Cell phone opinions

So I'm looking around for a new phone. I've pretty much decided that I'm going to get a T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide. They seem to have the cheapest unlimited plan around here, and the phone hits all the high points I've set for myself. The second closest was on sprint, but their mobile hotspot is an additional 29.99 for some reason. Anyway, the things I want: Android 2.3 4g Full qwerty keyboard (sliders preferred) Decent camera (6+ MP) Front facing camera (can be lower rez) Suggestions?

I had an EVO on sprint before seeing the light and moving to iPhone :-) I know that on Sprint the "authorized" mobile hotspot is $30 a month but if you root the phone you can just use one of the many tethering apps out there. You risk them finding out but if you are light user then it probably would be ok. -J.J. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 6:13 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Well there is a wired tethering app out there called PDENet I think that you don't even have to root your phone for.  I don't want to have it wired though.  Also I don't want to root the phone, as that would likely invalidate the the insurance and warranty wouldn't it? I have lots of friends that are batty for the iPhone, but I refuse to use Apple products. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 7:26 AM, J.J. Merrick <jj@panos.cc> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

PDANet...I have used that before when I was waiting for my cable to get hooked up.  It works pretty good.  You can still get "caught" for using your phone as a hotspot if you don't have the option paid for.  I was with Verizon at the time and I had to pay extra for the tethering to do it legally. Well there is a wired tethering app out there called PDENet I think that you don't even have to root your phone for.  I don't want to have it wired though.  Also I don't want to root the phone, as that would likely invalidate the the insurance and warranty wouldn't it? I have lots of friends that are batty for the iPhone, but I refuse to use Apple products. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 7:26 AM, J.J. Merrick <jj@panos.cc> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

ARGH I hated T-Mobile. The bill was always wrong, like $150 too high and they never admitted it. You have been warned ;) On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 4:13 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

huh.  The plan I have should be 102 a month all told.  Which is $30 cheaper than sprint and even cheaper then Verizon.  I looked at all the reviews for around here and they were well rated. I don't know.  I was on AT&T for so long it was ridiculous, but they are the most expensive at 170 or something. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 7:31 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

suuuure. I forget how much mine was but it was unlimited everything for three phones. And the bill was always about $150 too high. They used to claim the kids were doing something (what though? We had unlimited web, unlimited texting, unlimited voice... they would have had to spend ALL their time downloading ring tones.) Anyway, T-Mobile told me that they could not tell me what mywere supposedly doing to incur the extra charges. Privacy or something. Even though I was their parent, and even though I was paying the bill.  I went through this with them about nine times. It got to the point where I could not call them -- it ALWAYS ended with me throwing the phone against the wall. I finally bailed on the contract, because it was just armed robbery. If you want me to pay you money, you gotta explain why to me, sorry. And ask me about the hold time. You'll have time to found civilizations and conquer barbarian nations while you're on hold for them. Last time I was in New Mexico I called T-Mobile tech support for a friend because she just could not deal with them and was also getting kinda homicidal on the subject of T-Mobile. Since the call center's in Albuquerque, one of them anyway, I considered this a problem. I was on hold three hours, dude before I even talked to anyone. She hadn't been able to get on the web for more than a year, and they told her to take a computer literacy class. OK, she did need one, but I'm here to tell you that she was not the reason she wasn't getting on the web. I finally got her internet working by taking the battery out and putting it back in. I have no idea how long that lasted though -- for all I know it hung again a week later. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 4:38 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Wow, that's terrible. Well this would at least be a line just for me.  I will admit that their site has been rather problematic, so we'll see. Well it looks like they want $100.00 deposit to start (I have crap credit) so this is going to have to wait until next month anyway. So that will give me more time to research everything. So who do you have for a carrier now? On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:00 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

I use Boost. I am not really happy with their phone support either, which is also in India, but the store is convenient so the time my phone fell off the web I took it over there and made *them* call in. It did get fixed, though, I will say, nobody told me to take a computer literacy class, and the bill is always the agreed-upon flat rate. I had tried taking the battery out, but no joy. Pretty sure I did it myself though, trying to do something with the developer site after I went to Blackberry World. The only downside is that a lot of times they don't always have the newest and shiniest phones. Like six months old. Shrug. Oh and since you aren't signing up for whatever T-Mobile feels like holding your credit hostage for you do have to buy the phone, but hey if you're already doing a hundred for a deposit why not give that a pass and put two hundred into a nice Android? I wish I had an Android, lol... On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 5:12 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

The phone itself is 250 with a 2 year contract, plus another hundred for the deposit, so it was like 375 after taxes with next day shipping, just too much for today. I'll go check out boost. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:23 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

They don't have any phones that meet up with my needs. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:26 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

ok. May want to look at MetroPCS, which is a similar company. What I hear about them is fairly positive fwiw. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 5:29 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Not covered here. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:31 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

em. Mixed things to say about Virgin Mobile, I had crappy reception but a cheap phone that may well have been the problem. Like, a $19.99 phone ;) I was liking the idea of Verizon at one point, but that was mostly based on coverage that doesn't apply to you. I dunno, maybe you'll wind up talking to a different call center, lol? Who is it that lives near you...ask Paul who he uses :) sorry I don't have better suggestions. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 5:34 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Ice Droid 4.0 phones are starting to come out. I'm waiting it out for my next upgrade. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:34 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: > > Not covered here.

I am reasonably happy. Signal quality is good.  One thing though, not sure where you are on the east coast exactly, but you may want to double-check the coverage map. In the Bay Area there's communication infrastructure out the wazzoo but I seem to recall holes in coverage in the less populated parts of New Mexico and Arizona. Almost all phone companies have those though. Worth checking before you spend money though. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 5:26 AM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

I'm actually in Ohio these days, not near any coast unfortunately. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:30 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Ohio has a similar company to MetroPCS...I forget the name of it offhand.  I remember seeing those consolidated stores that have all the carriers in one shop in Cinci.  Cricket isn'ttoo bad.  My wife had a Cricket phone and it got descent service.  There were some places in Cental IL where she didn't get a signal, so depending on location....  They have a very reasonable Android plan.  Downside is that you have to buy the phone.  Supposedly, you can take any of the Verizon phones and get them reprogrammed to work with Cricket. They are CDMA like Verizon, so  I think the reason Cricket get better reception is that they do use Verzion cell tower and as many bad thngs as can be said about Verizon, they do have the best service on the market. I'm actually in Ohio these days, not near any coast unfortunately. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:30 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: > > I am reasonably happy. Signal quality is good.  One thing though, not > sure where you are on the east coast exactly, but you may want to > double-check the coverage map. In the Bay Area there's communication > infrastructure out the wazzoo but I seem to recall holes in coverage > in the less populated parts of New Mexico and Arizona. Almost all > phone companies have those though. Worth checking before you spend money though. ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Revol and Cricket don't carry phones I'm interested in, I provided a list of requirements at the beginning. You can pull in any unlocked phone you want, but unlocked phones are way more expensive. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 9:08 AM, Eric Roberts < owner@threeravensconsulting.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Check tiger direct...they might have a phone you can do that with for cheaper... Revol and Cricket don't carry phones I'm interested in, I provided a list of requirements at the beginning. You can pull in any unlocked phone you want, but unlocked phones are way more expensive. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 9:08 AM, Eric Roberts < owner@threeravensconsulting.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more ----- problem. ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

I'll check, thanks. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 10:24 AM, Eric Roberts < owner@threeravensconsulting.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

oh yeah and the people I know that have worked there tell me they get dinged if they don't make empathy statements. It gets so those empathy statements really grate, especially when the problem is not getting fixed. So picture me trying to find out how in the heck the phone bill is $150 too high AGAIN and the customer service rep keeps saying that they are sure it must be really frustrating. But no, they can't tell me why the bill is $283 and the itemization adds up to $79. (or whatever -- this was early 2009 and I don't remember the numbers now) And yes, I am right about that, not missing any part of the bill or anything. That's *my* bill. Well, they aren't sure where the bill for the other phones is. It's on a different account or something. And yes, they do see this is a family plan with unlimited texting and unlimited internet. And no, they can't look it up by the other phone numbers, because that would be telling. They understand that this is really frustrating. Well, no, they can't tell me why the bill is $283. I mean shit. If in fact they were downloading that many games or whatever -- and if they were they deleted them, because I looked at the phones -- fine. My bad if it happens once, me and the kids have a heart to heart and it stops. But I don't need that kind of mystery in my life. 0 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

No kidding...makes you want to reach through the phone and choke them every time they repeat it... oh yeah and the people I know that have worked there tell me they get dinged if they don't make empathy statements. It gets so those empathy statements really grate, especially when the problem is not getting fixed. So picture me trying to find out how in the heck the phone bill is $150 too high AGAIN and the customer service rep keeps saying that they are sure it must be really frustrating. But no, they can't tell me why the bill is $283 and the itemization adds up to $79. (or whatever -- this was early 2009 and I don't remember the numbers now) And yes, I am right about that, not missing any part of the bill or anything. That's *my* bill. Well, they aren't sure where the bill for the other phones is. It's on a different account or something. And yes, they do see this is a family plan with unlimited texting and unlimited internet. And no, they can't look it up by the other phone numbers, because that would be telling. They understand that this is really frustrating. Well, no, they can't tell me why the bill is $283. I mean shit. If in fact they were downloading that many games or whatever -- and if they were they deleted them, because I looked at the phones -- fine. My bad if it happens once, me and the kids have a heart to heart and it stops. But I don't need that kind of mystery in my life. 0 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more ----- just armed robbery. ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

I've been using T-mobile prepaid for almost 10 years with no problems. I am on my third phone.  I refill the minutes whenever they run low, averages to about 25 bucks a month.  My ex was head of support for Nextel before Sprint acquired them.  Based on my observations of how support was handled, I will never sign a cell phone contract. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 4:31 AM, Dana <dana.tierney@gmail.com> wrote: > > ARGH > > I hated T-Mobile. The bill was always wrong, like $150 too high and they > never admitted it. > > You have been warned

I will never sign on with Sprint. When I worked for school link (all those years ago when I first joined this group) they would routinely over charge us for bandwidth to the tune of thousands of dollars.  You could document and prove to them that they were wrong, and they would still make you take them to court. Bastards. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 5:45 PM, Maureen <mamamaureen@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

+1 on the MyTouch 4G. I've got that model (no slider, though). Good solid phone, very reliable. decent battery life, except with Google Navigation or Facebook (anything that turns on the GPS). I've never had a problem with T-Mobile. We've used them for close to 10 years now. My experiences with Verizon, AT&T and Sprint before that were comparable to Dana's with T-Mobile. The web site can be a little difficult to manage, but now that I've got the smart phone, I mostly use the Account Management App. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 3:02 PM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Sorry that I'm not going by your list, but have you checked out the Nokia Lumia 900?  Having had all three (Android, Apple and Windows phones) I will say that the Windows phones are the snappiest and are far easier to use when you really want to do work stuff (Exchange integration is awesome), and Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn are all integrated into the phone ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

That was a joke right? I'm going to assume so considering the other thread.  I haven't slept in two days so I could be missing it. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 10:23 AM, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net>wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

No, not a joke and I don't know what other thread you're referring to. ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

subject line "speaking of phones" On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:29 AM, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net>wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

And this is why I lurk rather than participate.   I just realized it been about 10 years since I joined the list.  Things aren't as fun as they used to be. >subject line "speaking of phones" > >On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:29 AM, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net>wrote:

Yes I've noticed that everyone is turning into grumpy old men. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Yeah... I turn 40 next month. >Yes I've noticed that everyone is turning into grumpy old men. > >On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Matthew Small ><chestypuller@beachbum.net> wrote:

young whippersnapper. Don't you start any of those sheannigans with me or there'll be a real kerfuffle to deal with. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:14 PM, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Don't even start young'un Yeah... I turn 40 next month. >Yes I've noticed that everyone is turning into grumpy old men. > >On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Matthew Small ><chestypuller@beachbum.net> wrote: >>

Get off my lawn damnit... *weg* Yes I've noticed that everyone is turning into grumpy old men. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net> wrote: > > And this is why I lurk rather than participate. > > I just realized it been about 10 years since I joined the list.  Things aren't as fun as they used to be. ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more ----- <chestypuller@beachbum.net>wrote: >> >>> > >

The Windows Phone is actually good Matthew? They just don't seem to be getting much traction with it at all. With the iPhone 5 due out this year, I wouldn't purchase a new phone now...just no telling what Apple will pull out of their hat that would set the standard for the next year or so! On 17 May 2012 11:29, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net> wrote: > > No, not a joke and I don't know what other thread you're referring to. > >

Yeah, the biggest problem with the Windows Phone is the name.  It's a totally different animal than Windows Mobile.   I'm not going to say it vastly more wonderful than iPhone and it even shaves my ear hair - after all, they are just phones with browsers and apps.   However, I find the Windows Phones to be very responsive to gestures, to not be battery hogs, to have made things like checking email across different accounts and even within folders far easier than it is in iOS.  There are plenty of apps to anything you want.  And they come in a HUGE array of sizes - there are 4.7 inch HTC Titans and Titan 2 phones, and 4.3 inch Samsung Focus S, 4 inch Samsung Focus, 3.7 inch Focus Flash, and 3.5 inch LG Quantum with a keyboard.  These phones are very nice, and I recommend you check them out. As for gaining traction, it won best smartphone of CES 2012: http://wmpoweruser.com/nokia-lumia-900-wins-best-smartphone-of-ces-2012-award/ You can even see Windows phone in the video for "We Are Young" at 25 seconds in. ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Whaaaat?? Best smartphone? Then why the hell has no one else heard about it? :-) What's the eco system like? Does it integrate with Win 7 and so forth like iTunes? What's the "Killer App" for Windows Phone... On 17 May 2012 14:13, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

I'll just reiterate my complaints about it from the other thread. It doesn't have a real keyboard, and it has no card reader so you're stuck with the on-board memory. Sorry to the OP about the win phone, I really hadn't slept in a while and we had just talked about that in the other thread so it seemed like a troll. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 3:04 PM, Vivec <gel214th@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

No physical keyboard, so it fails on that point, but I really like my Samsung Galaxy SII on T-Mobile. Had it for a couple of months now and it is really a pretty sweet phone. I still need to get some add in cards and really spend more time getting apps researched and properly set up, but right out of the box it did pretty much everything I wanted. It helps that I have a fairly Google-centric workflow though. Light weight, really nice screen, good camera, dual processor, Android, expandable with SD cards, wifi calling, good 4G connection. Works well. I've found that the Swype and SwiftX keyboard programs have both helped me miss a physical keyboard a lot less. Your mileage may vary, however. Cheers, Judah On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:54 PM, LRS Scout <lrsscout@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

I never understood why they didn't put external slots for memory cards.  If I designed any of the phones...smartphone or not, I would have one that you could dedicate to using for pics and one for music.  To me that is a total no brainer.  Most people use their phones as cameras and MP3 players these days anyway.. I'll just reiterate my complaints about it from the other thread. It doesn't have a real keyboard, and it has no card reader so you're stuck with the on-board memory. Sorry to the OP about the win phone, I really hadn't slept in a while and we had just talked about that in the other thread so it seemed like a troll. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 3:04 PM, Vivec <gel214th@gmail.com> wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more ----- and ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

It does integrate using zune software, but you don't really need to... It auto saves every photo to Skydrive. The original Focus has a memory slot but it's not one that insert and remove at will - it integrates into the OS.   Also you can buy a small Bluetooth keyboard these days so you really could have any one you wanted.  However, both the lg quantum and Dell venue pro are have sliding keyboards. ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----

Went and picked up the MyTouch Slider today. I'm in love. Also saved like $200 by going into the store. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 9:49 PM, Matthew Small <chestypuller@beachbum.net>wrote: ----- Excess quoted text cut - see Original Post for more -----