OK, I’m bending but not breaking yet. I am the only one in my office who doesn’t have a smart phone - I have felt that my personality isn’t conducive to another additive device. However, my flip phone is starting to die so I am considering getting one. I need help since I know little to nothing about these.
My priorities, I think, are:
HTC incredible. Android. Will do all that very well. And if you still want music, you can get google music.
And by the way, I’m moving your post to the lavender room 
There are two types of people: Those that have an iPhone and those who wish they did but dis the iPhone in favor whatever they had to settle for.
This is no longer true.
Android (Google for OS + HTC/Samsung/etc for HW) caught up and it is pretty much even right.
Fred.
This is no longer true.
Android (Google for OS + HTC/Samsung/etc for HW) caught up and it is pretty much even right.
Fred.
Clearly in group 2. Thanks for proving my point.
Talk to the people you work with and find out what has been working best for them.
We had to dump all the androids our staff were using, as they just didn’t sync properly with our server. But that may not be the same elsewhere.
If I were buying a smartphone soon, I would go with the Nexus Prime (Verizon’s version may be called the Droid Prime and won’t come out until late October or early November). I’m sure it will be adequate as a phone, but I have found most smartphones aren’t as good as feature phones when it comes to making calls.
You probably won’t have any issues with email or viewing documents no matter which phone you pick, although I would stay away from blackberry unless your company has a Blackberry Enterprise Server.
I have had lots of smartphones over the years(Treo 270 PalmOS, Many Blackberries, Treo 650 Windows Mobile, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, Samsung Epic 4G). I like my Epic 4G the best so far, but I do run linux at home, so take that into account. I carry my Epic 4G in my jersey pocket (no baggie) all the time and don’t really notice that it’s there, and it’s not a small phone by any stretch of the imagination. I do miss the tinyness of my old Pantech C3, which you could probably put in your bike shorts and not notice.
Get an iPhone *-- *unless you get the latest high-powered Android phone. I started with an HTC Droid Eris, which was admittedly underpowered and ran an older version of Android. It had very little memory, apps tended to die without warning, the syncing with my Google/Facebook accounts was never quite up to date and the touch screen died (two weeks outside of warranty).
I switched to an iPhone 4, and I have no complaints. I don’t have to think about anything. I’m a lot less afraid to be locked into a two-year deal with this phone than an Android (too many issues; several different models on different carriers – each with some big flaw that keeps it from being the “perfect” Android phone; more frequent releases = more opportunities for buyer’s remorse).
Good luck!
AKA someone who will buy anything with an apple on it and everyone else.
I’m probably going to be on my own here, but for what it’s worth I have a Windows 7 phone (LG Optimus) and have been extremely pleased with it. Previously had an iPhone 3GS, but had a lot of reliability issues with it and it didn’t handle either my email or documents very well, so when it came time to replace it in January this year I went for the LG instead of an iPhone 4.
As you would expect from Microsoft, it handles email and Office documents extremely well, which is important to me as I have my own business and only want to carry one phone for both work and personal use. Seems to work better as a phone than the iPhone did as well, but I switched networks at the same time as I switched handsets so that could be a factor. It doesn’t have anywhere near as many apps available as the iPhone or the Android, but Microsoft seem to be catching up on that front and there are plenty enough for my purposes. Interface is nice and smooth and pretty intuitive, I’ve had no reliability issues, battery life and build quality is decent.
I understand that Windows Mobile 7.5 is now out (aka Mango) and offers significant ugprades to 7, but haven’t read any reviews yet.
I actually think that all of the smartphones out there now are very good - I know plenty of people with iPhones, Androids or Blackberries (Windows is pretty rare!) and they all do pretty much the same things. Unless you’re a tech nut who has to have cutting edge everything, then you’re probably going to be happy with whatever you get.
Droid 3. The actual keyboard is key for writing longer emails, and does everything else you need. Apparently it costs more for Exchange server access on droids, but maybe that won’t be an issue if it’s a work phone.
Another factor: Decide if you want a real keyboard or a virtual one.
Then there those who get an iphone on verizon and don’t have a multi-tasking phone 
Main issue with the iPhone 4 is how fragile its screen is. Otherwise it’s a good phone, but
some android models are definitely superior. Let’s see how good the iPhone 5 is.
Another factor: Decide if you want a real keyboard or a virtual one.
I’d strongly recommend a virtual keyboard, especially if you’re looking for a phone that’s a little lighter and easier to put in a jersey pocket. And as far as I’m concerned, the fact that Android phones have Swype pretty much seals the deal. It’s easy to learn, and you quickly find that it’s faster and more intuitive than any other way to type quickly on a small device.
I’m amazed that Apple never showed any real interest in Swype.
I’ve been using a Droid X for the last year or so. Have been quite happy with it. Among other things, it actually makes for a pretty decent phone, as far as call clarity and battery life are concerned.
One other argument for Android: integrated Google Voice. It’s pretty cool. Apple will never have it.
There are two types of people: Those that have an iPhone and those who wish they did but dis the iPhone in favor whatever they had to settle for.
I think that iphone has done some catch-up to the androids. AKA an effing video camera… Sending pic messages. Stupid stuff that iPhone 3 didn’t have…
But when I upgrade my phone in a few months, I’m still sticking with android.
…oh. and we get angry birds for free 
Another vote here for IPhone. Just don’t drop it.
I second the Swype opinion. I held out for the Epic 4G because it had a physical keyboard, but with Swype I almost never use it. I’m considering removing most of the keys to turn my keyboard into a DIY gamepad.
Geeze - this is a bit like “Taste Great”/“Less Filling!”
Is there a benefit to waiting, or will I always be waiting? Do I get something 4G - it appears the HTC incredible is 3G. What new oes the iPhone 5 offer that would trump the others?
Perhaps it is best to to get one, and don’t worry about it…seems all of the high end droid/Iphones/windows have their pluses and minuses and it just becomes chocolate and vanilla…or am I missing something?
Many thanks for helping clueless (in this area) me.
I have a 4G phone and it’s speed is fine, but I don’t download huge files on my phone and I tend to use wifi in most areas. If you plan on downloading lots of data away from home or the office, 4G might be worth it.
They all do have their pluses and minuses and they all seem to have their rabid followers who will defend their choice to the death. iPhones have a lot of polish because apple controls the hardware and the software. This also limits your options as to features, as nobody else can make an iPhone but apple. Android phones can have quite a range of hardware configurations. This gives you more options, but also causes a lot of variability in performance. Some companies put a lot of effort into creating a stable, solid hardware package and optimizing the android base system to run on it. Others throw together hardware and software and spend just enough time on it to make it work enough to sell it. So with android, it’s not as simple as buying a droid…you should look into reviews on individual phones to see the quirks about them.
Android does have some nice features that you won’t find elsewhere IF you are a google user. It uses your gmail contact list as you phone address book and keeps them synced in real time. I find the level of integration really nice, but if you haven’t sold your soul to google, you might not appreciate it as much.
I don’t have enough experience with the windows phone to comment, but I’m guessing it’s a combo of two. The OS is closed source, and I believe it has tighter hardware constraints than android, so you should see some variation in hardware with lesser variation in performance. I can’t speak to exchange server access as I haven’t messed with that since I got rid of my BB. I would expect the windows phone to work the best with exchange, but I’ve been surprised by MS before in this respect.
but some android models are definitely superior.
Really?
I just test drove an HTC Desire with Android for a couple of weeks and it was a miserable experience - seriously.
I get it that it could do everything but wash the kitchen sink, but this thing was terrible for the basic things I really needed it to do. Not sure if it was a lemon or what:
- Sound on the phone was awful - could barely hear the other people talking at max volume and apparently I sounded like I was talking in a tin can!
- Battery life - 2/3 of a day, if that.
- Search in a large data-base, clumsy and frustrating
- Would spontaneously lose local cell signal, that was only resolved with a full reboot - had to do this several times/day!!
- Did not like the feel/touch of the virtual keyboard. Despite 3 weeks, could not get used to this.
About the only thing I liked about it was that it was the first phone that I have had that was Wifi compatible - and this was kind of cool. But it struck me as odd that I had to email people through my gMail via the WiFi/internet a few times when I could not call them because the cell signal was dropped. “I see that you called. Thanks. I’ll give you a shout when I get to a land line”!!
I have gone back to my 3 year old Blackberry Curve. Contemplating a free upgrade to a BB Bold!