In cancellation period - what phone/network/contract next?

[Anonymous]

Hi

Long term user of Orange UK. I don't really mind Orange; in Glasgow where I stay I have a really good reception with my Nokia 6301.

But I need a smartphone. I've got to be online for access to emails/twitter. I work in IT so I'm probably a geek and need to be online 24x7. Can't miss a news or sport story and all that....

My questions are:

- what is the best network out there, and specifially the 3G network? I don't want to get annoyed by poor connections/rates. Bear in mind I'm in Glasgow, but from the providers network coverage data it looks a fight between Orange, O2 and Vodafone.

- what is the best smartphone - Been looking at
new Iphone,
HTC Magic(Android), - lack of 3.5mm headphone jack is putting me off
Nokia 5800

this is the hardest question. The more I look at the new iPhone, it's probably a no-brainer! So many apps and has been around for a year or so now.
I would use,
twitter
camera
video
gmail
youtube
iplayer
safari/chrome
google maps
linkedin
RSS
facebook
flickr
games
picaso
blogspot
...now I know some of the apps may or may not exist, but these are what I use daily at my laptop. Perhaps the HTC Magic/Andriod combo will have these apps soon?

My other concern is that Apple make these massive announcements for features that should already exist ie cut and paste. Seems pretty lame, what else is missing, that is standard elsewhere? Will Android become a bigger player in a year or so?

- should I stay with Orange and wait for their Android phone?

- who has the best customer service? Best reputation?

It's such a big decision because of 18th month contracts (can't afford to buy just phone). I guess I can try ALL the phones/networks, and return within cooling off period if not happy? Anyone else done this?

Thanks in advance for your assistance, I have Orange phoning me 6 times a day desperate for me to upgrade, and I'm getting annoyed, I need to make a decision....

[Anonymous]

What about a Blackberry?

[Anonymous]

I take it, that by the omission in your post you're not a fan of Windows Mobile?

You're right, 18 months is a big commitment, although the 14 day return offered by most providers at least gives you the chance to test out a phone and network coverage.

I'm an iPhone owner but not a fanboy, and if I was already on Vodafone, I'd have had a good look at the Magic.

But I think Android phones have a way to go to catch up with the app support of the iPhone. With OS 3.0 out in the next few days with MMS and cut & paste, I do think the iPhone is the best smartphone out there for ease of use.

I had an HTC Touch Diamond last, and it had a lot of good points, but compared to the slickness and speed of the iPhone it was very sluggish and certainly WM isn't finger friendly.

On holiday in Scotland a couple of years ago (Loch Ness / Inverness) I rarely got a signal, my wife always got a signal on Vodafone. Same goes for everywhere we travel in Britain, she always seems to have better signal strength. Having had 35 phones in 11 years, it's certainly not the handsets affecting the signal

I don't now much about Android but what I have read seems positive. I'd say it's a choice for you between Vodafone / HTC Magic and o2 / iPhone.

SV

[Anonymous]

What about a Blackberry?

Recommend them? Kinda assumed that it was more business use...don't need it for business per say. Multimedia apps/music/podcasts would turn out handy for commuting to work etc...

thanks

[Anonymous]

I take it, that by the omission in your post you're not a fan of Windows Mobile?
You're right, 18 months is a big commitment, although the 14 day return offered by most providers at least gives you the chance to test out a phone and network coverage.
I'm an iPhone owner but not a fanboy, and if I was already on Vodafone, I'd have had a good look at the Magic.
But I think Android phones have a way to go to catch up with the app support of the iPhone. With OS 3.0 out in the next few days with MMS and cut & paste, I do think the iPhone is the best smartphone out there for ease of use.
I had an HTC Touch Diamond last, and it had a lot of good points, but compared to the slickness and speed of the iPhone it was very sluggish and certainly WM isn't finger friendly.
On holiday in Scotland a couple of years ago (Loch Ness / Inverness) I rarely got a signal, my wife always got a signal on Vodafone. Same goes for everywhere we travel in Britain, she always seems to have better signal strength. Having had 35 phones in 11 years, it's certainly not the handsets affecting the signal
I don't now much about Android but what I have read seems positive. I'd say it's a choice for you between Vodafone / HTC Magic and o2 / iPhone.
SV

Thanks very much for reply. I've never tried the Windows Mobile. Recommend? I don't need MS apps/business apps but I do use MS Office at work, not sure I want to go down the business route. I work long enough hours This is for play, and phone use.

I think I'll order a HTC Magic, and an Iphone when new ones are available, and decide within 14 days

Oh, push notifications. Gmail specifically would be great. Not yet on Iphone?

Would hate to commit to contract, and then better phones to appear
ta

[Anonymous]

What about a Blackberry?

Recommend them? Kinda assumed that it was more business use...don't need it for business per say. Multimedia apps/music/podcasts would turn out handy for commuting to work etc...
thanks

Nope, I don't think some of the newer ones are proper business use phones, they're being used by a much younger market now. I have the 8900 and its awesome.

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much for reply. I've never tried the Windows Mobile. Recommend?

I would recommend the top Windows Mobile phones. I believe Orange have the HTC Touch HD, I know that gets very good reviews.

The major benefit of WM is its customisability. Also you can add any software that's written for Windows Mobile. You're not tied to an App Store where everything is licensed / vetted.

The downside of WM is that there are a lot of tiny menu's and you generally have to get the stylus out quite often. It can also be quite slow at times.

Having tried both WM phones and the iPhone I much prefer the finger-friendliness of the Apple OS. That said, an update to the Windows Mobile OS (6.5) is due out soon, if it's not been released already, which should rely less on the stylus.

SV

[Anonymous]

What about a Blackberry?

Recommend them? Kinda assumed that it was more business use...don't need it for business per say. Multimedia apps/music/podcasts would turn out handy for commuting to work etc...
thanks

Nope, I don't think some of the newer ones are proper business use phones, they're being used by a much younger market now. I have the 8900 and its awesome.

Thanks, looks impressive, and Orange do it (but out of stock)....following a few blackberry twitters to get more info. Lack of 3G? Not a problem?

[Anonymous]

With regards to WM phones, the Touch Pro2 has just been released, better version of the Touch HD from what I see. It uses a custom interface to avoid the fidly WM menus. Not sure if/when O2 will make it part of their XDA range, might be worth looking at if it gets released soon.

[Anonymous]

What about a Blackberry?

Recommend them? Kinda assumed that it was more business use...don't need it for business per say. Multimedia apps/music/podcasts would turn out handy for commuting to work etc...
thanks

Nope, I don't think some of the newer ones are proper business use phones, they're being used by a much younger market now. I have the 8900 and its awesome.

Thanks, looks impressive, and Orange do it (but out of stock)....following a few blackberry twitters to get more info. Lack of 3G? Not a problem?

The BlackBerry Bold (9000) has 3G, its exactly the same as the 8900, just slightly bigger and a slightly better processor.

I've got to say its the best phone I've owned. The camera on it is the bee's knees as well.