cell phones...nokia or samsung

[dsichewski]

I'm looking to buy a cellphone and I've already figured out that i'm going to be getting the my5 plan as it best suites me....My next thing to choose is a phone. I was told that nokia and samsung are the best so I'm just asking here if you guys/gals could make suggestions on nokia or samsung cell phones that you've had, used etc.... I'm looking to get the flip open kind....any help would be appreciated :)
Thanks.

[Kevin@nextmod]

depends what model you're looking for.

[WLS ZMZM]

I'm more all about Sony Ericsson, they are wicked phones but if your set on samsung or nokia.... while nokia's designs are a litte more plain... they are definitely much more reliable.... and seem to be able to take quite the beating.... and still work.... but again it really depends on which phones you are looking at.....

[dsichewski]

lol I'm a complete noob when it comes to cell phones....I'm not looking to break the bank or anything....just looking for something that will txt msg, sms(msn) take pics and or vids. music sure if its there and the price is right....I don't nessecarily need to top model but I'm not wanting the lowest model....more something in the middle :)

[Kevin@nextmod]

Well right now i haven't seen anything good for samsung or nokia yet. But for sony ericsson there is the K550i which is a very nice and reliable phone. If you go to pmall you can get it for $280 with one year warranty.
http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_k550-1840.php

BUT if you're really really stuck to nokia or samsung, i'd suggest nokia, mainly because if the phone breaks parts are much cheaper then samsung. Have you thought of motorola? The K1 krzr is cheap and reliable as well.
http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_krzr_k1-1646.php

[dsichewski]

well I was talking with my one friend who worked in cellphone retail for 5+yrs and he told me nokia and samsung were the better brands...they can take a beating and battery life is good....Thats why I inquired about those brands...I am right now looking at the links you posted. Thanks Pearly :)

[Kevin@nextmod]

Motorola and sony ericsson are two big brands same as samsung and nokia nowadays. Not saying your friend is wrong but all 4 of those brands are competitive. My friend owns a cell phone store in first markham and if you need, i can probably give you a good price for phones with also 1 year warranty.

[WLS ZMZM]

I agree with pearly... they are definitely the big 4.... I personally don't like Motorola.... find that they have too many issues... while their phones are nice... and unique.. they do have trouble the k550i is a great phone.... I have the sony ericsson 810i.... you can get it through rogers for a good price... if your signing up as a new contract... I bought mine about 2 years ago before it was here.... pmall phones are great.. as they are unlocked.. only issue with them is it does take time to figure out the internet configurations so you can use the internet on them... and any of the cell companies won't offer tech support as the phone is not from them (this is from personal experience)

What I have found however... is that getting the mp3 ringtones is a pain with a locked phone... as you can't just do it through bluetooth or through your computer... you have to d/l a special program to convert it... (again personal experience) my sister bought the rogers version of the 810i and has to convert mp3's first before putting them on her phone... you might want to bare that in mind as well.... before buying I'd definitely recommend checking out pmall.... alot of options as far as phones go

[Tokic_o]

well after reading what your needs are for the phone....I suggest you look into the Sony Ericsoon Walkman phones....I think they come cheaper (or free) with a plan.....and personally I've been using Sony Ericsoon phones for more than 3 years and I've had no problem....the walkmen phones have a mp3 player, camera (depending on which model you choose can go up to 2MP), sms, and etc. Nice design as well.....but if you really want nokia or samsung....I'd go with nokia for the reliability :)

oh and i just read the post above ^^...very true...and yea pmall phones are great =]

[JonsMazda]

Remember..u can always bargain with them people at pmall, like free headset, car charger, lowering prices.... :chuckle

[dsichewski]

first off thanks to both of you's for your input!

I'm gonna look up, nokia, sony and samsung phones and see what ones i like and make a list sort of thing to go off of.

I know I'm about to either get the "get out" sign or a big hit in the face through my computer screen but what/where is pmall and first markham? In my only defence...I live in kitchener and don't travel to toronto area that much...

Pearly when you mentioned I could get a phone for $280....is that the phone and the my5 plan combined or is that just the phone alone and I would have to either get a plan or go pay as you go?

Thanks Tokic....I will look into the sony's as well...

[JonsMazda]

Get the Sony S500i...my gf just got one for $330 @ Pmall...sweet phone.

[Tokic_o]

first off thanks to both of you's for your input!

I'm gonna look up, nokia, sony and samsung phones and see what ones i like and make a list sort of thing to go off of.

I know I'm about to either get the "get out" sign or a big hit in the face through my computer screen but what/where is pmall and first markham? In my only defence...I live in kitchener and don't travel to toronto area that much...

Pearly when you mentioned I could get a phone for $280....is that the phone and the my5 plan combined or is that just the phone alone and I would have to either get a plan or go pay as you go?

Thanks Tokic....I will look into the sony's as well...


haha no problem....pmall is "Pacific Mall" ...both pmall and first markham place are basically chinese malls....Pmall is located at the northeast side of the Kennedy and Steeles intersection while First Markham Place is located on Highway7 between warden and woodbine......might be little far for you...you should check out the phones that htey give you free or cheaper since you are signing a plan...sometimes they have nice phones like the Sony Ericsson w810i that EVERYONE has....i see everyone holding one now lol:chuckle

oh and that price pearly gave you....i'm pretty sure its just for the phone because at the stores in pmall unless its fido or rogers or whatever....they only sell the phone

[dsichewski]

haha no problem....pmall is "Pacific Mall" ...both pmall and first markham place are basically chinese malls....Pmall is located at the northeast side of the Kennedy and Steeles intersection while First Markham Place is located on Highway7 between warden and woodbine......might be little far for you...you should check out the phones that htey give you free or cheaper since you are signing a plan...sometimes they have nice phones like the Sony Ericsson w810i that EVERYONE has....i see everyone holding one now lol:chuckle

oh and that price pearly gave you....i'm pretty sure its just for the phone because at the stores in pmall unless its fido or rogers or whatever....they only sell the phone

lol well thank for not telling me to get out of my own thread. lol yeah $280 for a phone is like wow.....I was kinda hoping to only spend $100 or less for the phone with a plan....

[Tokic_o]

well if you have a plan....you could easily get a decent phone for 100 or less with the plan....the only thing that some people don't like about that is that they don't have a huge selection or the phone the person wants so they would have to go to an outside store to buy a phone themselves, hence 280 for the phone only....but ask your rogers or fido dealer and they have a decent selection for your price range + plan....hope this info helps!

[WildEmu]

Do you plan to get a phone with a contract from a service provider? or do you plan to buy a phone and get a plan separately? If you decide the latter, you have much more choice since you can get an unlocked phone and you are basically unrestricted by the phones offered by the phone companies.

As for what brand, I change phones regularly and have used phones from all the brands you are considering. My order of preference right now is Samsung, Nokia, SE, Motorola. Some of the Moto phones look really nice, but I find that the operating system of Moto phones to really suck. I find it unintuitive and some small things like how you can't silently silent the phone annoying. The other three (Nokia, SE, Samsung) have really easy to use interfaces.

Since you stated that you only need the phone to call/text/sms/pics/photos, basically any phone with a camera sold today will have these capabilities.

[WildEmu]

Also, do you have any phones you are considering right now? Post them and we can offer you our opinions if you want :)

[JonsMazda]

Also if u need a translater..im available. Only $9.99 tm3 special :D

[WLS ZMZM]

$280 for an unlocked phone is cheap, I paid $400 for my unlocked 810i hahaha thanks Tokic_o tell me about it.. these phones spread like some STD.... I remember when I first got it... and everyone had no idea what it was... wish I still had my S710 *sigh* in the years of owning that phone I only ever saw it once... and the asian lady gave me this look of *white bwoy how you get that* hahahaha

[JonsMazda]

Ok, if $400 is too expensive for a cellphone, heres what you can do.

1. Buy the cellphone that you like. Lets say its around $400
2. Go with Rogers and sign up with a 3year contract, lets say it cost $50 for the cell + 3yrs + little perks.
3. Sell the cellphone that you got from rogers for its original value or a little less on ebay or to whomever. Lets say for $350.

So in total, u've spent $450 - $350 which mean u spent only $100 bucks on the celly.

[WLS ZMZM]

hehe thats smart.... $400 is not that bad.... considering its a phone that no one had.. believe me... I'm not that bad I've had this phone for a while now.. I have a buddy who changes his phones like I change my oil.. the guy always has a new phone every 3 months or so... and pays like $800 - 1000 for them.. now that is crazy!! oh well boys and our toys :D

[EvilDeadFan]

I'm personally a Nokia fan. More specifically S60 and all it's cool features. I've always had Nokia phones, and an Ngage QD was my first smart phone. I still use it even now. however it's getting old and so is the software.

I'm going to buy an n80 for roughly $450 unlocked.
I really want the n95, but I can't justify $700+ on a cell phone right now.

[WLS ZMZM]

oh man is the n95 a nice phone.... gotta love how it flips out

[Kevin@nextmod]

I'm personally a Nokia fan. More specifically S60 and all it's cool features. I've always had Nokia phones, and an Ngage QD was my first smart phone. I still use it even now. however it's getting old and so is the software.

I'm going to buy an n80 for roughly $450 unlocked.
I really want the n95, but I can't justify $700+ on a cell phone right now.
They still charge you the N80 for that much? I can get that for less then $400

[starwind]

Have you been into a Rogers store to see what they offer ? Also, check out their website -- they often have web-only deals, or extra freebies if you purchase and activate service through the website.

If you are willing to be locked into a contract for 1-3 years, you can get the phone significantly discounted -- including free for some models. if you don't want to be locked in, then you pay full retail price.

I don't recall how many cell phone I've owned in the last 15 years (!), but they have always been nokia, samsung, or motorola. For the motorola's I will echo another poster -- they are NOT intuitive. I probably wouldn't get another one just for that reason, except it means buying all new stuff if I go with another brand (already had to recently do that changing from TDMA to GSM).

A big deal for me has been to actually handle the phone and see how it feels. Rules out quite a few phones right away -- e.g. can I operate it comfortably with one hand (open, close, and keys), does it have a camera (I don't want one and won't buy a phone with one -- this seriously limits one's options!!), how well can I read the screen, etc. I also stick with name brands to decide from -- samsung, nokia, motorola, sony ericsson.

How the phone feels usually gives me a short list of a few phones to choose from, at which point I do some research about features and reviews and decide.

Hope this helps.

[EvilDeadFan]

They still charge you the N80 for that much? I can get that for less then $400

well after checking ebay. seems I can get one for roughly 300 unlocked with all the accessories thrown in. :D I might go for a n95 if my timing is right... ;)

[Tokic_o]

$280 hahaha thanks Tokic_o tell me about it.. these phones spread like some STD.... I remember when I first got it... and everyone had no idea what it was... wish I still had my S710 *sigh* in the years of owning that phone I only ever saw it once... and the asian lady gave me this look of *white bwoy how you get that* hahahaha

haha believe me...you got it better than me....i bought an unlocked w800i about when it came out...basically before your model and now with everyone having your model....people see my phone and think its your model...and i repeatidly have to show them the back of my phone to prove its different...haha... I'm not saying my model is better....they are basically the same but I still like to be unique =D haha atleast mine is white i guess....i typically see w810is in black...i personally think the white would look better though

[iconicrocket]

+1 on the Nokia N95. Very nice phone. I'm waiting for it to drop in price, and I don't see that happening until a replacement model comes out. Then there's the issue of buggy and slow interface that needs to be address.

[dr1ft3r]

Nokia's N series phones are very good. Ive had the n70. Now i have n80(has wifi) . if i was gona buy a phone now i would get n95 just for the gps.

[-RJ3-]

I'm looking to buy a cellphone and I've already figured out that i'm going to be getting the my5 plan as it best suites me....My next thing to choose is a phone. I was told that nokia and samsung are the best so I'm just asking here if you guys/gals could make suggestions on nokia or samsung cell phones that you've had, used etc.... I'm looking to get the flip open kind....any help would be appreciated :)
Thanks.

www.howardforums.com

Pretty much gives you ratings on each phone....


That's what sold me on the Sony Ericcson K790!!! ENJOY!!!

[dr1ft3r]

well after checking ebay. seems I can get one for roughly 300 unlocked with all the accessories thrown in. :D I might go for a n95 if my timing is right... ;)

stay away from ebay electronics! especially cell phones...i got ripped 3 bills before.

[Alan]

Nokia's N series phones are very good. Ive had the n70. Now i have n80(has wifi) . if i was gona buy a phone now i would get n95 just for the gps.


Yeah, my buddy has the N95 and its an amazing phone.
I was using the E62 but since its crap, just purchased a HTC S621. pretty slick features on it including wi-fi !

[Kevin@nextmod]

I'd stay away from the N95. If you want GPS get the HTC models. Wifi and GPS ready. I have the O2 and its serving me well. I even have the functions from an iphone too.

Also the HTC have 3G, which will let you have video conference.

[Skarbro]

I'm more all about Sony Ericsson, they are wicked phones
+1,000,000!!!!!!

[BiG-ED]

speaking of fones
does anyone have a good hookup for cell phones? preferably on a gsm network

[dr1ft3r]

I'd stay away from the N95. If you want GPS get the HTC models. Wifi and GPS ready. I have the O2 and its serving me well. I even have the functions from an iphone too.

Also the HTC have 3G, which will let you have video conference.


3g is available in canada?

[Kevin@nextmod]

yes for a while now. It was available with rogers network since april. They had a special that if you add $5 to your plan then you can get unlimited use of the 3G. Not sure if it still applies now.

[dr1ft3r]

Wow where have i been? You mean video messaging?...or real time video conferencing?

[Kevin@nextmod]

Live video conference.

[Tokic_o]

so does that mean it can be like other plaecs like HK where you can have video calls now?

[dr1ft3r]

yep but not everyone has 3g phones. and if you do have it most likely you can only conference with someone who has the same rogers carrier...unless telus or bell offers this too. north america is so behind