[tp6626]

My contract is nearly up, so what mobile phone should I get next?

I dislike my (current) HTC Desire, for a number of reasons.

1. The touchscreen does not provide any tactile feedback. I have to be looking at the screen all the time I'm using it. And typing text messages is really slow & tedious. I want to be able to type as quickly as I used to on the old Nokia 3210 style predictive text keypads.

2. When I pick the phone up and its not locked, I press all the icons on the screen, which is annoying.

3. The screen gets dirty with fingerprints etc.

4. I'm not that impressed with Android. It tries to do too much, and gives me too much choice. I am coming to realise in my life that more choice is not a good thing, because it tends to encourage low quality to prevail. I want my products to do one or two core things really well, not millions of things in a mediocre fashion.

5. I don't like all this social media integration. I don't want to be carrying around a tracking device that (potentially) keeps telling everyone where I am, what I'm up to, what website I'm browsing, what I just had for dinner etc...etc...

6. I don't like manufacturer's bundled software. Same with laptops. I want it as bare as possible whilst doing only the things I need it to do. I want it to be as simple as possible (but no simpler). No clutter.

7. I want battery-life reliability. I don't want to charge every day. I don't want to charge every week, if I'm honest. Why are we going backwards with **phones**. Yes, it is a **phone**. Why are we making it do everything under the sun in "glorious technicolour", but then run out of juice after a few hours of listening to some music???

8. I don't want to be carrying around £500 worth of tech in my back pocket. I will use perhaps 5% of its functionality at most.

Features I do use:

* Calling.
* Texting.
* Alarm.
* Calculator.
* Listening to music.
* Portable hotspot.
* Occasional web browsing.
* Occasional emailing.
* Very very occasional photographing / videoing.

---------- Post added 08-13-2012 at 11:37 PM ----------

Models I've looked at so far:


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[MrFlaneur]

By a separate phone and a cheap sim 1 month contract with unlimited data (three or Tesco); best thing I've done recently.

Get a decent Nokia with buttons and 3G - can't go wrong.

	Originally Posted by tp6626 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I want to be able to type as quickly as I used to on the old Nokia 3210 style predictive text keypads.

Those were the days.

[Async]

I am with you that I don't want a lot of stuff on my phone. I am using a blackberry, I love it because I find that with the raise keyboard, I can type pretty fast with minimum errors.

What I find annoying with non-iphone/non-android phones is that there aren't too many apps, or not very good ones. I don't use a lot of apps (4-6) but I want good ones.

[tp6626]

	Originally Posted by MrFlaneur To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	By a separate phone and a cheap sim 1 month contract with unlimited data (three or Tesco); best thing I've done recently. Get a decent Nokia with buttons and 3G - can't go wrong. Those were the days.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I am getting out of "contracts". I hate them.

I'm buying a sim-free phone and probably going to go with
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. That's unlimited data, but apparently they block it if they think you're tethering. My initial plan was to use portable hotspot to get my home broadband through it too.

That Sony Xperia Mini Pro is looking particularly enticing though. £150 sim-free. I'd just need to get rid of all the shite off it.

There's a Nokia E7 which has a huge keyboard and looks really good quality. But it's a bit pricey.

[Bailalobos]

I just bought a Motorola Razr Maxx (carrier is Verizon); excellent phone that meets most if not all your requirements. I never buy anything w/o checking the Consumer Repors ratings...this phone had top ratings. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Previous phone was a BB...had to pitch it because it would no longer charge, didnt' want another because the company is in rocky shape.

[Selene]

Before the smart phone trend went way out of control, I was a huge fan of Sony Ericsson's line up. I think Blackberry may cause some inconveniences further down the road if you decide to switch to a non BB... transfer of data, photos, info, applications etc. and whatnot.

[Warrior]

	Originally Posted by tp6626 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I don't want to be carrying around a tracking device that (potentially) keeps telling everyone where I am, what I'm up to, what website I'm browsing, what I just had for dinner etc...etc...

Stay away from the iPhone. Apple collects far more data on what you are doing and how you are doing it than other companies.

[DroppedG7]

Two choices : Samsung Galaxy SIII or the iPhone 5 releasing in one month. Make those your choices and you'll be choosing between the highest end models. the SIII is going for $150 sometimes as plan upgrade and iphone will be $199 and probably match or exceed the Galaxy's design.

[tp6626]

	Originally Posted by DroppedG7 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Two choices : Samsung Galaxy SIII or the iPhone 5 releasing in one month. Make those your choices and you'll be choosing between the highest end models. the SIII is going for $150 sometimes as plan upgrade and iphone will be $199 and probably match or exceed the Galaxy's design.

I'm not so sure about that (did you read any of the OP?).

I don't like touchscreens (especially not for typing on), and I don't like "smart" phones in general, in that I don't generally get full use out of them (I'll use maybe 5-10% of their functionality). Then they cost a fortune. The two you listed cost around £450 sim-free, or else you have to sign up to a 2 year contract and then typically spend twice that over the two years.

Why does everyone automatically look to the I-Phone and its direct competitors as all there is in the phone market?

I'm afraid the mobile phone market is similar to the sub-prime mortgage market. People are being 'allowed' to buy things they really can't afford (and don't need). Over here in the UK an Iphone contract generally starts at £25 a month, plus £100 for the handset, with a minimum term of 24 months. Then you have to pay any out-of-plan call charges (unless you're very careful), so can easily add another £5 - £10 a month. Then at the end of the contract, they try to bump you up onto the next higher tariff, so it starts all over again but this time based on £30 a month.

And we wonder why Vodafone's profits are billions quarterly, and they get away with paying billions in tax bills to boot!!

Can you tell I despise mobile phone operators?

[DroppedG7]

You sound like someone who regrets being in the age of technology. Check out the StarTAC by motorola. IF you just wanta phone with buttons then get a phone with buttons. also google.

btw I've issued a dozen senior citizens iphones and even a droid and they will never revert back to dumbphones again.

[tp6626]

	Originally Posted by DroppedG7 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	You sound like someone who regrets being in the age of technology. Check out the StarTAC by motorola. IF you just wanta phone with buttons then get a phone with buttons. also google. btw I've issued a dozen senior citizens iphones and even a droid and they will never revert back to dumbphones again.

My dad used to have a Startac. It was a pretty good phone.

I don't need another computer. I have a home desktop, a laptop, a workstation (at work) and a media-center PC. I am really not inclined to spend my free time away from "computers", pissing around with another (mobile) computer.

So given that I don't want that in the first place, I'm not gonna tie myself into a £900 2 year contract for "the pleasure". And I'm not going to lay down £450 for a sim-free handset.

I want a nice simple sim-free phone, that doesn't cost the earth, doesn't tie me into a contract and that has an intuitive user interface. I want to hear what phones other INTJ's have, and what they like and dislike about them day to day.

And I want to feel buttons click when I press them.

[Kricket]

I prefer a smart phone, but I had dumb phones from Virgin Mobile for years without issue. They have candy bar Nokias with pay as you go plans, no SIMs or contracts. The phones themselves are as cheap as $30.

[Stannis]

I also recommend a BlackBerry. I am using a Curve 8530, have been for years and I don't expect it to die anytime soon.

People sometimes say that the BB platform has a lack of apps, but it has all the basics (movie times, weather, google maps, etc.). Most of the people I know who have iPhones or Androids went through a period of about 2-3 weeks where they were app-crazy, then ended up settling on using just a few anyway.

One of the main reasons I love BlackBerry so much is that there are keyboard shortcuts in the BB apps. For instance, in the calendar you can hit 'm' to see month view, 'w' to see week view, 'n' for next, 'p' for previous, and so on. There are tons of these.

But keep in mind, that what works for me might not work for you. I encourage you to do your research, weigh the pros/cons and find out which phone works best for you.

[bobabrowncoat]

	Originally Posted by tp6626 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Why does everyone automatically look to the I-Phone and its direct competitors as all there is in the phone market?

Because that's very nearly the case, at least where I live.

	Originally Posted by tp6626 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Can you tell I despise mobile phone operators?

I hate them with a passion, myself.

[stealthfighter]

Go for the Blackberry. It's their forte anyway: reliable messaging/call/net functionality. Their software offerings won't require too much mental attention. Ironically though, it seems to be the reason why they're being outgunned by their competitors. They're doing great when it comes to delivering basic services when much of the market is demanding for more and more productivity features.

[Sinequanon]

Yes, you sound like you're in blackberry's niche.

[Stannis]

	Originally Posted by stealthfighter To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	They're doing great when it comes to delivering basic services when much of the market is demanding for more and more productivity features.

Precisely why I use one. It's my opinion that in today's world of MORE, they can do tons of things, but fail as a communication device. This next example is purely subjective, but I have a friend who used to have a BlackBerry. He would reply fairly quickly to my texts (love the cracklight). He now has an iPhone and takes hours sometimes to reply because he has no way of knowing he has a message unless he turns the screen on.

I like my phone to be first and foremost a communication device. I also need solid battery life and a good keyboard. I'm not sure how people can type on a touchscreen, I make so many typos it's not even funny.

[thesorehead]

Hey OP, I feel ya!

I would say that you should steer clear of smartphones as their key strengths and characteristic attributes are among your primary reasons for not liking your HTC Desire. Namely:
- Social networking integration. Smartphones are getting better and better at this, because that's what a lot of people want.
- Battery life. Smartphones aren't really improving (as a whole) beyond the current ~36 hour lifespan.
- On-screen keyboard. Like it or not, touchscreen QWERTY isn't going anywhere.
- Cost. It's dropping, but not for flagship devices.

I can certainly relate to some of what you're saying, although I have to admit I'm more of a smartphone junkie :--]. Looking at your requirements list, I'd say the only things that a smartphone would necessarily do better would be Web browsing, e-mail and Wifi Hotspot. WiFi hotspots can be bought for cheap; and Web/E-mail can be done adequately from a featurephone these days, although obviously not quite as well as other devices.

Anyway, my recommendation would be to look at Nokia's recent Asha phones and their older E-series. In particular the Asha 300 looks quite good:
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It's a 2011 model, so it'll be cheap but it's still among the fastest of S40 handsets. All of your usage needs except WiFi Hotspot are supported out of the box. You'll need to buy a mSD card to store your music, but even 32GB cards go pretty cheap and as I mentioned you can grab a WiFi hotspot device and data SIM pretty easily too.

EDIT -
Another option is the E6 - all-round a FAR superior device, but at a pricepoint to match. Still, for your purposes it could really be spot-on:
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[Zhen]

i find nokias to have the the most intuitive interface...

and probably some of their models still provide a good key press sensation...

blackberries keys are soooo tiny!

[Warrior]

	Originally Posted by Stannis To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	He would reply fairly quickly to my texts (love the cracklight). He now has an iPhone and takes hours sometimes to reply because he has no way of knowing he has a message unless he turns the screen on.

What version does he have? I've never seen an iPhone that didn't have notification options for text messages.

[Sinequanon]

	Originally Posted by Warrior To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	What version does he have? I've never seen an iPhone that didn't have notification options for text messages.

Oh come now, everyone knows that no one with an iPhone has promptly responded to a text message, and this isn't a problem with the user but the platform.

[Stannis]

	Originally Posted by Warrior To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	What version does he have? I've never seen an iPhone that didn't have notification options for text messages.

He has an iPhone 4S.

What I meant is that if you miss the original notification beep for the text, after the screen turns off, you have to manually check to see if you have messages.

Whereas with the BlackBerry there is a small, non-intrusive red LED light that blinks every few seconds when you have a text, missed call, etc. That way if you leave the room and come back, just by looking at your phone you can tell if you have anything.

[DroppedG7]

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I thought everyone knew you could jailbreak any iphone and use skype or google voice on it and use the wifi for free to make calls / text. PUt prepaid cards in them and have a smartphone for $100-$150 max (200 EUROS) no contracts pay as you go. Smartest choice for broke bastards.


let this thread die.

[newtome]

I'm no expert but I made an interesting discovery a few weeks ago. I purchsed a brand new mobile, handset only, for GBP35.00. It runs android 2.1 and if you can find something running android 2.2 it would be easier. Because of 2.1 I needed to load some apps and for 2.2 you wont. I use it for data only. It is my wifi hotspot and I connect my laptop to the internet with it. I use it for internet calls either on the data/phone network or connecting to wifi. This can also be done by making your laptop a wifi hotspot and using the laptop connection (cable) to make wifi calls. It has a camera although not very good. It runs navigation software and I have used it as a GPS for trips (it even talks for directions). It can also be used for surfing the internet although as a smart phone the screen isnt great but it was only GBP35 after all. To type I use a stylus so it isnt the best for that. I haven't used it for emails but as it connects to the internet I'm sure it will do that fine. It also takes a mini SD card so you could put plenty of songs on it as well if you wanted. This could simply travel with your computer if you wanted.

Android 2.2 and later has the built in capacity to be a wifi hotspot so you wont need apps to do this. It also means that the phone will compete against phone company mobile wifi devices so they wont ever be cheap because they will undercut the alternative.

For phone calls I just use a boring old phone which you can buy to do the phone stuff. Whatever operating system you want with whatever key layout you want. It sounds like all you would need is memory for the songs and a good enough camera to take nice pics/video when you want. I am sure you wouldn't need the latest phone to do any of this.

Just a thought.

Of course if the new phone you want is also android then everything I described for the cheap data phone will exist on the new phone as well.

[MechanicalSun]

I am with teh same issue, hate Touchscreen, they are for women who like to keep busy their fingers and the "fashion" fags and "dedicates".

I have a god damn old nokia, but thinking of replacing it for a Sony Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro. I carry my phones in my pocket(so not putting a damn touchscreen there or busying a "handbad" lol), call, text, internet, that's all.
Pictures? Get my camera.