Cell phone thread! Or, Instinct vs iPhone

Sikarian

So, I finally went and broke my phone today. Motorola RIZR, which if i might add, is one of the worst cell phones ever designed by human hands. A mix of anger and frustration resulted in the screen no longer working.

I need a new phone, and it's a tossup between Sprint's Instinct or AT&T's iPhone. I am not on a contract with T-Mobile so I am ready to switch, also I get a discount on both Sprint and AT&T through my employer, about the same percentage discount off the monthly plan.

Everytime I try to find a review on a cell phone or service, it's always OMG SPIRNT IZ SHYT DONT GET THEM, or AT&T IS AN EVIL CORPORATION, or the IPHONES ARE FOR MACFAGS, etc.

Anyone have any experience with either? Both? The service with both companies?

HALP

RUNN1NGMAN

I've had AT&T since they were Cingular and never had any problems. I also have a new iPhone and am loving it so far. If you're ok with the touchscreen keyboard, get the iPhone--it's got a few bugs but the interface is really great and the integration with iTunes is pretty sweet, especially if you are already familiar with it from having an iPod. Now that they have 3rd party applications, the potential for it is pretty limitless.

Since the actual hardware is coming from Apple, the support is a lot better as far as software updates. Since the infrastructure is already there through iTunes, it's pretty easy for them to identify the bugs and send out fixes through updates. There's also a few major gaps (no syncing of notes?!?) but updates and new applications are pretty much guaranteed. With the Samsung phone, what you see is probably what you get. You might see a few bug fixes, but are you going to see huge updates to the OS and features like what Apple will deliver down the line?

I think part of the iPhone hate is that they were so hyped--I mean, before the iPhone, your options for smart phones were Blackberry (which is awesome for work but not so great for play) and a Treo, which had basically the same applications and operating system as the original Palm Pilot from the 90's, so I'm not sure where people are coming from who think the iPhone sucks are. Palm loyalists? Who knows.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. I've obviously never used the Samsung phone. I love Samsung. I have a Samsung home theater. I have a Samsung plasma TV. I have a Samsung LCD in the bedroom. My old TV was a Samsung. But my last cell phone was also made by Samsung, and it SUCKED. Like, didn't even have a decent ringtone out of the box sucked. It was a half-assed piece of crap. The question you should ask is, do you want a smartphone from a wildly successful computer hardware and software company, which has to means and intention of keeping their phone at the leading edge through new applications and software updates? Or do you want a smartphone from a company that makes really good TVs and refrigerators?

Daenris

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

I've had AT&T since they were Cingular and never had any problems.

To present an alternate view, I've had AT&T/Cingular for about 6 years. When I was living in and around Chicago I never had any complaints. I'm now in a smaller city and even though their coverage map claims they have excellent coverage, it's terrible here. I rarely have more than 2 bars, the signal goes in and out constantly and I'm dropping lots of calls.

My recommendation would be to talk to people local to you that have either/both and ask about the coverage to make sure that you don't end up getting screwed.

Quoth

The iPhone does, to my knowledge, almost everything the Instinct does and then some. The biggest draw is that you can download new programs for the iPhone that you can't for the Instinct. It is more expensive, but infinitely more versatile. I think the only thing it lacks is some kind of primitive video camera, but I imagine that an App will be out for that at some point to make it happen.

I, too, have no real complaints about AT&T, but I didn't really have complaints about Sprint either, so take that as you will.

webguy20

I just got the new Iphone myself, after my slvr ate shit in the washing machine. I'm the kind of guy who upgrades only when need be, and I didn't have an ipod or other media device, so the Iphone fit perfectly for what I was looking for in a device. As far as the keyboard goes its a TON better than a keypad, especially when the phone is tilted sideways, but I'd take a real qwerty keyboard anyday. As far as apps go I love the Iphone, downloaded a ton of free stuff which I actually use, and the internet is speedy with 3g.

Really it depends on what you want to do, weigh your pros and cons. Also the Iphone has mandatory net service for the first 6 months, so be prepared for that too.

Edit: I've had sprint verizon and currently cingular/AT&T and in my area I've had no issues of any kind with any of them. Im in Oregon. Take that as you will.

dlinfiniti

if you were to go with sprint i would not go with the instinct, i would spring for one of the newer HTC phones like the touch pro or something. WM6.1 is awesome in its versatility, what the instinct doesnt have that the iphone does have, the touch pro does better in spades

k1DBLITZ

If you can, I would suggest holding off for the HTC Diamond. It comes out in the first week in September.

Google it.

Kyougu

Something to keep in mind if you get the Iphone is that you'll most likely be paying more monthly.

AT&T seem to have shitty data plans, and you'll be getting charged for 3G no matter what.

Shogun

Kyougu wrote: »

Something to keep in mind if you get the Iphone is that you'll most likely be paying more monthly.

AT&T seem to have shitty data plans, and you'll be getting charged for 3G no matter what.

$30 for unlimited 3G hardly seems shitty. Even with old iPhones $20 for unlimited access is not what I would call shitty. I have an older iPhone and I still love mine. I'm waiting to upgrade until this nonsense with the carriers or the chips in the phones get sorted out. 1 bar of 3G is still ridiculously fast compared to the older iPhone so I wouldn't say their data plans are shitty. Especially compared to how little the competition offers.

Mai-Kero

The instinct is kind of a piece of shit.

Get either the iPhone for a more expensive plan and better OS, or the LG Dare for a cheaper plan, locked proprietary OS that is kind of annoying but not terrible, a better camera, better GPS, a responsive keyboard, and a motherfuckin' gyrometer that is essentially useless but it's really cool to just turn the phone and have the keyboard switch to QWERTY without having to press a button.

Alternatively, wait for the new HTC phone that is supposed to be sweet.

embrik

I'll just say that I'm very happy with my AT&T 3G service, and then I'd recommend against an iPhone. However, I've always been of the opinion that I want something that is a bit more rare, and that has a ton of features. That said, I'm currently using a Nokia N95-4, and the 3G service and reception are excellent. I've got a friend w/ a new 3G iPhone, and when we put our phones side-by-side, mine had full bars, his had one, and my download speed was better. That's a pretty good indication that Apple has some work to do, and they can't very well blame their issues on the network. If they can get a fix out for these problems, I'd say go for it, unless you have the personality problem that I have, in which case, I can recommend a few phones that are much different and more esoteric

Raggaholic

I'd also caution you about getting the new iPhone. My sister got one and, although she loves it, there are some drawbacks. People have been having a lot of issues with staying on the 3G network. We were both at my mother's house and, in her basement, my phone (HTC Kaiser, also ATT 3G) was still pulling pretty fast. Hers was not. I've since learned that there is a class action lawsuit over the iphone 3G, due to its various problems.

As far as service goes, I ended up leaving Sprint due to bad customer service. I couldn't get service by my house (I live right off Lake Michigan), but I was willing to overlook that. I switched over bad customer service. AT&T has great coverage in my area, but your mileage may vary.

Ruled out getting a phone with Windows Mobile?

cloudeagle

Actually, the whole thing about the iPhone's 3G reception is that the problem is with the provider, not the phone. Some Swedish scientists showed the phone has the came reception as similar phones on the same network, and Wired's massive survey shows iPhone speeds are all over the map depending on what country (and provider) you're on.

http://www.gp.se/gp/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=444&a=440573

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/08/global-iphone-3.html

Long story short, people like to bitch.

Anyway, I love my iPhone, though I'm not generally an Apple fan. It's not quite everything for everyone (it's not the best work phone), but it's damn nice.

Also, engadget has a review of the Instinct that compares it to the iPhone. Summary: it's a decent phone, but very different from the iPhone and not as good.

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/06/07/samsung-instinct-hands-on/

Raggaholic

cloudeagle wrote: »

Actually, the whole thing about the iPhone's 3G reception is that the problem is with the provider, not the phone.

That's difficult for me to believe, as my sister and I are using the same provider. Anecdotal, I know, but very, very tangible.

cloudeagle

My iPhone actually works better on my 3G network than my last 3G phone. So there ya go.

That said, I wish Apple would hurry up and fix the issue with third-party aps crashing. This is getting annoying.

Serpent

everything I've heard about the HTC Touch Diamond, iPhone, and Samsung Instinct is that iPhone and Diamond are the better phones.

Youngman

I'll be honest with you. As an employee for Sprint's customer service, the iPhone seems like the better phone. The instinct has a lot of neat little hands-free features, but that's really all it has over it. I think it's better that the iPhone has wifi and you can add in lots of little apps, and the instinct doesn't really support much of that. Pretty much everything they sent us to "Instinct training" to learn about was a comparison to the original iPhone, and all of this was pretty much nonsense the next week when the 3g iPhone came out. It's hilarious watching them try to keep up. Not to mention, I work specifically with returns, and the Instinct is probably the phone I see the most of lately. As far as your reception goes, that's actually most likely just a bad unit. Take it to a repair center.

reddog

I just got the iPhone 3G for my birthday. I was in the market for a phone for work but because I was paying for it, I didn't want to get a blackberry cause I just can't stand the interface. That's just me. I figured if i'm getting a phone for work and personal, I should like my phone.

I would suggest first checking the coverage in your area like everyone says because I live in NYC and I have no problems whatsoever with the 3G network. I always have full bars but if you live in a suburbia it could be different so I hear.

You get used to the touch pad keyboard after a day which was one of the things I was worried about. The way it switches from 3G to WiFi is seemless which I LOVE. It basically is like a tiny computer in your pocket. I get my work email fine on it, I can update my blog/twitter/myspace/ect with it. Photos are great...it doesn't have video but I never used video much when I had it on my old w810i. The various apps and having iTunes at your fingertips is GREAT.

The only down thing I can say about the iPhone is that you can't send pictures via text...but it's really not a big deal. I just upload my pics now straight to my blog or to my flickr.

tinyfist

I've got the iPhone 3g and am loving it. Would not trade it for an Instinct at any point.

I'm coming off an HTC TyTN (Windows Mobile based) and Moto MING (Linux based). They both did some things better than the iPhone - but only slightly better. As to all the things the iPhone does better, it does so by heaps.

The iPhone isn't a perfect phone as media hype would lead you to conclude, but it is still by far a better product than anything else on the market.

TL DR

I had a 2-year contract with Sprint and they were terrible. All kinds of billing issues, and customer service does not give a shit.

Youngman

Hurt and Burn wrote: »

I had a 2-year contract with Sprint and they were terrible. All kinds of billing issues, and customer service does not give a shit.

Guilty as charged, really. I mean, if you go in with that attitude specifically, but generally it takes a special case to actually get us caring. Most of the problem lies in the fact that we're told lie after lie by customers fishing for credit and our higher-ups can't seem to decide what the hell it is they want us to do about it. It would also help if they told us when they made said decisions instead of waiting for us to mass-dispute our quality scores when counted off for things that are news to us.

Elin

Since it's about cell phones in here ... I'm about to switch to Verizon and I'm looking at either the enV2 or the Voyager. Has anyone used either of those? I'm looking for a full keyboard "texting" phone but not a PDA. I really don't want to pay for a data plan beyond texting.

And really, after a while, no call center employee gives a shit**. I've been in centers for 8 years and I've heard it all. A week ago I took a call from someone that said "Yes I agreed to the terms and conditions but I don't think they should apply to me."

**disclaimer - I'm sure someone, somewhere does care, even I feel pity every now and again.