[Rain]

I'm thinking of getting a new phone, and feel this sudden urgency as ATT wants to cancel my 8 year old grandfathered basic plan

I think I'm done with Nokias. After 15 years of Nokia, it's time to move on. They have very limited apps, and I'm dying to try new apps, especially if free. Any opinion here on whether Iphone or Android type phones are better? I'm leaning towards Android right now, specifically one of the new HTC or Motorola phones coming out soon. Very soon, I hope, since my plan dies soon and I don't want to lose my number.

One thing I've been toying with is to get a kindle. I don't really want any other ereaders, just the kindle. There are kindle apps for both iphone and android phones. Does it mean if I get either of these phones, I won't need to buy a kindle as well? Isn't it much cheaper to just get a free/cheap app than to buy an entire kindle, which means getting the phone is definitely worth it?

There seem to be some apple fans on this board. Is iphone really that much superior? Nobody loves their android phone?

I don't think cost is a factor since with 2 year plans, it's never more than $300 anyway...

Thanks...

[MickyB]

I like my HTC Desire, other than the poor battery life, but I haven't used iPhones enough to be able to state which is better. Personally I would avoid getting an iPhone now because, based on past experience, there will be a new one out in June, which I know would annoy me!

[quiddity]

Rain, on 2011-February-01, 13:54, said:

One thing I've been toying with is to get a kindle. I don't really want any other ereaders, just the kindle. There are kindle apps for both iphone and android phones. Does it mean if I get either of these phones, I won't need to buy a kindle as well? Isn't it much cheaper to just get a free/cheap app than to buy an entire kindle, which means getting the phone is definitely worth it?

Have you ever tried reading text from a smartphone in sunlight? Or reading a page of text on a 3.5 inch screen?

[luke warm]

quiddity, on 2011-February-01, 15:51, said:

Have you ever tried reading text from a smartphone in sunlight? Or reading a page of text on a 3.5 inch screen?

so do you vote iphone or android... i have a blackberry and like it, but it's for business mostly

[blackshoe]

I would go iphone, but I'm an apple-phile.

Only reason I don't have an iphone already is that I don't want to pay ATT's prices - about 65-75 bucks a month, iirc. Right now I have a cheap "pay as you go" T-Mobile account with a Samsung phone that's about 3 years old.

Verizon will join the iphone bandwagon next week. What that will do to plan prices I don't know. Note: if you switch from ATT to Verizon, you can, afaik, keep your old number. When I switched from landline to Verizon, I did that - but Verizon screwed it up, and gave me a big hassle when I tried to add minutes to my phone, because the dealer didn't record the switch in numbers correctly. It was such a pain that I switched to T-Mobile. So if they tell you they'll switch you over, make sure they do it right.

[helene_t]

A smartphone isn't really an alternative to an ebook reader.

I would go for a sony ebook reader plus an htc phone, but that's just as a matter of principle, I have no clue which is better.

[blackshoe]

I have an iPad for book reader. Rather, I have it for other things, but it also makes a decent reader. The Kindle is better for just reading books, though. It's lighter, works better in sunlight, and is easier on the eyes.

[MickyB]

quiddity, on 2011-February-01, 15:51, said:

Have you ever tried reading text from a smartphone in sunlight? Or reading a page of text on a 3.5 inch screen?

Samsung's "Super-AMOLED" screen technology is supposed to be much easier to read in sunlight and from an angle than most smartphones. The Galaxy S has a 4" screen, slightly bigger than the iPhone's, so I suspect that it would be much better than the iPhone for reading e-books.

[Rain]

I guess I should go for an iphone too. How fast is the processor speed? The android ones I'm eyeing are 1ghz, which seems really fast to me.

If only 4G would come to my area soon...

[Gerardo]

The black-and-white Nook from Barnes and Noble has a very good contrast, easy on the eyes.

[blackshoe]

Rain, on 2011-February-02, 10:26, said:

I guess I should go for an iphone too. How fast is the processor speed? The android ones I'm eyeing are 1ghz, which seems really fast to me.

If only 4G would come to my area soon...

The first generation A4 chip has a 1 GHz clock speed. Clock speeds for the new chips, which are in the iPhone 4 and the latest iPad, have not been released by Apple. More info.

[awm]

I have both an iphone and a kindle. Reading on the kindle is really a joy -- the advantage is that the kindle screen is not backlit and can be read in natural light (just like a book). The iphone screen is backlit like a computer screen, which is great when you need to find your phone in the dark but not so pleasant for reading hundreds of pages (especially outside). The kindle also has a much bigger display area. Also, the kindle battery lasts a really long time, probably because reading books isn't nearly as battery intensive as some of the stuff people use iphone for (watching movies, surfing the web, etc).

Anyway, I like my iphone and use it all the time, but I wouldn't want to read books on it.