Please help me pick!

[TinkOhio]

I know that there have been treads about smartphones before, but our upgrade date is here and I still can't decide which smart phone to pick. It's two weeks untill our vacation, and I would like to get familiar with the phone before we leave.

What I'm looking for in a phone is reliability of product and coverage area, ease of use, half-way decent reception and a product that won't break the first time I drop it. It will be the first time that I will have internet service. I plan on accessing the web for quick searches, emailing (very limited), listening to music, writing an occasional document and taking some pictures with. Oh, yes- I want to use the Google Maps app, to. I don't anticipate loading more than a couple dozen apps. We are with Verizon and plan on sticking with them.

I don't have any Apple products, so I'm not used to one system over another. Also, is it worth it to have or wait for a 4g product?

Please help me choose a phone!

 

[Ennazus8810]

I love, love, love my iPhone. Gadgets were never important to me, but this has become one I can't live without.

 

[tammymacb]

I traded in my Droid for the Verizon Iphone recently. I love it and would never take the droid over the iphone. In my experience, the reception on the iphone is 100x better than the reception on my droid also.

 

[EMAW]

I love my Droid X

 

[csharpwv]

GO WITH THE iPHONE!

You won't regret it - you can get tons of accessories, you can KEEP your apps if you trade phones etc etc etc

There are SO many positives (like the MASSIVE amounts of affordable chargers out there) We can't seem to own too many chargers for the house, car, etc etc etc

There are so many GREAT things about the iPhone - Go with it!

 

[sherry7]

I had the original Motorola Droid, and I just got an iPhone last month. There are pros and cons to both, and I kind of wish I'd just gotten a newer Android phone. Both phones are on the Verizon network, and I can't tell a difference in voice quality or data speed.

Droid - free voice guided directions through Google Maps. You can get Google Maps on the iPhone, but not with voice guidance. With my Droid, I felt comfortable using it as a replacement for my Garmin GPS. Not so with the iPhone since I don't want to try to read it as I'm driving.

Droid - free integrated voice dictation for texts, email, etc through a Google app. You can do this with the iPhone, but it's not integrated and a pain to use.

Droid - battery was removable, and therefore easily replaceable.

Droid - lots of apps that are free on Android are charged on iPhone.

Droid - easily expandable memory by using a mini SD card.

Droid - mini USB port for charging, which means that you can use the same charger on a variety of phones since most use this system now.

Droid - I can vary the volume of various things. For example, I can turn my ringer up loud but set the sound for texts, emails, etc on low. For some insane reason, you can't do this with the iPhone.

iPhone - camera is lousy. It's okay outside, but indoor pics under normal lighting are awful. The flash overexposes the photo 90% of the time. My brother has a Samsung Fascinate (Android phone), and we recently tested the cameras side by side. The quality of his pics were several times better than mine on the inside shots.

iPhone - music organization is better, just like an iPod.

iPhone - I can watch Netflix, either through WiFi or through a data signal.

My iPhone had a 14 day return period ($35 fee), and I wish now that I'd taken it back. I really don't care for it that much (other than the Netflix capability), and now I'm stuck with it for 2 years.

 

[dhardawa]

I got my iPhone about two years ago. I really don't know how I lived without it. It is so user friendly and can do pretty much anything I need it to.

 

[DiSnEyFrEaK22]

I vote for the Samsung Focus!! I'm pretty sure Verizon carries it... if not, I'm sorry

 

[pixiewings71]

I have Verizon and had this same dilemna not too long ago. I chose the Droid X and I'm so glad I did!!! I compared both phones carefully and the Droid X fit my wants better than the iPhone so that's the one i got. I absolutely LOVE my Droid X!!!! I wouldn't change it for anything! I chose the Droid because the camera is better, the screen is bigger and I have been able to get every app I have for free, I haven't paid for anything! But DBF says he has to pay for some of the same apps I have on his iTouch. I highly recommend the Droid X!

 

[Darcy03231]

We're with US Cellular.

DD (19 almost 20) got a Smart Phone a couple of years ago. I'm not sure which one it was, other than it was a Samsung. She ended really not liking the touch screen. Her line just came up for renewal and she went with a Blackberry, which she loves.

Her brother (17, almost 18) on the other hand loves the touch screen (he got her old phone as his line isn't up for renewal yet). He can't believe she gave the phone up.

I would go to the store and play around with them. Our store has a 30 day return policy for any reason. You could try a touch screen and if you don't like it, go to a Blackberry.

 

[jgreco]

I have the iphone 4 with AT&T. I love having a mini computer and ipod anywhere I go.

My main uses: voice calls, music, surfing and "texting" (like to find out locations of DS and DD).

That being said:
I hate the touch screen for typing. If you have any sort of fingernails, you will have to keep them short, else you wind up typing with the pads of your fingers and ALWAYS hit the wrong key. I am not much of a texter or emailer on the phone for this reason.

The camera is lousy indoors. To switch over to the video camera or to use the zoom functions are clumsy

The maps are sometimes way off. Don't know if this has to do with AT&T or the GPS function itself. But the last time I used it I wound up on a dirt road.

I'll be watching this thread since I am really ignorant about the other phones out there and always wondered if there was something else I'd prefer over the iphone.

 

[princessnoelly]

I had a blackberry storm and thought it was great. I even slammed it in my car door and it still worked!
Got a Droid Global and it's good. Took me awhile to figure it out but I'm enjoying it.
I'm hard on phones and both phones have taken many "oops" moments and are still doing okay. The blackberry had a cracked screen but still worked.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Just got my iPhone last month & I don't know HOW I managed w/out it! I've downloaded TONS of free apps. It's just like having a mini-laptop with you at all times.

 

[PatsMom]

I also have Verizon and I got the Samsung phone - Mesmerize or Fascinate or something like that. I really like it. We upgraded right before they announced the iPhone for Verizon but we don't really regret not waiting. Apps are easy to find and download and I actually use the data plan much more than I thought I would so I am glad I got the unlimited plan.

 

[MickeyDisneyFan]

IVe had both, the iPhone is a great phone but limited with what you can do to it, its very closed system where you can download apps from itunes and thats it. You can jailbreak it to get additional functionality but its usually a waiting game for devs to release a stable jailbreak.

Android is open and allows you to do pretty much whatever you want. Devs have more access to the os and you can overclock the device, run different software roms and customize it however you like.

They will both do what you need its more of which architecture you like better a closed or open one.

Keep in mind the iPhone 5 is rumored to be released in June

 

[sherry7]

I know that there have been treads about smartphones before, but our upgrade date is here and I still can't decide which smart phone to pick. It's two weeks untill our vacation, and I would like to get familiar with the phone before we leave.

What I'm looking for in a phone is reliability of product and coverage area, ease of use, half-way decent reception and a product that won't break the first time I drop it. It will be the first time that I will have internet service. I plan on accessing the web for quick searches, emailing (very limited), listening to music, writing an occasional document and taking some pictures with. Oh, yes- I want to use the Google Maps app, to. I don't anticipate loading more than a couple dozen apps. We are with Verizon and plan on sticking with them.

I don't have any Apple products, so I'm not used to one system over another. Also, is it worth it to have or wait for a 4g product?

Please help me choose a phone!

FYI, strong rumor for a March 17 release date on the HTC Thunderbolt: http://printerphoto.net/htc-thunderbolt-release-date