Too Many Choices

There are just too many cell phones or Smartphone’s to choose from.  I recently decided to up grade my phone as I wanted a phone that supported WiFi.  I would say that if the phone manufactures are not careful that they will lose business based on a consumer’s unwillingness to do extensive research.  I looked at a variety of phones which is what I will share with you in this article.

Old Phone:  BlackBerry Curve 8330

I really like this phone, and the only downside with it is that it doesn’t support Wi-Fi.  I got this phone when I was still with Alltel.  As with all BB, its strengths are with messaging, data compression and battery life.  These are all requirements I was looking for in my new phone.  BB has some draw backs when it comes to apps and of course their browser.  With 6.0 around the corner, the word is the new WebKit browser will be a real upgrade and will be backward compatible to phones with the 5.0 software.

What I Looked At:

Since I’m not an Apple Fan, more to the point, an AT&T hater, iPhone was not a consideration.  Being such a ‘Geek’, I would not go this route due to the restrictive nature of this device. This narrowed down the following SmartPhone systems:

  • Android
  • BlackBerry
  • Palm
  • Windows Phone 7

Android:

I looked at the Nexus One, Droid, Eris, and the Incredible, all really great phones.  What made me decide against Android for the time being is the fragmentation of the operating system across the devices and the history of Verizon and other carriers being slow to upgrade.  This was a tough decision for me, as I am very integrated with Google, from email to Buzz.  The other issue is that I am a very big fan of Audible.com and there is no app for Android and no sign of one other than: “We are working on it”.

Windows Phone 7:

These devices look like they are going to be really cool.  But, there is none available yet, and I don’t like buying first generation devices.

Palm:

The Palm Pre almost got my money.  The problem being that due to their recent purchase by HP, and lack of developer support there isnt many apps and more to the point there isn’t much indication that this will change.  The Palm Pre is a great phone, but I am looking for a phone that will support VOIP (Google Voice, Gizmo5, Skype) and this just wasn’t there.

Winner: BlackBerry Curve 8530

vzw-bb-curve-8530 I am sure that many will scoff at my decision but it was not made lightly.  This phone gives me all that I need.  Following is some of the reasons I decided on this:

  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support
  • Dependability – Rim has been around for a while and has good developer support.
  • Battery Life -  I get a good 6 hours of constant MP3, or E-Book usage without a re-charge.
  • Great Email and Messaging support.
  • Good support for Google Services: Reader, Voice, Gmail, Sync, etc.
  • Audible.com support
  • SD Card Support
  • Price: FREE

Wrap-UP:

I post this in the hopes that it may help others in their decision process when it comes to getting their next gadget.  Even though I consider myself a Geek, I decided to not chase the latest and greatest gadgets.