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Desperately seeking advice about which carrier and which android phone is the best choice

A

AmieD36

Lurker
I have been going crazy lately back and forth to stores buying and cancelling lines... The sales ppl don't seem to know much and the time and money I've waisted is ridiculous!
My current situation is I need 2 phones, one for my 11 yr old daughter and one for me.
My son and husband have iPhones and will not consider anything else.
I recently had a iPhone which died, AppleCare sucks , I'm using a go phone now ,my contract ended on 6-1-10 so I'm able to switch carriers for myself and daughter if there's better ones out there.
Cost for plans isn't a huge issue due to my husbands employee discount rates available through verizon AT&T and sprint. 27% off all plans and features, 0$ activation fee, 50% off all access. and %50 off cost of phone for a new or upgraded line ( apple doesn't apply to the phone discount )...

My daughter needs a phone which can text easily, fast Internet and emails, good camera and video recorder, nice app store, social net sites and YouTube is a must. She likes a querty keyboard and touch screen plus needs a sturdy phone , size isn't important... great sound quality for voice calls is a must as well as wireless syncing and ability to run more then one app at a time.
I bought the motorola backflip 2 weeks ago and will be returning it asap!
It's a horrible "smart phone", not worth the data plan at all! It sticks when dialing, camera never works and the querty keypad gets stuck as well.
The motoblur is annoying and the android market is horrible :-(

I did love my iPhone , easy to use, nice touch screen and apps.
I do not like the way apple controls the phone ( not being able to run adobe and flash, requiring apps for basic functions like gps and camera editing as well as not being able to remove the battery)...plus AppleCare sucks!
I need a phone with a lot of storage, Internet and emails, good gps and custom texting options, speed is a huge deal to me, standard headphone jack, USB charger, wifi , apps for productivity outweigh any apps for games.
Wireless syncing, long battery life, sturdy and smooth touchscreen,
I'm really looking for a mini computer phone with a great camera, large high resolution screen, easy to use but with options to change the things I don't like. high sound quality for voice calls and speaking texts would be amazing.
I'm interested in a querty keyboard as well as touch keyboard, plus ability to use bluetooth.

I know the sprint evo is getting high reviews , I'd probably love it but I haven't seen a good option for my daughter on sprint....

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this!
I'm desperately seeking advice from anyone who knows about the types of android phones and carriers that could work for me .
 
Sprint - EVO for you, Samsung moment for daughter (girlfriend has it and she loves it).

Family share plan 129.99 (+10 for EVO) = 1500 shared minutes, unlimited data, picturemail, texting, any mobile anytime. Plus you may qualify for a corporate discount.
 
I'd personally say the EVO on Sprint for you. Its 1ghz snapdragon processor would be good for the speed and performance you want. The only drawback you may experience in battery life, but that comes with almost any smartphone, and you have options to handle that, so it should be manageable.

Since your daughter likes a physical keyboard, she might want to take a look at the Samsung Moment. I currently have the Moment until I upgrade to the EVO in Nov/Dec timeframe. All in all I like it, good phone in my experience.
 
Thank you for that advice!!
Is the samsung a android phone? I looked at the motorola droid and the OS is much better then the BF in terms of android software versions...
Again thanks for your help and time!
 
yes the Samsung moment is Android as well and Sprint just released version 2.1 for it. 99.99 after MIR or cheaper if you get it from Best Buy ;-)
 
Ok, so the Verizon sales rep in me had to respond...

First, I noticed you said that you wanted a QWERTY and Touch. So.... the EVO wouldn't be the right phone for you???? I mean, it's a great phone. I was just playing with it the other day and it's pretty slick. Unfortunately for Sprint, where I'm located Sprint isn't even a real competitor with Verizon. Now, if you have good coverage in your area from Sprint the EVO might be a good phone for you but keep in mind you originally felt like you needed a QWERTY keyboard and the EVO is ALL touch.

I can tell you if you were going to go with Verizon and didn't want a QWERTY the Incredible is... well, Incredible. As for your daughter, it sounds like she needs a smartphone as well. She could get away with a multimedia phone (a $10 data package rather than a $30) however she would not be able to run multiple apps on one as only the smartphones allow that. For her I would recommend the LG Ally.

The LG Ally is not super fancy, super expensive, nor super fragile. There isn't much in the way of "WOW!" but it's a Droid. There isn't really anything wrong with the phone, it just seems like rather than compete with phones like the Incredible or Droid, LG chose to put android into a feature-phone like body. The price point is much lower and the phone is much sturdier. It has a really great slide-out keyboard as well.

For you, if you are wanting a phone right away and must have a keyboard, you're looking at the Droid or the Ally as well. Verizon also carries the Motorola Devour, and I feel the keyboard is improved from the Droid, however I have seen a lot more problems with the Devour than the Droid.

If you can hold off til the end of June, the Droid 2 and Droid X will hopefully be out by then and they may be more up your alley.
 
You could go with Verizon and get a Droid Incredible for yourself and a Droid for your daughter. When it comes to your needs, the EVO and the Incredible are essentially the same thing. Actually, I think Verizon is doing a BOGO for the Droid, so you and your daughter could both get a droid and they would both fulfill your needs. There's also the Droid X and Droid 2 coming to Verizon within the next few months.
 
And hopefully by the end of June the incredible will be available if you are interested in vzw. I saw go evo for you and moment for your daughter
 
Technically, the BOGO is on only the Moto Droids at the moment. However, if you go to a Premium retailer, they are usually willing to negotiate and are actually able to. Corporate stores have zero leverage and reps must sell at what they are instructed to sell at.
 
Thanks again for everyones help!
Sprint isn't a good network around my area, we have family on sprint and they don't seem happy with their service.
Everyone has AT&T or verizon. So the advice on the verizon phones is very usefull!
I'm willing to wait for a newer model if it's worth waiting for :-)
my only concern with the motorola phones goes back to the negative aspects of the backflip .
Is the droid different ? Does it have the same software or android version?
I have had a lot of motorola phones and they've all been great... Until the backflip :-(
is the newer one going to be as fast as the new iPhone or as easy to use as the evo?
I tested a htc eris basic model at the store and it wasn't a must buy...
The incredible I haven't tried... I know it got great reviews.
I don't care too much about the keyboard , as long as the touchscreen keyboard isn't sized for a 5 yr old ;-)
I would really like a camera button on the side and a front and back option would be nice.
Do most ppl go with verizon because they have more android phones then others?
Our best buy is offering the motorola droid and lg ally for free now...
Is it worth waiting a few months to see what comes out?
Thanks so much for advice!!
 
Verizon has the best coverage nationwide hands down. That's why people go with them. They also have some of the best phones on the market these days.

I have the Incredible and can't recommend it enough (if you can find one in a store). Your daughter may like the Incredible as well. She might also check out the similar, but smaller and less powerful, Eris. My fiance has the Eris and it's a great phone too.

The LG Ally, while not getting the best reviews, might also be a nice option if she wants a keyboard. Engadget was left feeling the phone was rushed to market, but thinks it's decent overall.

And the phones on their way will be nice, but one will be HUGE and the other very similar to the Moto Droid with a better physical keyboard and some enhanced features, of course. Worth holding out for? Only if you'll use the extra features and want to pay more for them.
 
AmieD36 said:
Thanks again for everyones help!
Sprint isn't a good network around my area, we have family on sprint and they don't seem happy with their service.
Everyone has AT&T or verizon. So the advice on the verizon phones is very usefull!
I'm willing to wait for a newer model if it's worth waiting for :-)
my only concern with the motorola phones goes back to the negative aspects of the backflip .
Is the droid different ? Does it have the same software or android version?
I have had a lot of motorola phones and they've all been great... Until the backflip :-(
is the newer one going to be as fast as the new iPhone or as easy to use as the evo?
I tested a htc eris basic model at the store and it wasn't a must buy...
The incredible I haven't tried... I know it got great reviews.
I don't care too much about the keyboard , as long as the touchscreen keyboard isn't sized for a 5 yr old ;-)
I would really like a camera button on the side and a front and back option would be nice.
Do most ppl go with verizon because they have more android phones then others?
Our best buy is offering the motorola droid and lg ally for free now...
Is it worth waiting a few months to see what comes out?
Thanks so much for advice!!
Click to expand...

Motorola isn't a bad handset manufacturer when they don't make gimmicky devices like the backflip. The Droid has been a sensational success and is an awesome phone. I have a close friend who has one and she loves it. As for waiting, it really depends on if you have to have the absolute latest and greatest devices. Phones haven't changed really in terms of speed since the Nexus One. My advice is to just find a device that you like and buy it. It's not like one phone is better than another at this point in terms of features. It really depends on what you want. Just some general guidelines, pretty much anything HTC is good. Anything in the Motorola Droid line is good. If I were you I would just get a Droid Inc for yourself and a Droid for your daughter.
 
Well, if sprint is a no go in your area, then i would def say go with the moto droid for your daughter and the Incredible for yourself. My wife and i just got those 2 phones, myself getting the incredible, both coming from Blackberrys. The wife wasnt too sold on the droid, but, after a few days with it she loves it. The Incredible is back ordered at the moment, mine wont come for another couple of weeks, but its more then worth the wait. We went to a Verizon corporate store and got the bogo offer, all i had to do was ask, and it was no problem, so for 150 we got a droid and incredible, cant go wrong with that :)
 
orakle44 said:
Well, if sprint is a no go in your area, then i would def say go with the moto droid for your daughter and the Incredible for yourself. My wife and i just got those 2 phones, myself getting the incredible, both coming from Blackberrys. The wife wasnt too sold on the droid, but, after a few days with it she loves it. The Incredible is back ordered at the moment, mine wont come for another couple of weeks, but its more then worth the wait. We went to a Verizon corporate store and got the bogo offer, all i had to do was ask, and it was no problem, so for 150 we got a droid and incredible, cant go wrong with that :)
Click to expand...

If this is still possible, definitely, definitely do this. Wow, what a deal for an Incredible and Droid.
 
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