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| MisterBear |
on Sun 21 Mar 10, 10:33 AM to MisterBear's blog.
I'm thinking of joining the 1980s by getting one of them new fangled phones that you can use when you aren't at home. But the question is what phone would suit my purposes?
Ok I do have a mobile but it's a works one and it's basically a load of crap, a Nokia E71. Can't even get on the bloody internet on it as it seems to want to use wireless connections that are no longer around and when they are it still won't connect or do anything. And it's so incredibly badly designed that you can't edit your settings, or if you can't how you do it is in some way that won't make any sense to anyone of a technical disposition.
Still I generally just use it for work calls/E-mail and loads of private text messages. On the whole that's generally all I really need from a phone. However, one of our previous work phones was an MDA III which was actually very good, except that it would lock up regularly, but then it did have Windows Mobile 2003 on it. And because it did have Windows on, there were plenty of things it could do like run TomTom, Microsoft Reader, and a variety of games like Slay.
TomTom came in handy for when I got sent to places I'd never been to before and involved loads of turns. Microsoft Reader was great as I could read some of my books on it which came in handy for those times I'm sat round waiting for software to install and there is nothing much else I can do. And the same with the games, a great way to pass the quiet moments.
However work in their infinite wisdom then went with a Blackberry which couldn't run anything of interest but did get E-mail. So I went and bought myself a PDA. It was cheap and second hand but lasted a while and then died. So I got another one, which was cheap and 2nd hand and is still around. However the screen is smaller so I can't play a lot of games due to the controls being off the bottom of the screen. It also locks up and dies and screws up at random. And the battery doesn't last long. It's actually a phone PDA but would be totally useless as a phone.
Work then changed our phones and failed miserably to go with a smartphone and we ended up with the Nokias. I've heard we might be getting new phones soon and so am hoping that something decent and usable will be obtained, but I'm not going to hold me breath.
So now I'm looking to find a decent smartphone that has a nice big touchscreen, and will allow me to read books on it and take notes. I'm also wanting t'internet access so I can check on a few things if necessary while at work, but I guess I won't be using it that much as I usually have internet access at work anyway. A decent camera would be nice but on the whole I don't care that much. GPS would also be good too.
Nokia is out as the E71 has put me right off. If you have to read a manual to use the main functions of a phone then the phone is badly designed.
No I don't want a AyPhone either. Far too expensive to run. I'm looking to be spending about £20 or so a month with free internet and free texts. Don't give a crap about talk time as I rarely talk on phones, but about 300 minutes will be more than fine unless something goes really wrong.
Is Android any good? Can you read books on it and what formats does it display?
What about GPS stuff, is there any free or cheap stuff that will guide you while driving or is it just that stuff that tells you where you are and where you want to go, but doesn't fill the space in between?
Is the current Windows Mobile any good? I know Windows 7 Mobile is on it's way, but have heard that there are features missing and that Microsoft is in their usual position of being 10 years behind the competition.
I might not be getting a phone soon as I still need to save up for a car, and you never know, Work might surprise me and get something really good, although I'd still like my own phone so I can keep certain things private. But maybe if I get a car sorted out then I can splash out on something and become a phone zombie.
Edited Sun 21 Mar 10, 10:43 AM by MisterBear
| 21 Mar 10, 12:31 PM roslynann UK(YO), 8 yrs |
I'm an Android fan - both myself and K have Heros (aka T-Mobile G2 Touch) - no probs with em - plus a firmware update due next month to give it more 'shiney' :D There is loads of software on the Android Market, including e-book readers. Bluetooth is the only letdown with the Hero - but that gets upgraded with the new firmware. *hugs* ros --- | |
| 21 Mar 10, 3:11 PM MisterBear UK(WA), 8 yrs  |
That did catch my eye and HTC did make the MDA III which I liked. I always behave. I just don't specify how. | |
| 21 Mar 10, 4:41 PM roslynann UK(YO), 8 yrs |
drop into a t-mob shop (or almost all networks now) and have a play with one it's good now, and should get better when the new firmware is released by the networks (it's already filtering through for the non-network-locked phones - sometimes you can get those from CPW *spit*) ros --- | |
| 21 Mar 10, 6:10 PM MisterBear UK(WA), 8 yrs |
The HTC Legend is looking interesting as it's the new Hero. Also the Nokia N900 has been added to the list but I need to do a bit more research into that. I always behave. I just don't specify how. |
