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Guest060812 · 01-18-2011, 10:20 AM

Verizon has announced that the I-Phone will be available in Feb. (my antique cell phone I have now is through Verizon) Anyway, all the younger generation swears by the I-Phone. And it seems like most everybody else has a smart phone these days. One concern is, I usually carry my phone around in my jeans pocket. I wonder how well a smart phone will hold up? I can drop my current phone and it still lives, however the smart phones have delicate screens and may not take the abuse.

Plus, with 4-G coming soon, (Sprint and T-Mobile already have 4-G phones now I believe) would I be purchasing a phone that will be obsolete in 6 months when the 4-G phones come out. Just how important is 3-G compared to 4-G on these smart phones?

Not to mention, I'd have to learn how to work the gizmo in the first place

TexTushHog · 01-18-2011, 09:41 PM

I held on to a eight year old cell phone because I don't like to get rid of old stuff that still works. When if finally played out, I got an iPhone and have been pleased. However, Verizon's iPhone is a bit crippled compared to AT&T's version and can't do all the same things. Of course the trade off is that Verizon has a more extensive network (although the Verizon iPhone won't be 4G).

If I were going to stick to Verizon, I'd seriously consider an Android phone. Unlike the iPhone, there are several choices of hardware that run this OS. But I think in the long run, this will end up being the dominant OS. Of course, if you don't like to tinker with your stuff, you might stick to the iPhone. But I promise, once you get to using a smartphone, you will wonder how you did without one.

cptjohnstone · 01-18-2011, 10:45 PM

My God, an 8 yo cell phone? Talk about missing out on emails and all the other apps that are out there but I guess old donkeys are slow to come around to new technology and you are in east Texas

bigbobftworth · 01-18-2011, 10:48 PM

I-phones from Apple suck, if you have a problem with this device and you probably will Apple is the worst company on the planet for customer service, when my existing plan runs out I will smash the I-phone and send the parts to Apple,

Just my 2 cents worth

Ivy Chick · 01-18-2011, 11:27 PM

If you do get an Iphone (btw I LOVE mine) get an Otterbox case for it. They are not cheap but they do have a gaurantee for keeping your phone safe...I drop mine a lot...Even left it on the bumper of my truck, then is fell of in the road, was run over no telling how many times and when I found it (about 20 minutes after it ended up in the street) it was still in perfect working order.

~Ze~ · 01-18-2011, 11:32 PM

Trying to be a more responsible consumer, I refuse to buy an Iphone even though I REALLY love them and want to replace one that was stolen in Korea.

I can't see myself adding to a 2 bil deficit when SLIGHTLY smaller profits could mean more American jobs.

If anyone out there can point me in a more responsible choice, I am looking for a new phone for Germany...

seventonine · 01-19-2011, 06:02 AM

Just my .02.
I like the iPhone for the apps and gadgets; however, I don't view it as a good phone for conducting business. I travel all over the US, Canada, and Mexico and spend a lot time on the phone. I've found the iPhone to be less than impressive. Perhaps, that's because of its ties to the AT&T network.

Android seems to be a better choice if you talk on the phone a lot.

TexRich · 01-19-2011, 02:30 PM

I think Android X is the better option if you have Verizon.

The iPhone that will be coming out will be the iPhone 4 and there will be an iPhone 5 coming out this summer so if you buy the iPhone next month there will be a newer generation coming out about 6 months later. Another thing, the iPhone with Verizon next month is 3G and it is believed the one coming out this summer will be 4G, some are also saying it may not be until 2012. AT&T uses the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network technology infrastructure, which is capable of handling both voice and data at the same time, but is only able to connect to one tower at a time, which means there is a "hard handoff" from tower to tower. This increases the number of dropped calls and reduces the stability of the voice network when on phone calls. The AT&T iPhone can support surfing the Internet and talking on the phone at the same time. The Verizon iPhone can only do one or the other.

Verizon uses a type of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network, which allows multiple tower connections for "soft handoff" between towers so that your phone can connect to two or more towers at the same time and switch from one to another incrementally. This leads to less frequent dropped calls, but the CDMA network cannot handle voice and data at the same time.

The Verizon iPhone doesn't have the famous signal issue when holding the phone a certain way; this has been tested by trying to cover the corners of the phone, and it has been proven that there is virtually no signal loss. Verizon is likely to have a more stable call connection with less frequent drops, due to its more stable voice network technology.The Verizon iPhone will support Wi-Fi hotspots for iPhone; the AT&T network supports no Wi-Fi hotspot.

rrabbit6926 · 01-19-2011, 10:44 PM

I just joined the 21st century and got rid of my old style cell and went with Droid X and love it so far.

lisa.lisa0302 · 01-20-2011, 10:10 AM

What the heck, treat yourself...and keep ole faithful with you.

I have an Iphone, but its collecting dust in a drawer, I love my old faithful phone. I just can't let it go. Plus I can't seem to turn the volume up on the Iphone, another reason why its still in the drawer lonely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by omaha2dallas

Verizon has announced that the I-Phone will be available in Feb. (my antique cell phone I have now is through Verizon) Anyway, all the younger generation swears by the I-Phone. And it seems like most everybody else has a smart phone these days. One concern is, I usually carry my phone around in my jeans pocket. I wonder how well a smart phone will hold up? I can drop my current phone and it still lives, however the smart phones have delicate screens and may not take the abuse.

Plus, with 4-G coming soon, (Sprint and T-Mobile already have 4-G phones now I believe) would I be purchasing a phone that will be obsolete in 6 months when the 4-G phones come out. Just how important is 3-G compared to 4-G on these smart phones?

Not to mention, I'd have to learn how to work the gizmo in the first place

If you have T-mobile or ATT , you can use your current phone, just purchase a sim card when you get there. I still use my beat up razor phone ( dont laugh I know its old), when I go there. Works just fine.

Hope that helps

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Ze~

Trying to be a more responsible consumer, I refuse to buy an Iphone even though I REALLY love them and want to replace one that was stolen in Korea.

I can't see myself adding to a 2 bil deficit when SLIGHTLY smaller profits could mean more American jobs.

If anyone out there can point me in a more responsible choice, I am looking for a new phone for Germany...

wolfeman · 01-20-2011, 12:17 PM

I just last month had to replace my phone that was at least 8-10 years old. My best friend has one of those smart phones and I wouldn't know how to answer the damn thing when it rings. There are no buttons on the thing. She gave up on asking me to text for her while we are driving down the road. Even the newer phones that have buttons, they are too small for my fat fingers. If I could find a cell phone with a rotary dial, I would be a happy man.

slowmover · 01-20-2011, 12:25 PM

The iphone is really at its best if your home computers are Apple or you have MobileMe installed on your PC. MobileMe really makes seamless integration of your email,calendar, etc. simple. I've had other smartphones and must admit they all are pretty useful.

funtimeguy · 01-20-2011, 02:04 PM

I have had an Iphone since they came out. I was a Tmobile customer at the time and had it unlocked. I am on my 2nd phone (had to switch to 3g). I had been with Tmobile since 2001 and when I put in my Sim card it still read voicestream. Back in December I finally had enough of Tmobile and the excessive bills $85 or so for unlimited everything. I went and bought a Straight Talk phone from walmart (awesome hobby phones for the guys and girls btw) I had a Straight Talk hobby phone that operated on Verizon that was just a basic flip phone and it works great. The new smart phone I bought for $200 had a sim card (nokia e71). The service runs of the AT&T towers and is fairly descent (better than tmobile) The price per month is $45 for unlimited talk/text/web. You just refill it every month and it works great. I have missed the iphone and swear by it. I have dropped it, abused it, spilled on it and it keeps ticking. Maybe I got lucky not having any problems. I have since put the sim card into my iphone 3g and am able to enjoy unlimited talk and text on it. Last night after the Mavs game I was messing with it and was able to get internet and MMS working on it so now I have the Iphone on $45 a month and can tether it and use it to access the web with my laptop. I have no experience with other smart phones than the ones above but I really don't want to. The Iphone is pretty user friendly and I am not a tech guy by any means. I am not sure how the Verizon version is going to work but once you try it I think you will be pleased. Be prepared for a new contract and increased monthly bills.

hwygnome · 01-21-2011, 12:25 AM

If you can hold out for a 4G model do so. Some carriers do sell various brands capable but we have to wait for apple to catch up.

No matter which way you go do get a tough case for it like Ivy Chick mentioned. It does make the phone bigger and harder to get in and out of the pocket but keeps it from breaking. I wish the belt clip was as sturdy as the rest of the case.

Draw back to iphone is not being able to view flash. Which can be a hassle if you really wanted to see it. And most websites use it. I find it funny and sad that apple will send you an email you cant read unless you look at a web version.

Lust4xxxLife · 01-22-2011, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Ze~

Trying to be a more responsible consumer, I refuse to buy an Iphone even though I REALLY love them and want to replace one that was stolen in Korea.

I can't see myself adding to a 2 bil deficit when SLIGHTLY smaller profits could mean more American jobs.

If anyone out there can point me in a more responsible choice, I am looking for a new phone for Germany...

I don't know of ANY cell phones (or tablets or PCs) that are manufactured in America. In fact, I don't know of any name brand sold in any country in the world that ISN'T manufactured in China. So unless anyone else does, you might as well pick whichever phone you like because the jobs are in China no matter what you choose. I guess iPhones and Microsoft's new WP7 devices are the most American-friendly because they do more of the software here. Android is developed mostly by Google but Android requires the device manufacturers to add platform-specific software in between the OS and the drivers, which in many cases would be work done offshore.

Google (Android) is acting pretty anti-American these days, in my opinion. Google uses an off-shore tax loophole to avoid paying US taxes. By registering their revenue-generating IP with an Irish subsidiary, they avoid paying most of their domestic tax obligation. Apple, Microsoft, HP, Dell, Motorola, etc... pay their share. Google does not. It's not like the US corporate tax burden is too onerous, either.

L4L