OT: Smart phone help

[beantownmaniac]

Ok, so here's the deal. I know nothing about smart phones. Zilch, zip, nada. Here's a long list of phones, with prices, I can upgrade to. Keep in mind I would like to spend as little as possible, yet get the best phone possible for the buck (free is awesome). What do you think I should get?


Apple iPhone 4S - 64 GB - Black
Apple iPhone 4S - 64 GB - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $399.99
Two-year contract required.


Apple iPhone 4S - 64 GB - Black (Refurbished)
Apple iPhone 4S - 64 GB - Black (Refurbished)
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $349.99
Two-year contract required.

Apple iPhone 4S - 32 GB - Black
Apple iPhone 4S - 32 GB - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $299.99
Two-year contract required.

Apple iPhone 4S - 32 GB - White (Refurbished)
Apple iPhone 4S - 32 GB - White (Refurbished)
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $249.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Galaxy Note (TM) - Carbon Blue
Samsung Galaxy Note (TM) - Carbon Blue
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $249.99
Two-year contract required.


Apple iPhone 4S - 16 GB - Black
Apple iPhone 4S - 16 GB - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $199.99
Two-year contract required.

BlackBerry® Bold (TM) 9900 - Charcoal Black
BlackBerry® Bold (TM) 9900 - Charcoal Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $199.99
Two-year contract required.

HTC One (TM) X - White
HTC One (TM) X - White
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $199.99
Two-year contract required.


HTC TITAN (TM) II - Blue Gray
HTC TITAN (TM) II - Blue Gray
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $199.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Focus (TM) S
Samsung Focus (TM) S
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $199.99
Two-year contract required.

Apple iPhone 4S - 16 GB - Black (Refurbished)
Apple iPhone 4S - 16 GB - Black (Refurbished)
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $149.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Galaxy S (TM) II Skyrocket (TM) - Black
Samsung Galaxy S (TM) II Skyrocket (TM) - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $149.99
Two-year contract required.

Apple iPhone 4 - 8 GB - Black
Apple iPhone 4 - 8 GB - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

BlackBerry® Torch (TM) 9810 Zinc Grey
BlackBerry® Torch (TM) 9810 Zinc Grey
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

BlackBerry® Torch (TM) 9860 - Shadow Grey
BlackBerry® Torch (TM) 9860 - Shadow Grey
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

MOTOROLA ATRIX (TM) 2 - Black
MOTOROLA ATRIX (TM) 2 - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

Nokia Lumia 900 - White
Nokia Lumia 900 - White
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Captivate (TM) Glide - Black
Samsung Captivate (TM) Glide - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Galaxy S(TM) II
Samsung Galaxy S(TM) II
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Rugby® II - Black
Samsung Rugby® II - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Rugby® Smart - Gray
Samsung Rugby® Smart - Gray
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $99.99
Two-year contract required.

Apple iPhone 4 - 8 GB - Black (Refurb)
Apple iPhone 4 - 8 GB - Black (Refurb)
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $49.99
Two-year contract required.

HTC Vivid (TM) - White
HTC Vivid (TM) - White
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $49.99
Two-year contract required.

LG Nitro (TM) HD - Black
LG Nitro (TM) HD - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $49.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung DoubleTime (TM) - White with Pink Accents
Samsung DoubleTime (TM) - White with Pink Accents
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $49.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Focus® 2 - Glossy Pure White
Samsung Focus® 2 - Glossy Pure White
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $49.99
Two-year contract required.

BlackBerry® Curve (TM) 9360 - Piano Black
BlackBerry® Curve (TM) 9360 - Piano Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $29.99
Two-year contract required.

Impulse 4G (TM) by AT&T - Black
Impulse 4G (TM) by AT&T - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $29.99
Two-year contract required.

Pantech Burst (TM) - Titanium
Pantech Burst (TM) - Titanium
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $29.99
Two-year contract required.

AT&T Z331 - Blue
AT&T Z331 - Blue
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $19.99
Two-year contract required.


Samsung Galaxy S (TM) II Skyrocket (TM) - White (Refurbished)
Samsung Galaxy S (TM) II Skyrocket (TM) - White (Refurbished)
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $9.99
Two-year contract required.

Apple iPhone 3GS - 8 GB - Black
Apple iPhone 3GS - 8 GB - Black
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.99
Two-year contract required.

Pantech Pocket (TM) - Shadow Gray
Pantech Pocket (TM) - Shadow Gray
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.99
Two-year contract required.

Samsung Focus (TM) Flash
Samsung Focus (TM) Flash
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.99
Two-year contract required.

Sony Ericsson Xperia (TM) PLAY 4G
Sony Ericsson Xperia (TM) PLAY 4G
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.99
Two-year contract required.

Apple iPhone 3GS - 8 GB - Black (Refurb)
Apple iPhone 3GS - 8 GB - Black (Refurb)
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Two-year contract required.

HTC Inspire (TM) 4G - Dark Brown
HTC Inspire (TM) 4G - Dark Brown
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2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Two-year contract required.

HTC Vivid (TM) - Black - (Refurbished)
HTC Vivid (TM) - Black - (Refurbished)
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Two-year contract required.

Impulse 4G (TM) by AT&T (Refurbished) - Black
Impulse 4G (TM) by AT&T (Refurbished) - Black
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Two-year contract required.

Pantech Breeze III (TM) (Refurbished)
Pantech Breeze III (TM) (Refurbished)
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Two-year contract required.

Pantech Burst (TM) - Titanium (Refurbished)
Pantech Burst (TM) - Titanium (Refurbished)
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Two-year contract required.

Pantech Pursuit II (TM) - Pink - (Refurbished)
Pantech Pursuit II (TM) - Pink - (Refurbished)
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Messaging Unlimited feature is recommended. Two-year contract required.

Samsung Focus (TM) Flash (Refurbished)
Samsung Focus (TM) Flash (Refurbished)
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Two-year contract required.

HTC Status (TM) - White with Silver Accents
HTC Status (TM) - White with Silver Accents
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price FREE
Two-year contract required.

LG Phoenix (TM) - Silver
LG Phoenix (TM) - Silver
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price FREE
Two-year contract required.

LG Phoenix (TM) (Refurbished)
LG Phoenix (TM) (Refurbished)
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price FREE
Two-year contract required.

Pantech Crossover (TM)
Pantech Crossover (TM)
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2-Year Term Renewal Price FREE
Two-year contract required.

Sharp® FX(TM) PLUS
Sharp® FX(TM) PLUS
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price FREE
Two-year contract required.

 

[beantownmaniac]

NO ONE has any suggestions? C'mon now, I know the list is long, but I know nothing about smart phones.

 

[esls79]

Go with the refurb iPhone 4 for 50 bucks. 8 gb is plenty if this is your first smartphone and it's rather easy to use.

 

[awaz]

IMO the iphone is the best phone out there.. i'm not sure how much you plan on using it, but in my experiences it has the best touch screen and really solid battery life.. its kind of annoying to use because its apple and therefore isn't as customizable.. but i think the size/screen/batterly life set the iphone apart from the others

the difference between the 4 and the 4s really isn't very big.. aside from siri, who is cool, but definitely not necessary.. the 4 is significantly faster than the 3GS though (mostly heresay on this one)

as far as storage goes, i highly doubt youd need more than 16G, and you could probably get by with 8.. i'm using 10 currently, but 8.5 of that is music (2 audiobooks included in that).. and with pandora i dont really need actual music files on my phone

 

[sbb122]

Ok, so here's the deal. I know nothing about smart phones. Zilch, zip, nada. Here's a long list of phones, with prices, I can upgrade to. Keep in mind I would like to spend as little as possible, yet get the best phone possible for the buck (free is awesome). What do you think I should get?

Pantech Pursuit II (TM) - Pink - (Refurbished)
Pantech Pursuit II (TM) - Pink - (Refurbished)
Compare
2-Year Term Renewal Price $0.01
Messaging Unlimited feature is recommended. Two-year contract required.

If i was you i would go with the Pink one...


Can't go wrong with an iphone 4, 8gb is plenty. Siri is meh...

 

[KillerVee]

I only know about the phone that I have, the iPhone. I love it.

 

[beantownmaniac]

what about:

HTC Inspire (TM) 4G (Dark Brown)?


Edit: Iphone 4 huh? Is it worth $50 more for new or can I trust refurb? I will be buying insurance.

 

[awaz]

what about:

HTC Inspire (TM) 4G (Dark Brown)?


Edit: Iphone 4 huh? Is it worth $50 more for new or can I trust refurb? I will be buying insurance.

from everything i've read, refurb is basically brand new, expect a brand new phone broke, and they replaced the part that broke.. sounds awesome to me

.. but i haven't ever bought anything refurb.. just cant shake the feeling haha

 

[beantownmaniac]

Samsung Galaxy S(TM) II?

 

[ritari330]

I have an HTC Inspire. Does what needs to be done. I'm happy with it, but I would've probably gotten the iPhone if I had the chance again. 4G seems like a pretty small amount of space though.

 

[beantownmaniac]

from everything i've read, refurb is basically brand new, expect a brand new phone broke, and they replaced the part that broke.. sounds awesome to me

.. but i haven't ever bought anything refurb.. just cant shake the feeling haha

I know what refurb is smart ass, lol. I'm thinking where I'm buying insurance on the phone anyway, refurb might be a good option and save me a few $$. The Samsung galaxy for $99 looks nice also.

 

[beantownmaniac]

How much better is 4G over 3GS? Will I even notice?

 

[awaz]

I know what refurb is smart ass, lol. I'm thinking where I'm buying insurance on the phone anyway, refurb might be a good option and save me a few $$. The Samsung galaxy for $99 looks nice also.

wasn't trying to be a smartass haha..

i was actually making sure i knew what refurb was

 

[grayghost668]

NO ONE has any suggestions? C'mon now, I know the list is long, but I know nothing about smart phones.

my $.02 worth,,,,,buy one off of ebay and don't get trapped into a 2 year contract

 

[beantownmaniac]

The least expensive Apple 4G Iphone is $149.99. The Inspire will cost me $.01 LG nitro is $49.99. Samsung has the Galaxy and 2 others for $99.99

 

[BF4L]

i like my android but wish i got a iphone

 

[sabresfaninthesouth]

I'd go with the Galaxy SII (TM) or the HTC One (TM) X.

HTC is already running Android 4.0 and the Galaxy SII gets updated to 4.0 next week.

But as others have said, it depends on how you plan to use it. If you expect to consume a lot of data, I would say absolutely go with one of those over the iPhone, only because they are both 4G phones, so you're likely to get better data speeds. Also, if you're a movie watcher, those both have bigger screens. The HTC has built-in Beats Audio processing too, so if you spend time on public transit, the sound quality should be better.

But if you're not a big data hog or movie watcher, the smaller form factor of the iPhone can be appealing because it takes up less space in a pocket. Also, if you're a big iTunes person (i.e., large library from the iPod days), that could definitely play into it. Conversely, if you're an Amazon person is better integrated with Amazon capabilities.

Also, if you think you will need to load a lot of stuff on the device, the Galaxy SII is probably your best bet. You can pay more for the very large iPhone, but you can also buy the GSII for less and then spend $15 on Amazon to get a 32GB micro SD card. The HTC One does not have micro SD, so if you're not concerned about a large storage space, a smaller iPhone or the HTC (which has 16GB built in) would work.

Long story short: there's no easy answer.

 

[beantownmaniac]

I'd go with the Galaxy SII (TM) or the HTC One (TM) X.

HTC is already running Android 4.0 and the Galaxy SII gets updated to 4.0 next week.

But as others have said, it depends on how you plan to use it. If you expect to consume a lot of data, I would say absolutely go with one of those over the iPhone, only because they are both 4G phones, so you're likely to get better data speeds. Also, if you're a movie watcher, those both have bigger screens. The HTC has built-in Beats Audio processing too, so if you spend time on public transit, the sound quality should be better.

But if you're not a big data hog or movie watcher, the smaller form factor of the iPhone can be appealing because it takes up less space in a pocket. Also, if you're a big iTunes person (i.e., large library from the iPod days), that could definitely play into it. Conversely, if you're an Amazon person is better integrated with Amazon capabilities.

Also, if you think you will need to load a lot of stuff on the device, the Galaxy SII is probably your best bet. You can pay more for the very large iPhone, but you can also buy the GSII for less and then spend $15 on Amazon to get a 32GB micro SD card. The HTC One does not have micro SD, so if you're not concerned about a large storage space, a smaller iPhone or the HTC (which has 16GB built in) would work.

Long story short: there's no easy answer.

I knew I should have taken a foreign language in school

 

[forty_three]

Of those, I would get the Samsung Galaxy. The caveat being I am a tremendous geek who customizes the ever-loving crap out of my phone and use apps that would make it so I have to answer lots of law enforcement questions or wind up on an FBI watch list. I consume data like Penner consumes pancakes and the idea of having a mini server farm in my pocket makes me happy. I do not take kindly to any hardware or software telling me "you are not supposed to use it that way". And I like that I have more choices than the app store, including homebrewing my own apps.

That said, the refurb iPhone is a great deal and for 95% of the people on the planet, the ones who just want a device that does what you ask it to do without fuss, it is a perfect device. My complaints with apple are on a hexadecimal level, but as far as "operating as designed" is concerned they hit the mark. For a first smart phone, you can't do a lot better.

 

[TiLoBrown]

Nokia 900 is going to be my next phone