I am due for an upgrade with my account, and have narrowed down my selection to two phones. I was hoping to get some informed - preferably experienced - opinions as I am having trouble deciding on which phone to go with.
I have narrowed it down to the iPhone 3GS and the HTC FUZE. I will explain my choices of features and expected uses so that a more informed recommendation can be made.
GPS: I want something hand-held that I can use for geocaching as well as trip navigation. As I am often in different vehicles and travel much with my jobs, it's not always convenient to constantly move around a vehicular-based GPS (and they are not always geocaching friendly). In fact, often the person I work with/for leaves his at home, then, once we're on the road, realizes he has no clue how to get where we are going, and I consult GoogleMaps to try and figure out where we are, and where we need to go. As for the geocaching, I do have a small hand-held Garmin, but it's quite basic and not good at all for street navigation.
Touch Screen: this one's a given for the convenience. I know the FUZE has a higher resolution and comes with a stylus where the iPhone has a lower resolution and no styus, but I figure I can adapt with either in that department. I think it's more of a question of which is the more intuitive, reliable, and easier to navigate interface.
Camera: with my jobs - as well as those special moments - it's not very practical to carry around an actual camera. Believe me, I used to carry my camera in my car at all times, but it really sucked to run to the car to get it when those sudden moments pop up. From what I can tell, the FUZE is the winner in this case, but so long as the camera takes clear, sharp photos in various lighting conditions, I'll be happy.
Calendar/planner/to-do: I don't use Outlook. I basically need something that I can put in reminders, schedules, events, and the like in an easy-to-use, easy to view, and reliable way.
Contacts: one of my most frustrating things is that I can't seems to easily exchange information between my phone's contact list and one on my PC (not even with Gmail). I want a contact list that I can easily export to my PC - even if just an excel file - so that I can keep both up-to-date. Again, I don't use outlook, so some alternatives would be nice.
Notepad/text editor: There are times I really need to jot things down and this would be a godsend. Voice notes are alright, but sometimes making a voice note - like during a meeting - is not a good choice. I like to have the option of either. Even better would be if I could make these text files and actually export/import them between the PC and Phone. Something that I can load OpenOffice files in would be fantastic. I'm sure this would require an app downloaded tot he phone, but it is something I would love to have.
PDFs: I do acting and directing, and sometimes having a script or set of notes for a show in PDF form is a nice way to refresh your memory without toting around a folder and clipboard. This isn't essential, and I imagine it's an app I would have to download, but it would be really nice.
Wi-Fi: I go online a lot for various reasons, and I would like to be able to do that without constantly using my data plan since I understand that even with unlimited, there are still limits. Also, there are places I need to go online that while mobile reception is minimal to null, there is at least a Wi-Fi connection.
Internet Browser: I haven't used Safari, and I'm not a fan of IE: I use Firefox. I don't know if there's a mobile version of it or not. I simply wonder which is the better performing web browser, or for that matter, which phone handles the internet the best.
Bluetooth: I gave up using Bluetooth with my V3xx simply because it constantly would disconnect. Do either of these phones have Bluetooth issues?
Battery Life: my current phone is a nightmare, with me being on a second battery in as many years and still needing to charge it overnight with minimal usage, sometimes more often. I want to know if either of these phones has battery issues, and what the average battery life is with normal (meaning not on the phone constantly) use. How are the batteries when put on the charger if not fully drained (I know rechargeable batteries have issues with this)
Durability: I know sometimes I drop my phone, or it's in my back pocket and I forget, or a number of other accidental things that happen to phones. How well does each hold up to to occasional accident?
Call volume: I've gone in and edited the gain table on my current phone because even at full volume, I sometimes could barely hear the other person. Any issues with call volume on these phones?
Multi-tasking: I'm curious as to the level of multi-tasking available in these two phones. I'm not looking to browse the web while editing text/graphics while playing a game while talking on a call while texting a friend. I'm thinking more along the lines of if I'm playing a game or browsing the web if I can still take a call, or maybe if I'm on a call I can pop online and look something up, or access my address book, calendar, etc. Not quite power user level, but maybe slightly over average.
Thanks for all your thoughts in advance,
-quinn
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elmo01 Posts: 2342
Phone Model: Samsung SPH-M510
Service Provider: Bell Canada
Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:19 pm
if your device is working right now and is doing what you need it to do. I would hold of until the november december timeframe. thats generally when the new stuff comes out and the xmas sales are on.
QuinnSilver Posts: 2
Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:25 pm
elmo01 wrote:
if your device is working right now and is doing what you need it to do. I would hold of until the november december timeframe. thats generally when the new stuff comes out and the xmas sales are on.
That's sort of the problem: it's not. It's just not up to the task anymore, and is really lacking in everything I could really use, let alone the fact I could use it for nothing more than two quick phone calls in a day and by 8PM it needs charged (we're looking at about an 18-hour standby time).
I was eligible for the upgrade in March, and my two-year contract ends in a month, which is why I'm considering the upgrade now.
I do, however, see the logic of your statement and would love to hold out till then.
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