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Chris Rosenberger
01-14-2011, 7:43 PM
I have been thinking about getting a smart phone so I would have internet access when I am out on job sites. I currently have Verizon cell service & they have the best coverage in my area. I had decided on a Droid & then Verizon announced they would start carrying the iPhone in February. What are the advantages of one over the other? Does the small screen size on the phones cause problems with viewing web pages?
Would an iPad be a better choice for internet & just keep voice only cell phone?

travis howe
01-14-2011, 7:55 PM
Hey Chris - The first thing to consider is one's level of technical savvy... I think most folks can figure out either device but by FAR the iPhone is an awesome device for folks that are less technically savvy.... The web pages on the small screens aren't too bad for the quick lookup on something but if that was the primary usage then I'd go for an iPad or one of the netbook pc's. Funny thing is I'm a tech guy and I prefer the iPhone simply because I just want something that works and I don't need to hassle with a more PC like device. Verizon's iPhone also addresses some of the issues w/ the new iPhones.... I do know that functionally the Droid is a faster machine... my 2 cents

Benjamin Heuer
01-14-2011, 7:55 PM
My dad swears by his Iphone, and he's on his second or third one. He just upgraded to the 4. I don't know much about the Droid, but I'm taking my piece of junk HTC touch Pro 2 (windows mobile 6.5) back and getting an Android with U.S. Cellular. My brother just got an Android and he likes it. Not sure, but I think Droid and Android are the same, just different carriers. Whatever you do, DON'T get a windows phone. The Windows 7 phone is supposed to be coming out soon, but if it's anything like this 6.5 I have it's not worth the box it was shipped in. It locks up all the time, it's slow, the start menu opens itself all the time when I'm trying to do other things on it, and I can't hardly hear people when talking on the phone. This probably hasn't helped much but I felt compelled to warn you against going towards a winmo devise.

Scott Shepherd
01-14-2011, 8:08 PM
Chris, what kind of work do you do, and what do you do on job sites? I ask because I have a family member that's on job sites daily and he uses his ipad for work like crazy. There are some outstanding tools for that device that fit great into the contracting world. For instance, he can pull up plans on his screen, he can walk through the site, touch where he is on the site drawing, it opens a note, he can type a note "XYZ Contractor reworking this wall" and keep on walking. Then he's always got his drawings and his notes at his finger tips. He can also log into his work computer and use or get anything he needs from that, if he has a need.

He loves the thing and he's not a Mac person. It will also voice record meetings, and while it's recording, you can touch the screen, put a note on that point, like "Issue with XYZ", then he can search the entire voice record for "Issue with XYZ" and it'll take it to the exact spot where XYZ was being discussed. He puts people's names on those, specific issues, etc., and then it makes a voice recording that you can search easily and get right to the exact conversations as they took place.

If those type things would be helpful, you might look at the ipad. If they don't, then there's not much need for an ipad on the site.

Just my take on it all.

Matt Meiser
01-14-2011, 8:53 PM
That's like asking PC or Mac, Ford or Chevy. I'm very happy with my Sprint EVO 4G. The giant screen is great (though I'd at least look at the new one with the real keyboard next time.) App support is great. Its easy to use and does way more than I need it to. Sometimes in the morning I read my mail on the phone while making my coffee since the phone charges in the kitchen.

The one thing it doesn't do is act as an iPod, or I should say I haven't tried the app that is supposed to let it sync with iTunes. But I doubt its as easy to use for that purpose as my iPod which is probably an advantage of the iPhone.

Matt Walton
01-14-2011, 9:50 PM
I have a few things to say.

To start with: Chris, do you use iTunes? The reason I ask this, is because some people hate iTunes. Now personally, although there are some things that I would change, I really like it. On the other hand, my dad (who programs for a living) hates it, and is always asking for my help doing different things. So if you have never used it, I would recommend downloading it, or if one of your kids has an iPod, try messing around with it, to try to get the feel.

Secondly, on the Droid/Android discussion: Android is the operating system that the phones run. Droid is the name of the actual phone. There are actually several phones that use the name Droid. The original was the Motorola Droid, and one of the first to run the Android OS. Lately however, there have been a few more to use the word Droid. The Droid 2, which was basically an update of the original Droid, and the Droid X, which has no slide out keyboard, are also made by Motorola. The other "Droid" phone is the Droid incredible, by HTC. Of course, just because it doesn't have Droid in the name, doesn't mean it doesn't run Android OS. Google's latest official phone, the Nexus S (by Samsung), obviously doesn't have "Droid" in the name, but definitely runs Android OS.

And last, Windows Phone 7 is a complete revamp from Windows 6.5. Windows Phone 7 is more akin to the Zune OS.

That is all for now, gentlemen. :D

Jim Becker
01-14-2011, 10:35 PM
Chris, I'm on my second iPhone and will be upgrading later in the spring to my third. I happen to really like the iPhone. Professor Dr SWMBO just got an upgrade from her old 3G to an iPhone 4 for Christmas. That said, there are a number of really nice Android options, too.

BTW, if you're considering iPhone on Verizon (or any other VZ 3G smartphone for that matter), note that you cannot make calls and use the data services simultaneously on their network. It's a "feature" of the CDMA technology they use. As a business user, I regularly take advantage of being on a call and also using data services on my iPhone which is on ATT's GSM/3G services. This could temper your decision if it's important to you and you're a VZ customer by contract. In that case, a "regular" phone combined with either an iPad with ATT 3G (native and reasonably priced) or a netbook with a VZ LTE 4G USB modem would give you great jobsite Internet access. And if you need to actually view a lot of documents, the larger screens of the iPad or netbook will be appreciated by your eyes. I actually plan on acquiring an iPad when the next version is released (with the video capability) as it will be very useful to me for both business and personal use while traveling.

Craig Coney
01-14-2011, 11:50 PM
Chris,
Try to analyze what you are going to use it for. If it is for web access on a jobsite, you may want the iPad. I have the iPhone and it is great for internet, and apps being on the go.

Leigh Betsch
01-15-2011, 12:56 AM
Breaker one nine, Rubber Duck you got your ears up? I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle. I must have been asleep awhile.

Brian Ashton
01-15-2011, 3:26 AM
I think you'll find both will do what you ask of them. It's that age old argument is pc or mac better... The answer is neither. The Iphone is the most popular (on a phone by phone basis not os basis) and appears to have the best customer satisfaction. They also have the largest selection of apps available, though 99% are for the most part useless... A draw back of the Iphone 4 is the glass on the back and front, it breaks real easy and Apple isn't going to fix it for pretty much any reason.

Your mileage may vary.

Paul Incognito
01-15-2011, 10:30 AM
Breaker one nine, Rubber Duck you got your ears up? I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle. I must have been asleep awhile.

I'm with you Leigh. I just recently upgraded my phone to one with a camera...woohoo. Time to join the 21st century!
PI

Michael Weber
01-15-2011, 11:06 AM
I'm with you Leigh. I just recently upgraded my phone to one with a camera...woohoo. Time to join the 21st century!
PI

Phones have cameras????????:)

Jason Roehl
01-15-2011, 7:18 PM
Another vote for the iPhone. I'm on my second (a 4) and have been very happy with it and the previous. It just works, easily. You just have to keep an eye on your battery usage (charge it every night, though I have gone 2 days before) and data usage. I have the 200 MB plan, and now that I went over that for the second time, I'm probably going to bump it up to the 2 GB plan. It's processor-intensive apps (games) and heavy WiFi usage with a weak signal that eat the battery. The phone and iPod don't use much of the battery at all.

Rick Moyer
01-15-2011, 8:28 PM
Well since everyone is on the Iphone bandwagon I'll chime in with a different perspective. I have the first Droid by Motorola. I got it mainly because I wanted access to the internet when away from my computer. I was impressed with the capability after seeing what my BIL could do with his. Incidently, HIS brother had an IPhone and has since switched to the Droid. Both very similar. My wife has an IPhone.

Leigh Betsch
01-15-2011, 11:14 PM
I'm not quite as ignorant as I suggested. I ordered a HTC Droid to replace my Blackberry Pearl a few weeks ago. ATT bought Alltel so we are forced to get new AT&T phones. I thought the Droid looked like it woud display web pages (SMC) better than a Balckberry replacement. I could have gone to an I phone but then I would have to leave my "Alltell" plan and go over to a ATT plan and loose my unlimitted internet access. But I really don't want to know anything about these phones. I just want one that has a good phone, good camera, works well with the internet and has a big screen. I do not want my phone to be another hobby. I'd rather spend my time with a hand plane than figuring out what phone does what. But that's where you guys come in. I listen to your recomendations and then act. Thanks for your advise. Too late but maybe I should have looked closser at the I phones.

Bryan Morgan
01-16-2011, 12:33 AM
It really depends on what you are expecting out of a phone. What do you want it to do? I get to play with these things all the time at work. I've had my hands on a lot of different models lately as we go through a massive email migration.

Personally, I wouldn't give Apple any of my money. Thats just me. I will say that the iPhones (3/4) connect flawlessly and very easily to our Exchange server. The Android phones are hit and miss. Depends on what app you are using to sync.

Peter Elliott
01-16-2011, 8:12 AM
lot of iphone reports.. so I'll chime in on Moto Droid phone.

It's funny how hard a cell phone choice has become.. and to be honest, I don't think there is a clear winner.

I was 100% certain when iphone came to verizon I was going to buy one. Lot's of friends have the iphone and i have an itouch (mp3 player with apps).

But when Android hit verizon I jumped on that. I had the original Droid with the slide out keyboard. I figured I would still want the keyboard after having one on previous phones. NOPE! I really liked the virtual keyboard, took a week to get it down. So the slide out became a pain and I returned it for a HTC brand droid phone.. Supposed to be faster, blah blah blaah.. It was and I liked but the screen was a bit small and I didn't care for the way contacts were stored in the phone.
I really liked the way Motorola set up the android phones. Just because it says Android, doesn't mean they are all set up the same.

Then a buddy had the new Moto Droid X, I tried it, played with it and then bought one. Never looked back since. I got the extended battery (not the huge one but one step up) and I can run this for 2 days straight. I needed this since I am a gone for 2 days for the most part and can't always charge up my phone.. The other phones all died in 1 day.

The screen is great for viewing online web stuff. It's good size, etc and I tend to use it when I am shopping, doing a compare, read reviews, etc.. I use a barcode scanner app and get price info first hand while standing in the store.

It's fairly tough, I got a zag screen protector from best buy. It's very good, I wouldn't go a day without one. Just a basic case.

I'm a firefighter and we break everything (not always by choice) and I carry my phone in my front pocket. Never liked the holsters, etc.. So from cold to hot, it's been good. I dropped it a few times and only the case has come off. Very rare has it had a cpu issue like locking it up. I'm sure the 2x it did, it was my fault.

So now the Iphone hit verizon, I remember what I said a year ago and now I'm having a hard time convincing myself to get and Iphone in the future. The droid x is by far an awesome phone. Not the droid 2 or the droid pro.. the droid x is what I am using.

One big note.. the android phones have a real hard time sync MS Outlook. So if you use MS outlook as a business, I would not move away from a blackberry. I don't know about iphone and ms outlook.. We went through a bunch of android phones for my wife who wanted a new phone but has to use Ms Outlook.. ended up going back to blackberry. we tried everything, every app , every back door way to sync and after talking to many techs.. it doesn't work well at all.. it has a lot to do with market share in the cellphone biz, not for a lack of actually writing a software.

-Peter

Matt Meiser
01-16-2011, 10:48 AM
Exchange works OK with my Evo except that if I edit a calendar event from the phone I get a copy. I'm pretty sure that it has to do with the fact our Exchange server is in a different time zone than I am. I forgot to try while at the office last week to see if the problem went away. But email and contacts -- no problems at all.

Jerome Stanek
01-16-2011, 11:19 AM
I guess I just don't get it. Why are there so many people getting their 3rd or 4th phones. If there that great why do you need to get a new one.

Brian W Evans
01-16-2011, 12:32 PM
I'll add a vote for an Android phone. I have Verizon's Droid 2. It works great for web surfing (I downloaded the Opera browser instead of the built-in browser), in-car navigation (just like my dad's Garmin GPS), online radio streaming, email, calendar, to-do lists, etc. I've never had a problem with it and the battery life is way beyond my expectations. If I had it to do over again, I'd get one of the bigger screen models without the slide out keyboard - it's just too easy to type on the screen or dictate a message using voice recognition.

Matt Meiser
01-16-2011, 12:37 PM
Jerome, the new phones are advancing that much every cycle. My 2nd smart phone was way ahead of my 1st and my Evo is way ahead of the 2nd.

I'm on my 3rd (technically 4th) phone because I started down the smart phone path with an inexpensive used Palm device that I had for about 1-1/2 years. Then I got a new HTC Windows Mobile device that was junk--the hardware, not the OS. The first one 1/2 the screen went black, which Sprint tried to blame on me--they said I hit the screen, but funny how the edges of the "damaged" area were perfectly square and there wasn't a mark on the plastic. There were also other things going wrong with the phone at the same time. So after haggling, threats to buy out my contract and dispute the charges with Amex they decided to replace it as a "courtesy" to me. Then 6 months later the new one started some of the same problems other than the screen. Again I threatened to buy out my contract and leave so they reset my and my wife's eligibility and told us to get new phones now to make up for our problems and that's when I went to the Evo.

Jerome Stanek
01-16-2011, 1:07 PM
I don't need a smart phone I guess. I just need one to talk on and then not to much. I have had a cell phone for longer than most people and have gone through 4 different companies and I have never changed my plan. I still have the same phone number as when I got mine back in 88.

Peter Elliott
01-16-2011, 4:36 PM
Jerome, I too have had a phone for a long time... my 1st was the pocket book case style.. it was huge. I have all the carriers except Tmobile... Verizon in the Metro DC area has been the best!

The phones are not phones at all.. they are mini PC's and I can do a lot with these little gems.. The only reason to upgrade is some features are worth it to upgrade. Some are needs, some are wants. I went through a 3 phones in 2yrs... 2 being in the last six months... I finally have what works for me..

Matt - Exchange isn't the entire issue.. email works fine, etc.. It's when you have to sync contacts and calendar (mainly calendar) is the issue.

Jim Becker
01-16-2011, 5:30 PM
Peter, my employer uses ActiveSync for mobile device support and my email, calendar and contacts have been nearly "perfect" since they started offering the service for iPhone and other smartphone users. They actually discourage Blackberry at this point, wanting to eliminate the Blackberry infrastructure.

Joel Goodman
01-16-2011, 5:33 PM
If you have a Mac for your personal computer then the iPhone (or iPad) has some advantages in that they work together seamlessly. I like having a BU of everything on my phone on my computer -- including important documents (via Docs to Go) which can sync both ways as does the calender, email, iTunes etc.. Got used to it with the Treo and to me it's a good feature. The Android phone sync up in the cloud w gmail and various Google cloud computing stuff. I think if you are on Windows the iPhone advantages are less. That being said it's not the best phone for just phoning! The iPad and regular cell phone is not a worthless option to consider.

Steve Costa
01-16-2011, 6:26 PM
I have neither & don't want one. I have $40 Verizon phone which is programmed to block texts & photos. The key issue is with network coverage. If you live in an area which has EXCELLENT AT&T, Verizon or Sprint coverage, pick your poison. Where I live in So West Colorado we have great Verizon coverage. If you want to use your AT&T phone of any kind its a 12 mile drive to town.

I spent 35 years in the IT business running large projects and have no interest in "keeping up to date"!!!!

Brian Elfert
01-16-2011, 7:55 PM
I would kinda like to have a smart phone, but two things hold me back. One is my employer pays for my phone and they won't pay for a smart phone. Second is the additional cost for the data package if I did pay for my own phone. I use Verizon and wouldn't use anyone else for a personal phone due to the excellent coverage. My employer thought about going to T-Mobile, but T-Mobile gave us test phones and the coverage was really bad. I told the rep I was going to take a test phone to a certain area and he said don't bother as there was no coverage there.

Randy Klein
01-16-2011, 8:45 PM
This may have already been stated, but there is an android alt to ipad. That is the samsung galaxy. Food for thought. Btw, this was typed on a droid2 using swype, which is awesome.

Matt Meiser
01-16-2011, 8:52 PM
The Galaxy Tab is allegedly an iPad competitor, but it is a lot smaller. I'd love to see a real iPad competitor but I don't think the Tab is it.

Leigh Betsch
01-16-2011, 9:35 PM
When Lee Valley starts to sell cell phones then we'll have a phone that we can trust to work as advertised!

Dar Lounsbury
01-16-2011, 10:14 PM
I have the Droid x and I like most of the ways it works. Too many functions and I get lost it trying to program something sometimes. Phone works well but I have no user knowledge of the others to make comments. Iphone is more bucks than most of the others. With upgrades every few years, it does not seem to make sense to buy the most expensive models regardless of the performance. Like cordless power tools, to each their own.

Dar

Bryan Morgan
01-17-2011, 1:28 AM
I have neither & don't want one. I have $40 Verizon phone which is programmed to block texts & photos. The key issue is with network coverage. If you live in an area which has EXCELLENT AT&T, Verizon or Sprint coverage, pick your poison. Where I live in So West Colorado we have great Verizon coverage. If you want to use your AT&T phone of any kind its a 12 mile drive to town.

I spent 35 years in the IT business running large projects and have no interest in "keeping up to date"!!!!

The advantage of quick texts is you don't have to listen to people yack on and on about stuff you don't care about. :) I don't care that your cat developed a bald spot, just tell me the subnet of the ipsec tunnel I'm routing to... :)

Curt Harms
01-17-2011, 8:15 AM
To further complicate things, HP's WebOS2 is very close to being released if it hasn't been already. This is a development of Palm's WebOS acquired when HP bought Palm. The PalmOS got very good reviews on the Palm Pre family, the hardware not so much. There may not be room for another mobile OS in the market but will being HP give it enterprise credibility?

Matt Meiser
01-17-2011, 8:50 AM
I didn't used to "get" texts either but my wife and I text more and more for quick conversations during the day--stuff like quick, easy to answer questions or one-sided informational messages since it isn't disruptive if one of us is in a meeting, etc. I have Google Voice too, so I can send them right from my browser.

Jason Roehl
01-17-2011, 8:56 AM
^^^ What Matt said. I use TextFree (a free app), which allows me to send free texts, or receive free texts if they're to either an email addy set up with them, or a separate phone number with them. Because of that, I don't have a text plan on my cell phone bill, I just pay for the handful of text messages I do get to my normal cell number.

Jim Becker
01-17-2011, 7:37 PM
Professor Dr. SWMBO and I use texting and IM regularly, even in the house, often to deal with triangulation issues with our older daughter who has "issues". We also find it extremely useful in many other ways. We also use it with our kids for convenience to stay in touch when they or we are somewhere else. Same goes for work...the sales guy I support use it for back channel conversations and other immediate communication needs where a phone call just wouldn't work or be appropriate.

My beef with texting is that the carriers are milking folks in a major way for a service that essentially rides on top of the signaling channels of their networks...it costs them next to nothing to provide, so the markup is phenomenal for folks who pay a la carté. I pay the $20 a month for an unlimited family texting plan.

Randy Klein
01-17-2011, 9:51 PM
Professor Dr. SWMBO and I use texting and IM regularly, even in the house, often to deal with triangulation issues with our older daughter who has "issues". We also find it extremely useful in many other ways. We also use it with our kids for convenience to stay in touch when they or we are somewhere else. Same goes for work...the sales guy I support use it for back channel conversations and other immediate communication needs where a phone call just wouldn't work or be appropriate.

My beef with texting is that the carriers are milking folks in a major way for a service that essentially rides on top of the signaling channels of their networks...it costs them next to nothing to provide, so the markup is phenomenal for folks who pay a la carté. I pay the $20 a month for an unlimited family texting plan.

With android, you can text for free through Google Voice.

Bryan Morgan
01-18-2011, 12:46 AM
I didn't used to "get" texts either but my wife and I text more and more for quick conversations during the day--stuff like quick, easy to answer questions or one-sided informational messages since it isn't disruptive if one of us is in a meeting, etc. I have Google Voice too, so I can send them right from my browser.

Exactly! A quick little "grab milk on the way home" is much nicer than listening to her blabber on about nonsense while you are at work. :)

Don't tell her I said that. ;)

Bryan Morgan
01-18-2011, 12:47 AM
My beef with texting is that the carriers are milking folks in a major way for a service that essentially rides on top of the signaling channels of their networks...it costs them next to nothing to provide, so the markup is phenomenal for folks who pay a la carté. I pay the $20 a month for an unlimited family texting plan.

Not next to nothing, actually nothing! Texts ride along with other data that is going anyway. Just kind of tacked on to the backside of it. Thats what our Sprint tech told us anyway.

Marty Paulus
01-18-2011, 7:27 AM
I seem to remember reading somewhere that there is a cost to the carriers for text messages. It was something like $0.002/text and, if I am not mistaken, they charge in the neighborhood of $0.20/text. Not a bad mark up eh? Wish I could mark up like that.

Chris Rosenberger
01-18-2011, 8:20 AM
Wow!!!
Sorry for not replying sooner. Family matters kept me away. I have tried to keep up with reading this thread when I could. Thank you for all of the replies. You have given me a lot to think about.
I do remodeling & build & install custom cabinets & furniture. I mainly want internet access when I am on job sites, to be able to get information or order materials.
A calender for appointments would also be nice. The problem I have is the small screens on the phones. I have a notebook with an 18" screen & a desktop with a 24" screen. I cannot get it through my head how a web page can be viewed on a 4.3 or smaller screen.
We had to be in the city Monday evening. While there we stopped at a Verizon store and looked at phones, tablets & asked a lot of questions about information many of you gave me. They did not have any phones that I could see work. I did get to tryout an iPad. That is very nice, but costly. They also sell another tablet, although they did not have one in the store. I like the bigger screens of the tablets.
My Son in law has a iPod Touch that I am going to try out to get a feel for the internet on a small device.

Jason Roehl
01-18-2011, 9:39 AM
Chris, many websites auto-detect that you are on a mobile device and optimize the content for it. That said, the iPhone has several features that help with web viewing. For one, if you double-tap a text box, it will bring that text box to screen width. Rotating the device horizontally helps. If that is still not enough, you can also use the pinch-zoom to enlarge the text/graphics even further (pinch-zoom means that you touch the screen with two fingers and bring them together or spread them and the picture zooms in or out accordingly).

Matt Meiser
01-18-2011, 9:49 AM
My EVO does all those things as well, so I assume its pretty common. Unless you want to do a lot of typing, its very usable.

Jim Becker
01-18-2011, 7:52 PM
With android, you can text for free through Google Voice.

You don't need Android for that... ;) There are plenty of free texting applications available for almost any 'smart' device of your choosing. Android is just an operating system. A very good one and one with incredible growth in the marketplace, however.