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New cell phone

Started by nathanm, April 12, 2012, 03:28:18 PM

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nathanm

April 12, 2012, 03:28:18 PM
Unfortunately, it's time for a new cell phone and I'm having a terrible time deciding what I want. I can't buy one of at&t's phones lest they make me switch to one of their capped data plans and pay $20 more a month if I'd like to keep messaging. I'm thinking either a Galaxy Nexus or a Nokia N9. (which can also run Android ICS, should I get tired of Meego)

What else should I be looking at?
"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration" --Abraham Lincoln

Townsend

#1
April 12, 2012, 03:32:51 PM
Quote from: nathanm on April 12, 2012, 03:28:18 PM
Unfortunately, it's time for a new cell phone and I'm having a terrible time deciding what I want. I can't buy one of at&t's phones lest they make me switch to one of their capped data plans and pay $20 more a month if I'd like to keep messaging. I'm thinking either a Galaxy Nexus or a Nokia N9. (which can also run Android ICS, should I get tired of Meego)

What else should I be looking at?

Look who's baiting a geek fight.

nathanm

#2
April 12, 2012, 03:37:58 PM
Quote from: Townsend on April 12, 2012, 03:32:51 PM
Look who's baiting a geek fight.

Nah, iPhones are out since they require a new data plan, so there's not much to fight about. ;)
"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration" --Abraham Lincoln

Hoss

#3
April 12, 2012, 03:43:04 PM
Quote from: nathanm on April 12, 2012, 03:37:58 PM
Nah, iPhones are out since they require a new data plan, so there's not much to fight about. ;)

On AT&T at least it's kinda weird.  They have data plans for all the other phones (Android, Windows, BlackBerry), and then their own special plan for the iPhone.  Not sure what's up with that.  When I switched from one to the other (iPhone to Android) I didn't think I needed to do anything.  I was wrong.

Townsend

#4
April 12, 2012, 03:43:22 PM
Quote from: nathanm on April 12, 2012, 03:37:58 PM
Nah, iPhones are out since they require a new data plan, so there's not much to fight about. ;)

Wait for it.

Might as well ask who the worst actor was on the Star Wars prequels.  Shouldn't be a fight either...but there would be.

nathanm

#5
April 12, 2012, 03:50:39 PM
Hoss, I still have a Media Works plan from 2004 with unlimited data, 1500 text messages, and 200 multimedia messages. IOW, plenty for me. It never had any language in the T&C about not using with smartphones (Cingular didn't even know what a smartphone was at the time, this was even before PDA Connect), and I have been using it with a long series of smartphones, including a couple Cingular sold, since early 2005 but I'd rather avoid any hassle. I can be fairly certain they won't complain about an N9. Not sure about the Galaxy Nexus, though.
"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration" --Abraham Lincoln

Hoss

#6
April 12, 2012, 03:55:43 PM
Quote from: nathanm on April 12, 2012, 03:50:39 PM
Hoss, I still have a Media Works plan from 2004 with unlimited data, 1500 text messages, and 200 multimedia messages. IOW, plenty for me. It never had any language in the T&C about not using with smartphones (Cingular didn't even know what a smartphone was at the time, this was even before PDA Connect), and I have been using it with a long series of smartphones, including a couple Cingular sold, since early 2005 but I'd rather avoid any hassle. I can be fairly certain they won't complain about an N9. Not sure about the Galaxy Nexus, though.

You'll have to change carriers I'm pretty sure; they'll grandfather you in on AT&T to a limited plan.

nathanm

#7
April 12, 2012, 04:00:07 PM
Quote from: Hoss on April 12, 2012, 03:55:43 PM
You'll have to change carriers I'm pretty sure; they'll grandfather you in on AT&T to a limited plan.

Nah, it's just a matter of getting a phone that's not in their database. That part isn't the problem. The problem is figuring out which one to buy. ;)

Stupid broken MicroUSB port...
"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration" --Abraham Lincoln

Hoss

#8
April 12, 2012, 10:40:29 PM
Quote from: nathanm on April 12, 2012, 04:00:07 PM
Nah, it's just a matter of getting a phone that's not in their database. That part isn't the problem. The problem is figuring out which one to buy. ;)

Stupid broken MicroUSB port...

Ah, so you need an unlocked phone.

nathanm

#9
April 13, 2012, 12:08:36 AM
Quote from: Hoss on April 12, 2012, 10:40:29 PM
Ah, so you need an unlocked phone.

Unbranded, or at least not at&t branded. I decided to try a Galaxy Nexus about 3 minutes before Amazon's shipping cutoff. We'll see how it goes both on the phone front and the at&t front. I'm not terribly sure I'll enjoy Android as a phone, although I did find it perfectly fine when I was playing with SWMBO's dad's tablet last year. One of the things I always liked about Symbian (and didn't like about my N900) is that the OS was designed first and foremost to work as a phone, so it does that very well.
"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration" --Abraham Lincoln

Hoss

#10
April 13, 2012, 12:40:22 AM
Quote from: nathanm on April 13, 2012, 12:08:36 AM
Unbranded, or at least not at&t branded. I decided to try a Galaxy Nexus about 3 minutes before Amazon's shipping cutoff. We'll see how it goes both on the phone front and the at&t front. I'm not terribly sure I'll enjoy Android as a phone, although I did find it perfectly fine when I was playing with SWMBO's dad's tablet last year. One of the things I always liked about Symbian (and didn't like about my N900) is that the OS was designed first and foremost to work as a phone, so it does that very well.

Android works just fine as a phone. and if you have Google Phone, it works even better with that.  I use Google Phone as my voicemail on the Android I have.

sgrizzle

#11
April 13, 2012, 08:16:42 AM
Doing tech support for an app developer I've realized that Android phones are like TPS elementary schools.. there are some good ones, some okay ones and some real stinkers.

You'll be good with the galaxy nexus. Only problem I have with Samsung is that they are trying to migrate away from removable SD cards so now many of them have an "internal SD card" (really just internal storage) and an "external SD card" and having the two creates funny paths in the file system. If you can load a straight Android and ditch the crap the manufacturers put on it you'll be better off too. Don't do LG or HTC, some real stinkers coming out of those plants.

As far as AT&T goes, I thought they required a new data plan for 3G network access and that with the old plan you are relegated to Edge/GPRS only.

Conan71

#12
April 13, 2012, 08:20:29 AM
Quote from: nathanm on April 13, 2012, 12:08:36 AM
Unbranded, or at least not at&t branded. I decided to try a Galaxy Nexus about 3 minutes before Amazon's shipping cutoff. We'll see how it goes both on the phone front and the at&t front. I'm not terribly sure I'll enjoy Android as a phone, although I did find it perfectly fine when I was playing with SWMBO's dad's tablet last year. One of the things I always liked about Symbian (and didn't like about my N900) is that the OS was designed first and foremost to work as a phone, so it does that very well.

Phone?  People actually call each other on phones anymore?
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first" -Ronald Reagan

sgrizzle

#13
April 13, 2012, 08:22:21 AM
Quote from: Conan71 on April 13, 2012, 08:20:29 AM
Phone?  People actually call each other on phones anymore?

Speaking as someone who currently has 12,153 rollover minutes.... no

carltonplace

#14
April 13, 2012, 09:14:59 AM
Quote from: nathanm on April 12, 2012, 04:00:07 PM
Nah, it's just a matter of getting a phone that's not in their database. That part isn't the problem. The problem is figuring out which one to buy. ;)

Stupid broken MicroUSB port...

My microUSB is hosed too. Is this a common complaint? Is there a way to fix said data port?
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