Originally Posted by Juicebox

Try one out in-store at a mall first to see if you like the interface/keyboard.

I definitely have to agree with this.

You can rely on reviews and specs to a point but after you have a few contenders you definitely want to try them out in store. Getting a feel for the phone will help you make a final decision.

As for Windows 7 Phone vs Android again I'm sure you can read tons of reviews online about the pros and cons of each OS and see how they apply to your phone use. Again though the one big plus of Android since you mentioned it in your first post is the integration with Google services including GMAIL.

Originally Posted by sew12

Do you have a preference about contract or no contract?

Personally although they do tend to have high prices I am quite pleased with Rogers. I always have good service, no dropped calls etc.

If you're looking to get a smartphone through one of the major service providers I'm pretty sure you have to get a data plan to get the lower, on contract price. That said I like having a data plan, Wifi is nice but you can't get it in all places and its also a huge battery eater. I like having the flexibility of being able to use the internet no matter where I am, not draining my battery as badly and faster speeds in some cases.

I currently like the plan I have with Rogers that includes data but I don't know how much you're looking to pay. Its the $50 student plan and it includes everything I need, which includes 500 MB data (which I've never gone over and I use it every day), unlimited texts, unlimited evenings and weekends with the unlimited evening talk starting at 5 pm (this was an option though, I think there were 2 or 3 other things you could pick w/ the plan instead of this if it suits you better) and 200 daytime minutes.

I got an Android phone with the plan in the summer (Xperia X10) and I really like it. My particular phone is outdated now and won't be getting any further Android updates but it doesn't sound like you absolutely need to be on the cutting edge so maybe. Its fast and Rogers is offering it for 49.99 on a 3 year contract now. On screen keyboard takes a bit of getting used to but it works in the cold for me.

That said they have new Android phone offerings too and the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate seems amazing. Its 99.99 on a new 3 year contract. I know someone who got one and they love it, the touchscreen is absolutely gorgeous. I can't comment on the on screen keyboard though.

On top of specs online reviews might help you select an Android phone that would suit your needs. People will often comment on things like the ease of use of the on screen keyboards.

Internet surfing on any of the these Android phones would be excellent. The screens are large, bright and beautiful. I like surfing on my phone just as much as surfing on my big computer monitor.

And of course with Android phones built in Google Apps is obviously a huge bonus.

If you're not looking to lock into a long contract or be forced to purchase data then you might want to look for someone selling used or something.

As far as storage for music goes the internal memory on the phones is 16 GB and they can take up to 32 GB micro SD cards. If I'm not mistaken the phones Rogers sells generally come with 16 GB micro SD cards standard.

Well if the phone is good enough, I plan to keep it at least a year and a half at minimum, but then again, I might want some new and fancy toy... :O
I've never done a contract, but I don't think I'm too keen on anything thats on the order of 3 years... my sister got locked into something like that.

I don't use talk more than about maybe 5 minutes a day at maximum, and I have 'unlimited' data thats very slow... is my Rogers unlimited slowness a result of my phone's technlogy?

Galaxy S DEFINATELY is something I'm thinking of from before and now since its so cheap?!

Originally Posted by RyanC

Well if the phone is good enough, I plan to keep it at least a year and a half at minimum, but then again, I might want some new and fancy toy... :O
I've never done a contract, but I don't think I'm too keen on anything thats on the order of 3 years... my sister got locked into something like that.

I don't use talk more than about maybe 5 minutes a day at maximum, and I have 'unlimited' data thats very slow... is my Rogers unlimited slowness a result of my phone's technlogy?

Galaxy S DEFINATELY is something I'm thinking of from before and now since its so cheap?!

I don't find my data slow so perhaps its your old, dumbphone.

If you're not looking for a long contract its not a problem, you can still get whatever phone you want, you just have to be willing to pay more. Obviously Rogers and company want to lock you in to a longer contract so they offer the best deal on a 3 year contact. As soon as you jump down to 2 years they want $449 for the phone, $499 for only 1 year and $549 with no contact.

Personally as long as I'm happy with the service provider I don't mind the contact length since I can change my plan/phone as need be. If I ever got really unhappy with my service provider I'd just suck it up and either wait out my contract or pay to be released from it. The freedom of no contract would be nice but I'm not willing to drop $400 to $600 on a phone, and for the features I use and need I get them with my contract. Ideally the wireless industry would be more consumer friendly but in the state its in right now I'm happy with my Rogers service.

Wait for the Desire HD which will be released soon :p

I'm in a similar situation to the OP, and i was thinking about the SE Vivaz Pro (the best phone i could find without having to pay extra for data plans) or bell's palm pre, they have a $15 rebate on monthly plan options, so you can get their $50 smartphone plan (200 mins, 500mb data + an addon, something like that) for $35/month on a 2 year plan, with the obvious compromise being an old phone and a shitty app market.

recently, however, i've been thinking of wind, i feel they clearly have the best plans, they're contract-free as well, the only things holding me back is that i don't like their phones (which i would be restricted to if i'm gonna be using windtab), and that wind has reception problems sometimes (or so i've heard)

edit: virgin mobile might be a good option too, they have pretty good phones (incl. androids + plans are good) and it's on their supertab, so no contracts

btw, i've often wondered about this for tabs. say i get a $40 plan, with $150 on tab, then (assuming 10% fees go towards tab), i'm going to be paying $4/month towards the tab.

Does that mean i'll be paying $44/month (i.e. $4 tab contribution+$40 plan cost) or will i still be paying $40/month, with $4 out of that going towards the tab (effectively paying $36/month for the plan and $4 towards the tab).

I'd think it's the former, because phone companies want my money, but if it's the latter, then I don't see much of a benefit getting a phone on a tab (i.e. paying off $150 over 3 years or paying the entire phone price in one go, i'm paying the same amount of money, and $150 isn't such a large cost that i'd need installments over several years to pay it off, and if i do need installments for $150, then maybe i should suck it up and keep my dumbphone).

Originally Posted by Juicebox

The LG quantum is a Win 7 phone

I have a phone similar to that, I just really don't like the flipping thing. Not impressive compared to others imo.

Originally Posted by jeboi7

Have you heard of Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro?

Really nice in every category except that its OS.. How customizable is it? I've never heard of Symbian...

I was just looking at the Desire, but I imagine that would be expensive... then again, its pretty top-of-the-line and will not need to be upgraded for years.

Leaning towards Galaxy S, and Maybe Vivaz ... ugh so much choice..

Originally Posted by RyanC

I have a phone similar to that, I just really don't like the flipping thing. Not impressive compared to others imo.



Really nice in every category except that its OS.. How customizable is it? I've never heard of Symbian...

I was just looking at the Desire, but I imagine that would be expensive... then again, its pretty top-of-the-line and will not need to be upgraded for years.

Leaning towards Galaxy S, and Maybe Vivaz ... ugh so much choice..

Best buy was giving a $150 gift card and the desire was $0 during christmas time :p

I payed 750 dollars for an iPhone .. And it was worth it

Originally Posted by blackdragon

Best buy was giving a $150 gift card and the desire was $0 during christmas time :p

Wait..what... 0$?... :(


Unless the iPhone is unlocked/jailbroken, I don't have any plan of paying that much for a phone, much less an apple product, LOL

I only use my iTouch for music and plants vs zombies, and iTunes is rubbish..

Yeah, if you sign a 3 year with telus desire is $0

iPhones work in the cold, you'll just have to take your gloves off. Which sucks.

Originally Posted by waldo92

btw, i've often wondered about this for tabs. say i get a $40 plan, with $150 on tab, then (assuming 10% fees go towards tab), i'm going to be paying $4/month towards the tab.

Does that mean i'll be paying $44/month (i.e. $4 tab contribution+$40 plan cost) or will i still be paying $40/month, with $4 out of that going towards the tab (effectively paying $36/month for the plan and $4 towards the tab).

You would pay the $40, and the amount on your tab would decrease by $4 per month. If you ever decide to leave WIND, you'll be responsible for the amount left on your tab. So its essentially a free phone as long as you decide not to leave them.

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In general, I would also say the service provider is way more important in the end than the phone, especially if you get locked into a contract. Avoid contracts like the plague- especially with Rogers, Telus or Bell. They're restrictive and hard to get out of, even after they've expired. Its not worth the little bit of savings you'll get on a phone.

I definitely love Android, although some of the best features of it aren't available in Canada. One of the best selling points of the OS is the tight integration with Google Voice, which still isn't available in Canada. You also lose out on the Mint Finance app, the Groupon app, and a lot of other big ones. To the best of my knowledge those aren't available on iPhone either though.

If you want to use Google Calendar and Gmail, Android is the best for that integration. Maps is also very well integrated.

Originally Posted by Juve

I payed 750 dollars for an iPhone .. And it was worth it

The iPhone is probably still the best smartphone you can get, but the margin by which it's better is shrinking and it's definitely not good enough to justify being ~50% more expensive than comparable Android and WP7 phones.

You should wait for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA arc.

Its beautiful.

check it:



Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKA82pgG5eI