Dec 22
iPhone or Windows Mobile
I am up for an upgrade with AT&T Wireless and I am trying to figure out what phone I want to get. I am torn between the iPhone 3G, HTC FUZE and Samsung Epix. I can’t decide which one I want to get. I am not a big fan of Apple, I have a Zune, Media Center PC (vista) and another Vista laptop. Not to say I’m pro microsoft, I just hate the “Apple Tax”.
However in this case I am considering an Apple product since the “Apple Tax” really doesn’t apply. The 16 gig iPhone is $300, the FUZE is $300, and the EPIX is $200. So they are all in the same price range.
I have 2 major issues with the iPhone, lack of a physical keyboard and no tethering. While tethering isn’t a deal breaker, a lack of keyboard could be. If I can’t get used to the onscreen keyboard, the iPhone is useless to me.
The FUZE was kind of slow when I bought it so I think that is pretty much out. I have the AT&T Tilt (HTC) right now, but it is also kind of slow.
The Epix was responsive and quick. The touch screen and mouse was nice but the mouse was kind of awkward to use and the screen is small compared to the iPhone, FUZE and Tilt.
My other fear is that the iPhone is more pretty then functional. Right now I use phoneAlarm to change my sound profiles based on my calendars, GooSync to sync my contacts and calendars, and Remember The Milk Sync for my tasks. I don’t know if all of these are compatible but I need at bare minimum GooSync and the functionality of phoneAlarm, built in or through an app. I don’t use iTunes and have not looked through the app store, so if you can answer my questions, please do. I am a power user that wants a device that just works. I can’t stand having to reboot windows mobile so if the iPhone will fit my needs, please tell me.
1 Comment so far
Leave a comment
Wow… what to say… I have owned Windows Mobile phones, iPhone, plain old phones, fancy old phones, HTC monsters (love HTC phones) and Blackberrys.
There is a lot of nitpicky stuff I’m not going to go into with the iPhone because it starts at the top with Apple’s business practices. This includes the AppStore which has become a major selling point for some… Rejection of apps like Google Voice and Slingbox seem to be to be more examples of the ever expanding Apple Monopoly. But there is plenty of information on the web about all that.
My biggest issue with the iPhone is durability. I put my phones through hell just from daily use. Exposure to rain, dust, sand, snow, below freezing temperatures (try using an iPhone wearing gloves… good luck!), “pocket pressure”, and drop survival are just a few of the horrors my phones are exposed to.
The iPhone does NOT handle moisture very well. Even a light rain can waterlog it and send it into meltdown. As far as I know Apple has failed to seal the chip boards inside the iPhone just as they have failed with their iPods. I can’t even use my iPods for exercise anymore. I’ve sweated and killed six iPods so far!
If you live in a cold area, the iPhone is not fun. Try pulling out your iPhone and using it in below 0 degree F temps. You can’t use the iPhone with gloves on without purchasing special gloves! I don’t know how this works with the PalmPRE but my LG Dare worked just fine, and I could even send SMS with the on-screen keyboard while wearing my snowboarding gear. My roommate constantly has to pull his gloves off to access anything on his iPhone.
The same roommate leaned against something at work and cracked the glass screen on his iPhone! Since it has one button and the rest of the interface is all touch screen his iPhone is useless now. And with no replacement plan or insurance available for it he’s just screwed.
Windows Mobile phones have their own issues for sure. Constantly rebooting from crashes, clunky interface, and other issues abound with WinMo phones. I want my phone to work NOW not when it wants to.
So after years of WinMo phones, a short stint with the G1, my own iPhone nightmare, and all the rest I finally have landed in the Crackberry world. Its not nearly as pretty a phone as the iPhone for sure… but it WORKS. It does everything I need it to, and doesn’t try to be too much like a WinMo phone.
iPhone owners and I debate all the time about which is better theirs or mine and what I’ve decided it comes down to is this:
iPhone is a cool toy with a few specialized tool apps that are neeto (if you happen to work in the industry they apply to i.e. remote controlling a lighting console or audio board)
Blackberry is a cool tool. And that’s it.
I resisted getting a Blackberry for a long time because there seemed to be this dark Corporate business stigma to them… My girlfriend had one when we started dating and after two weeks of watching her fly through internet, email, and text messaging, combined with its physical keyboard and the roller ball mouse control I had to have one.
A year later and I still love it. I can’t do without it really! It works, does everything I need it to, and the durability is light years beyond that of any other phone I’ve owned. I dropped it from the high point off a ski lift into deep powder snow and it survived. It was probably harder on me finding it than the drop was on the phone. I’ve dropped it in a toilet… three times… and it still works. I dropped it out of a moving car, no problem. I’ve stepped on it, dropped it, kicked it across the kitchen floor and it just keeps working. The only real thing I’ve had to do was pull the roller ball and clean it. Once. After a year of heavy use… its very similar to cleaning a mouse ball.
So that’s my two cents… I’ve not tried the PalmPre and I doubt I will unless it comes to another carrier. I do NOT like GSM phones. You may get more calling features on a GSM phone but the audio quality is very poor compared to a CDMA phone. And ATT’s network/coverage is poor compared to Verizon’s. Its been too many years since I’ve been on Sprint’s network to compare that one, and T-Mobiles network was so horrible I sold my Tmo phone and paid my way out of my contract.
So that’s my 14 cents worth of opinion… hope it helps!