Smart phones

[JamesG]

My personal IT advisor (Mockney Piers) has shared his expertise. I'd like to seek a few other opinions.

What is the best smart phone? I need something that can do emails well, be a good phone and do "clever stuff". I think the IPhone does the clever stuff best but is a crap phone. What should I get?

[MrBen]

The iphone has a lovely user interface. I only know this because I have just splashed on the new iPod Touch which is a slimmer iphone 4, without the actual phone. So yes, I'm thawing. Two months ago I would have sworn by my Blackberry Bold 9700 - especially if you're a serious business user, for it's an awesome pocket emailing machine with a proper keyboard and battery life.

That said I'm now on my third, and its dropping calls like a mother on newly congested London networks struggling to keep up with chaps like Sean playing Mockney Piers at scrabble on the 40 bus in.

I think my next would be a new model HTC Android. I also still have a love for Nokia's which many still hold to have the best voice quality and most intuitive menu naviagtion. Go back to one now and marvel at a voice that does not sound like a dying dalek.

[karter]

What about the new windows phone newly released and set to compete with the iphone and google phone?

[Applespider]

I have an iPhone, love the smart stuff and have never had a problem with it as a phone (aside perhaps from the voice control part but that could be accent based).

I'm not convinced about Windows 7 phone just yet - I think it's a few more software updates away from being there. The lack of cut and paste drove me batty on the iPhone when it first came out. 3 years later and a new phone OS not having it is bad along with the lack of multitasking since the Windows apps apparently don't sleep as the iPhones did. The reviews for the new N8 are generally glowing about hardware and dire about Symbian.

The new HTC Desire HD does look like a lovely bit of kit from the reviews. A guy in the office is getting one next week and I'm looking forward to having a play with it. Another pal has the SE Xperia which didn't look bad either.

I'd stick to Android or iPhone if I were you. If you can get to a store and try playing with both (although Desire HD isn't out til next week I don't think), you should get what's right for you.

[Mick Mac]

I am tempted to buy an iphone now - I deserve a treat as have had the same nokiA for 3 or 4 years. Like Nokia a lot and it can do most internet things but is a bit on the heavy looking side (N95 8GB).

I'm not too worried what it sounds like as noone I know ever calls - its just text, so its all about usability and the internet. And I feel the Nokia N95 as a symbian phone is going to really date quite quickly now. :(

So question is - where should I buy and how much should I pay for the iphone4 - I think I can get a work contract so I just want the hardware. thx.

[felt-tip]

i have the samsung galaxy s and i quite like it.

[SeanMacGabhann]

All of the main contenders have their advocates on any forum/magazine you care to read, apart from Nokia who appear to be losing their way

Until I upgraded a year or so back I was a lifelong nokia man ? that menu system and sound quality being the main pluses. But my the N95 the menu system was struggling with the feature set and the newest smartphone due out is getting a real kicking from a software/usability perspective. Great hardware but..

As for call quality, as anyone who has ever rung me knows, depending on your phone you can either hear me being grumpy in crystal-clear quality or compressed and tinny quality. The choice is yours (hint: text me don?t phone me)

[dulwichmum]

I had been a Blackberry owner for 3 years when I got a new iPhone 4 a month ago.

OHMYGOD!

The OCADO app is terrific. The maps are terrific. The battery lasts 6 hours and the "end call" button kept getting stuck - this happened to me twice when I had actually phoned somebody by accident and was very embarrassing. It is rubbish for answering email.

I now have a new Blackberry Torch. I can email with the hand I am holding the phone in, on the move. The battery life is terrific. It handles multiple email accounts/twitter and facebook really well. I love it that the light flashes when I have mail and I don't need to keep checking it.

The iPhone 4 has a couple of issues to sort out before I would recommend it to anyone - it opened an email up from a client in my dulwichmum account and almost caused chaos.

The Blackberry is the only way to go if you get lots of email and need to answer it on the move.

[tommy]

HTC Desire

[Mick Mac]

Thanks for that Dulwichmum - already have old blacberry and could now update for free to new bberry at work - but thought the kudos of iphone might be worth having - jeez there are enough people already sticking them in front of my nose that i feel its almost a must have, what to do...

Its more internet than email but email is important for work and to see excel etc.

Head of IT says iphone taking over bberry in corporate world so who knows - maybe i should wait till dust settles.

[Applespider]

My iPhone 4 battery is fine. I used various apps on it to and from work this morning, occasionally at work and at lunchtime and it's still at 59% after last being charged this morning. Admittedly, I tend to leave wifi turned off unless I know I'm in a spot with it but it was still getting data etc.

It does have a unified mailbox although you can choose to go separately and mine, at least, is set up to respond from whichever mail account the original mail came from. Incidentally, it will let you view Excel documents but not edit.

To be honest, I wouldn't get it if it's just for perceived kudos since I don't think there really are any now that it's becoming more ubiquitous.

Take a look at those at work's ones - see what apps you might find useful and if there's anything else you fancy, and then make a call (sorry!)

[Mick Mac]

thanks AS. V useful.

[Yabo]

Hello,

My advise to you is to map your needs and see where you are on a scale between "serious" phone and a "fun" one.

As a Blackberry user for 3 years I can say that if you look for a "serious" phone, ie more business oriented, choose one of theirs (but God, please don't even think about getting a Storm II).

If you look for more of the light things, ie apps, games, internet surfing (BB has them all, but is no match to the ipone on any of those) then it is my humble opinion that no Blackberry model will challenge the ipohne, or even the Galaxy for that matter.

... Tough choice. indeed.

One more tip: stay away from t-mobile, I joined them 5 months ago, and when it comes to customer service, it is so poor it's hard to believe.

Good luck (tu)

[Townleygreen]

HTC Desire - I have had one a month now and they are just great. Like an iphone, but the apps can be bought from anywhere, you're not tied to the Apple shop like the iphone. Never used a Blackberry, can't comment, but The Desire is great for email, maps, even does satnav, music. Our IT boss at work has one, he thinks it is far better than rivals.

[apolline]

I have just received the HTC Omnia 7 and HTC Mozart as part of an upgrade. They are both Windows Phone 7 handsets and are very good, though I'm still very much a novice with Windows phones. For me the browser, email and Office integration were most most important hence my decision. Microsoft are adding cut and paste and hopefully we'll see Flash too (which for me would be ideal).

As Yabo says you need to decide what you want and ideally try the phones out to see which works best for you. All these smart phones are impressive. I would make my choice on features that you want, not what everyone else has.

[plimsoul]

i have a personal hate of windows so doubt i'll ever be able to give an honest opinion about a phone using that operating system. but have an iphone and love it. all friends with androids love them but nokia seem to have falled off with the latest ones really not delivering.

i use my iphone for work and pleasure and have no complaints.

[Mick Mac]

Yes - as someone said I don't want to be hacked into Apple for the apps - that is one downside to the iphone and I'm beginning to have second thoughts.

May go to the apple shop and see what that can "sell" to me - but my outdated N95 does a lot of stuff and I'd hate to be unimpressed with my new purchase.

Might check out the HTC. If Head of IT likes it it must be worth cheking out.

How much does one of these cost to buy outright? will have a look but if someone knows please shout.

[tog_in_sox]

FYI

HTC Desire was released at the beginning of the year and is soon up for upgrade. The HTC Desire HD was recently announced and is expected to arrive with operators imminently. The companion model HTC Desire Z with fold out full keyboard is also due about now.

As much as I like the ethos of Android and despise the closed exploitation system of Apple a "Head of IT" can still be partisan and just hate Apple! Alas the exploitation approach isn't singular to Apple, all the phone makers are looking to fleece users with "high-end" phones althought perhaps not to the degree of Mr Jobs. That said it does look as though you'll get bigger bang (not necessarily better) for your buck by going Android. If you want iPhone 4 performance (at least on all but call quality) then you'll be looking for a phone with at least a 1 GHz processor preferably of less than 45nm stock and a half decent graphics core too.

Think about what you want from the phone and how you'd like it to function, how convenient you want things to be, will you want to swap batteries to extend time away from plugs, do you want to swap memory cards without having to switch off, etc. Don't just buy into the headline statistics and features, scratch the surface of how each behaves so you know you'll be able to live with it after several months (days).

Me? I would love a great media and internet phone but I want one with buttons so I can use gloves in the Winter and on the slopes.

Happy hunting.

[zephyr]

Had the HTC Desire since May and very please with it. Does everything I want it to do - phone calls, internet, Ocado, games, main music player (16GB card), sat nav.

Both my brothers have them - one of them much to the displeasure of his university lecturer colleagues

Would definitely recommend it or one of its buddies

[matthew123]

I've just got myself the new HTC Desire HD - my first smart phone! Little bigger than the iphone but lots of great apps for Yahoo Mail, Messenger, Camera, Text, Podcasts. 8 mega pixel camera and record video in HD.

?25 p/m 2 yr contract (no cashback involved) - free phone / T-Mobile connection, 3 gb web, 600 anytime mins, 500 txt p/m. This is the web site - http://www.e2save.com

['bout now]

To repeat ad infinitum previous posts, I have an iphone which is sh*t as a work based gadget, as a toy however its great.

Blackberry does exactly what it's supposed to do, without sidetracking you into flicking paper into a bin, thankfully. My mate has had both, now has an HTC thingy and loves it. Desire I think.

[dulwichmum]

I have now had my new Blackberry Torch for over a week, it has a big touch screen and a pull out keyboard - I can email while walking along the street, with the hand I am holding the phone in. It is the best phone I have ever owned - so far...

On reflection, the worst thing about the iPhone4 was that the screen was far too sensitive, I was cutting and pasting text from one email account into another - dangerously, I almost got into a very nasty scrape, and the end call button sticking - I cant handle that. It really freaked me out.

Mick Mack, anyone in the city will tell you that that most of the big banks and hedge funds have their own servers and only support staff to use Blackberry for business - there are no intentions for this to change. iPhones are not considered business devices - the are a gadget for play. Every serious business person I know has a Blackberry, many have an iPhone as well, but no-one who is busy or senior suffers the iPhone for business. If you try to do any business on it, it will slow you down and even distract you. It is impossible to type at any speed without turning on the predictive text and some of the suggestions it comes up with are hilarious. You will take 2 minutes to send an email that will normally take seconds. I was constantly stopping and trying to edit and it was very frustrating. If you have your email on push with the iPhone4, it devours battery. With Blackberry, your red light flashes and you know you need to check what is up.

The camera on the iPhone4 is stunningly good. The camera on the Blackberry Torch is 5 megapixels too - but for some reason, the pics are not nearly as good.

I can surf the net better than ever before on my new Blackberry Torch - it has lots of super apps - not as flash as the iPhone, but it is a reliable business device. If I need to cut and paste, I know when I am doing it - I just use my keyboard. It is accurate and not over sensitive. I gave in to pressure from friends to buy an iPhone4 and it was a huge mistake. I need to stay on top of about 70 - 100 email a day, I need my battery to last at least 14 hours while I am out and about. I need to be easily contactable with a reliable phone.

If I need a great camera, I will bring one with me. If I need OCADO I will have to wait until the app works on Blackberry or else use my desktop.

My husband kept asking me to write down what I wanted from a phone before I changed, and it is a huge regred. The iPhone4 is not a phone, it is a gadget for play that can function as a phone and can accept email. It is a lovely toy but that is what it is.

[MrBen]

Dulwich Mum....

She speaks the truth.

[????]

I have a Blackberry for work for which it's invaluable the only other thing I use a phone for is phonecalls so for that reason I'm out.

[Mick Mac]

You need to step up.