Legal Bill

It is time to get a new phone and I can tell you I am sick of my BB. I believe it is the Tour or the World Phone. I got it two years ago to replace my old BB and I just assumed it would do everything better and faster than my old unit. It does not. While it is still a great e-mail device, it is a terrible internet device. The track ball does not do a very good job navigating the menu icons and it also jumps around on text that I am writing if I want to go back and edit or add something in an e-mail.

I use Verizon service as I find their service/network is the most complete in terms of coverage and signal strength in the areas I usually find myself, and even those I only occasionally travel to.

I am going to spend much more time choosing my next phone and thought I'd ask my friends here for their thoughts on the various phones and operating systems now available.

FAQs

1. What do you use your phone for now?
Telephone calls, e-mails and some texting. It is also my contact book and calendar synched to my office system which is microsoft based. My office supports Droid and I-Phone systems as well.

2. What features do you need?
Full keyboard, Bluetooth conectivity to my BMW, and a camera and GPS would be nice. A big screen would also be nice. The BB screen is tiny.

3. What would you like to use your new phone for?
In addition to the above, I'd like to be able to get on the internet and navigate sites quickly. I'm not sure I'd use any of the many apps available, but it would be nice to try some.

4. What other functionality is important?
The key board has to be easy to use. This is probably the only reason that the BB is still on my shopping list. Do any of the Droid or I-Phones have a keyboard that works as well as the BB's? The screen based keyboards I have tried seem to be slow, and easily miss intended letters. The owners of the I-phones and Droids will usually confess that the keyboards are not as good as BB's, while others claim "you get used to it."

Thanks for your thoughts.

Zippy

1. Droid 2
2. Droid 2 and Droid global are the only phones with "hard" keyboards on Verizon, I believe. Be sure that your new phone will pair with your car, the benefit is great. All smart phones will use Google maps or another mapping ap to give you GPS. I use "CarDock" which was preinstalled on my phone and Google Maps. They all have cameras and some can stream HD video content.
3. I use my phone for Nav, Internet, solving crosswords, playing very silly games...you get the picture. I use it a lot more than I thought.
4. My keyboard is great, but after a year of using it, I find that the "soft" keyboard works quite well also.
The Verizon I-phone will not multitask, Android phones allow you to speak on the speaker phone and do something else with the phone.

The Samsungs and LGs use an OLED display which is really nice. I would seriously look at 4G, the speed quite amazing, but some of the handsets have an issue with battery life.

Triple-H

I'm intending to move up to a Droid X, I want the largest screen I can get
I too an with Verizon, and have zero interest in ever changing, their coverage is just too good for all the places I go
And I'm assuming as I step into a smart phone for the first time I'm going to be doing a ton of stuff with it
I should also add, lots of the account people here have the Droid in various models, and they all seem to be very happy with them. The people here with the iPhone are happy with the phone, but coverage can be an issue (BTW- what good is the best phone in the world if their is no coverage???) and I hear more people complaining about their BlackBery and Samsung models.

Scooterboy

Zippy has all the answers!

I also use the Droid 2 and am very happy. I moved from an iPhone and while I liked most of the iPhone I was not happy with the amonut of screen that the keyboard used. With the Droid 2 I get the full screen plus a hard keyboard.

silvershadow

I have Verizon as well. Almost two years ago, I bought the original Droid and am still using it, though I go by the Verizon store every once in awhile and drool over the new phones.

I like the slide out keyboard, and use it exclusively. I find the onscreen keyboard to be hard to use with lots of multiple key hits.

My phone is my office phone since I travel so much. I text, get e-mails, take photos for work, do internet searches, use it as a calculator, etc.

I like the Droid operating system and the touch screen, it seems more user friendly than the trackball on the BB.

I have not used an I-phone but have thought about one since they integrate seamlessly into BMW's. However, my phone syncs with my BMW with no difficulty, but I do not get e-mail on my nav system (like you can wih an I-phone - I think). Sometimes, the phone and car don't recognize one another, and have to be made to shake hands again, but that is a simple process. I also find that the bluetooth connection doesn't work well when the car is hot inside (like it has been sitting out in the sun in the summer in AZ). However, my car is in the shop right now so I am driving a loaner 2011 328i, and the bluetooth works great in that car (I MISS my 335 D!)

I use my phones navigation system quite a bit as I am traveling in towns that I don't know that well. The apps are very useful - I use Yelp all the time to find restaurants when I travel.

The only thing I would like my phone to do is access apps via voice command. I find the phone next to impossible to use while driving - so therefore I don't - but it would be nice to be able to access some apps via voice.

Tadashi

We just got iPhones and love them. I never used my phone much but do tons of stuff now. Apple products in general are VERY intuitive and easy to use.

The keyboard is easy to use, if you flip the phone on it's side in most applications the keyboard flips over wider and keys are bigger. It takes great pictures, will send them in a text message or email with one or two taps of your finger, tons of apps (one of the first I got was where are local bathrooms)

Text messaging, Emails, web browsing, I've updated my banking a few times, Facebook (if anyone in Vintage cares), videos, netflix watching, iPod, syncing your music, calendars, to do lists, emails, contacts, etc etc, the list goes on and on.

I can't believe Doug isn't getting an iPhone and instead will be running a non Apple operating system

MsPerky

Get the Verizon 4G Thunderbolt. The +1 got one six days after it came on the market. Loves it. It does have the screen keyboard but that means the screen is larger. You will be able to do everything you want, and fast!! Go to the Verizon store and check it out. You will probably have to charge it often, though, like maybe every night depending on what you are using it for. There is a price to pay for all that speed.

He is also getting another Crackberry without camera for work and is not happy about it. But his boss wants him to get it so they can communicate during meetings (and probably every other hour of the day, since they are indispensable employees - right.) No camera for security reasons.

jdmst71

Get a thunderbolt and extended battery. Verizon is doing away with the unlimited data plans July 7 and the new pricing structure stinks imo. The phone is 4g capable and you will be grandfathered into unlimited data on Verizon's expanding 4g network so you will not have the itch to upgrade for quite a while.

MsPerky

You probably only need the extended battery if you are streaming video or playing games. The +1 is doing pretty much what you want to do - he just charges it every night. If you get one, the +1 will give you some tips for usage, such as Advanced Task Killer, which maximizes battery life. You should also download Lookout, which is the security app. It's free. Also, the SI Swimsuit App. Don't think that one is free, though.

greenbean57

I have a BB and an iPhone for work. BB to me has only one good purpose. And that is to crank out emails. It sucks as a browser. It sucks as a phone (AT&T) And after less thanayear the batteries suck on it as well. I have the curve. The iPhone has a great camera, and does a fantastic and fast job of surfing the net while you're doing a number 2. But I can't send or write a decent and quick email on that thing if my life depended on it. Guess it is a matter on what u ntend to use it primarily for. Oh and apps installation sucks on my curve as well.