Cell Phone Confusion!

[jedishampoo]

So I finally got a Kindle and got my iPod working... and when little bits started falling off my pink Motorola Razr cell phone this week, I thought to myself, "I'll get a new, nicer phone!" (I've had the Razr since 2007.)

Well, I went to the AT&T store and. basically, unless I get a smartphone like an iPhone or an Android and subsequently upgrade my plan another $15 or more bucks a month, then my choices are... crap. Their phones were so awful-looking! The gal at the store mentioned that people who come in with Razrs are often disappointed, because they have a love relationship with their Razr, ha.

So I have a question:

(1) Does anyone know of a nice phone-- nice like the Razr except newer-- that works with AT&T, and how do I get it?

(2) Should I just shut up and get an iPhone? Or is the 'Droid better, in addition to having an awesome name? And I know that for the $15 extra data plan I would not get unlimited data, but 250mb a month. Realistically, is this enough to not incur over-data charges?

(3) OH! And do any new phones, regular or smartphone, have a little clippy so I can hang my darned cell-phone charms from them? Seriously! Why make cell-phone charms that can hang from no phone sold in the USA? Grr.

I hope everyone's having an awesome Friday!

Comments

[kansouame.livejournal.com]

I finally broke down and got an iphone...

which I found out... talks to my Kindle.

I love them both.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

And what does your naughty iPhone say to the Kindle? ;)

[kansouame.livejournal.com]

Well.. my iphone goes...

"Hey, I want to read some boi porn"

The Kindle replies, "Ok, here is where perv-girl left off last night. Don't let the boss catch you and let me know where you stop so that I can start her up on the right page."

Iphone smirks. "Of course and we won't get caught reading porn at work ... hopefully."

It's all I could ever hope for. My needs are few. LOL OH.. and it plays my tunes on my roadtrip that works also with my iPod.

edited for bad spelling.. but then realized I am toasted and tired and hopes you just forgive me instead. *grin*

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

So you can transfer files and read them and even hold places? Very cool.

I will always forgive toasty spelling from you. :)

[kansouame.livejournal.com]

Yep.. they have a Kindle app. It downloads anything you have purchased (sadly not the fanfics I have loaded via my computer). You can read from the beginning or if it is something you are reading on your Kindle and you leave your wireless on... the Kindle will tell the iphone where you are in the story and visa versa.

I mean it's not why you want to pick a phone but let me tell you... it is my most used app XD

edited to tell you the app was free ... and cause I just wanted to leave you another edit. *snort*

[caeseria.livejournal.com]

OMG. I love my Razr and I'm never parting with it. iPhone be damned!!

I don't get the stuffs about the cell phone charms either. It's one of the reasons I keep my Razr ;)

::HUGS::

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I'm considering just getting a new Razr from E-bay, haha! I love that darned phone.

And HELLZ YEAH, CELL PHONE CHARMS FTW! I want to jingle with my anime boys when I talk on my pink phone!

[wisteria02.livejournal.com]

Well, if you're looking for a smartphone, I'd recommend a 'Droid phone (I have it and I love it to bits). Sony Ericsson has a wonderful range. I just don't know if it works with AT&T though, but I guess it should.

About the clippy, if the phones don't have 'em, you can always buy cellphone cases that do!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Really? I've never had a cellphone case so I never knew. (I am tough on phones, which is part of why I love my Razr so... it has withstood a LOT.) Because dang, I do love my cellphone charms. I have the phone of a 14-year-old Japanese girl.

I've heard good things about both 'Droids and iPhones both... except for the phone part-- you have any trouble hearing on it? :)

[wisteria02.livejournal.com]

The calls come in loud and clear. But maybe it also has something to do with the service providers?

My phone is a Sony Xperia x10, running on 'Droid software. My housemate has the iphone4 and we practically have the same apps (the better to play interactive games with each other).

Well, except for the Face Time, I think only the iphone4 has that. But there are also loads of fantastic free apps from 'Droid if you want them. As for the bulkiness... I like phones with HUGE screens, the better to surf, view and watch stuff with.

I dangle my phone charms from the slot in my phone case that I had bought from ebay.

[chomiji]

I love my Droid phone! It is a Droid Pro, and I have had it about a month. But it is the first smart phone I have had - nothing with which to compare it. We got the Young Lady a Droid Eris about a year ago, and she likes it pretty well. The Mr has a Droid X, but he's also toting two work-related BlackBerry devices. I told him he needs a bandoleer.

The Mr. and I got our new phones under a deal that Verizon was cutting for established family plans. It was basically buy one, get one free.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

The Mr. carries three phones? Holy moley, how confusing! A bandoleer would indeed seem to be necessary. :)

Most smart phones are pretty cheap with an upgrade through AT&T... but it's the extra price per month I'm balking at. It always comes with hidden costs above and beyond what they tell you, ya know?

Thank you for your thoughts!

[clytemnaestra.livejournal.com]

I'm in the market for a new phone as well, and am also conflicted! I have no interest in the iPhone because every person I know who has one complains endlessly about it, and I hate iTunes with a fiery passion. But I'm honestly not all that enamored with the Droid phones either because they're so bulky! The one I'm looking at getting right now is a Samsung Continuum, but I have Verizon so I don't know if AT&T carries that.

It sucks that American phones don't have places for cell phone charms! I love my Samsung Sway to death, but I wish it had one.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

iTunes enrages me often... but mostly because it does so much automatically that I'd prefer to control myself! Plus it doesn't recognize burns from elsewhere (shared music from my friends, what? who?). ;)

Haha, I feel like such a dork with my charm-y phone, but it makes me happy so who cares?

You'll have to tell me what you get, eventually!

[hollywdliz.livejournal.com]

All I know is, they can have my iPhone when they pry it from my cold dead hands. Also, the DocsToGo app is great for reading porny fanfic. Er, so I've heard. Um.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

It's annoying when porny fanfic just sort of shows up on your electronic devices, right? ;)

The iPhone does seem pretty handy with all its apps...

[athena8.livejournal.com]

I've had an iPhone since there were iPhones to be had, and I love it. I've tried my friend's smartphone (I think it was a Droid), and the touch screen interface isn't nearly as smooth. This annoyed me to no end when I was trying to browse the web with it, because it wouldn't behave with the kind of precision I'm used to. I probably sound like an iPhone snob, lol. The other thing to consider is that iPhones have thousands of apps and you'll eventually wonder what the heck ever did without them. X)

I recommend you try out a few in the store, see how you like the interface. Better yet, borrow a friend's device and see it in the wild. It's a big investment, so worth the hands-on research, I think. Good luck!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Haha, I knew that you were an iPhone fanatic. ;) What you said is what I'm wondering, actually... will I get one and wonder how I lived without it? But you had a great suggestion, to-- use a friend's. I'm gonna start asking people if I may please see their smartphone for a few minutes. :) Thank you, dear!

[alienchrist.livejournal.com]

A friend of my boasted that his Droid was the hottest thing on the block, but we couldn't get maps to load on his phone in the middle of a crowded urban area - I've never seen that problem with iPhone. That's all I can really comment about Droids though. My father has a Blackberry but isn't in love with it and I think he has issues with the screen size. I personally have an LG Quantum that I'm just getting to know but love so far - I find it to have some useful features that really improve the smartphone experience, and I like the handling/feel of the phone and price was awesome. However, if you're already used to your iPod/iTunes than an iPhone is probably the way to go. They are pretty damned cool, and continue to have the market cornered when it comes to things like apps.

Honestly, I wasn't totally sold on smartphones until a friend got one and it did end up being really useful for every day things, such as finding a good place to eat in the area, where the nearest movie theater is that's playing that thing you wanted to see that's sold out right now and are there restaurants near there, and so on. It really does make things easy... so long as it works properly.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I might be like you-- not sold until I see them in action more, on a level I can relate to. :)

I feel like I don't need it to read, though, 'cause I got the Kindle, and I don't need it to play music, 'cause I have the iPod... but if I can actually use it on the road, that might be cool.

Thanks for your thoughts! ♥

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

I don't know why I'm awake (okay, I do - I was reading :-P) but yay for sleep day off!

I upgraded my ancient AT&T phone to an iPhone last October, and I love it. But I didn't get the new 4G phone. I got an older 3G because I wanted the 32GB one and didn't want to spend a gazillion dollars for it.

I bought it online, and then I went to the AT&T store and they activated it for me. It was $99. It's a refurbished one, not brand new, but you'd never know and it works perfectly. I would recommend buying it online because it's probably cheaper. I got the basic package plus 500 text messages. So far I haven't overrun, but I don't use mine as frequently as other people do. I use it as my iPod mostly. :-P

I hate that there's no place for my charms! I had Sanzo and Roy Mustang on my old phone! :-P

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, you had to lose your charms, too? Sigh. I have Hakkai, Gojyo, and England (from Hetalia) on there right now. Sanzo fell off and is not around to worm his way back between Hakkai and Gojyo. I should get him fixed.

Thanks for the thoughts, dearie! :;hugs::

[knitress.livejournal.com]

I have an iPhone and the low level data plan. I haven't gone over my limit once in the last 6 months. I don't watch vids on it at all, though, and I load things like podcasts and such at home, where I'm not using the cell network for the data traffic.

I got a smartphone because I needed to be able to check email over cell networks for some work things.

I'd check out different stores and see what they carry, and consider providers besides AT&T if you are definite that you want a regular phone. You might even consider going prepaid. My nieces have Virgin Mobile phones and lots of cell phone charms!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I kinda gotta stick with AT&T right now, but mostly because I've put the rest of the family on my plan so they can have cheap cell phone usage. Aren't I nice? :)

I think I'll go play with other people's phones, though, to see if getting the e-mail and stuff is as useful as it might sound. Thanks for your thoughts!

[yav-14.livejournal.com]

Absolutely adore my iPhone. I'd highly recommend it.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

They look cool! It's just such a commitment. ;)

[eliz.livejournal.com]

I love love love my EVO (Android phone on Sprint from HTC). I love it so much you couldn't get me to trade it for an iPhone to save my life. So that's a strong "Hells yes" in the "should I consider a 'droid phone".

And you can get the Kindle app for free as well on the android phones, the most current version comes with it (I think).

There's lots of games and such- it's such a choice little fun machine to play with- I can watch TV or movies, I use it as GPS backup (if I don't have our Garmin with me) and to check out maps- it is speedy and the best thing about having a smart phone? You know when you're out and about and you're talking to a friend and a question comes up that neither of you know the answer and it drives you nuts --- well you can whip out the phone and HAVE THE ANSWER as soon as you can type into google.

I can't believe how awesome the future is for my kid. Knowledge is Power!

All that said, have you thought about changing providers? Having worked for AT&T and dealing with my mom's phone dropping calls all the time, I loathe ATT. I'm on Sprint which has always had awesome coverage wherever I go and there's the bonus of being the first to go 4G.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

The maps function would probably be really, really handy. :)

I get futzed at AT&T now and then, but I've just put my mom and brother on my account so they can have cheap cell-phone... and now I can't change for two years unless I make Mom take it over. But my cellphone service has certainly always been available, so I can't gripe at them for that.

Thank you for sharing your experiences! ♥

[7veilsphaedra.livejournal.com]

Virgin Mobile has the best customer service hands down in Canada ... so Samsung for smartphones.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

They do have lots of Samsung products available for my upgrade... there are just so many! Such a decision. :)

♥♥

[minidrag33.livejournal.com]

I have Samsung phone called MOMENT it is Sprint service. I like it. It has a slide out keyboard and touch screen. Google search bar on the main screen and Droid.

I don't use a carrying case. I keep it in my pocket all day. I do use screen protector (tacky plastic sheet on the screen). It protects it from scratches. I change the protection sheet every couple of months. Underneath it looks new.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I've seen those tacky sheets for the screens! They make them for the Kindle, too. They seem like a good idea. :)

Thanks for stopping by. ♥ How does the tiny slide-out keyboard work for you? They look so small to me!

[minidrag33.livejournal.com]

I like the keyboard. It is fine for me. I like that it is set up QWERTY style.

[annathepiper]

Whether or not you'll consider the iPhone better than a Droid will probably depend on what you want to get out of your phone. The main difference between them, for my money, is that the iPhone's app store is a closed-garden situation where all apps that get posted have to be vetted by Apple first. With the Droid app store, it's totally open, so whatever apps you put on your phone won't be necessarily guaranteed to have as much quality control.

With decent software providers this won't be a problem, but it is something to keep an eye out for if you have any interest in apps from independent sources.

Also, in my experience, the Droid tends to be more interesting to folks who are more inclined to want to hack their own phones, do custom configurations on them, and essentially treat them more like tiny computers than you can easily do with an iPhone.

Also, there is a pretty wide range of Droid phones available. "I want a Droid" is a lot less specific than "I want an iPhone"--since with an iPhone, you know the device you're going to get. There are a whole range of phones that run the Android operating system and they aren't all necessarily going to behave the same way.

Re: AT&T--FWIW, Dara and I both have been pretty happy with our iPhones, but we're kind of crankypants at AT&T these days so there's a non-zero possibility we'll be switching over to Droids next time we get new phones. But this is purely a question of being crankypants at AT&T, because of the sporadic quality of the connectivity, and because of how they've been making noises about slapping data limits on newer customers. Dara and I barely use our iPhones as phones, so we're way more interested in the data connectivity than we are in number of calling minutes or whatever.

Long story short--before you commit to a specific phone, check your local phone service providers and see how they compare on which smartphones they provide. I don't know of any technical reason why a Droid phone shouldn't talk to AT&T, but you should probably browse the AT&T website and see if they list any Droid models in particular.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

You see, I had no clue whatsoever that 'Droid phones were more than just a brand of phone, like the iPhone... That's how backwards I am in regards to smartphones. :)

I would probably be leaning towards iPhones as the most-known quantity, and AT&T does have good prices on them. I don't blame you for being cranky, because AT&T are dipshits and I've heard terrible things about Uverse-- but I certainly can't say that I've never had regular cell-phone coverage with them; it's the data network I'd be having to deal with, though. And I'm stuck with AT&T for another two years, anyway, 'cause I got my mom a cell phone on my plan. I think I'd be stuck, that is.

Thank you for your informed experiences! I'll probably have to actually play with some of them before I decide.

(And happy birthday!)

[annathepiper]

You're most welcome, and good luck on making your selection! :) And thanks for the b-day wishes! :)

[wookiee99.livejournal.com]

I miss my RAZR!!! It broke and was under warranty. But I was told they couldn't fix it, and they sent me an LG. It is NO WHERE near as good a the RAZR. I'm so fed up with phones, I think I'm going to go to Walmart and get one like my mother's which you just pay for minutes used. I'm not on the phone that much, so it would probably be cheaper. But is needs to take my SD card chip.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Aw, man! I'd be fed up if I didn't just rely on my cell phone for so many things... calling, alarm clock, you name it. Except internet! I still haven't used it for that.

The pay-as-you-go phones aren't bad, but you just have to be sure the minutes you buy don't expire on you. :)

::hugs::

[slyvermont.livejournal.com]

I adore my iPhone too. But I'm an Apple person, so I come with a bias. I have no issues with iTunes, and I like being able to use my computer to look for and download apps -- something you can't do with Droids (as I understand them).

From what I've read, it's going to be harder and harder to get a cellphone without a data plan/Internet access. I think it's a bummer for people who don't want to spend that kind of money (yes, it is expensive). I really don't need to have constant access to the Internet, but now that I have it, I can't imagine life without it.

Someone suggested playing with both the iPhone and Droids-- I agree with that. There are also websites that review phones -- there are so many Droids out there that I would need to read reviews to help me figure out which one to get.

I haven't gotten a Kindle yet -- I am so so close! I guess I need to make sure I don't want a Nook before I make the plunge.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I never used to like Apple products-- at least Mac computers-- but some of their gadgets are nifty, I'll admit. I've been considering the iPhone, seriously, as the known quantity. A couple people at work have those and have promised to show me how they work, tool.

I love the Kindle! I chose it over the Nook mostly because it's that "known quantity." And I order online from Amazon a lot, anyway, so it was convenient.

Thankya!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

*waves* Here via a little random browsing of friends-friends...

1. As folks have noted, if you're not crazy about any of the phones being offered directly by AT&T, look around Amazon/eBay/etc. and spec out models that are compatible with AT&T's network, you'll have a wider choice that way, and may even be able to find new/refurbed Razrs if you really want to stick with your current model

2. FWIW, I recently upgraded from a 2007-ish Samsung to a smartphone on AT&T (an older Blackberry, in my case -- I don't really care for Apple products and the Droid phones available weren't yet in a price range I liked, plus Blackberry is pretty much the best option at the moment if you're the sort of person who wants to monitor multiple email accounts) -- YMMV depending on what your current phone plan is like and what sort of usage patterns you'd have with a smartphone, but my current bill is only about $5 more than it was for my old phone, and the phone is sooooo much more useful and fun than my old non-smart Samsung, I finally feel like I'm getting more of my money's worth. I have not even come close to exceeding the 250mb quota yet, even with frequent email checking and web browsing, and occasional downloading of new apps, ebooks, etc.; it might be a different story if you want to frequently send or stream video, music, etc., but for just checking/sending basic email and web browsing, you should be OK.

3. I too have a phone-charm collection worthy of a Japanese middle-school girl, so the lack of an attachment point on the Blackberry bummed me out. But have no fear, you can get stick-on charm holders for phones that don't have them built in! I'm been using one of these (http://www.accessorygeeks.com/universal-adhesive-o-ring.html) quite happily for several months now -- the adhesive is holding up great and the gunmetal color blends in well with my phone. Strapya World (http://www.strapya-world.com/categories/12_646_5597.html) has a different style that comes in a range of colors, and other styles sometimes show up on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/Smart-Phone-Adhesive-Button-Charm-Connector-/280598092201?pt=UK_Jewellery_Watches_CostumeJewellery_CA&hash=item4154f319a9). Where there's a will (and a massive collection of jingly charms to be used), there's a way! ^_^

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Hi there! ::waves::

Actually, that helps A LOT to know that general e-mail checking and whatnot probably won't send me over the monthly limit. I probably wouldn't stream either. And oh, I was shocked to see how many AT&T-compatible cell phones they have on E-bay. The deals are really good (though the AT&T store does, admittedly, seem to have good prices, too).

And OMG! I'm bookmarking those sites in case I need the stick-on charm holders. I think my dilemma has been solved, seriously. (The charm thing was actually a really important sticking point for me... for some reason, the charms make me happy, and I love being happy.) ♥

Thank you for stopping by with your experience in these matters!

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of help! The downside to buying a phone outright from someplace online is the cost isn't subsidized in whole/part from your phone provider, but the upside is that you're not getting locked into a new contract to makeup for the "free" or discounted phone. So if you wind up not being happy with your new phone or data plan, you're at least free to jump ship to a different model or phone company if need be without incurring any early-termination penalties.

I just looked back over my bills and whoops, with the reshuffling of plans I'm paying $10 more total, not $5 -- I think my memory was conflating the overall bill with the price difference between individual plan features when I switched over -- my old plan had a "Media Bundle" for $10/mo. that included 1MB of data and 400 text/multimedia messages, the new data plan is $15 for 250MB, texting plans are a separate small fee if you want to add that feature. I *definitely* went over the 1MB frequently on the old plan if I wasn't careful, and that was even with web-browsing/email on the old phone being so slow and buggy that even without the financial incentive, it was annoying and awkward enough to discourage frequent use! With the new plan, I check Gmail frequently via a dedicated app, have a bunch of other subsidiary email addresses going straight to the phone, read LJ and other webpages and Google stuff constantly, read ebooks (there are Kindle apps for a lot of recent phones, if you want to keep things synched up with your ereader), and so forth -- even with sending/downloading photos occasionally, the 250MB has been plenty sufficient for my usage, and it's sooo convenient being able to look up anything I need on the go. And if you're worried that you might go a little internet-crazy and overdo it, there's an AT&T app available for a lot of phone models that will let you monitor your usage and keep a closer eye on how close you are to exceeding your minutes/data/text quotas. :)

(And I'm so glad to see so many other phone charm junkies here -- I cannot resist those happy little jingly things and have them all over my camera and MP3 players and zipper pulls on wallets/purses too as well as my phone, but I never really seem to see very many other people around here who use them!)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Good to know the 250mb is enough for stuff like that. I would definitely have Gmail on perma-check, haha. The extra data plan required for my AT&T account would be $15 more a month, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth it. It seems I pay so much in cell phone already-- though part of that is having my mom and brother on my plan (I pay for my mom, and my brother lost his job, so he's getting a bill when he finds work again, heh heh.)

Wow, sounds like apps for everything! I am so bad already with Firefox addons; it makes me wonder if I'd manage to get off my ass, find all the apps and use them!

Oh, and now I gotta check those sites for extra phone-charm straps/cords-- mine have just broken. I don't know what I did to stress the poor things out.

Thanks, seriously, for all the info! ♥♥