Ok, so my wife and I bought a pair of those skinny Motorola Razor phones two years ago, my blue, here's pink. Mine is fine, but her's has seen a better day. Our two year contract is up this week, and she wants a new phone. We're with ATT, have been forever and a day when they use to be Cingular. I offered her this weekend to pick any phone she wants, no matter the cost, and I'll buy it for her. She said "I just want a phone". Well, I go to the ATT store at lunch, looking for a phone that she might like. And wouldn't you know it.....not a damn "phone" in the bunch! Well, I take that back, there were a couple of flip phones, if you're 10 years old, or heading to Tehran for a Christian Bible Study class. I asked the DORK who was shadowing me like a tick on a dog's ass, "don't you make these anymore?" at which point I pulled out my blue Razor phone. He said "no, dude, that's old school". What a FREAKIN' IDIOT! At which point, he proceeded to point to his hoopty-hoochie-pimp mobile 1999 GS300 all ghetto'd out and said "you need to set up dat' GS you got like my whip". I kid you not, I looked at that freakin' moron with a stare along the lines of "oh, you have got to be sh'tn me. How in the hell do YOU have a job in this world?".
Anyway, enough of the rant....

Anyone here have ATT? Anyone have an Iphone, or something similar? Are they really worth all the hype? Or in a real world setting of a busy mom who will most likely drop this thing a million times, are they more "status" symbol then anything else? My wife's not going to be downloading the latest Coldplay video, or tweetin' her peep-ass-bitches, or anything like that. It's a damn phone, with maybe some internet to check flight schedules and weather. That's it. I don't have enough time to keep up with all the maintenance of all the other b/s "cool" crap I've acquired over the past few years as is.

Oh, and don't even get me started on all the required "packages" to make these stupid things work. Who in the hell needs to watch TV on their phone? ARGHHHH :chairshot::chairshot: No wonder half of these kids are fat, lazy sacks of jello these days! Hell, if the remote doesn't work on the TV, then just turn the channel on your phone!
Sorry...can't stop ranting. Feel like I've just lost an hour of my life at my local idiot-emporium that I'll never get back. I swear...sometimes in life you hit these moments in time that make the easiest of tasks, the hardest.

OK NC. I "feel ya" punk kid!

Yes I have the Iphone. Yes it is worth it, and Yes if you get it you will love it! I use it for all kinds of stuff. The phone is great, camera is good, access to the web is good and the aps are great! I don't know if I could ever go back to just having a phone now. I still am using the older Iphone because unless I am on a wifi connection I don't do to much web surfing on it so I don't know how much better the 3G is but I am told it is faster than my "old" Iphone.

Buy whatever new or used unlocked or ATT-locked GSM phone you want on eBay, pop in your SIM card and you're good to go. Nothing says you have to get your phones from ATT.

Hmmmm....good point 1990! Question, I'm looking at ebay now, and see what looks like several I-phones, but they're called i68, and i9, etc.... are these Iphones, just model numbers of the latest releases?

Personally I love my iPhone, I had two BlackBerries before it that were also great... The iPhone is very durable, I've dropped and thrown my iPhone numerous times and nothing has happened to it.

However if you just want a "Phone" and nothing more, or even a smart phone that's unlocked and works on AT&T check out newegg.com. They are an incredible electronics online retailer that sells stuff extremely cheap and they have brand new unlocked phones. If you just want to get her a new RAZR you can get one for $79 unlocked, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16875209153

I've had a Blackberry now for probably 5 years; and I can honestly say these types of phones are primarily useful for one thing: email. If your wife works at a job or is someone who relies on email for communication it really does set you free. No more waiting for someone to email you back or rushing back to an office to check or respond to an email. They also make a pretty good PDA; the fact that I always have all my email addresses and phone numbers on the phone and backed up on my computer is worth the hassle of putting up with the 'smart' phone concept IMHO. One less box to carry around.

You WILL get sucked into all the apps, web browsing, etc that come with these phones; some of them (google maps) are surprisingly useful. The Iphone's web browser is also revolutionary; but amazing in that it's a desktop experience on a phone. If you don't use the web that much you might not care. The Iphone and Blackberry from what I can tell are the easiest to use; but I know people that like the Google Android operating system as well. You have to play around with it and see which one annoys you the least.

I've always told people if you want apps, media, music, etc get the iPhone, if you are primarily using the phone for messaging get the Blackberry. The Blackberry Curve these days comes pretty much free on Amazon with a new or renewed plan; and it's a great phone. I think my Curve (my 4th BB) is the best one I've had yet.

The thing that really kills you isn't the cost of the phone but the data plan that comes with it; it tacks another $30-40 a month onto your costs and that can add up over a 2 year contract. Oddly enough every new phone I've bought comes with a new SIM card; I also though that the whole point of the SIM card was to just move if from phone to phone but apparently nobody wants to do that these days.

Good luck!

There is also this phone; but it's actually a bluetooth headset so you'll need some other phone to connect to it:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/cellphone/8928/

It's really just a *phone*.

It's funny you post this since my grandmother just talked to me about this same thing, she just wanted a plain phone. She checked the local Cingular store and didn't see anything. She happened to stop in BestBuy, and she found a simple and nice Nokia flip phone for free.

I've had the iPhone since '07, and I can't imagine having thing else. I LOVE it. They were kind of exclusive when they were first released, but now that they are only $100-$200, so I don't see it as a status symbol. I heard rumors of a $99 iPhone several months back, so I sold my old iPhone about a month and a half before the release of the 3GS and rumored $99 model. I sold my old iPhone on ebay, no problem. The bad part was getting stuck with a regular old phone for a month and a half while waiting for the 3GS release date. The plus side was that the sale of my old iPhone paid for the $220 3GS and then some (I sold it for $290). It turns out that I made the right move since the prices of the 2G 8GB iPhones dropped considerably in June. Some corporate people need a Blackberry, but my iPhone runs internet, email (gmail), and the the few apps that I have have flawlessly.

i9, i68, etc. I've never heard of. The current model is the 3GS, and they also still sell the 3G. I've compared my 3GS to the 3G, and it is so much faster!

Thanks guys. Everyone I've talked to that has one of these i-phones, says the same thing "I love it, can't imagine not having one". I've got a blackberry for work (actually my 3rd, as the other two were met with an untimely and intentional death...who knew the damn things don't float?" Me personally, I don't mind using it as a cell phone too. But beyond the email and the occasional cell phone use, the only other use I've had for it that was useful was to check the weather radar via the web. I take it with me whenever we travel, and if I see some storm clouds on the horizon, it's nice to pull up accuweather and see the radar to know what I'm heading into.

We'll see what happens. They do have that $99 Iphone now, it's the 3g, not the 3gs, which I think would be fine for her. I absolutley agree about the added "data plan" costs. It's $30 a month for the iphone, ontop of the normal plan fees. I just don't think she'll actually use it though for what it's intended for. We've got so many different ways to communicate these days, that adding another beyond a normal cell phone, just seems somewhat redundant. We're starting to look at Verizon instead of AT&T, as they seem to have an endless list of normal flip phones.... We'd miss the "roll over" program, but with the "family and friends" program, we might not be any better or worse than we are with ATT.

ATT shouldn't charge you for a data plan for an iPhone as long as you don't buy the iPhone from ATT and never use data functions. ATT will, however, automatically add a data plan to your account if they sense that you are using the phone for data.

Also, check the "fine print" on the ATT website. A number of their phones require a data plan when you purchase them but you can cancel the data plan the next day -- no need to keep the data plan in effect like required on the iPhone and some others.

I read on there website that a data plan is required for the i-phone for the entire 2 year contract, and can't be cancelled.

Please note: Data plan for iPhone is required for the life of your iPhone service and cannot be removed in the future.

I'm getting the feeling from my wife that the i-phone, although very cool, is probably overkill for what she wants. She wants something that she doesn't feel like she has to "take care of". Something that can get some baby drool on, scratches and nicks, and so forth. The iphones are so nice and flawless, you almost feel uncomfortable taking it out of the box. And if something were to happen to it, I doublt we could replace it for $100, and if she doesn't like it and wants her old flip phone back, I'm stuck with the data plan. When you ad a protective cover to the iphone, then it becomes a little too bulky for her likes.

From the ATT website:

If it is determined that you are using an iPhone or other designated Smartphone or PDA without an eligible data plan, AT&T reserves the right to add an eligible data plan to your account and bill you the appropriate monthly fee.

OK, it maybe it's a "slippery slope" but people are doing it. If you buy an eBay iPhone and just slip in your SIM card, ATT can nail you and add a data plan if you use data functions even once. It requires discipline. You can't go "playing around" with data functions on an iPhone if you don't have a data plan.

AT&T requires a data plan if you use a smartphone... as of Yesterday...

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2351924,00.asp

Cool! Time to bend over and grab your ankles.

Thank you sir, may I have another!

All we want is a phone that doesn't look like it was made by Fisher Price!!! ARGHHH!!

Personally NC the iPhone is great but it lacks out on "simple features" that other cellphones have. I know the new 3.0 something update is coming out (unless you have the 3GS already) but the iPhone currently can't send or receive MMS! Kinda annoys me because my friend has an iPhone but I can't send him pictures that I take with my simple Palm Centro..

I've always been a Palm person and I would still get another Palm! Love it because it's simple, yet it can do a lot of wonderful things. You can make your own ringtones and not pay AT&T for ringtones, you can listen to MP3s and watch videos on it, you can search the web on a Palm, the calendar feature is AWESOME especially if you are the type that has a lot of appointments and stuffs. Calculator is also great and you can add applications like a Periodic Table, or a Loan calculator, etc...

It's up to you. Sorry I posted so late NC but I hope I helped you (or discouraged??!) in your decision for your wife's next phone

I have a BlackBerry and its a love/hate relationship. The hate is that I cannot escape my email...ever. Its constantly and always with me, which is good and bad. I LOVE the iPhone. The web experience and apps on it are definately a step above the BlackBerry. However, I write a lot of email on my BlackBerry and the real keyboard is easier and faster than the iPhone's virtual keyboard...

Well, we went shopping this weekend for some new phones, and came home with a necklace from Tiffany's instead! How's that for the "two ends of a stick" approach!

Friday night I called ATT to see if we were ready for an upgrade, and were told yes. Only one of the seven stores around us actually carried the I-phone. So, I called the store...no answer. Called again a few minutes later, still no answer. So, we decided to just go over there and look. I know why nobody answered...because the idiots working there were all out front looking at some kid's motorcycle. I told my wife "you sure you want to mess with this crap tonight". But, we decided to go in and have a look. Conclusion is: Thanks, but we'll pass. I'm very disappointed in ATT and their desire to move away from quality flip phones, and to "data" phones instead. Maybe it's the industry in general, but there doesn't seem to be a flip phone on the market that comes close to the quality of what we've already got, a pair of Motorola RAZR's. Of the flip phones they had "all three of them", they were cheap plastic crap that remined me of what phones use to be around 2000-2001. We looked at some of the new "data" phones, but the added costs of the data plans just don't make sense to us, at all. We could buy a pair of I phone 3G for $100 a pop, which isn't bad. But, the required $30/month data plan for EACH phone was nuts! It's what we pay now a month! We have the "family plan" for our phones. If ATT would just charge $30/month per plan, instead of per phone, then we might have bought them. But an extra $1,440 for the required 2 year contract, for something that we really don't need "or really want", just didn't make sense. So, we're going to just keep our phones, and go month-to-month on our contract now and wait for someone to either (1) come out with a flip phone and plan that makes sense, or (2) just buy another razr or krzr off of ebay.

I've got a blackberry (my 3rd so far), and I have my boss's old one as backup (corporate seems to know my patience with receiving work emails while on vacation and what happens to their blackberry as a result). I agree with you Steve, they're extrememly handy, and extremely annoying. I told you what the founder of RIM told me two years ago in a bar in Toronto during the Canadian Open golf tournement, didn't I? We had the loan on the course, and were guests of the owner to the event. We were sitting in the hotel bar one night having a beer. When the owner of the course was sitting at a booth on the other end, with his buddy, the founder of RIM. They sent us a couple of beers. As we were walking out, we stopped and said thanks, and introduced ourselves to the founder of RIM (I can't remember his name anymore). He had the UBER' BLACKBERRY in his hands, emailing his buddy Lance Armstrong. I asked him if anyone has ever fussed at him for inventing the Blackberry. His response was classic, perfect, and spot on the money: "Everyone who doesn't need one, loves them. Everyone who does need one, hates them!" Truer words never spoken...truer words...

Looks like you'll be getting a Jitterbug

LOL, very true.

Yeah you better go down to the old folks home when the people from Jitterbug are there and see if you can snap one up

The industry is absolutely moving towards data phones and texting phones. Won't be long and phones without a full keyboard won't even exist, they just aren't compatible with how people communicate nowadays...

And here I am, on the verge of turning 36, complaining to my wife this morning as it's only about 45 degress outside, in August (I have told you how bad this place sucks yet?) that "I'm not aging very well, got any advil, my back is killing me"!

I don't think we would be so against these new devices and where things are going in the industry, if it weren't for the "add-on" data packages. If they're going to go 90/10 on data phones/normal phones, then they need to do a better job at blending the service packages. $70 for 700 minutes plus $60 for "data add on" is too rich for my blood for something that neither one of us really want, beyond the ability to call someone. I think if the service packages come inside of $100/month, then we might bite. But until then, we're good with what we've got! Actually, it's all we really want or need!

All of this "stuff" is starting to bug me, because it seems like so much of my free time is being eaten up with the maintaining of this "stuff". I mean, just last night, we finally got our son to go to sleep. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down to watch a recorded Top Gear after a very long and tiring day. I sat down, pushed play, and as I was taking my first sip of the suds, the damn Wii started glowing blue, indicating a message. And, the stupid thing won't stop blinking until you check the message, which means I had to stop Top Gear, fumble with the 4 remotes to switch the input on the tv over to the Wii, and dig out the Wii remote to operate it....all to learn that some new game from 1986 is now available on the Wii..... Just ticked me off. All I wanted to do is drink a good beer and watch my favorite show.

Today's battle, the damn blackberry won't sync up to my office computer anymore. And Google Earth crashes the machine, and I can't get the color printer to print right.....it just goes on and on and on. 60% of my time is spent fixing things that I thought were meant to free up my time!!

NC. That is so true. Sometimes it would be nice to go back in time and live in a "simpler world" We all take for granted all of the new latest and greatest stuff that is out there but WOW it can be a real pain in the A S S. I mean how on earth did people live with out Iphones, IPods, Laptops and all this stuff? As you know with a little one running around "free time" is limited now.

...and now I just get this email from my wife.....

"Apparently I did something to the tv because it's working upstairs. Figures."

I just had to get the HD-DVR.....which always freezes....

Well well well, talk about timing.... below is a snippet from a new article on cnn.com, discussing the Iphone and it's exclusive relationship with AT&T. You know what they say about competition, and what it does to price!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/01/iphone....iers/index.html



But if other carriers, such as Verizon, were to offer the iPhone, AT&T could see many of its existing iPhone customers leave. And it would likely cease to see any substantial uptick in new customers due to iPhone sales.

AT&T executives have said they realize that the iPhone exclusivity deal won't last forever. And they say they are prepared for that day. But the truth is the longer the company can keep the iPhone exclusive to its network, the better off it will be.

However, it looks like AT&T's chances of holding onto the iPhone in the U.S. for much longer are getting slimmer and slimmer. Even though Apple has said that it's happy in its relationship with AT&T, it only makes sense for the company to get out of its exclusive deal as soon as it can.

The exclusivity arrangement with AT&T runs out soon though, Verizon iPhones are in the works.

The data plans have gotten cheaper, and they will get cheaper still. If you think about it though you do use up more resources with a data phone than you do with an ordinary flip phone. I don't have a problem paying more...

That's great, we'll forward the bill to your office, Daddy Big Bucks!!!

LOL!

Seriously though when you think about it. You have a phone that calls people, and you have a phone that provides internet access, sends and receives email, has built in GPS, sends and receives text messages, photos, and video. Should the service for the one phone cost the same as the other? It costs money to provide those services.

They should all cost the same regardless! The iPhone is just a money-maker for both Apple and AT&T. They change the phone updates and features every year, aren't they? Yet I can ALMOST do everything an iPhone can with my simple Palm but of course I can't play those driving games where I have to tilt the phone like a real steering wheel to play the game.

Can the iPhone even multitask like send a text message while you are on a 3 way call? lol.

You have to pay for a data plan for your Palm...

Blackberrys and iPhones owe licensing costs too...



Well why else would they sell them?

That's true about the data plan. We don't have that because there's always an available computer or laptop wherever we go lol.

What I meant about the iPhone is that it created a way for both Apple and AT&T to make uneccessary profit out of customers who don't need the data and messaging plan. I see old people who have iPhones and I'm pretty sure they don't need to be constantly checking their emails to see if their next luncheon got postponed or moved up sooner than planned.

But I can't type with the iPhone. Couldn't get used to it. Would much rather have the actual keyboard and feel the keys when typing or texting

Yes, very well actually, when you're on a call (or conference call) you press the home button and the bar on the top of the screen pulsates green and you can do whatever else on the phone and once you're ready to go back to the call you press the green bar.




Use it for a week and you'll be used to it. I used BlackBerries for years before the iPhone and I thought the same thing but now if I try to type on a blackberry or other physical phone keyboard it's harder for me than the iPhone.

The thing about the exclusivity deal with Apple and AT&T is that this is nothing new, the iPhone just brought it to everyone's attention because it's so popular. When any new phone comes out it most likely has an exclusivity deal with a certain carrier but the phone isn't popular so no one really cares. Take for example the LG Voyager, an iPhone knock off, it is exclusive to Verizon but you don't hear anyone complaining about it because honestly no one give a crap about it. You only hear about it with the iPhone because everybody wants one but doesn't want AT&T's BS service.

Who decides what is an unnecessary profit? And why would you buy an iPhone without a data and texting plan? Makes no sense.



I don't like typing on the iPhone either...I prefer the actual keyboard on the BlackBerry...

President Obama and Nancy and the rest of the yahoos in there according to your other post RE: healthcare.

I actually don't mind typing on the Iphone.

Steve, it makes sense to me. We would buy iPhones just for their convenient size, music, WiFi, Safari browser and the availablility of interfaces for our cars if we could use them without spending $30/month per person for a data plan. People who need to reach us, don't send an email or text message -- they call us. If we don't answer, they leave a message on voice mail.

There are free WiFi hotspots everywhere. We don't need to spend another $30/month per phone to get all the Internet access we need.

OK, if the iPhone had a decent personal organizer and could sync Microsoft Office documents like a Blackberry or Windows Mobile PDA, even I would consider wasting $30/month to get one.

IMO, the best thing that could happen for cell phone users in the U.S. is to separate the purchase of handsets and service like in Europe. And CDMA, used by Verizon and the downwardly spiralling Sprint, needs to just go way like Betamax did when VHS won the videotape wars.

As 1990LS400 mentioned, some people may not need the phone for it's full capabilities. Some may like it because of it's design, size, etc but don't need digital voicemail or an unlimited text package if the person barely text messages.

I have a Centro but I don't have a data plan because I hardly ever use the internet on my phone. I use my laptop to get emails and do my work on. But I do have unlimited text hehe

I'm not going to bring the healthcare debate in here, although I realize you're joking.



Apple makes something just for you, the iPod Touch. Its an iPhone without the phone. It has wi-fi, the safari browser, all the iPod apps work for it. No data plan necessary.

I do agree with you about handsets and service plans. That will eventually happen.