Foo - Back to basics.

With the exception of the Symbian platform, I've tried every smartphone there is. They are excellent for doing all sorts of things on your phone. You can browse the internet, watch YouTube, get your emails and (hopefully) make calls. Their capabilities are so amazing, they can easily masquerade themselves to integrate into anyone's daily lifestyle.

There is one disadvantage to that: they are complex. Complex objects are capable of a lot of things, but also carry the risk of complicating one's lifestyle. For many years, I was bitten by that bug, and I'm going to give something new a try.

I'm going back to basics. I canceled my internet and text messaging plan, and am getting an iPod Touch and a super basic phone. Having an iPhone was a wonderful experience, and I would like to continue having that with an iPod Touch. It also allows me to still check my email, though not as frequently (which might be good) and text message my girlfriend via email (since that's our primary mode of communication). I will, however, keep my HotSpots service because I go to Starbucks a lot to study and it's cheaper now (though I'm making cuts there too; no more Chai lattes for me!).

I know that there are a few people here that have done or are doing the same thing; what are your thoughts?

Thanks.

I like my PocketPC, and couldn't go back to just a plain cellphone because it is nice to be able to browse the web in some location, be able to respond to an E-mail, or whatnot. Worst case, if I get stuck somewhere, I can play games or listen to music on it.

However, the reason why I'm looking at an iPhone for my next phone, other than the fact that I want to see about writing code for it, is that the UI is decent. I don't have to yank out a telescoping stylus to scroll or select a bunch of messages in my inbox. Also, my PocketPC is a bit clunky so having something that is thinner and easily stuffed in a pocket will be nice.

I have a plain cellphone (a low-end Nokia), but it does one thing extremely well that my PocketPC is at best mediocre at -- taking and receiving calls. So, when driving and have to call someone, I reach for that phone as opposed to pulling over to dial on a touch screen (I am not going to even attempt dialing on a touch screen while moving.)

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9747/nokia6030blackfront.jpg

Nokia 6030. Don't know if it's still available, as mine is two or three years old. I haven't used it for anything but making and receiving calls, and a handful of text messages. It works well, the battery lasts, the audio quality is good, etc.

http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Dec2008/O2_to_Launch_BlackBerry_Curve_8900_Smartphone.jpg
Blackberry 8900 was perfect for me. Inexpensive T-mobile talk/text plan + having WiFi at home, work and school keeps me connected to the internet and email at almost all times.

Somebody should move this to Foo.

Somebody should move this to Foo.

Already there.

For my cell phone, I just want a good phone with a basic address book. But above all, the phone must be good. I doubt I'm not the only one that doesn't want all that extra crap in their phone. MS bloatware strikes portable devices.

I've got a multimedia phone on Sprint, the Upstage. Got a bunch of features that I never bothered turning on, thus keeping the phone bill down. It's decent as a basic phone, and with the external battery wallet/case, I've got nearly 7 hours of continuous talk time or like 15 days if I turn the ringer all the way off and not use it before it needs recharged.

For my cell phone, I just want a good phone with a basic address book. But above all, the phone must be good. I doubt I'm not the only one that doesn't want all that extra crap in their phone. MS bloatware strikes portable devices.

You're not alone. My next phone won't be multimedia type like I got now. But I do need the camera feature, though. Comes in handy when out and about w/kids. I take pix of them so that I can give accurate descriptions if we get seperated at the store.

I got the Nokia 2610. This thing is as basic as it gets. It's mostly good for just calling people, and it does it pretty well (better than my iPhone did). The speakerphone is loud (like my Blackberry was), the regular speaker is GREAT (voices sound natural, not tinny like the iPhone) and service seems to be spectacular. It's uber light too (it weighs practically nothing) and very small (but not thin).

The 8700 was the closest thing to this in terms of quality. In fact, I think the 8700 was the best smartphone in this category. The iPhone is an excellent smartphone, but it's calling abilities leave a lot to be desired. Furthermore, everything after the 8700 was meant mostly to cater to the general public's requirements, which sucks when you just want a device that does business, and does it well.

I was thinking of getting a BB because of this, but I really want my phone to just make calls. I feel that having internet on that device would be a distraction, if anything. The iPod Touch goes on the internet only when there's a Wi-Fi signal around, which is precisely what I want. EDGE sucks anyway. I also thought of having a camera phone, but how useful is having crappy photos when there is no (easy) way to transfer them out of the phone?

I've had all of the smartphones out there, and getting another one would just be boring. This is taking it WAY back, and I want to see how it feels.

I like my PocketPC, and couldn't go back to just a plain cellphone because it is nice to be able to browse the web in some location, be able to respond to an E-mail, or whatnot. Worst case, if I get stuck somewhere, I can play games or listen to music on it.

However, the reason why I'm looking at an iPhone for my next phone, other than the fact that I want to see about writing code for it, is that the UI is decent. I don't have to yank out a telescoping stylus to scroll or select a bunch of messages in my inbox. Also, my PocketPC is a bit clunky so having something that is thinner and easily stuffed in a pocket will be nice.

I have a plain cellphone (a low-end Nokia), but it does one thing extremely well that my PocketPC is at best mediocre at -- taking and receiving calls. So, when driving and have to call someone, I reach for that phone as opposed to pulling over to dial on a touch screen (I am not going to even attempt dialing on a touch screen while moving.)

You will need a Mac to program for the iPhone. Keep that in mind.

^^Which is one of the reasons why I decided not to use the media player and whatnot on mine. It drains the battery that much quicker. I feel more comfortable knowing that I can make a call in an emergency rather than the need to set the high score on some game.

You will need a Mac to program for the iPhone. Keep that in mind.

I have a Macbook sitting around, so I can use that. Hopefully it has enough CPU power to do basic programming tasks. Right now, its main use is a VM server using VMWare Fusion, but I can just plop the VMs on another machine and use it for real stuff.