A little task for all you avid readers … I need some advice.
I’m just about to leave my current phone contract and I need some advice about what I should do next. I’ve currently got an E61 on Nokia and it’s being paid for by work, I’ll be paying for the new contract myself, so I need to make sure I get the best deal. That said, the best deal doesn’t mean the cheapest – it means the best.
What do I want? Well, I’m a big mobile email user, so a qwerty keyboard would help; a camera would be nice but not essential; I need reliability for my calls; a good data plan (maybe Orange if the rumour is true); I’m in the UK, but I’ll be making a few international calls so a good international plan would be good (but I could also use Maxroam or someone similar); and obviously I’ll be using nearly all of the cool apps that we discuss here.
So, what do you think?
Let me know and if you’ve got a hot tip you don’t want to share with everyone else you can email me on patrick@smstextnews.com.
By the way, if anyone’s got any ‘spare’ devices you’d be willing to let me try out I’d be more than happy to do that ;-). I’m sure it might even get a write-up here.
1st thing that comes to mind is a Blackberry. on the subject of international calling take a look at T-Mobile apparently Int: calling is included in some Business plans. For the Email usage I'm thinking O2. But make sure you check online for Line Rental prices and/or Offers as they can be cheaper than instore. If U do sign up instore then mention any online prices. Hope this has helped a little.
You might really like the Blackberry, Patrick. But I think you might also appreciate a really good camera/video function for taking pictures of your little one.
Qwerty really does limit you. What about an E61i? Hardly revolutionary. Or you could hold out for the nice new E-series qwerty handset. Or the Blackberry Bold, that's not far away either.
As for operators… I think one with a good data plan would be useful. But also look for some exceptional minute bundles. I like 'unlimited landline' calls — useful — and maybe a few thousand minutes of cross-network calls? Decisions, decisions.
3, I'm sure, would love your business. Do think about Vodafone, I really enjoy their call quality. Also consider o2? What about a new iPhone?
I would think that you have two main options here:
1. Nokia N71 with H3G (possibly on pre-paid initially) – on GBP 5 per month unlimited 3G data, using Truphone for calls in/out over WiFi/3G when away from WiFi
2. iPhone 3G on O2 with MobilMe push email and phone sync over O2 3G.
Comments?
Yeah I like the second option there, Patrick. Think about the power of
MobilMe!
kevx, Ewan, James – thanks for your suggestions. Lots to think about and I might just have to see if I can roadtest as many options as possible.
The new E71 has officially launched, so that might be a great option for you. It looks really nice and the reviews of the simultaneously released E66 have been great (although no keyboard there). Personally, I want a good camera rather than a QWERTY keypad, so I would go with the N82 or N95, but those do not sound like the features you're looking for. How big do you want to go? You could look at the E90.
I'm in the US, so cannot comment on your mobile plans. I recently added unlimited data for $15/month.
The new E71 has officially launched, so that might be a great option for you. It looks really nice and the reviews of the simultaneously released E66 have been great (although no keyboard there). Personally, I want a good camera rather than a QWERTY keypad, so I would go with the N82 or N95, but those do not sound like the features you're looking for. How big do you want to go? You could look at the E90.
I'm in the US, so cannot comment on your mobile plans. I recently added unlimited data for $15/month.
The new E71 has officially launched, so that might be a great option for you. It looks really nice and the reviews of the simultaneously released E66 have been great (although no keyboard there). Personally, I want a good camera rather than a QWERTY keypad, so I would go with the N82 or N95, but those do not sound like the features you're looking for. How big do you want to go? You could look at the E90.
I'm in the US, so cannot comment on your mobile plans. I recently added unlimited data for $15/month.