Phones, phones, phones

[Labyrinthine]

Okay, I've been sporting the xv6800 for the past year and it's been a serious love-hate relationship. I can get the phone to do what I want it to, but it involves me basically rebuilding the thing from the ground up with 3rd party apps and roms.

The phone died. It's toast. SMS went squirrely, the screen gave out, and the earpiece no longer works. A MASSIVE failure 3 weeks out of warranty. (How convenient)

The failure corresponds with my contract being up for renewal, so I'm in the market for carriers/phones.

I've narrowed the search down to

1. Replacement Titan
2. iPhone
3. Blackberry Bold
(If I had $1,000 I'd get a Nokia N97 *drool*)

And I'm wondering if anyone has any insight or input. I managed to get my titan to do what I wanted it to, but it was a lot of work to keep it running smoothly and it was very slow. I also really, really, really, really DON'T like Windows Mobile. *shudder*

I'm on the fence with an iPhone because it doesn't have a physical keyboard and some weird things with the OS (no copy-paste, poor email handling, etc)

I've never used a blackberry, and I'm very leery about using one as a non-business user. Seems like it would be overkill. It does have a keyboard, though.

Any recommendations?

[Latro]

I think Mofo will agree that the iPhone is the way to go.  You get use to the keyboard pretty quickly and it doesn't slow me down.   THe no copy-paste is weak but it must be a few updates away. 

I haven't had any issues with email handling.  Using both gmail and email accounts on Microsoft Exchange servers. 

Blackberry's seem really to be for the power business user.  They're designed to keep you focused on work and being productive.  If that is what you're looking for then you won't go wrong with a blackberry. 

If you like to mix business with pleasure than the iPhone or the G1 Android system is the way to go.  I prefer the iPhone.    I got the 8gb and use Simplify Media to keep my entire music collection a 3g connection away.  It works wonders.  Applications like TouchTerm allow me to stay connected to my OSX, Linux, and Bluehost boxes through SSH.  It has great games and works great for connecting to social networks.   Safari Browser kicks ass.. So does Google Maps + GPS + Traffic details. 

[Labyrinthine]

Just how fast can you type on the iPhone keyboard?

The lack of a tactile keyboard is what kept me away from the iPhone last contract renewal. I tried using the keyboard for about 2 minutes once and was very frustrated. Although, I wasn't ripping on my current phone in 2 minutes either.

[b@!!ofH8]

Who is your carrier?  AT&T seems to be more pricey than most of the other carriers.  I have Sprint and the new Touch Pro.  It's running WM 6.1 and I use a cooked ROM from PPCGeeks that is both fast and stable.  If I could get the same kind of pricing from AT&T that I do from my $99 Simply Everything Sprint plan I'd be tempted to get an iPhone. I support a lot of users with iPhones and have seen a couple Android phones, and have concluded that there is no ultimate solution out there right now. 

[logicaL!]

While I don't doubt that the iPhone is a great phone (I have a friend who has one so I've used it plenty).... I see more upside with the G1. Not only does it have a physical keyboard (which makes it a bit thicker than the iPhone), but it has similar features while being a bit more open in terms of Google. Also the included MicroSD slot is a plus, it allows for up to 16GB of storage (although when 32GB MicroSDHC cards hit the market I assume there will be an upgrade) so that works better in terms of expandability.

In terms of plans, the G1 will be cheaper over the long run because it doesn't have a stupid-expensive contract. Heck I would even consider buying an unlocked G1, and then just using it on ATT because the networks better imo.

[Mongoose]

I think Mofo will agree that the iPhone is the way to go.  You get use to the keyboard pretty quickly and it doesn't slow me down.   THe no copy-paste is weak but it must be a few updates away. 

I haven't had any issues with email handling.  Using both gmail and email accounts on Microsoft Exchange servers. 

Blackberry's seem really to be for the power business user.  They're designed to keep you focused on work and being productive.  If that is what you're looking for then you won't go wrong with a blackberry. 

If you like to mix business with pleasure than the iPhone or the G1 Android system is the way to go.  I prefer the iPhone.    I got the 8gb and use Simplify Media to keep my entire music collection a 3g connection away.  It works wonders.  Applications like TouchTerm allow me to stay connected to my OSX, Linux, and Bluehost boxes through SSH.  It has great games and works great for connecting to social networks.   Safari Browser kicks ass.. So does Google Maps + GPS + Traffic details. 

My G1 has apps that do all of this except the mobile media thing and that doesn't mean it's not out there, just that I don't have it on mine.  The iPhone is sleaker and the bigger screen looks nice, but I like my G1 and I like knowing that if I get the itch I can get root access on it pretty easy.

[Powdered!]

Seems like the iPhone screen is fragile as hell - it's nice looking and sharp, but drop it once a small distance and you are probably toast.

[Latro]

Pretty fast because the iPhone autocorrects most your typo mistakes.. Just keep typing and it figures it out.  If it is wrong, and you go back and correct it, it remembers the word you actually used (and the words you type most often) to make better auto corrects in the future.

[Labyrinthine]

Went with the Bold.

Could not get used to the iPhone no matter how hard I tried. The bold was simple, no frills, powerful, and so, so snappy.

I'm not one for fade ins, fade outs, glitter, pomp, and circumstance - the iPhone as a little too ritzy for me.

[Latro]

My only problm with the bold was that it seemed that it was rushed to market and that the hi was developed for the hardware it sits on.  But it does have a strong service offering.  And a great network

[The Grandfather]

Went with the Bold.

Could not get used to the iPhone no matter how hard I tried. The bold was simple, no frills, powerful, and so, so snappy.

I'm not one for fade ins, fade outs, glitter, pomp, and circumstance - the iPhone as a little too ritzy for me.

Link and carrier?

Ever since I got my XV-6800 I haved loved it. Sounds like you treated yours bad, LOL.

[logicaL!]

Went with the Bold.

Could not get used to the iPhone no matter how hard I tried. The bold was simple, no frills, powerful, and so, so snappy.

I'm not one for fade ins, fade outs, glitter, pomp, and circumstance - the iPhone as a little too ritzy for me.

Link and carrier?

Ever since I got my XV-6800 I haved loved it. Sounds like you treated yours bad, LOL.

Bold = ATT
Storm = Verizon
Curve 8900 = T-Mo

IIRC.

Good choice though, Blackberry's are solid phones.

[Labyrinthine]

Went with the Bold.

Could not get used to the iPhone no matter how hard I tried. The bold was simple, no frills, powerful, and so, so snappy.

I'm not one for fade ins, fade outs, glitter, pomp, and circumstance - the iPhone as a little too ritzy for me.

Link and carrier?

Ever since I got my XV-6800 I haved loved it. Sounds like you treated yours bad, LOL.

Bold = ATT
Storm = Verizon
Curve 8900 = T-Mo

IIRC.

Good choice though, Blackberry's are solid phones.

Those are all different phones. XD

Bold on ATT, I can't stand Verizon. I hate CDMA and the fact that they rape everyone phone they touch.
Bold will be coming to Verizon in may under the Niagara 9030. I don't know what the Tmo version (if there is one) will be.

I use my phone, I use it alot. The speaker, screen, and sliding all died on it 2 weeks outside of warranty. I'm not going to say 'how convenient' but it pisses me off. I liked my 6800 after I put hours of work into customizing windows mobile to suit my liking. I loved the hardware of the phone, I just HATE windows mobile. It's not my cup of tea.

---

Latro, you mind elaborating? I didn't get a full week of research in before this decision, so I had to make a bit of a leap of faith. I've got a 30 day grace period to figure everything out, so I'd like to figure out the problems before that ends. :p

[logicaL!]

Those are all different phones. XD

I know, but they are the exclusives to the carrier.

Although if you were open to WinMo phones I would have recommended one of the HTC phones (the Fuze most likely).

[Labyrinthine]

Those are all different phones. XD

I know, but they are the exclusives to the carrier.

Although if you were open to WinMo phones I would have recommended one of the HTC phones (the Fuze most likely).

Yeah, just came from an HTC phone. I LOVE the design of the HTC phones - they are usually functional and rugged while being passable in the looks department. I just really, really don't like WinMo. Maybe I'll be able to stand 7, but 6.5 is still too 'blegh' for my tastes.