Need help deciding on a phone
 

On January 1, I plan on leaving Sprint. I want to have a GSM phone so that when I travel, I don't have to use my old Sagem dual-band Orange locked P.O.S.

Anyway, I thought about getting the iPhone. What I like about it is the web-browsing (real internet vs. WAP), and it's ability to be an MP3 player.

What I don't like about the iPhone is that it's locked to AT&T, it can't send/receive photos and it does not record video (I know you can d/l hacks for that, but I want all this to work out of the box). And AT&T doesn't work in the living room of my NYC apartment (...?)

Since the iPhone is pretty darn expensive, I was going to see if you guys have a recommendation for a phone that meets the following criteria:

- Real web browsing (not WAP)
- GSM (quad-band)
- At least 2MP (preferably more) camera that can record video as well
- MP3 player
- Preferably a "smart" phone with a big screen

My budget is $350 or so. Any suggestions?

Nokia e70
 

I use an e70 that I initially picked up because I wanted a qwerty keyboard to handle emails. The screen has quite good resolution so I use it to browse the regular web quite a bit. The fact that truphone runs on it (a voip package), was a great draw as well for when I'm abroad, though in reality I usually end up getting by with sms (and I just pick up a local sim for those).

For the past 3-4 months, I've tried using an HTC touch. I thought I'd like the bigger screen for browsing and use the touch screen for palm-style graffiti. I finally switched back yesterday to the nokia. The usability and tactile feedback while typing makes the nokia feel much more usable and the series 60 OS is much more responsive than the windows mobile.

The iphone is extremely attractive with the ipod integration, but I haven't tried one personally because of the att contract.

caveat addendum:
Just re-read the initial post, I should point out that the e70 is triband, not quad band. I travel quite a bit, and don't think quad-band is really necessary... but do know other people who insist upon it based on particular destinations.

For real web browsing the iPhone is really the only option, though it has some well known short comings. The good thing about the iPhone is that it will have 3rd party apps in Feb which means that if Apple hasnt added MMS by then a 3rd party app will, same goes for video recording. The issue about the phone being locked to ATT is significant, I'm traveling abroad over Xmas and New Years so this will be my first real test. Though I must say that when I was using a Treo 650 over seas I never picked up a local SIM because ATT/Cingular's rates were always similar to what I would be paying with a local prepaid.

For my upcoming trip ATTis going to charge me $2.49/min for calls while im in the UAE and $1.29/min while im in Paris. Given the exchange rate i'm not sure I could do better with local SIMs in either location and as a bonus my friends in the US can still call a local number that they already have and reach me where ever I am.

That is probably about 3-4 times the cost of using local SIMs

You think? Even with the exchange rate? When I was in China a couple years ago the local SIM rates were almost exactly what Cingular was going to charge me.

So i should be able to get a local SIM in France that will charge me somewhere between .22 and .29 Euros/min? If so that's interesting, it may be worth taking an unlocked phone along.

Last time I checked in the UK it was about 20 pence (45 cents or so) for Virgin Mobile to call the US. I think Orange is about the same price. Vodafone on the other hand was pound at one point. Not sure what they are now. France and the UK were roughly similar last time I checked. Its just that I can read UK web sites ;)

Well, I know that the Verizon Voyager has a real web browser, just like the iPhone one. Similarily, I read about Opera Mini and how it works on BlackBerries. It seems to offer a pretty similar browsing experience to the iPhone. Didn't Microsoft also come out with a version of IE (maybe named something else) that works like a real browser?

On the other hand.....
 

You should also consider service here at home - if AT-T has lousy service and you absolutely want a GSM phone then your only option is T-Mobile which is not all that much better....You can get Verizon's world phone or what I did was get an unlocked GSM phone (lots of specials around, ebay etc,) get an international SIM or get a Europe based SIM. I have a Virgin SIM from the UK - I have a fixed phone # and just put money on when I travel. You can call or actually text them a specific character set and it adds whatever denomination you text. It works really well, but remember with web services outside the US YMMV big time, as most other countries use 3G while here at home we don't.
It would help if you listed your must haves at home vs your must haves when traveling.

Hmmmm, i'm going to keep looking around, but this site has Orange prepaids for between .39 and .50 Euros, but it's .7 Euros (about $1) for calls back to the US which is what most of the calls I will be making are.

http://intouchsmartcards.com/France_SIM.htm

It's liked by some, but not all. I don't think it has the zooming capabilities of the iPhone though I could be wrong. Also, I think that one is CDMA so it wont be much good outside of the US.

Unless Opera Mini has come a long way in the last 6 months i wouldnt even bother, last time I tried it on my Treo it was terrible. Also, most smartphone dorks will tell you that browsing on a BB is less that useful due to the lack of a touch screen.

This has to be the deciding factor IMHO. If your phone service sucks in your apartment then having service on the same handset in Europe isnt much good. If ATTs service is crap where you are then don't get it. I must be really lucky, i seem to be the only person who hasnt ever had an issue with ATT reception, except when on the metro here in DC.

This is also a big deal. Data on most european carriers is way more expensive than it is here in the US so using data there may not make much sense. Add to that the fact that most european carriers dont have EDGE service so you'll be stuck with GPRS if you dont have a 3G phone and GPRS is just painful. I can't imagine using the full iPhone browser on that connection.

I just added international data for my upcoming trip from ATT which is $24/mo for 20mb, but it's prorated and i'll only have it for 2 weeks at roughly $1/day which is fine by me. I'm assuming I'll be able to use Orange's EDGE network though, if i'm stuck on GPRS i won't be happy.

If the T-Mobile Windows Mobile Promotion is still on, you can get a WING for $15 net.

Or how about an iPAQ 6945 with T-MobileWeb service? You can get a new one on eBay for about your target. I use my 6510 in the U.S. and Europe, and as long as my device is registered on a T-Mobile cell site, I pay $5.99 a month for unlimited web service (it's supposed to be WAP-only, but it's not...shhh).

Pro:

• GSM/GPRS quad-band phone
• GPS
• Field-swappable battery
• Seamless transition between WiFi and GPRS internet
• Windows Mobile 5

Con:

• 2G internet speed. I think it's plenty, since I only use PDA-sized (>WAP) sites anyway.
• 340x340 screen doesn't work with some (stupid) applications, but GMM and Pocket Streets look fine.
• Windows Mobile 5

If you have an ATT international plan it's 99 cents/min.

If you pay them $5.99 a month or fraction, your Europe minute rate "plummets" from $1.29 to 99¢. It takes 20 minutes of calling just to break even.

In AT&T-speak, A FRACTION OF A MONTH means one day, thirty-one days, or anything in between. If you make a call on the 30th of June, through July, and on the 1st of August, you pay $17.97 for the privilege.

All T-Mobile minutes are 99¢ without the extortion.

run
 

RUN don't WALK away from this phone. I now how that sounds, but even being an HP fanboy, this was the worst WINMO device I have ever used. If you really want one, I know where you can get 10+ CHEAP. I would never recommend this phone to anyone, it has no basis for even being alive.

I know the OP doesn't want an iphone, or ATT, but damb, the iphone works so well for these items. Everyday that I use #1 1K GF iphone, I just say, damb, this is one of the best engineered devices I have ever used. The UI is perfect, the interface is perfect, the web browsing is perfect, indeed the keyboard I can type faster than on any other portable device I use, blackberry's, palms, Dash, etc. I'm just waiting for a 3G version, a BIT more openness in the platform, and BT keyboard integration.

If the OP has an old phone to use for a couple of weeks, then the announcements Jan 15-16 at Macworld Expo on improved iPhones (maybe larger capacity but not 3G) might mean a special offer on the current iPhone.

I wonder what % of the share price of Apple between now and then is attributable to it being 'the iPhone company' - and whether this enhances the prospect of a (minor) new model upgrade?


Alternatively, how about the slightly enhanced Blackberry Pearl, or new qwerty BB models?

the motorola q9h seems to match most of your needs.

its sold in europe as well as att. i presume att has it sim-locked but i'd bet the ones in europe aren't. rumor has it that there's a wifi version in the works. the screen is larger than usual phones but it sure isnt your pc.