Best smart-phone out now?

[Droppedlime]

I will be switching from iOS to Android in the coming weeks, I'm ready to get out of apple land. I heard the Prime will be $299 at launch though, I guess I will look to see if the HTC Holiday hits shelves soon or the Galaxy II drops in price.

[Big A]

If you use it a lot for work checkout a new Windows Phone 7. I had an iPhone for quite a while before I switched to my WP7, and while I did like the iPhone a lot I can now say that it wasn't nearly as supportive in everything I need to do for my job...the iPhone is geared more towards entertainment...the WP7 is geared more for getting things done quicker all in one place.

What I love about it is that it isn't so app dependant like the others....sure, the apps are there when you need them, but the interface works in a way that it places your data ahead of the apps, so that you're not having to constantly open individual apps to get to what you need. It's hard to explain without seeing it in-person but I'll tell you I've become a huge fan of the layout.

Checkout some of the reviews online...the new 7.5 OS (Mango) really added some cool features too. One of my favorites is speech recognition and interpretive texting....I can hit one button and speak my msg to send or reply to text msgs...a huge plus when you are driving.

Not that it would matter for your BMW, but Mango now fully integrates with Sync Audio systems in all new Ford's (beyond just Bluetooth for phone calls)....you can send texts right from your steering wheel controls and speech recognition....GPS, Bing, and Google search the same way as well. In my wife's new Flex with the GPS screen, it acts just about like a screen extender for your phone....when someone is calling their picture even pops up on the screen along with their phone number.

What phone specifically are you and your wife using? As much as I do like the entertainment factor of the iphone, this is my only cell phone, so getting work done should take precedence. E-mail is great on my qwerty BB, but if anything else is involved it's such a pain that I just wait until I get to my laptop.

All that said, it sounds like the windows phone would work best for me, and I can pick up an ipad eventually, for the entertainment part. They are still too damn high to justify the cost for just a toy.

The sync stuff is cool, but all I need is bluetooth to be able to take business calls while on the road. Especially being that the fine for driving on the phone out here is like $350. No text is worth the distraction, even if on the steering wheel IMO, and certainly not worth the ticket. Though I could see the benefit on long highway drives.

[78X]

I will be switching from iOS to Android in the coming weeks, I'm ready to get out of apple land. I heard the Prime will be $299 at launch though, I guess I will look to see if the HTC Holiday hits shelves soon or the Galaxy II drops in price.

That galaxy ii is da shit

[Rreemo]

What phone specifically are you and your wife using? As much as I do like the entertainment factor of the iphone, this is my only cell phone, so getting work done should take precedence. E-mail is great on my qwerty BB, but if anything else is involved it's such a pain that I just wait until I get to my laptop.

All that said, it sounds like the windows phone would work best for me, and I can pick up an ipad eventually, for the entertainment part. They are still too damn high to justify the cost for just a toy.

The sync stuff is cool, but all I need is bluetooth to be able to take business calls while on the road. Especially being that the fine for driving on the phone out here is like $350. No text is worth the distraction, even if on the steering wheel IMO, and certainly not worth the ticket. Though I could see the benefit on long highway drives.

I started with a Samsung Focus...it was a piece of crap (but pretty much all Samsung phones are crap in my experience). The screen was the problem...replaced under warranty 3-times before they finally agreed to switch me to an HTC. Now I'm on an HTC Surround and it is a WAY better piece of hardware. My only complaint (which was the same with my iPhone) is that my fingers are a little big for on-screen typing, but over time I've also seen that my WP7 has better interpretation than my iPhone did.

One of the guys that I work with had the same complaint on the keyboard so he switched to an LG Quantum with the sliding querty keyboard, and he raves about the difference...it's a cheaper option too...usually free with a new plan through a carrier.

Dell is also making the Venue Pro with a keyboard that slides from the end instead of the side....I'm hearing really good things on it too, but it is more pricey at around $300 direct unlocked from Dell - http://www.dell.com/us/p/mobile-venue-pro/pd or you can get it cheaper if you buy with a new plan.

Microsoft has struck up a deal with Nokia who will be releasing several new phones geared towards the WP7 OS, and they should start hitting the market soon....internally I'm hearing very promising things on those offerings. I've always had good luck with Nokia devices in the past as well.

BTW - my wife is still using an iPhone4....still likes it, but disappointed when she saw how much more my WP7 will do over the Sync system in her new car.

[Lason]

(but pretty much all Samsung phones are crap in my experience).

IMO, the samsung galaxy line of phones is probably the nicest phones I have ever seen. Im not a fanboi either, Im rocking a LG.

[Rreemo]

IMO, the samsung galaxy line of phones is probably the nicest phones I have ever seen. Im not a fanboi either, Im rocking a LG.

Didn't think about those....I'll have to plea the 5th there, no first hand experience with Droid flavor of Samsung, but I do hear good things...although similar to the WP7, the device itself and the supporting OS are 2 different things...and people often forget about that. IMO that is one of the things that has put the iPhone a step ahead....their OS and their device...and both are good. With WP7 and Droid, they are at the mercy of the HW they are running on.

I had several Black Jacks years back and had similar experiences with those that I did with my Focus...that was really only what supported my statement about Samsung in-general.

Love their TV's tho!

[Big A]

I started with a Samsung Focus...it was a piece of crap (but pretty much all Samsung phones are crap in my experience). The screen was the problem...replaced under warranty 3-times before they finally agreed to switch me to an HTC. Now I'm on an HTC Surround and it is a WAY better piece of hardware. My only complaint (which was the same with my iPhone) is that my fingers are a little big for on-screen typing, but over time I've also seen that my WP7 has better interpretation than my iPhone did.

One of the guys that I work with had the same complaint on the keyboard so he switched to an LG Quantum with the sliding querty keyboard, and he raves about the difference...it's a cheaper option too...usually free with a new plan through a carrier.

Dell is also making the Venue Pro with a keyboard that slides from the end instead of the side....I'm hearing really good things on it too, but it is more pricey at around $300 direct unlocked from Dell - http://www.dell.com/us/p/mobile-venue-pro/pd or you can get it cheaper if you buy with a new plan.

Microsoft has struck up a deal with Nokia who will be releasing several new phones geared towards the WP7 OS, and they should start hitting the market soon....internally I'm hearing very promising things on those offerings. I've always had good luck with Nokia devices in the past as well.

BTW - my wife is still using an iPhone4....still likes it, but disappointed when she saw how much more my WP7 will do over the Sync system in her new car.

Great info. I had an HTC before the BB, with a similar physical set up, no complaints about the phone itself. It ran the old Windows mobile OS, and I didn't really use it any different than I do my BB now, but the BB was free so I switched. The OS and phone technology has grown exponentially in the last 3 years, so I am by no means making a direct comparison. I can see myself using a new phone and OS alot more than I have in the past.

I'm in no rush, so unless I find something that tickles my fancy, I may just wait to see what Nokia has to offer. We are a top tier Microsoft reseller, so I'm going to do some digging, and see what discounts may be available. The plan is through work, so I'll be buying whatever outright. I had to give up a free upgrade when I moved to the new plan, but not ever seeing a bill was well worth it.

[ozzeran]

I'm on my 2nd Android, it's a Motorola Photon 4g, fast as shit.

Couple flaws though, I never messed with an Iphone much but they do look nice.

I just wish they supported 4g.

[78X]

I'm on my 2nd Android, it's a Motorola Photon 4g, fast as shit.

Couple flaws though, I never messed with an Iphone much but they do look nice.

I just wish they supported 4g.

So you found a photon but couldn't find a parking spot??

[kenny c]

I had a blackberry for 7 years, then switched to Droid Pro and Droid X - wasn't that impressed. Switched to the iPhone4 and love it. Just my opinion - if you are tech savvy and able to customize the Android phones (Droid, HTC, Samsung Galaxy, etc) then they are probably the best phones. If you just want the best phone out of the box, then my vote is the iPhone4s.

[Big A]

I started with a Samsung Focus...it was a piece of crap (but pretty much all Samsung phones are crap in my experience). The screen was the problem...replaced under warranty 3-times before they finally agreed to switch me to an HTC. Now I'm on an HTC Surround and it is a WAY better piece of hardware. My only complaint (which was the same with my iPhone) is that my fingers are a little big for on-screen typing, but over time I've also seen that my WP7 has better interpretation than my iPhone did.

I fingered the HTC Arrive the other day, which has a slideout QWERTY keyboard, so I'm hoping that it will be the best of both worlds. In the 10 minutes I played with it, I could already tell how much better it is for actual work, than Android or iOS. I could actually see and work with Excel spreadsheets.

Another plus is that I can get a wireless hotspot for it, and essentially have wifi for my laptop anywhere I have cell signal. I had to turn back to the hotel this past Tuesday to get connectivity, and handle a big time-sensitive bid, so that pretty much sealed the deal.

Any intuitive "fun" stuff like apps and whatnot will be a plus.

[CexMashean]

I fingered the HTC Arrive the other day, which has a slideout QWERTY keyboard, so I'm hoping that it will be the best of both worlds. In the 10 minutes I played with it, I could already tell how much better it is for actual work, than Android or iOS. I could actually see and work with Excel spreadsheets.

Another plus is that I can get a wireless hotspot for it, and essentially have wifi for my laptop anywhere I have cell signal. I had to turn back to the hotel this past Tuesday to get connectivity, and handle a big time-sensitive bid, so that pretty much sealed the deal.

Any intuitive "fun" stuff like apps and whatnot will be a plus.

You can work on an excel spreadsheet on a 3.6 screen?
And if you pay for a tethering plan, you should be punched in the nuts.

[Big A]

You can work on an excel spreadsheet on a 3.6 screen?
And if you pay for a tethering plan, you should be punched in the nuts.

Certainly not in the capacity that I can on my laptop, but proficiently enough for what I need when on the road, and need to provide a quick answer. With anthing more involved, that's where tethering my laptop comes in to play.

I don't even see my cell phone bill, or high-speed Internet here at the house for that matter. It's all handled, and paid for at Corporate.

[92redragtop]

I haven't used a "consumer" version BB but have been using for business since 2001 (currently upgrading to the Bold 9900 which also has a touchscreen, from a previous Bold). They're solid units and take a decent amount of abuse and you can multi-task which I'm not sure if the iphone does. I also have an iphone 3GS which is a great unit but I don't like it as much as the BB Bold. Also, battery life on the Iphone is shorter than on my BB and I use the BB more because it's my work phone so it's always attached to me. I don't have experience with Android phones.

I'm curious to see what the new BBs in early 2012 look like with the new OS which will make them more like a PC and is supposed to be a robust system and even better at multi-tasking/processing. Fraudsters are starting to target smartphones big time now with the increasing popularity of mobile payments so I like the BB security which is stronger than the other systems out there.

[exlude]

Who would have thought someone could be so insecure over a damn phone? Interesting pattern of your own, Magnus.