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?
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.
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. ;)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
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?
Quote from: Conan71 on April 13, 2012, 08:20:29 AM
Phone? People actually call each other on phones anymore?
Perish the thought, but I usually end up using around 1000 voice minutes a month. You'd think people would have figured out how to use computers by now, but you'd be wrong. ;)
carltonplace, mine completely broke off. The port itself is still attached to my car charger. :P The pads on the circuit board look to still be intact, so I suspect one of the cell phone repair places could fix it, but my phone is old and I needed an excuse to replace it.
Quote from: sgrizzle on April 13, 2012, 08:22:21 AM
Speaking as someone who currently has 12,153 rollover minutes.... no
Is that with multiple phones/plans? My rollover minutes roll away after a year at about 5000 or so. I don't have my latest bill here to check.
Most of the time, my phone is in my briefcase in the "off" mode.
Quote from: carltonplace on April 13, 2012, 09:14:59 AM
My microUSB is hosed too. Is this a common complaint? Is there a way to fix said data port?
MicroUSB was the wrong choice for a standardized port IMHO, too dainty. Mini USB would've worked just fine and is only marginally larger.
Quote from: Red Arrow on April 13, 2012, 11:50:02 AM
Is that with multiple phones/plans? My rollover minutes roll away after a year at about 5000 or so. I don't have my latest bill here to check.
Most of the time, my phone is in my briefcase in the "off" mode.
Multiple phones.
I discovered today that the fine folks from Nokia who developed Nokia Sports Tracker bought it after Nokia shut it down and now Sports Tracker is available for basically all the smartphone OSes. Good stuff.
My cell phone is old- all I want and need in a phone is to able to call and get calls. Those new fangled phones are out of step with me. I'm just too old fashioned I guess. I'm no geek or high tech expert.
Quote from: sauerkraut on May 11, 2012, 10:45:07 AM
My cell phone is old- all I want and need in a phone is to able to call and get calls. Those new fangled phones are out of step with me. I'm just too old fashioned I guess. I'm no geek or high tech expert.
Your loss. I do agree that if a phone doesn't make and receive phone calls well it's not worth having. ;)
Sauer, is this your phone
(http://www.collectorsquest.com/uploads/blog/2012/04/motorola_bag_phone-lg.jpg)
or this one?
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx44zhAarq1qclc5t.jpg)
Quote from: Conan71 on May 11, 2012, 01:13:20 PM
Sauer, is this your phone
(http://www.collectorsquest.com/uploads/blog/2012/04/motorola_bag_phone-lg.jpg)
or this one?
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx44zhAarq1qclc5t.jpg)
Hey, my ex mother in law had that top one in 1991. Those things generated a lot of heat.
Wait....
Quote from: Hoss on May 11, 2012, 02:06:50 PM
Hey, my ex mother in law had that top one in 1991. Those things generated a lot of heat.
Wait....
Did they have a vibrate mode too?