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View Full Version : Which cell phone?



TuxedoPk
03-26-2004, 05:46 PM
Any recommendations for a cell phone to use with Verizon service? I think that the only enhanced feature that I might find usefull is the camera phone for times when I don't have my digital with me. At this point I'm leaning towards the Samsung a530 or Motorola T730 if I don't get a camera phone or the Samsung a610 if I get the camera.

Is it worth getting the camera? Which model would you recommend?

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I'm still resenting getting a phone after 5 years of peace :(

Digger
03-26-2004, 05:51 PM
I've had a Motorola V60 for a couple years, excellent flip phone IMHO, durable and slim profile. Two complaints, easy to break off antenna head, and there is not an easy to access alarm feature for wake-up type alarm. But overall a great phone.

RedDog
03-26-2004, 10:34 PM
I recently got the Sprint Handspring Treo 600. This PDA phone is now or soon to be available with Verison. This phone is the KING of cool gadgets. It is a real tool for checking and replying to pop 3 e-mail, has web cability, speaker phone, document viewer, MS Outlook interface on PC, etc like a PDA. The camera feature is neat but can't replace having a high resolution camera first.

Yeah, it is pricey but is a well designed/integrated product. I was able to write it off to offset some cost...

wilde313
03-28-2004, 01:53 PM
I use the lg vx6000 camera phone w/verizon and have no complaints, plus w/rebates and other offers it's virtually free.

McGary911
03-28-2004, 06:24 PM
I got a Samsung A620 this past november, and would reccomend it in a second. Its a decent camera phone with a flash, zoom, email, web access, alarm, calender, games, etc.....it has 2 screens, big one on the inside and a small one on the outside. when one of my friends calls, their mugshot appears on the small outside screen. now THAT'S caller id.

My friend has the A610, and hes very happy with it. it doesnt have the external screen, but the camera rotates with a knob which is pretty cool. The screen can be spun so it faces the outside of the phone too.

Youll be surprised what kind of pics you'll end up with because you always have a camera ready to go. Granted most of my friends are idiots, but damn i've caught some great pics of our antics :beer: :biggrin.::biggrin.::biggrin.:

TuxedoPk
03-28-2004, 09:57 PM
I appreciate everyone's feedback. Saturday I started my service with Verizon and went with the LG VX6000 on a 15 day evaluation. I'm already beginning to remember why I gave up my cell phone 5 years ago in favor of solitude.

Overall the VX6000 is a nice phone. The 256k screen is crystal clear and at $79 the price was $100 less than the Samsung. The voice recognition works flawlessly.

On the downside, the camera doesn't have a flash and the 2x and 4x zoom only work when the mode is set to medium or low resolution. (hi-res is 640x480) Another negative is that the contact list doesn't have a way to synchronize with Outlook. Re-entering names and numbers on the tiny keypad is a real pain. The thought that this will have to be done again if the phone is ever lost or broken leaves a lot to be desired.

The phone has the ability to pop a photo as caller ID as with the Samsung, but this appears once the screen is flipped open rather than on the external caller ID.

While only having the capacity of twenty 640x480 pics doesn't compare to my digital camera, from this weekend alone I can see how useful always having it in my pocket can be.

I'll be back next week to compare the phones one more time while I still have the opportunity to make an exchange.

Q. I didn't plan on taking the $4.99/month insurance on the phone but wanted to know what other people's experience had been. (I was looking at this from the perspective of 24 months at $5/month = $120 plus a $50 deductible would put me at 50% of the phone's cost which seemed exhorbitant)

RedDog
03-28-2004, 10:35 PM
Since you are on a trial - trust me - read my post above. I can really recommend the Treo for all and more

But then maybe you just want the simpler verision - more just worked better for my business needs

TuxedoPk
03-29-2004, 07:53 AM
Red Dog- Verizon still doesn't sell the Treo. Should the phone still be compativle since it supports CDMA? Do you know anyone using it with Verizon service?

RedDog
03-29-2004, 09:24 AM
Red Dog- Verizon still doesn't sell the Treo. Should the phone still be compativle since it supports CDMA? Do you know anyone using it with Verizon service?

Guess your right - not there yet - here is some info on expected release - http://www.pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24360

mattyboy
03-29-2004, 09:29 AM
Tux,
remember when your up in the park the mountains block alot of signal, nextel is good in orange county , but verizon and att wireless suck in the hills
saw a new cell going up on 17 don't know who it is tho


matty
welcome to the sticks

boxy
03-29-2004, 10:26 AM
FWIW...the Telus two way/cell phone combo I'm currently using, a
Motorola i95cl, is the same phone that Nextel uses, and the greatest benefit I've found is that all of your personal info (contact list, memo's, calendar) is stored on a removable SIM card. We currently have 8 phones, some have more features, some are more rugged, and 1 of them is protected by a rubber jacket, so depending on where I'm going I pop the SIM card out of one phone, into another, and I don't have to re-enter all my personal information. It works the same way when it is time to upgrade.

TuxedoPk
03-29-2004, 11:54 PM
Tux,
remember when your up in the park the mountains block alot of signal, nextel is good in orange county , but verizon and att wireless suck in the hills
saw a new cell going up on 17 don't know who it is tho


matty
welcome to the sticks

Matty- You are definately right about the mountains blocking a lot of signal. I'm at one of the higher elevations in the park and reception is decent. If I start a call at my house I will loose the call going down the mtn before I reach the gatehouse. I was told that Verizon had the best coverage but I will have to try to find someone with Nextel service to test this with.