Cell phone suggestions

[emeraldgirl08]

Hi all. I have been using a BB 8900 for the last 3 years and it has served me well! I love the QWERTY keyboard and the straightforward functionality of the BB 8900 series. Often in a rush I had accidentally dropped it recently and as a result some of the hardware components are broken. Speakerphone is gone. Plugging in a headphone results on only the left-channel working. Camera does not work. The worst is I can hardly hear voice whenever I get a call or make one so it is imperative that I make a buying decision this weekend.

I could use some suggestions. I love the QWERTY keyboard and the ability to use an microSDHC. I am familiar with Android as I have a tablet that runs Android. I am sort of leaning toward another Blackberry. Namely the Blackberry 9810 which has both a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard. My carrier currently is Tmobile so my preference as far as GSM versus CDMA goes is for SIM card capability. However if there is a decent Android I may consider one.

Thanks

[TTY]

If you want a physical keyboard, you might want to take a look at the Nokia E7.

http://www.nokia.com/us-en/products/pho ... fications/

amazon has some more pictures:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_ ... 0+unlocked

It seems to be compatible with the frequencies that T-Mobile uses in the U.S.

[loyukfai]

Checked out Motorola's PRO+, Droid Pro or Defy Pro...?

Cheers.

[emeraldgirl08]

I got a suggestion from a friend also for the Samsung Galaxy S 2 which seems nice but lacks the physical keyboard I prefer. It does have a microSDHC slot which is one of my requirements. It also has an AMOLED screen which could be very nice. It also seems to be a tad bit higher than the cost of a 9810. I might have mentioned that I am familiar with Android 4.0.4 and 4.1.1 as I have used both on my android tablet. I also take into consideration that I mainly use the phone to text and make/receive calls. My provider plan is 1500 talk time/1 text message=1 minute/ 30mb of data- all per month. 30 mb of data does not seem like much but I use public wifi, school enterprise network, and have wifi at home if I need anything from the internet.

@TTY. The one thing that did stand out immediately was the price. It is a bit steep for me. Regardless- I appreciate the suggestion

@loyukfai. I will give those a look when I get some free time today. Thanks!

[jdk]

Nokia E6 can be purchased unlocked on eBay for ~150, and matches your requirements.

You could also stay Blackberry, the new Q10 will have a QWERTY keyboard.

[precip9]

I still use a Tmobile Sony-Ericsson TM506 clamshell. Early to mid versions of the firmware have a bug that allows tethering even when Tmobile denies. I'm grandfathered into an old plan, but helping a family member with a $2.00 daypass, it still seems to work, subject to certain workarounds.

My tether clients are various Thinkpads, and an Ideapad A1 running ICS, which provides the equivalent of a smartphone with an oversized screen.

[pianowizard]

I recommend the HTC Touch Pro2, which T Mobile used to sell. It's almost as old as your BlackBerry 8900 but the slide-out keyboard is by far the best keyboard ever available on a smartphone. Also, it has a microSD slot that supports up to 64GB, and Opera Mini is really snappy on this phone. I have been using my Touch Pro2 for almost 3 years and am not tempted to upgrade at all. I was at Sprint Store last week and compared my Touch Pro2's Opera Mini with the default browser on the latest Samsung Galaxy (whatever it's called), and the speed difference was minimal. The Touch Pro2 runs Windows Mobile 6.5, which is ancient but it meets all my needs and it seems that your needs are even more basic than mine. A nice thing about Windows Mobile is that you can install Office Mobile 2010 for free.

[emeraldgirl08]

More to look at now! Thanks!

Another friend suggested the Samsung Captivate Glide which seems nice. From what I have read so far it runs either Android 2.3 or 4.0.4. One thing about Android I have found via my tablet is that there is a large number of apps available. It is nice to know that there is the large choice of software. I feel that if I needed some special and specific program that aids in my productivity and tasks then google play or amazon very likely could have something I could download and install.

I am at this point now: Samsung Captivate Glide>>Blackberry 9810>>Blackberry Bold 9700. I do like the capacitive touchscreen + a slide out keyboard. That and a somewhat familiarity with Android, nice hardware, and a nice bright AMOLED screen are selling points to me. The BB9810 from video reviews on YT seems to be a very basic phone which is what I do not mind. It is also compact and familiar. The Samsung Captivate Glide and BB9810 are about the same price on fleabay. For a quick, low-cost, and easy no-frills phone I added the Blackberry 9700 to my list. I am aware that the processor is ~1/2 that of the other two candidates I am looking at but from my usage pattern the BB9700 is a viable contender. In a nutshell the Samsung would be my flashy new device while the BB9700 simply is a phone that probably would last at least a year or two. The BB9810 is the middle ground with a style I like, more recent hardware, and the name brand I feel works for me.

I will ponder these choices throughout my weekend as I work on my assignments. Thanks again guys!

[sysiphus]

If you're considering a BB9700, you should just get a 9780 instead--it's the same machine, but with twice the RAM and a better camera. While the camera may or may not be of interest, the memory makes a huge difference. If you're on AT&T, get a Canadian import model (Rogers or Telus) to get compatible 3G bands; T-Mobile USA sold/sells it if you're on that carrier/3G frequency set.

[emeraldgirl08]

If you're considering a BB9700, you should just get a 9780 instead--it's the same machine, but with twice the RAM and a better camera. While the camera may or may not be of interest, the memory makes a huge difference. If you're on AT&T, get a Canadian import model (Rogers or Telus) to get compatible 3G bands; T-Mobile USA sold/sells it if you're on that carrier/3G frequency set.

Wow! Did not know that. Looking at specs for it confirms your statement. Very nice- thanks

I am still looking. Sort of difficult to look for a phone online and have schoolwork at the same time >.<

[craigmontHunter]

There's always something better to do than school work - I have a bold 9780, and I really like it, its not as fast as some of the newer phones, and obviously has a smaller screen because of the keyboard, but I'd take that trade off since I have big hands and have trouble with touch keyboards. If you can play with a 9700 and like it, the 9780 is the same physical feel, but much faster.

Good luck with school and the search for the phone

[sysiphus]

Wow! Did not know that. Looking at specs for it confirms your statement. Very nice- thanks

I am still looking. Sort of difficult to look for a phone online and have schoolwork at the same time >.<

Of course the specs confirm my statement--I wouldn't have said it if I weren't certain (I've been toying with picking on up myself). Happy to help. Have fun!

[Brian10161]

I'll second the 9780, I have one and it's a great phone. I originally got one for work and it was excellent, so I opted for one myself.

Only thing I dislike is the lack of apps in the BB store. But other than that, top notch build quality and the battery lasts me two to three days on a full charge. Keyboard is excellent to type on too

[emeraldgirl08]

Update:

Went with the 9780. I watched videos of it in action on YT and it seems reasonable. There was a video comparing the 9700 (one of my initial choices) and the 9780 (which I did not even know about until sysiphus suggested it-thanks!!!) which further swayed me toward the 9780. The 9810 was more expensive on fleabay and I did not have the patience to wait for a good deal. As I had mentioned the speaker on my current 8900 does not work so the LED lights and flashing screen notifies me if someone is calling. It is too easy to miss calls that way.

Most of the 9810 on fleabay were ~$180 USD with chips and scratches. Unacceptable to me. Small scratches on the screen would irritate me! The 9780 I purchased has no scratches and looks new. I will be putting a screen protector on as soon as I receive it. I also hope to find a barely there case by case mate soon! I have one for my 8900 and it fits like a glove and feels much like the rubbery texture of the T-, X- series ThinkPad lids.I am also not too concerned about apps as I will pretty much use it only for text/calls/minor web searches/minor music player/minor picture taking. If I have an urge to search for apps I have a 7" android tablet I can peruse google play with.

Thanks again for all the suggestions! You all are the best

[sysiphus]

Update:

Went with the 9780. I watched videos of it in action on YT and it seems reasonable. There was a video comparing the 9700 (one of my initial choices) and the 9780 (which I did not even know about until sysiphus suggested it-thanks!!!) which further swayed me toward the 9780. The 9810 was more expensive on fleabay and I did not have the patience to wait for a good deal. As I had mentioned the speaker on my current 8900 does not work so the LED lights and flashing screen notifies me if someone is calling. It is too easy to miss calls that way.

Most of the 9810 on fleabay were ~$180 USD with chips and scratches. Unacceptable to me. Small scratches on the screen would irritate me! The 9780 I purchased has no scratches and looks new. I will be putting a screen protector on as soon as I receive it. I also hope to find a barely there case by case mate soon! I have one for my 8900 and it fits like a glove and feels much like the rubbery texture of the T-, X- series ThinkPad lids.I am also not too concerned about apps as I will pretty much use it only for text/calls/minor web searches/minor music player/minor picture taking. If I have an urge to search for apps I have a 7" android tablet I can peruse google play with.

Thanks again for all the suggestions! You all are the best

Awesome, glad you're happy! I may have a 9780 of my own en route pretty soon--it's the last of the high-end non-touchscreen Blackberries, and checks all the boxes I care about--reasonable speed, great keyboard, decent camera, and solid battery life. Blackberries certainly aren't cool/en vogue anymore, but they make for excellent reliable/durable get-stuff-done devices.