Need a new cell phone....which one?

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by OilKiller

Nope, not at all. Just thought the "well good for you" was over the top.

The Touch is being used my millions of people worldwide. I visit numerous forums concerning usage, software, etc. and never once have I heard anyone say the screen reacts "randomly". Not once. Nor have I heard any compaints about using the stylus.

Did you use the phone properly? Did you calibrate the screen properly? You say you "played with it". I've "used" it for more than 8 months now. I would say I most likely have a bit more experience with it.

Just coming on the forum and blatantly saying a phone is no good and not backing it up at all, doesn't make much sense to me.

Yes, I know how to use the device properly, that is my job. You say there are millions of ppl who enjoy this device, well, I can tell you NO ONE in my office enjoys this device, and these ppl are the ones who need to ensure this device works perfectly for our carriers and clients.

Also, all the randomness occurs mainly because of the horrible utilization of the OS windows mobile. Also the horrible utilization of processes that run in the background. I like how closing a contact list by pressing the cancel call button does not shut down the process, instead is still running in the background. Also, upon receiving an SMS message, you are not allowed to either use your stylus or finger to activate the incoming message, because by touching it does nothing. And you would think having a touch screen feature less superior to the iphone would make HTC incorporate a feedback feature like the LG, nope, none of that either. When you have poor touch screen capability, you're making it worst by not including force feedback. I got a lot more to complain about this device (heck I haven't even begun to touch on the hardware engine on this thing), but my time is short and I have to get back to work.

It's great you enjoy your phone. I wasn't saying "good for you" in a sarcastic way, I genuinely meant good-for-you for liking your device. You should. You spend a lot of money on it and you should like what you buy. But to me and my colleagues, we don't like your device for the above reasons and more.

[missdpuck]

I love you guys..I'm not being sarcastic. Anyway I do hope the Rzr will hold up for a few more weeks in case those back to school deals are good. I'll go to the cell phone place this weekend to check out the suggestions. I have AT&T and they have all that you've mentioned. I'm just not in the mood to make a several $100 mistake. You guys are awesome and funny too. Thanks...

[jtfrogger]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

That one qualifier there pretty much eliminates everything but the iPhone.

Originally Posted by arsenal

the samsung instinct would probably be another option. i am not sure how good it though.

I agree with both of these statements, depending on the situation.

If you need a phone with good internet now, I don't think that there is anything that compare to an iPhone.

However, I hear that the Instinct will be a comparible competitor to it. So, if you wait until it is released, you will a choice. I have even heard a rumour that the data plan will be even better than what Rogers is currently offering with the iPhone.

I don't use a cell phone often, and neither does my wife. However, we both now have iPhones. To us, they are damn good PDAs that are capable of making a phone call too. (You should have seen the look on the sales person's face when I said I would pay the extra $50 for the phone to get a cheap cell plan because I rarely use a cell phone.)

[missdpuck]

I'm in Fl. Most people around here agree with you, Frog.

[jtfrogger]

One more thing...

I personally decided to get the iPhone and not wait for the Instinct because Apple nails interfaces. There are many MP3 players that have similar specs to iPods that are cheaper, but I would not recommend anything but an iPod (or now an iPhone) to anyone that wanted an MP3 player. I felt that there was no point in waiting to try a device that I figure only has about a 1% chance of having a user interface that is as good as or better than the iPhone.

[ikaris]

i use the HTC touch and the internet is great on it. and It's very easy to modify to have GPS working... (just involves installing WM6.1 and updating the s/w radio).

The problem with the iphone is the 6GB limit on data. I use my touch all the time to surf and stream videos and radio consistently and pay 7/month for unlimited usage. Until they actually provide unlimited data on rogers, I would not touch it.

I've also used the diamond too, and it's even better than the touch. The Bold looks really good, but I've yet to get my hands on it so I can't give a good judgement.

I love the UI on the Iphone, it's just the cost is ridiculous, and I'm happy with what i have.

[OilKiller]

TheyCallMeBruce,

Thanks for explaining your results and situation. That was my only point. People sometimes make passing remarks and I always like to see more to back it up.

For me, the default for the HTC Touch was used for very little time. I have all kinds of third party apps (mostly freeware) that I have loaded to make the device much more user friendly and much more configurable as well as useful. I would imagine that some that have not enjoyed the Touch experience, simply never took to time to configure it, load different apps and play with it to achieve what they were looking for.

I have a different contact manager, different sms program, different home display with more icons, different fonts, etc. The list goes on and on. I have made my Touch, MY Touch so I suppose that is why I really like it and haven't had any issues. Many people seem to like the iPhone for example, and while it's engine does seem better for touch screen movement, scrolling and more, I find the interface dull and bland and completely unconfigurable. I can make my Touch look any way I want on the home screen with numerous third party apps.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by OilKiller

TheyCallMeBruce,

Thanks for explaining your results and situation. That was my only point. People sometimes make passing remarks and I always like to see more to back it up.

For me, the default for the HTC Touch was used for very little time. I have all kinds of third party apps (mostly freeware) that I have loaded to make the device much more user friendly and much more configurable as well as useful. I would imagine that some that have not enjoyed the Touch experience, simply never took to time to configure it, load different apps and play with it to achieve what they were looking for.

I have a different contact manager, different sms program, different home display with more icons, different fonts, etc. The list goes on and on. I have made my Touch, MY Touch so I suppose that is why I really like it and haven't had any issues. Many people seem to like the iPhone for example, and while it's engine does seem better for touch screen movement, scrolling and more, I find the interface dull and bland and completely unconfigurable. I can make my Touch look any way I want on the home screen with numerous third party apps.

I do have some good experiences with the diamond touch though. I would say the wifi for the touch is one of the best. Very easy to configure and use, even a child (literally, my coworker's kid who's 10 did it) can get it to work. I wish LG and Samsung had followed HTC's lead in this regard.

My bitterness probably stems from the fact that I had to use this device mainly for work, and after the first week I pretty much had enough. Had I been a casual user not working in the mobile phone software industry I might have actually like the device. So on hindsight, it was probably a bit unfair of me to comment on the device.

I do agree that the third party apps will make this device better. We have 3 at our office and one of them is being installed with 3rd party apps, which seemed to have made our developer's job 10 times easier.

[anyonebutedmonton]

Originally Posted by ikaris

i use the HTC touch and the internet is great on it. and It's very easy to modify to have GPS working... (just involves installing WM6.1 and updating the s/w radio).

The problem with the iphone is the 6GB limit on data. I use my touch all the time to surf and stream videos and radio consistently and pay 7/month for unlimited usage. Until they actually provide unlimited data on rogers, I would not touch it.

I've also used the diamond too, and it's even better than the touch. The Bold looks really good, but I've yet to get my hands on it so I can't give a good judgement.

I love the UI on the Iphone, it's just the cost is ridiculous, and I'm happy with what i have.

Trust me when I say this that unless you are using your iPhone as a modem you will not be going over 6gB. I use a ridiculous amount of data including streaming online radio 8 hours a day and I am at less than 1 gb in over three weeks.

[ikaris]

Originally Posted by anyonebutedmonton

Trust me when I say this that unless you are using your iPhone as a modem you will not be going over 6gB. I use a ridiculous amount of data including streaming online radio 8 hours a day and I am at less than 1 gb in over three weeks.

Well it's actually the email that kills me. I use the direct push exchange email with my work server and I use about 2 to 3 gigs a month (about 100 to 150 MB a day) for large spreadsheet, word documents, and PDF files that are easily reviewable on my Touch as well.

Streaming online radio doesn't use very much data, but the GPS with google maps using satellite pictures and the streaming video can add up. I'm not exactly sure what my entire total is, but I guess I just like to know that I will never be charged over and above what I'm paying... (considering it's 35/month+gst for my entire bill, it's very hard to justify the increase in cost for an iphone or even a blackberry).

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by ikaris

Well it's actually the email that kills me. I use the direct push exchange email with my work server and I use about 2 to 3 gigs a month (about 100 to 150 MB a day) for large spreadsheet, word documents, and PDF files that are easily reviewable on my Touch as well.

Streaming online radio doesn't use very much data, but the GPS with google maps using satellite pictures and the streaming video can add up. I'm not exactly sure what my entire total is, but I guess I just like to know that I will never be charged over and above what I'm paying... (considering it's 35/month+gst for my entire bill, it's very hard to justify the increase in cost for an iphone or even a blackberry).

How are you able to get a full exchange active sync using only the $7 "on-device browsing" plan?

I know you can connect to your exchange server's webmail site through the phone's web browser, but how did you get the "on-device browsing" plan to allow service data?

I know people like to say "data is data," but only when talking about bb data vs wm data. Web browsing is not "data" at all, it's just an apn connection that allows you to surf the web. "Service data" is something entirely different - it functions without an apn, and is completely administered through the provider.

I'm not questioning, I'm really just curious how you were able to "trick" a $7/mo web browsing addon into turning into a full-on, exchange sync'd, service data connection.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by jtfrogger

One more thing...

I personally decided to get the iPhone and not wait for the Instinct because Apple nails interfaces. There are many MP3 players that have similar specs to iPods that are cheaper, but I would not recommend anything but an iPod (or now an iPhone) to anyone that wanted an MP3 player. I felt that there was no point in waiting to try a device that I figure only has about a 1% chance of having a user interface that is as good as or better than the iPhone.

Coincidentally, here's a comparison I read a couple days ago on About.com...

http://cellphones.about.com/od/samsu...nginstinct.htm

(I have no clue how the site is viewed with regards to biasedness or accuracy, etc. I thought the comparison made sense, though.

[HOOT]

The Samsung Instinct looks pretty interesting.

There is also the HTC Touch Dual coming soon...

[ikaris]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

How are you able to get a full exchange active sync using only the $7 "on-device browsing" plan?

I know you can connect to your exchange server's webmail site through the phone's web browser, but how did you get the "on-device browsing" plan to allow service data?

I know people like to say "data is data," but only when talking about bb data vs wm data. Web browsing is not "data" at all, it's just an apn connection that allows you to surf the web. "Service data" is something entirely different - it functions without an apn, and is completely administered through the provider.

I'm not questioning, I'm really just curious how you were able to "trick" a $7/mo web browsing addon into turning into a full-on, exchange sync'd, service data connection.

I don't actually have to trick anything. I just setup MS Exchange in the included MS Outlook (I can do it on the stock ROM that you buy it with, but I actually upgraded my version of Windows Mobile to 6.1 for other features).

Regardless, this is something that is available to anyone using this phone. What most people don't realize is the HTC Touch is a fully featured smartphone. I think Bell doesn't even realize. As long as you don't tether with the phone, any usage seems to billed as "Browsing" on my bill.

EDIT: I'm not sure what you mean by an apn connection. The Internet explorer that I use works with flash and java and I can actually use it to VPN into my work with an added RSA SecureID software key.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by ikaris

I don't actually have to trick anything. I just setup MS Exchange in the included MS Outlook (I can do it on the stock ROM that you buy it with, but I actually upgraded my version of Windows Mobile to 6.1 for other features).

Regardless, this is something that is available to anyone using this phone. What most people don't realize is the HTC Touch is a fully featured smartphone. I think Bell doesn't even realize. As long as you don't tether with the phone, any usage seems to billed as "Browsing" on my bill.

EDIT: I'm not sure what you mean by an apn connection. The Internet explorer that I use works with flash and java and I can actually use it to VPN into my work with an added RSA SecureID software key.

You realize that the "on device browsing" plan is meant solely for internet browsing, right?

You have to know that Rogers would love nothing more than to figure out a way to start charging people for their "out of contract" data use. Doesn't it worry you that they obviously know that (if you're averaging 2GB/month) you're not just browsing the internet on your phone, but they aren't stopping you?

They know the details of the plan you've selected. They know that if they ever get around to figuring out how to charge for non-internet-browsing data, they've got you on the hook for x number of months @ an avg of 2GB/mo, with a cost of $0.05/kb.

According to my math, that's a $100,000/mo phone bill.

[ikaris]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

You realize that the "on device browsing" plan is meant solely for internet browsing, right?

You have to know that Rogers would love nothing more than to figure out a way to start charging people for their "out of contract" data use. Doesn't it worry you that they obviously know that (if you're averaging 2GB/month) you're not just browsing the internet on your phone, but they aren't stopping you?

They know the details of the plan you've selected. They know that if they ever get around to figuring out how to charge for non-internet-browsing data, they've got you on the hook for x number of months @ an avg of 2GB/mo, with a cost of $0.05/kb.

According to my math, that's a $100,000/mo phone bill.

Actually I use Bell. To ensure that they won't ever give me that bill, I called up their technical support and asked them if it was OK to use my phone for this purpose. They said no problem (I made sure to create a ticket about this inquiry and got the ticket number in case they decide to change their mind at some point).

The thing that is funny for Bell is that all their other smartphones require data plans except the HTC Touch. I think they are assuming most people are just using the Touch with the basic Bell mobility website.

With the Pocket Internet Explorer, you can visit full websites in their full flash and java glory (with addons) and stream video. I regularly visit CP with my phone (I'm addicted!) and it's just like it is on a PC (just smaller of course). As well, you can go to a website, and download a multiple hundred meg data file, and it will still be considered on device browsing (as it should be since you're using the device).

That's why I can't understand the outrageous cost of the iPhone's plan.

[jtfrogger]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Coincidentally, here's a comparison I read a couple days ago on About.com...

http://cellphones.about.com/od/samsu...nginstinct.htm

(I have no clue how the site is viewed with regards to biasedness or accuracy, etc. I thought the comparison made sense, though.

Thanks for the link. That gave me much more information than I had ever seen about it (not that I actually looked for it). So, based on that review, my gut feel was about accurate. Similar specs, but lost out on the UI. Although some of the specs are odd. They go with 2GB and you can upgrade to 8GB. That is pretty small if you are going to store any media. I figured they would get a bit closer to the iPhone 3G on the technical side.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by ikaris

With the Pocket Internet Explorer, you can visit full websites in their full flash and java glory (with addons) and stream video.

I use Opera Mobile. The ripped version from the Touch Diamond. I personally think it's much better than PIE.

[Ford Prefect]

I just received my new iPhone today. In fact I'm reading this thread and writing this post with it. Gotta say I'm loving it so far. It's wicked for email. I'd have to say iPhone is the way to go. I hope it has good battery life cause I'm going to be living on it.