Current/Upcoming smartphone and PDA thread

[SmarterChild]

i thought could ask one you guys before i turn to at&t tech supp.

my BB bold's browser does not display any websites. when im trying to go to any page it says 'loading' and i can see data is being transfered but then it stops and all i have on the screen is a blank, white page. are there any settings i should check?? fyi, everything was fine in the begining, just a few days ago i noticed this problem started happening.

take out ur sim card/battery and let the phone sit off for a few mins. put the **** back in and try again

[neelb_24]

The samsung eternity is 100 at walmart and the lg incite is 150 at walmart. (I have a contract upgrade that I need to use)

Also, do you need to get additional plans for these phones? Someone told me the Incite uses wifi so no internet payment necessary but idk if that's true and need to ask the salespeople whenever I go use the upgrade.

I'll most likely get the phone a couple of weeks before Christmas. Would yall rather get one of the 2 phones, or wait until something different comes out?

This Please

[DGreekStallion]

lol how much a month were u paying

I don't remember at the moment, but the phone cost me more than 400. I returned it, and treated myself to a few things.

I got some MusclePharm BattleFuel, Java Soap, a case of OSO Net Level energy drink, and a pull up bar similar to the Iron Gym.

[neelb_24]

So I just found out they still may charge you even if you use wifi because you are using their servers or some bullcrap. Someone suggested that if you turn off the 3g capabilities on a phone that has built in wifi connection, you won't get charged for data usage. Does this sound right?

[user27629377]

So I just found out they still may charge you even if you use wifi because you are using their servers or some bullcrap. Someone suggested that if you turn off the 3g capabilities on a phone that has built in wifi connection, you won't get charged for data usage. Does this sound right?

yes

[SGMD1]

Omnia FTW, gettin mine for xmas

[SmarterChild]

This Please

yes u still need the data plan. i tried to make the argument with the verizon rep that since the phone i ordered has wifi that i wouldnt need a data plan but they said all new smart phones require a data plan now

[TerryGecko]

Samsung Rant

I've had my Rant for a few weeks now so this will be a little more than a first impression review.

The Samsung Rant is a side-slider CDMA phone featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, 2.1" color screen, 2-megapixel camera, email and IM clients, microSDHC card slot and GPS.

-- From phonearena.com

Firstly, I appologize for the poor quality of the pictures.

Call Quality: Good
Speakerphone: Good
Responsiveness: Good
MP3 Player: Good
Keyboard Layout: Not as good as others
Screen Quality: Fair, nothing impressive
Camera Quality: Nothing Impressive

The red arrow and box indicate the new customizable home screens that Sprint has added to most of their new non PDA devices. It took me a minute to get used to it but it is extremely helpful if you use your device for more than just talking. In the picture, the "Home" icon, also known as Sprint One Click Technology, is in the center and being used. If I were to press the left button on the D-Pad, it would go to "Music", etc... They also offer a number of "bubbles" that you can customize yourself on the home screen directly. On mine, I have a "weather bubble" so that I see the weather in my home city at all times. There are a few more, all of them useful in their own way. To be completely honest though, I find myself only using the "Music", "Home", "Sprint Navigation", and "Sprint TV" icons on the Sprint One Click. Although I can see the full range of icons being used by others.
Here it is closed:

And here it is open:

Texting is easy in both T9 and QWERTY. The layout of the buttons on the full keypad are unfortunate. The @ symbol and ? mark are no where near true to life and a couple other symbols could have been placed better. With any other phone QWERTY though, you learn the layout easily.

A feature that I really enjoy for personal use is the Google Icon. Directly from the home screen you have Google Search, Google Maps, your Gmail, and a built in Youtube launching application. You can also choose to add another personal app to this icon.

Having access to your Gmail like this is a great feature. You can't open up a lot of documents obviously like Microsoft Office or a pdf but you can certainly view pictures someone sends to your Gmail as an attachment. You can open, edit, compose, reply, and forward just like you would from any smartphone. You can even send pictures as attachments yourself. If you really need someone to send you a document I suppose you could always have them take a picture of it and view it from there lol.


Here is what the Gmail application looks like:


Sprint TV/Radio and Movies

I have always loved Sprint TV. Sprint's mobile TV service is far superior to any other carrier. They have an amazing list of premium channels such as MTV, Cartoon Network, The Discovery Channel, and Comedy Central. A full channel listing can be found here. You may think Sprint TV would be some "On Demand" type of service, where you just select a genre and you get to watch a small clip but that is completely wrong. Sprint TV live is dead on true to life. If you have MTV on, on your phone and MTV on your TV at home, they will both be playing the same thing. Moreover, they do have a bunch of extras for each channel that are On Demand style. Such as full episodes of South Park, and other "Behind the Scenes" types of things. Not only does Sprint offer this amazing TV service but they also have Sprint Radio (which includes Sirius Satellite Radio Channels) but they offer a service called Sprint Movies. REAL FULL LENGTH HOLLYWOOD MOVIES THAT YOU CAN WATCH FROM YOUR MOBILE PHONE. You basically rent a movies (ranging from $2.99 - $4.99) for 24 hours. I'm not quite sure if you can purchase the movie altogether but I would imagine that is along the way if it's not already available. I absolutely love this service and have to give it to Sprint for this one. There are many times during my week when I have to wait around for a few hours before I can do something and usually I don't have a computer near so this service is going to save me a lot of boredom. Another great thing about it is that they movie starts up about as fast as it takes Youtube to buffer/download. It's extremely fast.

In this picture you can see some of the movies they offer. I promise you though, the list is much bigger than this.


Lastly, a feature that makes the Rant stand out, compared to other carriers non PDA phones, is threaded text messaging. If you have seen me post about a phone before, you know that I am a big fan of threaded text messaging. Threaded text messaging means you get to view your text's as an Instant Message conversation. You get to view your entire conversation on one screen instead of just one message and a reply button. Great great feature that Sprint is starting to add to all their phones now such as all the Windows Mobile phones, RIM, the Instinct, and phones like the LG Lotus (which I will be reviewing the middle of next week )


TerryGecko's rating for the Samsung Rant


3 1/2 Stern Fists out of 5


***I would be happy to answer any questions anyone has about this device.***

[DGreekStallion]

I've been away for a while. Where are all the smartphone enthusiasts tonight?

Well, I had my Touch Pro for a few weeks, but sold it due to reasons already stated...

[TerryGecko]

Well, I had my Touch Pro for a few weeks, but sold it due to reasons already stated...

Really? That sucks man. I have been through 5 phones since my Touch Pro. I am getting the Samsung Saga tomorrow. Awesome phone. I'm sending my Epix back and settling with the Saga.

[DGreekStallion]

Really? That sucks man. I have been through 5 phones since my Touch Pro. I am getting the Samsung Saga tomorrow. Awesome phone. I'm sending my Epix back and settling with the Saga.

Yeah, I sold it mostly because I couldn't afford it and because I wasn't getting the use out of it like I thought I would.

Are there any cool upcoming Sprint phones?

[TerryGecko]

Yeah, I sold it mostly because I couldn't afford it and because I wasn't getting the use out of it like I thought I would.

Are there any cool upcoming Sprint phones?

Not really to be honest. I think Sprint is about done with all their launching for this year. I could be wrong on that.

The only thing I know of that is coming is the DCS BlackBerry Chirp. But it's garbage. It's just a regular Curve with Direct Connect. No new OS or anything. It should be here in December.

I can hook you up with a SERO plan if you need one. They aren't as good as they used to but if you need one let me know.

[DGreekStallion]

Not really to be honest. I think Sprint is about done with all their launching for this year. I could be wrong on that.

The only thing I know of that is coming is the DCS BlackBerry Chirp. But it's garbage. It's just a regular Curve with Direct Connect. No new OS or anything. It should be here in December.

I can hook you up with a SERO plan if you need one. They aren't as good as they used to but if you need one let me know.

Yeah, I checked too, and I think new stuff comes out in '09 which I'm cool with.

I was looking at the Pearl, but it looks outdated.

[Rinkamd]

Gonna get my first mobile soon, probably getting the Nokia N95. Without the internet plan because I probably won't need it really. I get a pretty good monthly price with a special contract at work. Good phone?

EDIT: I'm in Canada (if you haven't read location), so I don't got all the options you may have in the U.S.

[Nutella!]

whats teh best phone from sprint right now?

[DGreekStallion]

whats teh best phone from sprint right now?

PDA wise, the Touch Pro. Don't know about the others.

[Nutella!]

PDA wise, the Touch Pro. Don't know about the others.

seems really thick though?

I was thinking, Curve, HTC touch diamond, HTC touch Pro

I don't really want a touch screen though.

[DGreekStallion]

seems really thick though?

I was thinking, Curve, HTC touch diamond, HTC touch Pro

I don't really want a touch screen though.

It's not as thick as you think. I had one for a while, and it's good sized.

[Death From Above]

terry will you buy me an iphone? please?

[Rinkamd]

If I buy a Nokia N95 now, is it gonna be worth it or is it outdated? I don't know how long ago it launched but I don't wanna buy an outdated phone.

[TerryGecko]

If I buy a Nokia N95 now, is it gonna be worth it or is it outdated? I don't know how long ago it launched but I don't wanna buy an outdated phone.

The N95 is a pretty old phone now. It's still an amazing phone and was way ahead of it's time but have you looked in to the N96?

[krazykarl]

Touch Pro FTW. After some tweaks it rocks. I've heard a new Official ROM is coming out at the end of Dec for it. Bitchin.

[regular_guy]

between the touch pro (fuze) and the blackberry bold, which would be the better phone? my biggest complaint is windows mobile. I've never tried blackberry OS, but using the most common functions such as speed dial with windows mobile are a pain.

[user27629377]

The Touch Pro is a huge disappointment IMO. I had wanted one for about a year, then it came out and I got the Diamond instead.

If WinMo is a huge compaint for you, don't get it. I love the platform, but it's not for everyone.

[Douche100]

I think I'm gonna get the Diamond.

[user27629377]

I think I'm gonna get the Diamond.

You won't be disappointed, do you have Telus?

[Douche100]

You won't be disappointed, do you have Telus?

No. It's coming out on Rogers next week.

[krazykarl]

The Touch Pro is a huge disappointment IMO. I had wanted one for about a year, then it came out and I got the Diamond instead.

If WinMo is a huge compaint for you, don't get it. I love the platform, but it's not for everyone.

Agreed. The TP is "Serious Business" and is currently being hacked to high hell by the modding community.(Custom ROMs, Radios etc.) The Diamond is its baby brother, but much sexier.

[SmarterChild]

between the touch pro (fuze) and the blackberry bold, which would be the better phone? my biggest complaint is windows mobile. I've never tried blackberry OS, but using the most common functions such as speed dial with windows mobile are a pain.

i hated WM at 1st but theres just so much u can do with it

[regular_guy]

Agreed. The TP is "Serious Business" and is currently being hacked to high hell by the modding community.(Custom ROMs, Radios etc.) The Diamond is its baby brother, but much sexier.

Pardon my "newbishness" but is the blackberry platform being hacked as well? Are there as many after market apps for it? I've googled and found a few things for it, but i'm just trying to find out all the info before giving out 300 bones.