Bamboo Women Blog

27 Responses to “iPhone, BlackBerry, Voyager, ____ ?”

1. bubba vine Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 4:34 pm

   I just upgraded to the Verizon Dare today… they have a special until July 31st got upgrade, car charger, leather case and bluetooth headset for a total of $74.95 out of pocket. Only fair to say I get a 20% corporate discount. Still a good deal…closest thing to the Iphone I could get… Verizon has the best reception in my area…

2. Jeanette Fisher Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 4:40 pm

   Thank you. I’d forgotten about bluetooth. I need a headset in California!

3. Jim Zaccaria Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 5:06 pm

   To PROVE I know NOTHING about Phones and their service - I used to have Cricket as a provider [I was actually mostly happy with air time etc as I wasn’t traveling much then, though now they have travel time too] Thing I liked best was No counting minutes - Flat Fee Unlimited! I had TERRIBLE experience with Verizon’s ‘Air-Card’ but they’re supposed to be better now.

4. Jamie Kartis Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 5:09 pm

   Cell phones have become more complicated than needed.

   It depends on what you want, and NEED, from it. I went through different phones/services and, what is very good for me is to NOT have any other service, except a good phone that is small, with Bluetooth (which most have).

   The rest of it (web, emails, T.V., etc.) is not worth the hassel of this other constant nonsense, and giving up the small size and ease of using, so I went back to my regular nice folding phone (Samsung), with Sprint service.

   Despite what others may say, you do not need these extras. They become counterproductive to your enjoyment of life. They take away too much of your time to deal with it all. If somebody needs you, they will call you. Keep it simple (and inexpensive)!

   If you like the Internet and the web, wait until you get home.

   Good luck!

   Jamie

5. Josh Kinnee Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 5:10 pm

   I love my Palm Centro! I have sprint, but other carriers have the same model. It’s 100 bucks after rebate. The phone can do email, text messaging, web, music, everything. Great little phone!

6. Matt Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

   I have the blackberry 8830 I’ve had a treo sidekick MDA you name it and I am a believer this is a crackberry for sure best phone I have ever had and the gps you can get on it rocks I say blackberry handsdown

7. Donna Fox Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

   I have an old iphone, not a 3g, and I’m happy with it. No trouble with AT&T service (although others claim to have it).

   Other than that I don’t ahve much to say

8. Sherman Hu Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 5:25 pm

   Hey Jeanette, what a fun post

   Don’t get an iPhone, unless U wanna B as twaddicted as the rest of us are (wink)

   Honestly, if you’re with T-Mobile, enjoying the family plan, and don’t wanna be ‘connected’ away from the home office, then stick with them.

   Claim your hardware upgrade, eg Blackberry Pearl or Curve or whatever, pay the extra $20/m and be done with it

   If U feel the urge to text, email or tweet me, you can still do it via your Blackberry

   If U are daring and wanna be more productive away from your computer, don’t mind AT&T, wanna improve your sex appeal, boost your ‘cool factor’ with your son and his friends, then c’mon over to the iPhone! Anybody who is anybody… you get the point, right? LOL! Just kiddin’ … sorta

   Let us know on Twitter what U decide to do, k? Cheers! Rock on!

9. Ajoy Adhikari Says:
   July 29th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

   If I were you, I go to ATT and get 1 3LG I-Phone.

10. Erika Davis Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    I have heard a lot of good things about the Blackberry. I have Alltel and I recently got their version of the iphone called the HTC Touch. It has internet access, you can link several different email addresses to the phone…watch movies, videos, send pics etc. So far, so good with the phone, but it is a bit confusing to learn all of the things it does…and the manual is not in paper form, but something you download on your computer Getting a new phone can definitely be a nightmare!!! Hope this helped a little bit.

11. Jeanette Fisher Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

    Thank you!

    Jamie - I’m with you on living simple and setting boundaries on my Internet usage.

    Jim - Sounds like you need to get a new phone, too!

    Josh - I’ll look at the Palm Centro. My car has such a great music system, I park it next to my pool to play music.

    Matt - That’s the phone I looked at at the mall. I would have bought it but they took too long and we were going to a movie.

    Donna - No way you don’t have much to say!

    Sherman - I am already twaddicted. For longer than most of you! I wanna be cool and sexy, but smart and connected work for me. I am a somebody already. Just google jeanette and you will find JeanetteFisher.com on the first page of all the Jeanettes in the world. (Only works in the US.)

    Ajoy - Thank you for participating!

    Erika - Thanks for the HTC Touch info. Good to see the iPhone has a bit of competition! Those download manuals are no fun!

    ###

12. Caren Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

    I love my treo, I am a nurse and a mom, it carries me thru drug references to dance practice. I even keep my work schedule on my planner so that when a playdate comes around I can give an immediate answer. We are with Sprint, have a family plan with 3 phones, 190.00/mo. My husband has the centro and he gets everything that I do with my treo. Love them both, i recommend either highly.

    Caren (joy to the home emailer)

13. Jeanette Fisher Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    Thank you, Caren! I appreciate nurses!

    It’s great to see one of my Joy to the Home newsletter readers here! I’m sending you an inside link to my latest book Seven Secrets to Glorious Home Design (http://residentialdesignguide.com) as my gift to you.

    I never even thought of a planner phone! Now that gets my attention!

    Doesn’t the BlackBerry have a calendar?

14. Jim Courtney Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 6:18 pm

    Jeanette — My major phone is a Blackberry 8820; I have seen the Blackberry Bold in action. Due to my long term subscription with Rogers, which is really two wireless lines - one for my Blackberry and one for all my eval units — I was able to get an iPhone at a minimal incremental cost.

    Major question: do you want something for personal entertainment and casual web browsing — then the iPhone. If you are serious about a business or prosumer device, then you need the Blackberry — and I would recommend awaiting the Bold’s launch at T-Mobile. And if you do anything with a keyboard beyond simple form filling entries, you will want a Blackberry. I am very frustrated with the touch screen on the iPhone. It just is not for heavy keyboard entry.

    By personal entertainment I mean photos, music, video, etc. On the other hand Blackberries, including 8xxx units, can now access and download from iTunes. Also I have seen video on the Bold — it’s a whole new world for Blackberry and personal entertainment.

    Hope this helps .. am I biased? Maybe, slightly, but it’s the keyboard issue that has me hooked to the Blackberry. And once I saw the display on the Bold it just reinforced … btw, new OS for 8xxx’s and Bold will support reading Office documents very nicely — the display plays a major role here as well. My iPhone may become an extension of my iPod.

15. Maria Palma Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    Hi Jeanette!

    I would stick with T-Mobile because they have the best service! I have a Treo with AT&T and although it’s a great phone, the customer service support is terrible. I would think the Blackberry is comparable with about the same features as a Treo…

16. Jeanette Fisher Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 6:30 pm

    Thanks Jim!

    I don’t want a phone for entertainment. I like big screens for movies and loud or live music.

    Looks like I’ll need to come visit Canada to get a BlackBerry Bold unless I wait until September in the US. It would be nice to take the rest of the summer off though!

17. Windy Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 7:03 pm

    I got a red pearl Blackberry about 3 months ago… and LOVE IT!! It’s my little baby. I’d sleep with it if I didn’t think I’d crush it. Has bluetooth capability and other great features like surfing the net, get qwerty board for texting and checking your email with a couple of additional feature services. I’m with T-Mobile and have been a VERY happy customer for 7 years… no itch here!
    My boss has an iPhone and it’s uber cool, but a little too expensive for my taste. I guess it depends on what you ultimately need it for.

    May the best phone win!
    Windy

18. Sam Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 7:03 pm

    Can’t beat the iPhone! Worth $1,000, but they only charge $199. I’ve had them all form Blackberry to Dash and finally the iPhone (old one). I would pay probably up to $1,200 for the iPhone, if they charged that much, and if I dropped it in the toilet, I’d pay it again because I can’t live without the simplicity of the iPhone. Had it since the first day it came out and have never had to call 611 to find out anything about the phone because everything is so simple to use and every setting is in its obvious place. This was not the case with over 50 calls (each) to 611 for my Blackberry and Dash. Also, don’t be fooled by the appearance of the ATT rates being higher. I switched from T-Mobile with 1000 minute plan to ATT with 900 and use less minutes because all mobile to mobile calls are free 24/7. I think 25% of the people I call use ATT, and I never knew it until I was was forced to switched to ATT when I got the iPhone. Also, you get free roll over with ATT, so a slow month will help you out in a busy month during the next year. No overages for me with a 900 minute ATT plan, down from the 1,000 minute T-Mobile plan.

19. mark1davidson Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm

    I prefer the Treo. Mostly because it is a hand held computer with a phone application built in rather than being a phone with embedded applications.

    While the Treo doesn’t have the same aesthetic beauty as an iPhone, the functionality cannot be beat. I’ve written an entire 28 page business proposal including a flow chart on my Treo. It’s a laptop replacement for those times when I don’t want to carry around my laptop bag.

    Unlimited test messaging is only $20 through AT&T. I can’t imagine not having that feature enabled.

    M

20. Laura Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 8:40 pm

    Hi Jeanette,

    I think the Blackberry js your best bet. Everyone I know that has one
    really loves it! The iPhone is overpriced and the service is pricey too.
    It has a lot of features but that’s why you’re paying the price for it.
    T-mobile has the best prices out there for their phone plans and they
    get good coverage across the country.

    There are some great deals at the website below that you may want to
    check out. Several friends of mine got their phones from here and they
    deal with all the major carriers and all the phone plans, great deals and
    great service, too.

    http://www.cellularonlinestore.com

    I hope you find what you’re looking for!

    —Laura

21. Warrioress Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 9:01 pm

    Go to CREDOMOBILE.com and make a difference! Talk it cheap unless the majority of your dollars are spent on the WAR and injustices. Credo donates one percent of your bill to Social Justice.

    Don’t just talk about it, do it!

22. robert Says:
    July 29th, 2008 at 9:10 pm

    Hi I would get Blackberry

23. ReAnn Ring Says:
    July 30th, 2008 at 4:26 am

    I have a good phone - flips open to a nice keyboard and texting like I need.

    I go with a local Georgia - Florida - $35 a month phone. So nice to save money with free long distance, $2 a month for 411 calls unlimited, and unlimited texting.

    I-Phone is next on my list - have to keep up with the speed of technology!

24. Marianne Says:
    July 30th, 2008 at 5:01 am

    I bought a Smartphone (Verizon brand) in March with full capabilities and totally hated it. It was pinging at me all the time, was uncomfortable to hold and dial, and was sliding open all the time. It also cost an extra $45/month for the data transfer.

    I exchanged it for an adorable orange LG En-V (also through Verizon) and absolutely love it. It has the qwerty keyboard, GPS, 2.0 camera, mp3 player and I can surf the web and get my Yahoo email for only $5/month extra. It was everything I needed for only $80. As for Verizon, I have always had excellent service and will never switch companies.

25. KermitFan Says:
    July 30th, 2008 at 8:02 am

    Having just left Sprint in a glorious fashion over major customer service issues, I have to say that T-Mobile is an absolute breath of fresh air. My hubby also just left Verizon over customer service issues as well… so, if I could give you one piece of advice it’s to stick with T-Mobile, they’ve done nothing but give us the best customer service over the last year.

    (P.S. — I have the Blackberry Pearl without e-mail capabilities turned on, and I love it.)

26. Lane Bailey Says:
    July 30th, 2008 at 10:29 am

    Just taking a quick look around:

    iPhone is pretty cool… but it is also AT&T… And expensive.
    The Voyager is $150 online through Verizon. The Dare also catches my eye, and I am using the older (and T-Mobile) version of the XV6800.
    My wife loves her BB Pearl. We are on T-Mobile. She has it set up with her corp. email and uses the heck out of it. When it is time to replace my MDA, I’ll be looking at the Wing… or whatever replaces it by then. Of course I have to keep the GE eKey requirements in mid since i use it as an electronic key as well.

27. Douglas Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

    I have the Palm Treo 700wx with Verizon and swear by it. It’s the best phone I’ve had. I’ve had T-Mobile, AT&T, and now Verizon, along with a few different phones (the smart kind and the not smart kind) and the Treo is the best.