Leslie,
Here is some food for thought based on my dropping probably over $2,000 on cell phones over the past three to four months. Still have them, and the SIM cards allow me to use a couple, but even SIMS won't let you use any phone on any network.
Now I know that iPhone has a great browser, and I am using the Internet on my phone, but I will probably do away with that. It simply costs me too much for the small page. I guess I am only 15 minutes away from a 24 inch LCD monitor at anytime, so I don't really need it.
I think a lot of phones will allow modem connections. When purchasing a smart phone, learn from my mistakes. It is a lot like building a network. You should design it first, which means sitting down and deciding what you want. This is key:
Do you want mainly a cell phone that seconds as a PDA?
Or, do you want mainly a PDA that seconds as a phone?
I am sure you can look for the perfect phone that does both. I am not really trying to get into a discussion about how iPhone does, etc.
But, that is where I went wrong. I purchased an unlocked i-Mate for about a month's salary. It was and still is an awesome phone. Actually, it will probably be a great phone when each state passes laws against driving and using a cell phone at the same time, because you HAVE to pull over to use the phone. Unlike an inexpensive but super efficient regular Motorole flip phone, which you can dial with one hand in the dark without looking, it was nearly impossible to dial without using the stylus. So, I really wanted to have a phone with a good keyboard for dialing.
The Blackberry Storm, has a GREAT touch screen on screen dial pad. It was an awesome phone with a relatively good browser and a large screen, but it had the usual amount of design flaws and bugs that made it unbearable.
I haven't used an iPhone, and I guess I am actually unknowlingly singing its praises, but my guess is with the touch screen and design, it probably is easy to dial on it.
Now, if you are looking for more of the PDA first, so you can text, email, MMS and browse, then you want to make sure you have a great keyboard. I could fly with my thumbs on the i-Mate. I would have to say I could type about 25 to 30 wpm, which I think is fairly decent. If I typed that fast with the Storm, I would have at least ten errors when done with one or two texts, and all of the reviewers say the same thing.
I also found out the hard way, do not buy online unless you know you like the phone. It is nice to go to T-Mobile, AT&T or Verizon and actually play with the phones. Plus, it is a great idea to use their 30-day return to make sure you like the phone.
Here are a few good review sites. I believe phonearena is considered one of the best.
Besides the fact that no one can make the perfect cell phone. I mean the Diamond came without a flash and had no SD slot, there should be a law against the keyboard designers. Imagine if every keyboard for every computer you used had a different layout. They really need to standardize those things. Some have the comma on the left, others on the right. Some make you shift into a different character mode to use the question mark, some don't. And, I think the designers get paid more the smaller they make the space bar. Didn't they learn from Wheel of Fortune, when everyone picks the same five consonants and vowels at the end, because statistically they are the most likely to show up in the phrase? I mean I would think the the . , ' and ? have to be the most used. Why not put them on the first level of the keyboard and in a certain cluster?
But, I digress.
