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Smart Phone Recommendation?

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  • 26-12-2010 4:34am
    #1
    Zaffy
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭


    Okay, parents' Xmas/birthday present is granting me a new phone, so I'm gonna follow the experts on this and ask you guys for recommendations!

    What I'm sorta looking for is...
    - A touchscreen phone (Slide out keyboard is a bonus but not required)
    - Internet access (Wifi but 4G is a bonus)
    - I'm on O2 at the moment, and would prefer to stick to a prepay phone than a bill pay one.
    - A decent app store (eg Android)
    - Not too expensive (As in, not up in the 500 euros, below 300 would be great)

    I know that sounds like crazy criteria, any suggestions? I bow to your superior knowledge!

    Edit:
    Found s samsung wave for sale for 185 euros, is this worth it? Is the bada Os any good?


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    #2
    angel01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,030 ✭✭✭angel01


    If you go down the wave route, the availablitity of app's will be really low. I think you would be better looking for something android as that really is the future..

    Would you consider the ZTE Blade?


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    #3
    cnocbui
    Registered Users Posts: 20,091 ✭✭✭✭cnocbui


    The Wave is a superb phone and Bada is an excellent OS.

    Apart from the amount of on-board memory, it is technically on par with the iPhone 4 except it has a better screen - probably the best available in a phone currently.

    The downside is that the the choice of available apps is small compared to Android or iPhone. The situation is improving slowly, though.

    The Wave is a bargain. Samsung have been selling it at a discount to get Bada established. It has high-end smartphone specs at a feature phone price. The Wave - S8500 with it's stunning screes - won't be available for much longer as Samsung have stopped making them and have introduced a new model with an ordinary LCD screen because they want to divert all their limited OLED production capacity to their Galaxy class of phones because they are so popular they can't make enough screens and they make more profit off them.


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    #4
    kevlar29
    Registered Users Posts: 28 ✭kevlar29


    I just got the xperia x10 mini pro for Christmas and it pretty much marks off every point you have there :) I love the phone bar the fact three f**ked me over... Amazing phone, good app store, Sony recently updated it to android 2.1 so that's a bonus, great camera, slide out keyboard, around €250... Pretty much just an amazing phone


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    #5
    eh i dunno
    Registered Users Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭eh i dunno


    Im looking for a smartphone but for around the €200 mark...Im o2 prepay and gonna stay that way. Anyone got any ideas for me?


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    #6
    Zaffy
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭Zaffy


    Okay, been looking at most things and come down to 3 final competitors (The android appeal is very alluring):
    LG Cookie Fresh - 79 euro
    Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro - 199 euro
    Samsung Galaxy Europa i5500 - 99 euro

    Any suggestions which one to go for?


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    #7
    angel01
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,030 ✭✭✭angel01


    eh i dunno wrote: »
    Im looking for a smartphone but for around the €200 mark...Im o2 prepay and gonna stay that way. Anyone got any ideas for me?

    Might help if you tell people what you are looking for?


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    #8
    Gooch2k4
    Registered Users Posts: 387 ✭✭Gooch2k4


    Zaffy wrote: »
    Okay, been looking at most things and come down to 3 final competitors (The android appeal is very alluring):
    LG Cookie Fresh - 79 euro
    Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro - 199 euro
    Samsung Galaxy Europa i5500 - 99 euro

    Any suggestions which one to go for?
    The cookie fresh isnt a smart phone....


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    #9
    Zaffy
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭Zaffy


    Gooch2k4 wrote: »
    The cookie fresh isnt a smart phone....

    Then that leaves the last two remaining :D


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    #10
    eh i dunno
    Registered Users Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭eh i dunno


    http://www.o2online.ie/o2/shop/phones/detail.php?pid=48
    http://www.o2online.ie/o2/shop/phones/detail.php?pid=87
    http://www.o2online.ie/o2/shop/phones/detail.php?pid=38
    http://www.o2online.ie/o2/shop/phones/detail.php?pid=71
    http://www.o2online.ie/o2/shop/phones/detail.php?pid=72

    Ok im looking at one of the above 5 between €100 to €200. Looking for decent internet and easy to use for texting. Anyone got any advice or opinion on any of them?


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    #11
    Gooch2k4
    Registered Users Posts: 387 ✭✭Gooch2k4


    x10 mini pro id go for


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    #12
    eh i dunno
    Registered Users Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭eh i dunno


    Gooch2k4 wrote: »
    x10 mini pro id go for

    Cheers but its very small isnt it? Have you got one? Heard the battery is poor too


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    #13
    chrislad
    Registered Users Posts: 8,324 ✭✭✭chrislad


    Samsung Wave is down to 150 in the CPW sale. Just sayin', is all.


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    #14
    Gooch2k4
    Registered Users Posts: 387 ✭✭Gooch2k4


    Proper keyboard in it though (which the others lack) , very usable little keyboard too, but the battery life isnt great in any smartphone TBH


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    #15
    eh i dunno
    Registered Users Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭eh i dunno


    chrislad wrote: »
    Samsung Wave is down to 150 in the CPW sale. Just sayin', is all.


    Whats the wave like Chris?


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    #16
    chrislad
    Registered Users Posts: 8,324 ✭✭✭chrislad


    eh i dunno wrote: »
    Whats the wave like Chris?

    For that price, it's pretty much unbeatable in terms of what you get. Very high quality screen, excellent battery life. Yes, the apps are limited, but to be honest, if you want a phone that has a good camera, internet, Facebook and is easy to use, you won't find a better device. There will be more apps, but truth be told, I would go for the Wave at 150 than any Android device at that price.


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    #17
    eh i dunno
    Registered Users Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭eh i dunno


    chrislad wrote: »
    For that price, it's pretty much unbeatable in terms of what you get. Very high quality screen, excellent battery life. Yes, the apps are limited, but to be honest, if you want a phone that has a good camera, internet, Facebook and is easy to use, you won't find a better device. There will be more apps, but truth be told, I would go for the Wave at 150 than any Android device at that price.

    Cheers Chris...one last thing whats it like for texting as i send a load of texts?


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    #18
    chrislad
    Registered Users Posts: 8,324 ✭✭✭chrislad


    It has T9 support so it shouldn't be too bad. A touch screen, no matter what brand, is always going to slow down your texting for a while until you get used to it, but it has a fine big screen so it shouldn't have too much impact. Much better than the resistive screens on the Europa and Optimus anyways, which would be similar prices.

    I think that you can get Swype for it too. Swype is fantastic, once you get the concept into your head, and will really help with the texting.


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    #19
    cnocbui
    Registered Users Posts: 20,091 ✭✭✭✭cnocbui


    A version of Swype will be coming with Bada 1.2, probably available early in the new year. I think the current world record for texting was set by a woman using a Samsung Galaxy S with swype. She didn't even own it, just practiced for a few minutes at an electronics show.


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    #20
    eh i dunno
    Registered Users Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭eh i dunno


    chrislad wrote: »
    It has T9 support so it shouldn't be too bad. A touch screen, no matter what brand, is always going to slow down your texting for a while until you get used to it, but it has a fine big screen so it shouldn't have too much impact. Much better than the resistive screens on the Europa and Optimus anyways, which would be similar prices.

    I think that you can get Swype for it too. Swype is fantastic, once you get the concept into your head, and will really help with the texting.

    Cheers for the advice Chris...I will invest later today so :D


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