Tuesday, March 24, 2009

So, what phone should I get?

My dear wife, who is the financial brains of this enterprise, has determined that we need to move to AT&T. That part isn't up for discussion.

What is up to discussion is the titular question.

If I were (A) an important person who (B) had friends who called me frequently and (C) important dates because I was (D) in-demand, something like a BlackBerry would be readily justified. But none of those things is true to that degree.

I don't play phone-games; I don't ever want to use idle time that way. I'd rather put it to some sort of practical use. For instance, I'd love a phone that made it easy to do memos. I often am struck with an idea while I'm driving or walking. There's no convenient way to write a note. So I forget. If a phone had an easy way to record a memo, that'd be useful.

I rarely text, but sometimes do. Frank Turk (who is far too busy and important to frequent this blog or elevate its metas) has mad cell phone skills. He is able to text like a teenager (that's a compliment — to him, not to teenagers). But wait! There's more!

Once, when he and Phil and I were together, Frank used his phone to get the address and service times of a church we wanted to invade. It was amazing. (He was talking to someone named "Chloe." What was that about?)

That would be fun to do, but I don't know that I need to do it, as my life now is. But I did recently see this video (forget where) on using OliveTree Bible software on... I think it was an I-phone thingie. It was pretty impressive. (Hm... wonder if they need reviewers?)

So that would be cool, too.

All that to say this: what are your recommendations, opinions, news-flashes, tips, and otherwise-helpful-thoughts?

64 comments:

CR said...

If I were you, I would get the iPhone. I know, I know, you probably think that is so ridiculous, you probably want to delete my comment showing it was deleted from blog adminstrator for even suggesting something so absurd. :=)

I personally don't have an iPhone yet because when they first came out they were at the ridiculous prices of $700. (My next phone will be that one). But my understanding is they've come down a lot. The iPhone will have all the bells and whistles you suggest and even more. I personally would like the feature of having the phone and iPod in one where you can listen to all the podcasts you want. It's worth the investment I think and you can get it at Best Buy probably on sale with their 90 day or 6 months good as cash.

Anyway, it couldn't help just to check it out. You'll probably want to go to an Apple store or some store where they specialize in Apple products and go somewhere else to buy it cheaper.

DJP said...

Right. I go into an Apple store, some paparazzi gets a picture of me going in the door, the photo gets out, and I'm ruined.

NEXT!

(c;

(Actually, iPhone is a possibility, but it has to have a good rationale to convince either V or me.)

Anonymous said...

We're with Sprint. I'm not trying to change your mind, just an FYI.

My son and wife and HTC phones, different models and they both love them. They're both using eSword. They're both have slide out keyboards which make texting and such easy. I don't recall if they have a recorder. Their phones also have GPS which is a nice feature that I would recommend.

I have a Blackberry Curve 8330 which I love. I need it mostly for email, internet, calendar/tasks, etc... It works great.

Happy shopping!

OliveTree has the ESV Study Bible which is compatible with the following phones per their website:

iPhone, iPod Touch

Palm OS (including LifeDrive, Treo 650, Treo 680, Treo 700p, Tungsten E2, and TX)

Windows Mobile Pocket PC (including Dell Axim, HP iPAQ, Palm Treo 700wx and Treo 750)
BlackBerry (including 8703e, Curve and BlackBerry Pearl)

Chris H said...

Were the data plans not prohibitive here in Canada, the iPhone would be my next phone. CR made excellent points about it also being an iPod (so many podcasts!), and there is a lot of excellent software out there (Bibley stuff, too).

The iPhone does a great job of memos, and the 3G network is reliable for email and whatnot. My best friend owns one and wouldn't trade anything for it, even getting rid of his Blackberry in favour of it.

Anyway, I say go with iPhone. Just wear a trenchcoat and clever disguise when you go buy one...

Angie said...

iPhone is very easy for taking notes, and there is even a voice recorder available for it. With all of the applications available, it is the most flexible phone option out there. There is an OS upgrade coming out this summer that will remove some of the more negative aspects (no multimedia messaging on the current OS), which is simply a software install free of charge to you, the newly loyal Apple customer. The new OS will also allow you to use the cell phone as a modem for your laptop, so you will have internet on your laptop anywhere you have cell phone service.

VcdeChagn said...


My son and wife and HTC phones, different models and they both love them. They're both using eSword. They're both have slide out keyboards which make texting and such easy. I don't recall if they have a recorder. Their phones also have GPS which is a nice feature that I would recommend.


This is what I was going to say, so I'll let him say it and tell you that I agree. Most of these phones (and the Palm treo 800 that I have) have buttons that can be configured for a one touch memo recording.

I stew over phones every two years, preparing a horrendously long spreadsheet comparing carriers, options, prices, etc. I then settle on a phone and am happy for the next 22 months...

I will warn you. In order to take advantage of the GPS etc. you will have to ensure that you have a data plan. Also, I know that Verizon locks their GPS's and Sprint does not. I do NOT know what ATT does.

E-sword is a great solution for free on a Windows Mobile phone (and windows mobile pro only..a touchscreen is necessary). Might have to get olivetree with the ESV study Bible (thanks Stan).

By the way, texting is VERY handy. Ever have a situation where you need to tell someone something but don't have time to talk on the phone (or maybe you know THEY don't have time to talk). That's when texting is handy. Send a simple "On my way home from prayer meeting" message to your wife becuase she is putting the kiddies down to bed, for example. Or "I forgot, we need cinnamon" to someone who is at the grocery store.

Good luck!

Jeremy said...

iPhone has everything you asked for. I have Olive Tree on mine, it's pretty solid. I'm not a big fan of the search feature, but the version selection is great (I have ESV, ESV Study Bible, KJV and Greek. Also, you can set up a link with sermonaudio.com and stream any of their sermons anywhere you have a connection. Pandora also works for music. With the free OS update in June note taking will become much easier because they will begin to allow using a wide keyboard instead of only the narrow one. The ability to download podcasts on the go is great too. The app store is always growing and has some very useful apps available (as well as some absolutely useless but entertaining ones). The ability to watch the NCAA tournament on mine was a definite plus too.

Michael said...

Eh, iPhone is awesome - if you want a real swiss army knife phone then I'd go with that. The only major problem is the cost of the data plan (which is non-negotiable).

I like my pay-as-you-go phones and having a land-line personally. But I also enjoy my tin-foil hat.

If someone could actually find a phone that works as a phone I'd be more impressed.

Other options include iPod Touch + WiFi and get a normal phone.

Denis said...

I'm using the iPhone now and it definitely has its advantages. I'm not using the iPod-like capabilities, but its productivity & communication tools are all pretty good (email, calendar, web, etc). Notes is one thing I wish it did better (I'm an Exchange user & it doesn't sync notes, just calendar, email & contacts) and task lists are missing altogether(!).

However, the software update scheduled for this year should at least add voice memo, if I remember correctly. And there are existing 3rd party apps (even free ones) that will add this capability; I'm using reQall for notes & tasks and it also stores your notes on the cloud for synchronization (which is currently down!), for example.

For Bible reading, I've got a free reader installed, Bible App by YouVersion which offers online access to all the versions you'd expect and offline access to the copyright free ones. It has a nice enough interface and functionality, but I really don't use the phone too much for this sort of thing.

Also, I never bothered learning how to text on my old phone, but with the iPhone I have started since it is so easy (like typing an email). That's the nice thing about the phone, it has a very small learning curve - especially for techies. It even makes phone calls :)

I will echo the earlier comments of going to the stores and trying out the hardware. My brother in law got the Blackberry Storm since it was the coolest new smartphone on his network and now finds it very frustrating to use. Testing out the usability of the possible devices should help narrow things down for you.

Neil said...

I have a blackberry bold. It does the olive tree stuff as well. I'm reading wycliffe's translation, last night I redde the hundred and fourtythe salm. Live gps mapping, gazillions of email & messaging options, including the ability to message any other blackberry without incurring any charges through your carrier. Youtubing, blogging, CNN'ing, facebooking. etc. Full web-browsing, links to your WiFI, etc. Memos, MSWord abilities, powerpoint, PDF's, etc. Voice recording, voice dialing, etc. Full media player, very good sound, etc. Doesn't have a DOSbox implementation yet, but I heard that it's coming.

Plus it is endorsed by your President.

Plus it would demonstrate your love and respect for Canada.

It's not as cute as an iphone though. If you value style over substance, you will pick the iphone.

Denis said...

Although, as a Canadian, maybe I should be saying buy a Blackberry!

Kim said...

Don't get a cell phone. Machines are taking over the world.

DJP said...

Oh, and I should have mentioned: I have sausage-like fingers.

Neil said...

Plus, pressing the space bar in video mode turns it into amazing flashlight when you're looking for a leak under the kitchen sink.

And sure, Kim says that now, but ask her again after she texts me to get milk.

Solameanie said...

I want an I phone, but have the Voyager Titanium. It's prolly as close to the I-phone as I'll be able to get on my budget. And even that I only got as part of an office package.

Steve Lamm said...

Dan,

Since you want to use Olive Tree software (which is indicative of your wisdom), you've made half of the decision already - you need some kind of a "smart phone" or "PDA" like a Blackberry or Motorola Q, or the iPhone. These units will do evereything you mentioned above and then some. I actually use mine (Moto Q9) for phone, scheduling, a small Bible, Mp3 player, etc., etc. It also syncs with MS Outlook which is nice. It also takes a small memory chip and I can hold up to 8gigs of files (sermons go with me now wherever I am)!

If you sign up with ATT, they may have some special on one of these units you can take advantage of which will save you some money.

Frankly, though the iPhone is great, but it's expensive for me. There are other touch screen units for less. If you use a Mac, get the iPhone. If you're a PC guy, look carefully at the others.

One thing - make sure you can actually use the keyboard and that the screen is adequate in size. This may push you to the iPhone or another touchscreen or perhaps to one of the units with a sliding keyboard.

Blessings,
Steve Lamm

Denis said...

One other thought ... a unique aspect of the iPhone is how Apple rolls out software/OS upgrades free of charge to all devices through iTunes.

Even people I know who are, lets say hesitant, about the platform seem to agree this is a great advantage over other platforms.

Fred Butler said...

Just don't get a blue tooth. Please. Have some dignity.You don't want to look like you are about to open in concert for Garth Brooks or like a borg.

trogdor said...

I can't stand those Bluetooth headsets. It makes it harder to tell who's on the phone from who's just crazy. In downtown Chicago, that's a really valuable piece of information.

As for phones, I have a blackberry of some type. It's great, and I'm sure I don't use it nearly to its capabilities. Even with my incredibly fat fingers (my wife can fit two fingers inside my wedding ring), I have no problem typing on it, even occasionally while wearing gloves. I don't use the voice memos so much, I tend to just open the notepad and jot things down as they come to mind. The internet access is really good, although a few sites have issues occasionally. My last one had the GPS, which was a nice feature.

I have no idea on how much things cost, though, since it's all work-supplied.

Oh, and don't get a Motorola Q. We had them for about three months, and over 60% of the guys had to get service done on them. We switched to Blackberries and haven't had any problems other than an occasional cracked screen (construction work, it tends to happen). The old Q's were taken to the paintball field for target practice at our last company meeting. Given the way Motorola's headed, I wouldn't bet too much on them having spent the money to significantly improve quality.

PFK57 said...

I spent over two months deciding what to get at upgrade time. It so happened that my trusty PDA was slowly dying. I went back and forth between Iphone and AT&T Fuze (an HTC Smartphone). I finally settled on the Fuze.
If I had been a new customer, I saw one place online, that was offering a free Fuze for a two year commitment, (don't know how legit this is, but I saw it anyway).
Currently, I have over 50 Online Bible modules installed, Olive Tree reader with quite a few modules, also a bare bones Bible program called Ber-Bible. I installed free google maps, so with the dataplan, I have the ability to use the phone as a GPS unit and don't have to use the AT&T Navigator which costs extra on top of the plan. I installed MS Reader for books,(over 250 on my storage card), I could add a card with up to 32GB and store music, sermons, more books etc.

Pros: Phone/PDA with slide out keyboard, up to 32 GB micro SD card may be added, pretty easy to use phone, message interface (Touchflo 3D).

Cons: Smaller screen than Iphone, learning curve for Windows Mobile operating system ( since I had the IPAQ for so long, I already know it to a certain degree), need dataplan for Internet access (so does the Iphone).

DJP said...

Thanks, everyone. Keep it up, I'm appreciating.

Big consensus for the iPhone - then along comes PFK57 making a strong case for the Fuze!

Kay said...

Wow. I read the comment thread and see that Dan has done a 180 on tongue-talking.

*whoosh*

That was the sound of it flying over my head.

I have a mobile. There's a green button on it which I press when it makes a dinging noise. Don't know if that's any help...

Anonymous said...

First: There is no one perfect phone/pda.

Second: I have an iPhone and really like it although it does have its shortcomings. The advantage it has is in overcoming these shortcomings: it has an incredible universe of talented programmers writing excellent software that is incredibly easy to install and keep up-to-date. Much of it is free, and much is really cheap.

It can be expensive, but if you don't talk on the phone all over, and get your wife's account hooked up to a family plan, it becomes more economical.

I didn't text too much either, but it is really easy to do on the iPhone and I have started using it more and more.

re: Bible software
I don't know anything about Olive Tree, but there are lots (dozens?) of free bible readers. I use YouVersion the most. I also have Touch Bible but don't use it as much. Both are free.

re: Taking notes
I use a voice recording software called "iTalk"--free. Takes notes just by talking. Nice.

re: Internet
Web access is awesome--much better than anything out there.

re: Google Search
Google has a search application that you can type into, or just speak and it will type for you.

re: Searching for Businesses or People
YellowPages.com has an app that really is useful. I use it finding church or stores whenever I am in an unknown area.

re: Weight Control/Loss
I use an application called Lose It! to help track calories--intake and expended through exercise.

re: Gasoline
I use an app called Cheap Gas! to find stations with the least expensive gasoline around me, no matter where I am.

re: Finding People
I use an app called People to find names & addresses of people I want to get in touch with but have lost their number/address or left it at home.

re: Telephone
I use VoiceBoxDial -- If I speak the name of someone in my address book (on the iPhone), it will dial their telephone number automatically.

re: Blogging
I maintain my blog on WordPress and they have an app that I can write a post to automatically. There are other apps out there for other types of blog servers (blogger) as well.

There are lots of other reasons to use it, I think. Apple's updating is excellent and easy, and they are constantly adding quality new features to it.

Aaron said...

Dan:

AT&T is a great choice! Not as reliable as verizon, but the rollover minutes are great.

You really have to decide whether you are going to jump into the fray of data plans. If not, just get a phone with a nice keyboard and text capabilities. If you decide to go with a data plan, I'd reocmmend the following phones for your perusal.

Iphone. It's hard to beat the look and slim design. But it's made by Apple and you have to deal with the dang itunes.

These use windows mobile. You can actually use limited versions of Word and Excel and there are windows mobile programs out there. But then, its windows mobile and has its own drawbacks. (I use windows mobile). Samsung Epix, HTC Fuze, Pantech Matrix; MotoQ

Blackberry (any model) All around good for e-mail, text, and limited data. Extremely reliable text even in emergencies (law enforcement heavily favors these for that reason).

Go to an AT&T store and a Best Buy to peruse the phones for yourself. Feel them in your hands, play with the buttons, and see how they work for you. Don't buy any phone until you've seen it in person. And lastly, don't buy anything because somebody else likes it. You're the one who has to use it.

Fred Butler said...

I would add. If you go with an Iphone, don't download anything Steve Jobs hates or he will send out an update to brick it and you have to call Apple and grovel at the feet of one of their techs to get your phone reactivated.

DJP said...

This comparison makes the BB look superior to the iPhone.

Neil said...

Get a BB.

Posted from my Blackberry wireless device

threegirldad said...

some paparazzi gets a picture of me going in the door

And you have paparazzi following you, because, of course, you look just like John Malkovich.

[ducking, running, and grinning]

Oh -- and people can call me crazy if they want, but I'll take my AT&T 8320 (Curve) over an iPhone, thanks. I think the voice memo feature fills the bill perfectly for what you said you were most interested in.

Carl said...

I suggest old school...two tin cans tied together with string. :-)

The Squirrel said...

It's not my fault!!

The Squirrel

Chris Brauns said...

Get a Blackberry and be done with it. My small motor skills make your sausage like fingers look like those of a brain surgeon. But, I can handle the Blackberry.

Gilbert said...

Quick question...

Do you have one now, and *does it work*, reception-wise?

Where you are, AND where you travel?

The I-Phone or Verizon equivalent may be what you need, but if you get "zero bars" or have a slow Internet feed, what good is that?

AT&T here in northern Illinois isn't that good. They have "3G" Internet, ala 1-2 mb/sec speeds, BUT...you step off the Metra train service from the suburbs into the downtown fresh air...and you get 5 bars on the I-Phone...

...but no 3G! It's amazing. Several towers in Chicago still don't have it yet. I'm hoping that one was just down, as all we could get was their "EDGE(tm)" network, anywhere from 75 kb/sec to 200 kb/sec "speeds".

Verizon has MUCH better high speed Internet coverage, even in your state, except in the southern Plains of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Look:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController

http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/

http://coverage.sprintpcs.com/IMPACT.jsp?PCode=vanity:coverage

Sprint/Nextel...are you kidding me?

So, if you stay mostly in California, AT&T is fine, so is Verizon. I'd get the I-Phone too, having seen it with friends and watched it's features. Heck, it has a great doppler radar display program I like. :-) And, you can use the IPhone Facebook app to give us hourly updates on what you're doing. ;-) It can even do SSH for tunneling into any servers you may wish to monitor remotely.

My $.02. I can't get the IPhone here, too slow data speeds. I've been told outside of Rockford and Chicago, it'll be another 2 years and then some before we get 3G. Verizon has had it for a year now here.

DJP said...

Oh Gil, you're killing me. You skipped the first paragraph.

We have Verizon, and it does seem to have better coverage, and we like it, per se. But it's been determined that we have to switch to ATT.

/c:

Susan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Susan said...

Sorry, I deleted my comment above. Suffice it to say this:

C'mon, Dan, be hip and get that iPhone! Don't you want to be a rock star??

Morris Brooks said...

Dan,

I am with AT&T and just switched to the Iphone. It will do all the things you have mentioned, plus it is intuitive and easy to use, especially for those of us who aren't into all of that phone techie stuff. It also is extremely easy to text on and keeps the text conversation with each person handy.

Dave said...

First off, my sympathy n the AT&T requirement, it is really bad here in Wisconsin.

It seems to me that just about all vendors require a data plan for a smartphone, if you want PDA functionality, you'll need the data plan.

I just got a Motorola Q9c and like it a lot. I used to have an HTC Mogul, but the battery started dying after about 9 months. Several others I know who had the Mogul had similar issues. My only trouble was going from a touchscreen to a non-touchscreen phone.

As for Bible software, I've used Laridian for years and love it. They have a huge selection of Bibles and other reference material. www.laridian.com
Great for making lunch go fast :-)

I would also echo the advise to go to the store and play with any phones you are thinking about using. The Q9c has a keyboard and my fingers are like yours, but I can use it pretty well. But try before you buy.

Enjoy your new toy!

Matt Gumm said...

Ok, I'm going to be the contrarian on the iPhone thing. It does a lot of stuff, but if you are really Daniel SausageFingers, you might end up hating it.

I have an old (circa 2000) Nokia phone, because unlike Frank, I have no need of it for work-related items. It sounds like you usually use your phone mainly for the same stuff I do - phone calls.

So, you may want to do what we've done: stick with the free-after-rebate phones, and get an iTouch, which has most of the same functionality, but works anywhere you can get wireless access. In fact, you're friend Frank was the one who tipped the scales on that decision for us, so you might want to check in with him before you decide. It is an amazing device, no doubt; I'm just not sure I'd want it for my phone.

I went down to the local AT&T store and handled all the phones. Hated the Blackberry. Hated the Palms even more (they were cheap - almost like kid toys - and I like Palms). Out of all the stuff they had, the Samsung smartphone was the one I liked the most (as far as feel).

The bad news is: no matter what phone you or I get, we'll never be able to text like Frank.

P.S. I read this just today about Apple. Don't know how (or if) that will affect you, since it sounds like you are going to be getting new phones sooner rather than later.

Neil said...

In fact, you're friend...

Matt, your in so much trouble.

DJP said...

Dude, he's trying to help me, and he's from Arkansas. I was going to let it go.

Matt Gumm said...

iPhone is the new CrackBerry, Buggy. Nothing I can do about that.

In fact, I doubt anything I say would make a difference anyway (can anything good come out of Arkansas?), except maybe that Frank's cool phone is also a Nokia, the E71. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it's going to be available on AT&T anytime soon.

Doug Hibbard said...

Okay, let's be nice about Arkansas...we ain't as bad as y'all think.

I will warn you Dan, that AT&T has a nasty habit of extending contracts without telling you. Then, when you go to upgrade your phone, you discover that you're locked in for a year longer than you want to be. To fix this, they offer to 'override' the problem at the ATT Store. Problem being that the phone I want (either Blackberry or Palm Centro) is free on the website.

And $100 in the store.

So, while it's been a nice 7 years with ATT, we're probably moving on. If we can convince them that our contract is really over.

DJP said...

So, it's sort of an eternal security thing... but the security is theirs!

DJP said...

Putting this in partly for myself.

Stefan Ewing said...

I miss rotary phones.

VcdeChagn said...

One more thing to remember. Steve Jobs gets to tell you what you put on an iphone unless you want to jailbreak it.

Bill Gates lets you put on what you want.

As an IT person, the former appeals to me far more than the latter.

DJP said...

Oh; I would have thought you'd say that you like being able to choose, yourself, what to put on your phone.

VcdeChagn said...

Yeah...the latter appeals to me far more than the former.

Trying to do two things at once...fail.

Anonymous said...

If the decision were mine to make I would go with an iPhone 3G. They cost either $199 or $299 depending on the amount of memory you want. I have the 8GB version and it cost $199. It is simply the best purchase I have ever made. Here's why:

1) It is an all digital, touch screen interface that will NEVER be out of date as long as Apple is in business. Plug it into a Mac or PC with iTunes installed and it will update your software to the latest release.

2) iPhone OS 3.0 is due out this summer and one of the cool new apps is voice note. Yes, the phone will record your thoughts as a voice message to yourself.

3) You can reply to emails, or update your blog, from anywhere.

4) You can listen to voicemail in ANY order and even delete them without listening. The screen tells you who the voicemail is from BEFORE you listen.

5) You can take sermon notes on the go. I use mine to listen to podcasts during the lunch hour and sometimes want to jot down a note about a sermon but I'm not carrying a pen and paper. So I type it into a note and hit email and send it to my home computer.

6) There are tons of free downloadable apps available to help you do almost anything. I have one that tracks my gas mileage if I enter the data at every fill up and it will remind me when to get the oil changed.

7) Calendars...the iPhone automatically syncs your calendars and appointments. I use two calendars, iCal and Entourage on my Mac and whenever I plug in the iPhone all my meetings, appointments, Bible Studies, contacts, etc..., are automatically updated.

The one drawback: you have to be on AT&T and you have to subscribe to the data plan at $30 a month above and beyond the cost of your regular phone plan. No choice there.

It doesn't matter where you buy the phone it will be $199 or $299. There are no discounts on the iPhone. That price is only valid with a 2 year contract.

If you use it, it is worth the investment. I have one and I use it every day.

DJP said...

$200 and then $30 a month? Ow, you guys are killing me.

Honestly, I just don't think I'm important enough to warrant that money.

My work (thank God!!) seldom needs me after hours, and I wouldn't want it to. Not enough people outside my family call me or make dates with me. I seldom need email away from home, can usually get to a pc or get my laptop to a internet cafe or motel room soon enough (I'm not essential to anyone).

I'm not pastoring a church yet.

I wish all those things were true (except my current work needing me; wish I were pastoring). But all I do is go to work, go home, and talk to you good folks from one place or another.

/c:

Kay said...

Stefan, I'm holding out for the retro rotary-dial mobiles that are sure to exist one day.

DJP said...

Hey! BritGirl! What are you doing here? Go post more! Write about your Tripp encounter! The world needs more Libbie!

THEN come back here.

(c:

threegirldad said...

Dan,

Rather than shelling out the upfront cost for an iPhone or a BB, you could always go with one of the "free" phones, and use something like this for voice memos.

Stefan Ewing said...

Libbie:

Yeah, that's the first thing that came to mind, but I forgot it when I posted my comment.

But then there'll be a slew of medical studies saying that these newfangled rotary mobiles are causing sprained index fingers. And so much 4 txt msgng.

The Squirrel said...

Ok, late to the game, but it's a funny story, so here goes...

When my daughter was 14 or so, my dad had an old rotary-dial phone next to "his" chair. My daughter needed to use the phone, but didn't know how!

Dad showed her how to dial the thing. Her reaction?

"Oh, that's soooo cool!"

The Squirrel

Matt Gumm said...

$200 and then $30 a month? Ow, you guys are killing me.

Um, yeah. Hence why Frank recommended the iTouch over the iPhone (and my recommendation above). It basically runs a stripped-down version of Apple's OS X. It really is more of a computer than a phone. But do you need more than a phone, that's the question.

Speaking of rotary phones, I'm surprised we didn't see something like that introduced with the Get Smart movie last year. Mobile shoe phone.

P.S. Verification word sorsosi. Isn't he like the President of France?

Gilbert said...

Dan,

I didn't miss the first paragraph.

"We're switching to AT&T, and that's that".

Until you're stuck with garbage, like I was.

You haven't purchased it yet. You've been warned. Maybe you'll be happy and it'll be cheaper.

On the other hand..."you're killing me"...because you see red lights? You do? Good. :-)

Make sure it works. Just sayin'.

Gilbert said...

OK, OK, OK...having been thoroughly yelled at by Dan (over on Franks blog, it would have been the equivalent of "clowning"), I'll play along and say this.

For note taking...get the IPhone. To make a phone call, get the IPhone. To do everything you want it to do and future-proof yourself for a while, get the IPhone. As long as you get decent reception, get the IPhone. If it's inarguable with your wife that it must be AT&T, get the IPhone. You WILL like it, enjoy it, and, I suspect, use more features than you do with your current phone. Some storm chasers use it now without laptops to get data, and it's worked well. What does that say? In the southern U.S., AT&T has very good coverage, including Oklahoma and Kansas, the heart of "tornado alley". So in life-or-death situations if bad decisions are made, the IPhone is trusted with it's software onboard and the reliability of the network under, shall we say, the most extreme conditions.

You know, being as subtle as I can here...I think you'd better get an IPhone.

And then text Frank at 2 AM and said "Gilbert made me do it". ;-)

DJP said...

For anyone still following this:

I probably should make this its own post, but don't want to bump HT or tomorrow's (planned) surprise.

I went into Best Buy and then an ATT store yesterday to test-drive. Umph.

Fuze - I wanted to like this. PFK57 makes an excellent case. But the keyboard is just ballast, because it's 'WAY too small for my fingers. The touch-screen isn't that sensitive nor intuitive. It's a maybe, but it didn't wow me. Data-pack is $30/mo, period. Ouch.

Samsung's Eternity - this was impressive. Fairly sensitive touch-screen. Vibrates when you make your selection. Onscreen keypad okay, not the best for my fingers. Nice-enough features. Both it and the fuze will respond to a pen, or other stylus. BIG PLUS - you can get less-expensive datapacks. I think $15 gets you unlimited monthly internet access, verses $30 for Fuze, and for...

iPhone - I didn't want to like this, because it is just TOO DARNED EXPENSIVE. But wow, WOW, it really impressed me. Much more sensitive screen; much better onscreen keyboard, AMAZING graphics (like a sci-fi movie). Salesman clearly pushing it, says it has a bazillion programs (more than the other two) and you don't have to buy a bunch of extra equipment and upgrades.

So I'm still torn. Will re-read all your comments when I can, and think more.

DJP said...

The Eternity gets a great review here, and BB users love it. However - no voice dialing? Yikes! Isn't that kinda like a microwave not being able to pop popcorn?

Aaron said...

Dan:

I had the same reaction when I shopped phones, except at the time the LG Incite had recently hit the stores. I so wanted to like the Incite, but it was horrible. Then I so wanted to hate the Iphone because I Steve Jobs reminds me of the Socialist party (i.e. he wants to tell me what I can do when I can do it on the property I bought with my own money). But the IPhone is like the Ferrari of phones.

I really don't care for the suggestion of getting a phone then having another device for the internet. Of course, I already have to carry two cell phones so carrying a third device everywhere doesn't appeal to me. Plus I also have a GPS device issued to me and a personal Mp3 player. Inevitably, you don't have one of those devices when you need it (but you always have your phone). If you have a data plan you'll probably come to enjoy it, although an additional $30 a month is a huge pill to swallow (especially when I only pay $60 for my AT&T family plan w/rollover now).

I think you should still at least test drive the MotoQ and one of the newest Blackberrys to see how you feel about those.

BTW, aren't you glad you went to the stores and held them in your hands first?

JeremyT said...

Hahaha! Oh man, reading through this was hilarious! Did you ever finally make the life changing decision as to which phone to buy?

DJP said...

No sir; that part of my life is still up in the air.

I spent a fair bit at an AT&T store last night, pelting a salesman with questions, re-looking at the phones. Boy, they do love that iPhone.

Doug Hibbard said...

In fairness, after a week of fighting, AT&T relented, and so I am sticking with them over going to Alltel/soon-to-be Verizon.

And Ann and I have nice new Blackberry 8110 phones to show for it, which we're liking. And, yes, we would have preferred iPhones, but the Blackberry is available free. iPhone is only free if you can sticky-finger somebody else's. Which, I think, would be disapproved by the Lord.

(unless you've been led to do it. oops...wrong meta for that crack.)