fin!

Hey, I feel ya. Don't misread my statement as being harsh, as I didn't intend it to be. In reality however, the open source movement is FAR more involved in the iPhone than it is with G1. And, you're not really breaking your phone. You're modding it like you would anything else. Your upgrade path is just staggered from the official releases. Again, I get your concerns, but full disclosure here, you're equally safe with a jailbroken iphone + apps as you are with the Android. You'll have far more options available to you with a jailbroken phone is my point really, including the ones mentioned above and it takes about 5 minutes of looking through source lists to find 'em.

And even better? You're not locked into a provider's restrictions (iTunes store, while very slick, is still locking you in). That's my favorite part.

Sometimes, you just don't feel like fucking with it.

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Dash if you decide you want a BB touch screen, push Verizon to give you a deal. I got 2 phones for like $150 or $100 I forget which. Now granted, I had been with them a few years, but they're also desperate. If you're willing to sign a 2 year...I'd push them HARD for a free or heavily discounted phone.

Also if you break the contract it's not even that expensive, so if iPhone does what you want in a year, it may be worthwhile to pay the $150 or whatever to break contract. =)

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This is the most bizarre thread.

It IS possible.

Well, im pretty sure I won't be getting an iPhone, even with the 3.0 push stuff coming out(which looks to fit the bill nicely, btw)...
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10245178-37.html

It would also be nice to manage different profiles for types of activity for different times without having to go through 9 different menus. For instance:
During the day i want audible notifications for:
Email, chat, Calls, SMS, Voicemail, (etc)
But at night I would like to still get audible notifications for calls and voicemail, but not for email, texts, and chat... Looks like thats not possible without jailbreaking your phone...

Plus:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/02/ap ... ng-illegal


Boo, Apple...

One of the deal breakers for me when I was looking at BB vs iphone a few months back was the ability to interface with email. It seemed that with the BB you could only read email from the standard folders (e.g. inbox) but not once it was in a custom folder. You were able to move the email into it those folders, then not see it. iphone allows you to fully access everything in all folders.

This was important to me for work. I am not sure if updates have changed this, but it's something to be aware of. One of the guys I work with switched to an iphone after owning his BB for less than 8 months because of this issue.

Since you had already made up your mind, can I have the twenty minutes I spent on this thread back?

I wont be using it for work, only for gmail which doesn't have any traditional folders... But that is pretty gay and would be a deal breaker if i had to use it for work.


Sure theres a time machine out back, just remember to not come back or you might cause a circular reference in time-space...

I'm not sure what you mean, as I have my mail going into special folders (some hidden) and have no problems accessing them. Unless you mean a sorted folder similar to gmail's filters...which I don't do on my phone so it's no issue. I just use my phone for work alerts, if someone's trying to set an appt. with me or sending me stuff, so I can respond if away, or schedule accordingly.

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Use the Desktop Manager and under email settings you can choose which folders are shown on your BB, its under Folder Redirection and the default is Inbox and Sent Items only.

The Bold is the only BB that currently supports 3G but that will change.

Palm Pre? and Blackberry Curve 8330m from sprint can run Gmail, and Gtalk in background as well as its fucking fast on the network.

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
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If you're looking at an Iphone, wait till this summer. The official announcement of the new Iphone should be June 6th at the conference, you can google the specs if you're really interested.

And as of right now there is no tether capability to the iphone, trust me, I know, I fix the accounts of people that try to every day.

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"I'm the best there is at what i do, bub, and what i do isn't very pretty"

There is, so long as you're not stupid and run torrents off of it.

Let me rephrase that, if we catch you, we can terminate your contract =)

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"I'm the best there is at what i do, bub, and what i do isn't very pretty"

Does anyone else find it sad that people can't live without an IM client for 8 hours?

heh, a lot of my work is done via IM and email. we have an internal IM server that I can connect my phone to and stay in instant touch with coworkers about issues i need to take care of.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Couldn't you have that process convert the incoming IMs to e-mails? Would help if your device is disconnected or out of network and still get the info.

We could, but we consider email a security risk without pgp/gpg signatures, and since we have a "mixed smartphone environment" (ie: some have blackberries, some have iphones and some have android devices), IM is our secure communication channel.

The most we do via email is "hey, we have issue X, get on jabber so we can discuss it"

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Yeah, but i use it primarily to work out the scheduling with my kids afterschool and such, since I work a job which requires me to work after my 'normal' hours frequently, it helps having a form of instant communication, and i fucking hate hate hate typing shit into the standard cell phone messages...

I decided on a Bold, and got it through Amazon, due to the features, cost, and the fact my employee discount through AT&T is pretty good(and ill keep my same phone number, i hope).

This post has been made from a Palm Pre. It is awesome. That is all.

How hard was it to get one?

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

Not hard. I showed up at the sprint store right before they opened. There was a small line but they had enough for everyone. Said they got 80 phones in stock.

The only bad thing about the Pre is that it's only available on Sprint -- aka the worst network ever.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Sprint is HORRIBLE, and their customer service is worse. I wouldn't even recommend that service to someone I don't like.

Well I haven't had any problems with it in the past two days, so I guess I'll just bunker down and weather the storm through the long haul.

Only a couple of complaints on the phone so far. The keyboard is kind of cramped, but I'm getting used to it. I had an LG eNV2 before which had a landscape keyboard, so it was a bit more roomy.

The feature to import your Facebook and Google contacts and merge them with your phone contacts is nice, but it left me with too many duplicates to clean up. Also, when I configured my AIM account it added every single buddy as a phone contact, so now I have a ton of old orphaned names to clean out, most of which I don't even remember what person they go with.

Another gripe: battery life. With heavy use so far just from trying it out, I got 5 hours out of a full charge as my shortest time. I haven't used it so much today so it looks like I might be able to get to the end of the day without being forced to charge it, but just barely. Supposedly this is being fixed somewhat, by cleaning up some battery-draining bugs.

Just minor complaints though. I'm in love with the UI so far. The learning curve was small and now I'm flicking cards here and there. I can't wait for the App Catalog to get fleshed out.

New iPhone announced today...

1) 2-3x faster.
2) Bigger camera, video capabilities.
3) Longer battery life.

And current model for $99 starting right now. Damn.

About to release 3rd major rev to software.. 50k apps available vs. 18 for palm pre, 2/3 market share for mobile browsing. $99 device. Who can compete with that?

No one. A little bit more info though for those that have it / are getting it, and whatever.

MMS capability for Iphone comes out june 17th, however, we (at&t) will not support this till the end of summer.

Tethering (officially) we will not support this at launch.

I was watching a live blog of the keynote address and this was a huge disappointment for alot of people.

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"I'm the best there is at what i do, bub, and what i do isn't very pretty"

Your wording is promising though.

What is tethering (in non-EQ terms)?

Tethering is using your mobile phone as a wireless modem for your laptop via a usb (or other appropriate) cable.

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Hope is the new black.

Ah, thanks.

The problem with it is, Apple literally have us 3 weeks to prep for this, we knew last night this shit was coming. We have to build system packages through the billing system which is archaic and it takes time. 3 weeks isn't enough. It's coming though.

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"I'm the best there is at what i do, bub, and what i do isn't very pretty"

meh. AT&T should have planned a year ago for the eventuality of tethering with the iphone. I would have figured they'd see dollar signs in their eyes when people want to tether with the iphone.

And the lack of MMS support from the iphone 1.0's release was fucking sick, there's no reason any phone made in the 21st century shouldn't support picture messaging out of the box.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Yeah, considering people were already tethering -- and ATT's pushing their USB data adapters, from a (long time) customer's perspective, there's no good reason why they're not ready. Not to bust your chops or anything.