pfloydman asked:


Hi — I am looking to update my RAZR and don’t know much about phones. I’d like to get either a blackberry or smart phone that does the following: allows me to check/write Yahoo mail EASILY (ideally it could be set up so that it notifies me when I get a new message), ALSO allows me to have a corporate/work e-mail account that notifies me when I get a new message. I’d like to be able to switch between the two e-mail accounts with ease, and whichever one I’m on it lets me know when I have a new e-mail. I’d also like the phone to be able to access the internet with relative ease (google, sports websites, etc.). It also should be a good phone with a phonebook and not too large. I know I’m asking a lot…does such a phone exist? Blackberry Curve? Pearl? Apple iPhone? Help! Service provider doesn’t matter.

Kay K asked:


Hi, I’m looking at possibly purchasing a smart phone from this list:

HTC Touch Pro: http://www.htc.com/www/product/touchpro/overview.html
Nokia N96: http://www.nseries.com/products/n96/
Samsung Omnia i900: http://omnia.samsungmobile.com/
T-Mobile G1: http://www.t-mobileg1.com/

Can anyone provide some opinions on which would be the best purchase? Let’s ignore price for the time being, although if you need to add that to your analysis, feel free to.

Right now, I use my phone almost only as a phone, phonebook, alarm, and calculator. But here’s what I would probably look at for a future phone (and no, the list isn’t extensive):

- Size (pocketable, smaller/thinner without compromising screen size too much)
- Just general usability (navigation, etc.)
- Multimedia (video and music player)
- WiFi
- Not sure if I need 3G-enabled
- Good typing interface (either QWERTY keyboard or touch screen keyboard)
- I probably won’t play games on it
- Don’t care too much about the camera or video capabilities, most of them are enough fine anyway.
- Perhaps without a stylus… I’ve never had a PDA or smart phone, so I’m not sure how much I’d like a stylus

The reason for the limited list is because these are the phones available in an auction in my area. So, please don’t suggest models not listed (like the iPhone).
Wanted to add that one of my main uses would be to check email and web browsing. So the UI for that is a higher priority consideration.
Yeah, reviews seem good with the Omnia. And a few forums have a lot of happy Touch Pro-to-Omnia i900 converts. But I’m concerned about the Omnia’s low resolution for web applications and video. Also, the touch sensitivity is supposed to be poor around the edges (reportedly the letter “a” in particular).

Web browsing is supposed to be best with the Google phone, but it’s battery life is terrible.

And people have been complaining about movie-playing lag and overall slowness with the Touch Pro.

Any other thoughts?