pondering a new phone
I'm currently thinking about getting a new phone. My current phone, a Treo 700p, is feeling a bit creaky. I've lost the antenna cap (tiny little radome!), so it's just wrapped in tape now to protect the antenna. Plus it's also just *old*. It feels slow compared to all of the other tech I interact with on a daily basis. I don't think it's gotten any slower, but my expectations have increased.
No question that I'm going to stick with a smartphone. A web browser, a calendar, Google Maps, and todo tracker in my pocket? Sounds good to me.
I've dismissed the iPhone because, well, mostly because I don't like Apple very much. I don't like their very DRM-positive culture, and their strong anti-hacking stance. The inability to play Ogg is also a bit annoying in a media-centric device. On the more technical side, the lack of multitasking is a huge minus. It's one of my biggest gripes with the Treo.
The other two systems I'm currently considering are Google's Android and Palm's WebOS. The hardware choices for the WebOS are pretty simple, with only the Pre available currently, though there is also the Eos announced which will be out in the fall. However, the Eos looks to be more of a Centro successor than a Treo sucessor, so it may have some features stripped out. It definitely doesn't have the slide out keyboard, opting instead for more of a Treo look with an always-available keyboard, and has 4GB of storage instead of 8GB. Given the lack of expansion on the Pre, if the Eos is similarly lacking, that hurts.
For the Android, the currently available phones are the HTC Dream (aka T-Mobile G1) and, shortly, the HTC Magic (aka T-Mobile myTouch 3G). We may also see the HTC Hero in the US eventually, and many others are announced for release in 2009, though it's unclear how many of them will be easily acquirable in the US. I can cope with importing, but the extra cost is annoying.
As to plans, Sprint options are likely to be cheaper. For one thing, I currently have a very cheap SERO plan, though it's lacking the unlimited texts, for which I pay $30/mo. Keeping that plan is obviously worth a lot of money. Unfortunately, it's almost certainly not going to happen with the Pre, and there aren't any Android phones even announced for Sprint yet, though there are rumors that the HTC Hero or a Samsung-made Android phone may be released through Sprint by the end of 2009. However, Sprint may have a hamstrung phone, with reduced Android Market access - a huge downer. Probably hackable, but I prefer to just have my phones to be open to begin with, thanks. Anyway, even if I have to drop the SERO plan, I can get an Everything Plus Family plan for singingdragon and I for only $110/month, which is $10 more than we're currently paying between us, with a few more minutes.
Anywhere else, it's going to cost more. Even getting an individual plan, Sprint has the cheapest plans offering unlimited data and messaging, by far. T-Mobile has a cheaper one with just unlimited data, though it also has only 300 minutes which is a bit spare, even for my limited calling - I'm sure I'd be hitting that ceiling with too much regularity.
The big question is whether I can hold out for a while longer. Such is always the trap with technology: wait 6 months and the Next Big Thing will be out. Still, the longer the upgrade cycle, the less you pay per year.
No question that I'm going to stick with a smartphone. A web browser, a calendar, Google Maps, and todo tracker in my pocket? Sounds good to me.
I've dismissed the iPhone because, well, mostly because I don't like Apple very much. I don't like their very DRM-positive culture, and their strong anti-hacking stance. The inability to play Ogg is also a bit annoying in a media-centric device. On the more technical side, the lack of multitasking is a huge minus. It's one of my biggest gripes with the Treo.
The other two systems I'm currently considering are Google's Android and Palm's WebOS. The hardware choices for the WebOS are pretty simple, with only the Pre available currently, though there is also the Eos announced which will be out in the fall. However, the Eos looks to be more of a Centro successor than a Treo sucessor, so it may have some features stripped out. It definitely doesn't have the slide out keyboard, opting instead for more of a Treo look with an always-available keyboard, and has 4GB of storage instead of 8GB. Given the lack of expansion on the Pre, if the Eos is similarly lacking, that hurts.
For the Android, the currently available phones are the HTC Dream (aka T-Mobile G1) and, shortly, the HTC Magic (aka T-Mobile myTouch 3G). We may also see the HTC Hero in the US eventually, and many others are announced for release in 2009, though it's unclear how many of them will be easily acquirable in the US. I can cope with importing, but the extra cost is annoying.
As to plans, Sprint options are likely to be cheaper. For one thing, I currently have a very cheap SERO plan, though it's lacking the unlimited texts, for which I pay $30/mo. Keeping that plan is obviously worth a lot of money. Unfortunately, it's almost certainly not going to happen with the Pre, and there aren't any Android phones even announced for Sprint yet, though there are rumors that the HTC Hero or a Samsung-made Android phone may be released through Sprint by the end of 2009. However, Sprint may have a hamstrung phone, with reduced Android Market access - a huge downer. Probably hackable, but I prefer to just have my phones to be open to begin with, thanks. Anyway, even if I have to drop the SERO plan, I can get an Everything Plus Family plan for singingdragon and I for only $110/month, which is $10 more than we're currently paying between us, with a few more minutes.
Anywhere else, it's going to cost more. Even getting an individual plan, Sprint has the cheapest plans offering unlimited data and messaging, by far. T-Mobile has a cheaper one with just unlimited data, though it also has only 300 minutes which is a bit spare, even for my limited calling - I'm sure I'd be hitting that ceiling with too much regularity.
The big question is whether I can hold out for a while longer. Such is always the trap with technology: wait 6 months and the Next Big Thing will be out. Still, the longer the upgrade cycle, the less you pay per year.