Cell phones/ iPhone?

[hamerhead]

I have a crappy Tracfone. I love it. In 2 years I used 200 minutes (probably less). It's about $6 a month.

My wife has a crappy Tracfone. She uses hers slightly more than I use mine. It's about $6 a month. But.......

Her company merged with another. The new company uses smart phones for everything. They all have iPhones.

I think my wife should also get an iPhone. She - understandably - doesn't want to spend the $$. She thinks a cheaper phone will be just as effective. I think, because her co-workers would be able to help her use something she's totally unfamiliar with, forking out for an iPhone now will save her a bunch of headaches later (plans, apps, how to work the damn thing, blahblahblahblahblah).

It's all Greek to me. I don't know squat about any of it. And she knows about as much.

What can ya tell me?

[mathman]

I don't have an iPhone but I know Apple products. I'm too cheap to pay the fees. Everyone I know who has one loves it. You can get the 3g version much cheaper but it is more limited in plans, features, and providers. You don't have to connect it to a computer at all anymore.

http://www.apple.com...ompare-iphones/

The quality of the apps is pretty good. Of course there are some bad ones but there are some really good ones. It does everything you could need. Phone, internet, calendars, email, maps, guitar amps, garageband, imovie, camera, and on and on....

[geoff_hartwell]

I am a total Mac lover when it comes to laptop, but I went with a droid, and keep them totally separate (no syncing music, calendars, etc).

I can still check my yahoo email, use the web, gps, etc and I love it. There are a TON of free apps that I use (metronome, tuner, youtube) for teaching lessons every day, and I still have my ipod classic with a mountain of music and movies. My droid runs out of battery in about a day, though basically the same life as the iphone.

If she can get a company phone, or plan, I say go iphone for sure. Assuming that she's staying with this job for the foreseeable future, if she goes iphone

now she can be in the same boat with all of her coworkers. And she can certainly get the most basic phone and most basic plan to start.

Best of luck!

[ZR]

Droid RAZR here...much bigger screen. I'm sure the Apple products can do very similar things but I use it to sync wirelessly to Google calendars. Picks up home networks, or wi-fi spots automatically so you don't use as much data time - although we're allowed 4GB which is plenty for us. Great apps...I love Sound Hound where you hold your phone up to a speaker and it tells you what song / artist it is...or you can just hum it into the phone. Super thin and light.

[Studio Custom]

The iPhone is a great device, however it's weakest point is the telephone aspect, where it is way below average. I'm on AT&T and I have drop outs everyday, perhaps the Verizon version is better. Keep in mind it's $25/mo after the $400 for the phone. My contract is up and I am awaiting to see if the 5 resolves the issues or if the Verizon 5 will do both Internet and phone simultaneously. Fwiw I received mine as a fathers day gift or I would have returned it the first week.

[cynic]

I'm on AT&T and I have drop outs everyday, perhaps the Verizon version is better.

I have AT&T iphone, my wife has a Verizon iphone. Both experience drops, but it's VERY much service and location dependent. We're in San Diego, and each of us have maybe four very small areas (e.g. a particular intersection) where we'll consistently drop calls, but it rarely happens outside of those areas.

I've experienced drops in the same locations with Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia phones using AT&T, so it's more a service provider drop than something specific to iPhone.

We both use ours for business, and I switched over from a Window Mobile device, she crossed over from a Blackberry device. There were small things in both those OS's that IOS doesn't do, but there are many IOS features that we didn't have before but love now.

I can't speak to android, but we're both really happy with the iphone and find them very intuitive. Even without adding apps, it's a very good platform for basic business use. By adding a few that give you the ability to edit attachments, it provides everything we need.

[Bobby Marshall]

My wife has iPhone and loves it. I hate it because I don't know how to help her when she can't do something.

I have Droid Razr 4G through Verizon. 4G not always available and I live/work not too far north of Chicago. But works pretty good for me. Also my screen is huge compared to iPhone.

It is a tough decision. Is Johnny B an expert on this stuff too?

[Jeff R]

I just got a new phone last weekend. I'm on AT&T. I was using a Blackberry with internet, type pad, etc. Went to the store this weekend with one focus: I want a phone, just a phone. Sick of being surrounded by technology - I've got enough Internet at my house and office. I got a Samsung Rugby II. It's a simple flip phone that's built like a brick shithouse - weighs more than the BB did. Phone reception is MUCH better than the BB, so I'm happy. Still trying to master texting on it, so if you get a message from me with a bunch of irregular punctuation, capitalization, numbers/symbols, I'm still in my learning curve ...

[blackfbiv]

iPhone all the way for us. Stuck with a 3G cause it's a work supplied unit. Love to have a 4S...

The wife has a 4S... that visual voice mail (or whatever it's called)is superb... Siri doesn't work too well in these parts yet...

Syncing either phone through iCloud... we always know what's planned... Dr's social event etc. no more double booking (do u know it's NOT acceptable to go the band practice instead of MIL's birthday dinner? Who'd a thunk)

iMessage is free between IPhones using same software version. if your friends insist on using inferior tech like Android and the like there's plenty of apps to communicate with them for free. WhatsApp... Skype etc

The camera in the 4 is great for a phone camera...way better than in the 3.

FaceTime, iPhoto... so much the 4 can do.

For all Apple buying considerations: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

[polara]

Geoff, check out SmoothSync for Android. Syncs my Android (I like T Mobile's pals and service) with my Macs (work and home) invisibly: I have my Microsft work stuff, Mac home stuff, and Android/Google stuff -- calendars, contacts -- syc'd fine.

[velorush]

My one shot at being an early acquirer and I was rewarded with two bad iPhone 4s' the month they came out. Sent them back and went back to my dumbphone.

Six months later I bought a $99 iPhone 4 (not S) and it's been fantastic. It does everything the 4S did except the camera is 5Mp (rather than 8) and it doesn't have Siri, which I didn't use any way. I have never had a dropped call in what, four months - I'm on Verizon in the absolute boonies. Maybe dropped calls are due to heavier traffic in the larger cities?

Once you get used to it, you'll find it difficult to imagine doing without it. If it is any additional motivation, I now rarely find myself hunkered down in front of my desktop PC for hours at a time.

[LordOfTheThighs]

I have an iPhone 4, and really like it. I love how it meshes with my iMac seamlessly.

AT&T on the other hand can my kiss big hairy ass. All the guys at work with Verizon iPhones get great reception.

All of us AT&T stooges have to step outside, to get a good signal. I've checked AT&T's coverage map, and

where I work at is in a high signal area. You couldn't convince me of it tho.

Come this fall, our AT&T contract is up. We're jumping ship, and hooking up with Verizon. By then, the latest version

iPhone outta be out, and moi' will be the new owner of one.

[morningstar]

I held on as long as I could to my old n0-feature Nokia. I was prouldy self reliant. Now I am just another hopeless iPhone 4 junkie. I recommend them.

When they split the size difference with iPad and put a phone in it, I will buy one as a useful mobile office. iPhone displays are too small for any real searching.

morningstar

[hamer4ever]

I am a hold out. I do not own any phone, except my landline. My calls never get dropped, but everyone that calls me gets dropouts. I do not need the aggravation!

[kizanski]

I am a hold out. I do not own any phone, except my landline. My calls never get dropped, but everyone that calls me gets dropouts. I do not need the aggravation!

This is all true, but some people think it's worth it to trade off a little bit of aggravation for the convenience of being able to make and take phone calls when they're away from their homes.

[gorch]

What are her new colleagues up to with the iPhones? Does she require to synch her calendar? I'd recommend to wait a while and see what's up in the new working environment and decide on occasion, possibly jump on company plan for the purchase.

Both iPhone and Android based phones do the job. It comes down to a matter of taste or business relations.

Personally, I run a Nokia Xpress Music for about 2 years that's still synching calendar etc. nicely and includes maps and navigation. It's compact and pocket size. An iPad or other tablet would suit my needs better than a larger phone with a limited screen for apps. I'm waiting for Windows 8, I hope and expect to integrate better than any other available system today.

[hamerhead]

I am a hold out. I do not own any phone, except my landline. My calls never get dropped, but everyone that calls me gets dropouts. I do not need the aggravation!

Myself - I'm much more in this camp. I went as uncomplicated and cheap as possible, but my wife, kids and band guys can still find me if they need to. I already have a landline, a computer, an MP3 player, and a camera, so my cell just needs to talk to people. Once in a while.

My wife, on the other hand, will need to multi-task. Or at least attempt it. And I think I have her leaning towards the iPhone.

[Armitage]

The thing that kills me about the iPhone is the soldered in battery...

I was in my local dealer when a girl came in and asked a question about her iPhone, the guy took the phone and said he'd be back in a second... he came back, handed her the phone and explained what she needed to know. When he got to me I asked him what that was all about. I knew he didn't need to take her phone and go in the back for that sort of common answer... he finally told me that Apple has told their dealers to take in every iPhone that comes in the store and change the tamper proof screws again. It seems that people keep getting factories in China to make up cheap screwdrivers to remove the cover so you can change your own battery... he said that even dealers weren't allowed to change the battery, they had to send it away. I've heard different numbers, but $40-$80 to change the battery and $40-$80 for the battery are common... instead of buying a battery for $25 and pop it in yourself... or if you're like me, in the winter I keep a spare charged battery in my pocket in the winter, just in case.

Apple has it figured that every rechargeable battery is good for up to 400 charges (a little over a year for most), then the battery needs to be replaced... and no one wants to replace the battery the second time at that high cost, so they buy a new up-to-date phone. It's been so successful HTC has a new phone out with a soldered in battery... and people are already bitching.

[zorrow]

I suffer chronic laziness about everything related to end-user technology --I guess it's called techno-phobia.

So, I kept myself stuck to my old Nokia 3310 for years and years. This was it:

Then, I moved to a new job, and the company pays the phone, so I got a crappy LG Secret at first, which was like this one -BTW, the worst thing I've ever owned:

But recently they replaced all those by iPhones 4g. Now I got one too:

This is what I think: the camera works great (so I take pictures of anything I want, when I need it); I'm now sync'ed to my calendar (so I get alerts and such); got email and Internet access (which I can use even when I'm sitting on "the bowl" ); got an application with the Montreal suburban train schedules (great to me, as I commute daily); got a couple of guitar-related applications, including iRig (so I got rid of my old wandering gear)... and most importantly, everything is easy as hell to use on this lil' device, no BS.

Conclusion: I am definitively a happy customer -though I might feel happier 'cause I don't pay a single cent for it.

Edited to add: Forgot to say my brother lives in Luxembourg, Europe, and he also owns an iPhone. Now we both own one, we can use FaceTime to talk and see each other wherever we have Wi-Fi. That's absolutely GREAT!

[LostArt]

on the second I phone and love it