Three months ago, I put it off. And I was prepared to put it off for another month. But the time has come to make a decision.
I'm due for an upgrade and I need a new smartphone.
Now, I am a Mac user, so one would think this is a decision easily made and acted upon. I should get an iPhone, right? Well, let me tell you, I would certainly like to have an iPhone. There are, however, a few issues. First, I am on Verizon. Why is that an issue? Uh, because I am unwilling to switch to AT&T. Sorry, folks, I'm actually happy with the service on Verizon. AT&T is by far the lesser network in my area and I kind of like a phone to, well, you know, make phone calls.
Second, it seems rather unlikely that Apple will strike a deal with Verizon. I was following the rumors, waiting and hoping for the iPhone to be available on my network. But I'm convinced it won't happen ... for quite a while.
Third, and possibly the biggest issue, I have been using Palm products for several years now. My current device is a Centro (I have been through the Palm V, Palm m500, Treo 650, Treo 700p). All my primary contacts -- and a host of other data in the form of memos, scheduling, etc. -- is in Palm's proprietary format. C'mon! Don't judge me! These Palm devices sync very well with the Mac platform, OK?
Here is my Centro!
Now, you may well ask, "Why do you need a new smartphone?" Great question! And the answer is ... I don't really need a new smartphone. But I am up for contract renewal, which means a discount on a new device, and I do want one. Or, rather, I want a phone that is better on the web than my Centro (that Blazer browser is so 2005).
So my question all of you (er, well, anyone reading my blog; so that's all two of you) is this:
What device should I get?
I'm serious. I need some help in choosing my new smartphone. And it will ideally have the following features:
- Sync well with Mac OS X
- Decent web browser
- Good audio quality
- Support for Twitter (preferably via Tweetdeck) and Facebook
- Full keyboard (virtual or practical, I'm not picky just yet)
- Video playback
- iTunes integration
- Ability to import my Palm data
I'm not really all that interested in BlackBerry devices, so I guess the choice is between Android and Palm. Or, maybe Palm is not really part of the discussion. The Palm Pre and Palm Pixi look good, but the new Web OS doesn't seem to support my old Palm data very well and syncing with Mac is an issue. Not that Android is much better in the Mac sync department. Bottom line: I'll have some serious adjustment no matter which direction I go. I just want to ensure I make the best choice given my criteria.
So, have at it! Make a pitch for which device I should get and why. I appreciate any and all help in this matter.
Which droid is the droid I'm looking for, Ben Kenobi?
Oh, look. Palm made phones for Weebles!
2 comments:
As an iPhone user who has also played around on the Android OS, I honestly think I'll switch when my contract is up. From a technical aspect I like the way Google has designed their operating system a bit better than Apple. So I think Google over Palm is the best bet.
As far as actual devices goes, I would look into the HTC Incredible, over the Motorola DROID. Both run the android OS, and while DROID comes with a 16GB card preinstalled, HTC has a faster processor, 8GB onboard memory with the option of an aditional 16GB in the slot provided. Space is a big deal for me as my iPhone is a backup iPod for when I forget my Classic.
Hope this was helpful.
http://phones.verizonwireless.com/htc/incredible/ I think that's one of the best Google devices out right now.
Hope this was helpful.
Brandon,
That is very helpful. I started leaning toward the new Palm devices with their Web OS because I was thinking HP's support would keep them going along for a while. Plus, I have started hearing about issues with the Motorola DROID -- from standard users complaining about its performance (freezing; sending a text THREE DAYS late; etc.).
The HTC device looks very nice. And I do use Google quite a bit. Now I need to find a Mac user who has the HTC so I can find out how well they work together.
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