Friday
Aug212009
Some advice please! What cellphone should I get!?
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 10:02PM Right, let's do some crowd sourcing! I am an MTN cellphone user in South Africa - my contract renews on the 14th of September. Here's the advice I need, what cellphone should I get?
I already have an iPhone. My previous phone was a Nokia E90 which I loved! I need my phone to sync my email and calendar (preferably by MS Exchange, but blackberry or direct sync to my Mac could also do!), I also would prefer a good keyboard (so no predictive text options if possible!)
I would prefer a phone that has or can do the following:
- 3G
- Wifi
- Bluetooth
- Good camera (video video recording)
- Should be able to shoot & upload video to Qik.com
- GPS with free map service
- Fairly good battery life
- Fairly good web browser
- Must have a twitter (and facebook) app!
I was thinking about:
- Android phone
- Blackberry 9000
- Nokia N97 (but I've heard this is not a good phone at the moment! What have you heard?)
So, please spread the word, leave a comment and 'help-a-brother.com!' Please tweet this, or put it on facebook for a bit of help! You can add my twitter username @digitaldion
Thanks!
Dion
Reader Comments (13)
Hiya
You can't go wrong with a Nokia 6220 classic. Especially for those quick photo's. 5.0 mega pixel. My photo's downloaded onto computer are better than with my Canon camera! Worth taking a look at.
Love
Lizanne
PS I think it has all the other things you are looking for as well...
how about resisting the urge to consumerism and just keeping the excellent iphone you already have?
This is one of those things where I have to respond "I don't understand the question."
If you already have an iPhone, what more do you need? Not that I understand an iPhone either. I've seen pictures of them, and they seem to have occult symbols instead of numbers and letters on the keypad, so perhaps they aren't phones at all. Can you actually phone with them at all? How? Do they come with a wand from Diagon Alley to make the call?
Having said that, I do, rather extravagantly, have two cell phones. One was left over from my MTN contact, which I didn't renew because I was dissatisfied with their service, but has a pay as you go SIM card from Vodacom in case the other one runs out of air time or battery. The other one is the one Vodacom gave me when I transferred my contract to them, with my old MTN number. Both are the folding kind -- I found the ones with exposed keys tended to phone numbers accidentally from my pocket, which resulted in strange queries from people it phoned without my knowledge.
That just about exhausts my knowledge of cell phones.
Hey friends,
Thanks for the comments! I have been getting a lot more traffic on facebook, so I'm reposting something from there as further information:
So, here's the deal. I carry two phones. I have a personal phone (which is my iPhone) that gets used for all personal calls and personal stuff (facebook, twitter, web browsing, audiobooks, iPod etc.) Then I have a phone is supplied by work for work email, scheduling, work phone calls, and particularly when I travel overseas. It also helps to have a 'private' number that only my wife, daughter, mom etc. have to reach me.
My current 'work phone' is a Nokia E90 which is a superb phone. I've had it for two years and it has worked exceptionally well. But in some senses it is a bit dated (plus the battery is not what it used to be). So, I am looking to update that phone for a real feature rich business phone.... Read More
Hence, I am 'crowd sourcing' my friends for some insight and help to choose the best possible phone for what I can get. It must be on MTN (because that's where the contract is).
PS. The current forerunners are Blackberry 9000, Nokia N97 (but I've heard bad things about the phone - Bella, wat se jy?), and the HTC Andriod phone... Remember to check the link - you could win a book!
Pete, you're quite right of course! I could simply purchase a new battery for my Nokia E90. I rationalise that by saying that I would have to purchase the the battery with my own money, whereas the cost of the upgrade cellphone is built into the monthly subscription cost that I would be paying anyway - I'm not sure if you can ask to have that cost 'repaid' and thus have a lower monthly contract rate? I'm sure it is possible!
These are all good options!
Blessings,
D
Since when was an upgrade called consumerism... guess we are all guilty of this then... It's not often consumers are offered something for 'free', so why not get something you ultimately pay for anyway...
I don't think that one person refusing an upgrade simply because he/she has a perfectly good phone will change the world anyway.
Just a thought...
Hi Dion
I am no expert, but I have had Nokia's for years and wanted to be able to do email, web browse for Facebook and Blog etc and 'bought' (free on a very reasonable contract) a Blackberry 10 days ago. I certainly have not regretted it one bit.
Trev
Hey Dion
No contest. BB 9000 is the best business phone I have ever had. Awesome facebook app, push email is a dream, some great twitter apps (eg ubertwitter), intuitive software, keyboard is unmatched, great screen res & visibilty, even in bright sunlight. Call quality is superb. I am on MTN & the blackberry service is brilliant. Also, MTN subscribers get a free download & 2 year subscription to Garmap for mobile: great mobile GPS software.
I have always wanted an iPhone but am so taken by the 9000 bold that I haven't thought of the iPhone again.
1 minor issue is the 2MP camera which other phones might be able to rival.
I say "Go for Bold!"
Ok, this may be way off beam, but if I was in the market for a new phone (my upgrade only happens next year) I would definitely be looking at the new Nokia E75. It's a slim phone with slide out qwerty keyboard, camera, wi-fi, bluetooth, email and lots of other cool features. I know this may be a bit light-weight for your needs, but it might be worth looking into.
And if you know of anyone who has a deep longing to donate one to a poor minister who needs a great business phone for use on the road, I'd be happy to help them out ;-)
Blessings
John
Hiya!
I'm in the same boat - but will wait for the Palm Pre... By the time the GSM version lands here @ MTN, then all the problems should be sorted out, and all the features added that you want!
As for upgrades = consumerism - the fee you pay on your contract includes a handset subsidy fee, which you pay off over 2 years. So if you don't upgrade, then you're paying more for your OLD phone - maybe even double / triple!
Cheers and all the best that side as well!
Consumerism lies in the acquisition of things - even though we do not need them. I am absolutely guilty: because I love getting the latest ... gismo, toy, book, coffee mug, whatever. So the opportunity to get a new phone is irresistible, especially when it is built into the contract! None of this diminishes the fact that this is wasteful consumption.
As far as the "new cell-phone with the contract" goes - we do have another option: not to renew the contract! Join the majority of this continent's population and use pay as you go. But I, who am wealthy, choose to get another contract and phone. And so I add to the moral dilemma of our culture - consumerism.
I agree - this would've been my last contract in any case - going either prepaid or the cheapest prepaid contract offering and using my own Palm Pre that I'm going to purchase cash... And using a cheap as chips dual sim card phone for my remaining contracts till they run out!
Back to phones - the only non-phone use for my Palm Centro is short memos as well as my take anywhere Bible - got an Afrikaans Bible on it! So whatever replaces it should have the same functionally!
Cheers
Hi everyone,
This debate is worth much more than a new phone! Thanks for the input and thought.
Chris, thanks for your thoughts - I also use my phone for a Bible (although recently I have found that 'youversion' is the best app, but you must be able to get online to use it. It has many Bible translations available for free (most notably I use the NRSV and NIV Bibles). I have Olivetree (which I have also used since my Palm Treo 600) that has NIV, NRSV and Greek, that works on both my Nokia E90 and my iPhone.
Thanks once again for all the inputs!
God bless,
Dion
So, can you believe that I still have not upgraded my phone almost a month after the upgrade was due!
My goodness - do you know how hard it is for a gadget guy to do that!?
The current favourite is the Blackberry 9000 - thankfully they are out of stock and will have to order it. I have been speaking to a whole host of folks who have this phone. Cois says it is simply the best phone he's ever had, Brian E has had endless problems with his battery, and Graham V has struggled to keep his working. However, it is the best phone on the market (except for the iPhone 3GS of course ;-)
The only downside with the Blackberry is that it is already more than a year old. So, I am holding out to see what blackberry releases next...
Anyway, here's some input from Engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/24/ask-engadget-whats-the-best-business-phone-out-there/" rel="nofollow">Engadget advice on best business phone to get