first off let me just state i'm not switching carriers. I'm sticking with AT&T.

but i'm having trouble finding a new cellphone of theirs that i actually like. I've hate razrs, i really dont need a sony walkman, i just want a phone for a phone. mp3 ringtones, speakerphone, camera, web is all i really care about.

I really like the new Samsung A737, does anyone have experience with this new slider phone?

I also like the A717, A437, and the Nokia 6555.

i've been hesitant to get a new one lately b/c i've heard such bad things about the 3G network especially in the area of dropped calls. i need a phone to be a phone first which is why i hate all these new models out there that make the call quality their last concern.

i also am hesitant b/c i remember a while back the Cingular (then) guy told me I couldn't use one of the newer phones b/c I had to upgrade to a 3G plan. the 3G plan he tried to sell me was a complete joke compared to all that I get for what I pay now.

so does anyone have any thoughts, advice, experience with these dilemmas? Thanks

[Edited on December 13, 2007 at 4:51 PM. Reason : edit grammar]

12/13/2007 4:50:43 PM

treo 750 or iphone

only 2 decent phones on at&t's network

12/13/2007 5:10:07 PM

you didn't read anything did you evan?

i'm right there with you man my 810 is pissing everyone i call off cause i washed it in my pants again and it crackles or something when i talk (i can't hear it)

12/13/2007 5:15:59 PM

i know you said you don't need a walkman phone, but i have the sony ericsson w810i and it has been pretty solid. of course i get a dropped call every now and then at home but i live near some transmission lines so i guess that is why the coverage is not great at home.

it has a 2.0 megapixel camera (you should expect much from a camera that is a phone, but this actually takes decent pictures in good outdoor lighting), does mp3 ringtones, i use gmail, opera mini, google maps, etc. battery life is not bad, it has bluetooth if you want to use an earpiece, memory stick pro for storing stuff. the only thing i don't like about the phone is that the rubber cover over the memory stick doesn't like to stay in place so much anymore, but thats probably because i constantly figit with it when i'm bored.

i think the w510 is a slider phone that is basically the same if you'd rather have it. a firend of mine has it and it looked very similar (except white) and the google maps program got your location via triangulation, which my phone does not support.

12/13/2007 5:19:18 PM

nokia ftw! n flap fones suck!!!


wat you missed http://www.nseries.com/index.html#l=home






[Edited on December 13, 2007 at 5:30 PM. Reason : .]

12/13/2007 5:28:28 PM

Ive got the w580i and I really like it. It actually might be what ^ was talking about. call quality is fine and I have not even dropped any calls with it yet. Got the 2 mp camera, mp3 ringtons, fm radio, pedometer, and a bunch of other stuff I dont use. But its still a good phone.

12/13/2007 5:28:41 PM

I would recommend the tilt but it's probably more phone than you need. (full slider keyboard, large screen, gps, wifi, etc.) HTC makes pretty good phones though. Also knew several people who liked the blackjack a lot, and it's gotten much less expensive these days since it's been superseded by the blackjack II (which has the advantage of running windows mobile 6).

[Edited on December 13, 2007 at 5:58 PM. Reason : d]

12/13/2007 5:56:10 PM

anyone know about the "must have 3G plan to use 3G phones"?

12/13/2007 7:42:31 PM

if what you're after is just a phone, I have found nokia phones to be the most reliable they have the best reception (compared to other phones on the same network).

12/13/2007 7:43:49 PM

Note that you don't have to get a phone from AT&T, any unlocked GSM phone will work since you can just swap in the SIM which opens up a whole new world of crazy phones from Europe that we don't have here in the US.......I had a Motorola V80, which was never sold in the US, for a year or so on Cingular/AT&T, I just bought it off e-bay and put the SIM in

12/13/2007 7:47:12 PM

Quote :

"treo 750 or iphone only 2 decent phones on at&t's network "

12/13/2007 7:48:03 PM

i think the obvious answer here is an iphone

12/13/2007 7:57:19 PM

Quote :

"anyone know about the "must have 3G plan to use 3G phones"?"

there is no separate plan

they just have to active the HSDPA/UMTS auto-attach feature in your plan, which they will do when you get a new phone.

12/13/2007 8:09:51 PM

Quote :

"Note that you don't have to get a phone from AT&T, any unlocked GSM phone will work since you can just swap in the SIM which opens up a whole new world of crazy phones from Europe that we don't have here in the US.......I had a Motorola V80, which was never sold in the US, for a year or so on Cingular/AT&T, I just bought it off e-bay and put the SIM in"

yeah i know this, that's how i've gotten my last two phones. the first wasn't a great phone and the second one which i really like crapped out on me. ordered a part to repair it and i didn't get all my features back (can only talk to person on speakerphone). So i was wanting to get a phone through AT&T so i could for once get some insurance.

i dont have bad luck with phones, but i use them until the last possible day before forking over cash for new ones. dont know why

12/13/2007 9:48:27 PM

i have the w580i and also love it.

i was never big on slider phones, but this one changed my mind, real easy to use, lots of features, the only thing I didn't like was that you can't zoom when taking pics at 2mp.

12/13/2007 9:59:31 PM

Quote :

"treo 750 or iphone"

those have been the two best phones i've had. i'd recommend them both... not sure how much you're looking to spend but def look into those

12/13/2007 10:05:31 PM

i have had experience with the iPhone and really don't like it and I'm not enough of a phone-aholic for a Treo or other smart phones.


I think i read too much into the cnet reviews of phones, especially in terms of call quality and battery life. I think i'm a stickler on those two things which holds me back from buying a damn phone.

12/14/2007 9:02:33 AM

I agree that no phone these days meets the call quality standards we ought to be able to expect. Everyone is focused on all the other junk.

^ I don't read CNET reviews of cellphones or anything else because if you've ever seen a video review of a phone, they always talk about how it looks, how big the buttons are, what kind of camera it has, and say NOTHING about call quality and hardly anything about battery life. Their reviews are a joke.

12/14/2007 9:28:38 AM

yeah, thats why i usually read the user reviews as well.

the only part of the editor review i read is at the very bottom where it discusses call quality and battery life.



i'm starting to like this w580i

12/14/2007 9:35:18 AM

W580i hands down or wait for the

Sony Ericsson Z750a to appear on the markets shortly if you prefer a clam shell. Fuck Nokia, buying nokia helps fund communists.

12/14/2007 3:01:54 PM

^ technically it's a representative democracy, though they seem to be socio-capitalists to me

12/14/2007 3:08:03 PM

yeah i want that 580 + 3g would be the ideal phone for me.

12/14/2007 3:09:13 PM

N82 specs

i believe this is lot better than "god phone" aka iphone but i dont understand why people dont like nokia??? i <3 nokia

Quote :

" Operating Frequency * WCDMA2100 (HSDPA), EGSM900, GSM850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS) * Automatic switching between bands and modes Dimensions * Volume: 90 cc * Weight: 114 g * Length (max): 112 mm * Width (max): 50.2 mm * Thickness (max): 17.3 mm Memory Functions * Up to 100MB internal dynamic memory* for messages, ringing tones, images, video clips, calendar notes, to-do list and applications * Hot swappable microSD memory card slot * Dynamic memory means that the available memory is shared between dynamic memory functions. When any of these functions is used, there is less available memory for other functions which are also dependent on dynamic memory. Power Management* * Battery: Nokia Battery (BP-6MT) 1050mAh * Talk time: up to 190 min (WCDMA), up to 260 min (GSM) * Stand-by time: up to 210 hours (WCDMA), up to 225 hours (GSM) * Still images: up to 290 pictures (with flash) * Video capture: up to 110 minutes (VGA, 30 fps) * Video call: up to 120 minutes * Video playback: up to 200 minutes (VGA, 30 fps) * Music playback: up to 10 hours (offline mode) * Operation times may vary depending on radio access technology used, operator network configuration and usage. Display * 2.4" LCD QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT color display with up to 16.7 million colors User Interface * Operating system:Symbian OS * User Interface: S60 3rd edition * Automatic screen rotation Call Management * Logs: keeps lists of your dialed, received, and missed calls * Voice dialing (with Speaker independent name dialing (SIND)) and voice commands * Nokia Push to talk (PoC) Messaging * E-mail (SMTP, IMAP4, POP3), MMS, SMS Data Transfer* * WCDMA HSDPA 2100 MHz with simultaneous voice and packet data (PS max speed DL/UL= 3.6Mbps/384kbps, CS max speed 64kbps) * Dual Transfer Mode (DTM) support for simultaneous voice and packet data connection in GSM/EDGE networks. Simple class A, multi slot class 11, max speed DL/UL: 177.6/118.4 kbits/s * EGPRS class B, multi slot class 32, max speed DL/UL= 296 / 177.6 kbits/s * GPRS class B, multi slot class 32, max speed DL/UL= 107 / 64.2 kbits/s *Actual achieved speeds may vary depending on network support. Imaging and Video * Up to 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944 pixels) camera, Carl Zeiss Optics: Tessar™ lens, MPEG-4 VGA video capture of up to 30 fps * Direct connection to compatible TV via TV-out or wireless LAN/UPnP * Front camera, CIF (352 x 288 pixels) sensor for video telephony * Video call and video sharing support (WCDMA network services) * Integrated xenon flash * Slideshow from gallery * One-click upload of photos & videos to web * Nokia XpressPrint: direct printing via USB (PictBridge), Bluetooth connectivity (BPP), and WLAN (UPnP) or via online printing Mobile Video * Video resolutions: up to VGA (640 x 480 pixels) at 30 fps * Recording indicator * Audio recording: AAC (AMR for MMS) * Digital video stabilization * Video file format .mp4 (default), .3gp (for MMS) * White balance, scene and color tone setting * Zoom: Digital up to 10x (VGA up to 4x) * Front camera: CIF (352 x 288 pixels) sensor for video telephony * On-device video editing Mobile Photography * Image resolution: up to 5 megapixels (2592 x 1944 pixels) * Auto focus * Amber colored auto focus assist light and recording indicator * Still image file format: JPEG/EXIF * Auto exposure - center weighted * Exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step * White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent * Scene: automatic, user, close-up, portrait, landscape, sports, night, night portrait * Color tone: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid * Zoom: digital up to 20x (5 megapixel up to 6x) * Xenon flash * On-device photo editing Camera Specifications * Sensor: CMOS, 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944) * Carl Zeiss Optics: Tessar™ lens * F number/Aperture: F2.8 * Focal length 5.6 mm * Focus range 10 cm ~ infinity * Macro focus distance 10-50 cm Music Music Features * Digital music player - supports MP3/AAC/eAAC/eAAC+/WMA/M4A with playlists * OMA DRM 2.0/1.0 & WMDRM support for music * Integrated stereo hands-free speaker * Stereo FM radio (87.5-108MHz) with Visual Radio support * Nokia Stereo Headset HS-43 in-box * Bluetooth wireless technology 2.0 with A2DP Stereo audio Explore Navigation * Integrated Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS) * Pre-installed Nokia Maps application and free downloadable maps* * The service is available free of charge, although any data transferred over the network will incur charges from your network operator. To check the availability and cost of the service, contact your network operator or service provider. E-mail * Easy-to-use e-mail client with attachment support for images, videos, music and documents * Compatible with Nokia Wireless Keyboard SU-8W (sold separately) Browsing * Full web browser support (HTML) Digital home * Play video, music and photos on home media network - compatible TV, stereo and PC over WLAN/UPnP Java Applications * Java MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1 (Connected Limited Device Configuration (J2ME)) * Over-the-air download of Java-based applications and games Other Applications * Personal Information Management (PIM) * Advanced S60 PIM features including calendar, contacts, to-do list, and PIM printing * Settings wizard for easy configuration of e-mail, push to talk and video sharing * Data transfer application for transfer of PIM information from other compatible Nokia devices * WLAN wizard Connectivity * Integrated WLAN (802.11 b/g) and UPnP * Bluetooth wireless technology with A2DP stereo audio * USB 2.0 via Micro USB interface and mass storage class support to support drag and drop functionality * 3.5 mm stereo headphone plug (Nokia AV Connector) and TV out support (PAL/NTSC) * Nokia Nseries PC Suite connectivity with USB, and Bluetooth wireless technology * Local synchronization of contacts and calendar to a compatible PC using compatible connection * Remote over-the-air synchronization * Send and receive images, video clips, graphics, and business cards via Bluetooth wireless technology Video Video Features * Video player - supports MPEG4, AVC/H.264, H.264, H.263, RV * OMA DRM 2.0/1.0 & WMDRM support for video * Resolution: MPEG4 VGA @ up to 30 fps scaled to QVGA on device or VGA in TV-out mode * Transfer your videos from compatible PC: Windows Media Player, USB mass-storage file transfer or Nokia Nseries PC Suite using full-speed USB 2.0 connectivity Video Center * Pre-configured video services and dynamic expansion with new services * Video podcasting: find, subscribe, download, view with mobile device RealPlayer media player * Full-screen video playback to view downloaded, streamed or recorded video clips * Supported video formats: MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, H.263/3GPP, RealVideo 8/9/10 Package Contents Standard Sales Package Contents* * Nokia N82 * Nokia Battery BP-6MT * Nokia Travel Charger AC-5 * Nokia Music Headset HS-43 * Nokia Connectivity Cable CA-101 * Nokia Video Connectivity Cable CA-75U * Nokia 2GB microSD Card MU-37** "

[Edited on December 14, 2007 at 3:18 PM. Reason : ..]

12/14/2007 3:16:45 PM

Nokia blows nutsack

i shit on their phones.

12/14/2007 4:16:54 PM

i loved my sony ericsson before i got rid of it. i have a blackberry curve now, and its pretty good, but ill definitely have to say that sony ericsson phones do not disappoint

[Edited on December 14, 2007 at 5:56 PM. Reason : ericsson]

12/14/2007 5:56:12 PM

anyone have any experience with the LG Shine?


saw it tonight at the store, its a pretty sturdy slider phone with a big display.


still holding out for the w580i, but both stores near me were sold out

12/18/2007 9:10:41 PM

i dont know if syncronizing with your computer is important to you, or if att does it different with LG than verizon did (before i switched back to att) but i would have had to do some flash-magic on the LG to make it sync to my computer (and not use verizons shitty online thing for sync/backup), whereas my SE just had simple software that let me snyc with outlook. fwiw.

12/19/2007 1:04:58 PM

w580i free: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000UWGSWM/

[Edited on December 19, 2007 at 1:18 PM. Reason : .]

12/19/2007 1:17:59 PM

how the fuck do i open the memory card slot on top of the w580i???

12/21/2007 9:35:04 AM

lol

12/21/2007 3:32:12 PM

i assume you have it figured out by now.. but if not.. with the screen facing you, if you press a finger nail into the right side of the little flap that holds the card in, you can lift it up.

12/22/2007 1:28:01 AM

Nokia 6555.

best phone for your needs.

12/22/2007 2:56:47 PM