New Playbook - need a phone too - help!

Just received a playbook for Christmas and LOVE IT!! My next wish is to get a smartphone....(doesn't have to be a Blackberry phone).....but I do want to either bridge or tether it to my new playbook. That way I can use the playbook out of wifi range too!...not to mention being able to do so much more!

I live in Canada.

Here's the thing though....I'm really cheap! Just to illustrate....my present phone still has an antenna!!! No data or texting.....but I only pay $12.00 per month for use of it...and I have only been using it in cases of emergency, etc. Not very much at all.

I would like to get with the times and update to a smartphone.....but don't know where to start. I've looked at most of the major carriers websites in Canada here....and I just get confused. There is so much tiny print involved with each plan it becomes so confusing. The idea of being stuck in a contract for 3 years is really annoying....I pay monthly at the moment.

I don't want to pay very much each month for a phone.....but would like some data and to be able to text some.

Any ideas for this fifty-something woman who is still trying (albeit slowly) to keep up with technology but watch her budget at the same time???

The idea of tethering or bridging the playbook to the phone gets me excited to try it
and be able to do more with my playbook more often!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Congrats on the playbook. I love mine paired with the BB Bold 9900.

As far as bridging goes your gonna have to pick a Blackberry device which I suggest. I love the Bold but you might want to get your hands on a couple different models and see what you like.

I do not know plans a rates very well so hopefully someone can chime in for you on a good suggestion.

i'm in canada, and would call myself frugal, but not cheap...i don't mind spending money as long as the value's there..i have a contract with fido and have unlimited talk text vioce mail caller id and 500m data a month for $65 after talking em down 5 bucks...i've looked around a lot, and with the network coverage i have i think i got the best deal possible for me..when i signed they gave me an 8520 curve which i quite love, of course they have better, faster phones now...i like the contract so much i bought a 9900 outright and unlocked it to use with fido...the bold was $615 with tax, but the contract is SO good i feel it was worth the expense rather than getting one cheap or free with a different carrier...just my two cents worth, which is actually now 2 miles of copper wire after my wife n i fought over the pennies...

if u live and spend most of ur time in urban areas then i would suggest going with fido,solo or maybe even wind mobile. Their plans tend to be cheaper however their coverage area isn't as large as say Roger, Bell or even Telus. My advice if you live in more rural areas then go with rogers or bell. They both have pretty good holiday sales right now.

fido and rogers networks are identical

My apologies because I'm a bit biased, and would really recommend a BlackBerry phone. Aside from BB phones being just great, if you get a non-BB phone, you'd totally miss out on one of the playbook's main feature - bridge. Then again, it would depend onwhat you plan to use it for. If it's just being able to connect to the internet, other phones would be fine. But if you want to go for push email and messaging, BB phones are highly recommended.
Let's assume you're going for a BlackBerry. I'm not too sure which BB phones are available there, nor what network you have (gsm or cdma), but if you want a reasonably priced phone (because BB phones aren't "cheap"), I would recommend going for the 9300. My reason for recommending it is that it's 3g-capable. Since you mentioned wanting to use it to bridge and/or tether your new playbook when there's no wifi connection in range, the 3g connection gives you faster browsing and download speeds. Although there are lower-priced BB phones such as the starter 8520/8530, these only have 2g, and would only frustrate you. That's actually what made me switch from my 8520 to the 9860. It was fine for regular BB email and messaging, but when I got my playbook, it drove me berserk having to deal with slow page loading on the bridge browser. You have an excellent, powerful tablet on hand which would be "limited" in its performance if you go for a BB phone with 2g connection.
You have a number of 3g BB phones, and it will all boil down to your preference and expectations. If you want a reasonably priced touchscreen phone, you can even go for the full touchscreen curve 9300 series (I'm not sure if it's 9380 -anyway, you can visit gsmarena and check it out).
Because preferences of people vary, you may get a number of responses as to which BB is recommended for you based on a good balance of functionality and price. Whichever BB phone you choose, you're still good because it's BlackBerry anyway.
On a final note, since you're keen on costs, I just wanted to caution you that either way (BlackBerry phone or another brand), if you plan on using the phone to tether and/or bridge your playbook, data charges are additional costs for you. Just be ready to spend a little more every month.
Hope this helps. Happy New Year!

firstly, using the bridge is great. You can keep up with your messages while you are surfing etc. Anyway if you want to keep the cost down I would look at a used bold o kijiji or craigslist. A two year old bold will do evrrthing you need for 100$ or so and you can get a cheap plan at koodo or virgin. You may even be able to get a 9800 Torch as they are outmoded by the newer models.

you can get someone at ncix to unlock any phone for you for 20$


all the best

Either get a used BB.probably a bold... Or get one of the older ones like 8520...

Originally Posted by mervinking

Either get a used BB.probably a bold... Or get one of the older ones like 8520...

Yeah i have a used bb, works great

http://www.p1kachu.com/sig.jpg

My suggestion would be to get a Blackberry phone as to enjoy ALL the benefits of having a PlayBook. Since this will be your first "smartphone", I would also suggest the "Blackberry curve", its a very good entry level smartphone with a good price tag. In some cases even FREE with a contract. Your $12 a month plan will be history with a smartphone but benefits do come with having a smartphone, such as; email, gps, text, bbm (blackberry), themes, wallpapers, ect. IMO its worth joining the the 22nd century :D

i love my 8520, but it does have a few shortcomings..2g, no flash, no gps..but other than that, a very useable, inexpensive workhorse..might be better off with a 3g curve though if you plan on using the bridge a lot

thanks everyone for the suggestions! appreciate it!

Rather than creating a new thread i thought i would add to this one. i currently have a iphone 3gs and i am interested in switching to a Blackberry phone to go with my playbook but I am cheap and would rather buy used. What would be comparable to the iphone? i am currently will Telus and have a sim card i was looking at the 9800 but read that it had quite a few problems.

Go to kodoo pre paid at walmart. Get a free curve 3G and a cheap plan for like 30 a month. killer cheap and you'll have the best combo. a bb phone with a keyboard and a playbook bridged to it. Life is good.

Originally Posted by Enth

Rather than creating a new thread i thought i would add to this one. i currently have a iphone 3gs and i am interested in switching to a Blackberry phone to go with my playbook but I am cheap and would rather buy used. What would be comparable to the iphone? i am currently will Telus and have a sim card i was looking at the 9800 but read that it had quite a few problems.

see my post above, or sell yours and get a 9810, the slider. Its cool.

Originally Posted by CanadianThomas

see my post above, or sell yours and get a 9810, the slider. Its cool.

My iphone will end up going to the wife, she has an old LG which is really bad. i looked at the 9810 just too expensive for me right now.

Originally Posted by Enth

What would be comparable to the iphone? i am currently will Telus and have a sim card i was looking at the 9800 but read that it had quite a few problems.

Only the BB7 phones will really be comparable to the iPhone. So, I'd look at a 9900, 9810, 9860, or 9790. The 9790 is the value option of the 4. There's also two Curve models, the 9360 and 9380, but neither save you enough money compared to the nicer ones. If cheap really is your priority then 9360, but it has no touchscreen.

Any other BBs are OS 5 or 6 devices, which means they don't have hardware accelerated graphics. You'll find them slow/laggy compared to your iPhone. I also excluded BBs not compatible with Telus from my list, but they're just variants of the ones I listed.

I would personally stay away from os5 and os6 devices. The devices with os7 is miles faster.

In regards to canadian carriers, unless you buy outright, your forces to add a data plan with any smartphone when signing a new contract.

Your best bet would be to find a device on craigslist.

Although the OS7 phones mentioned above are faster and cooler - I have been getting by fine with my playbook/Bold 9700 combo with OS5 - if you are budget conscious, this is probably the phone for you. I don't know if they sell them anymore, mine is two years old but maybe used (Ebay?) - it's been a workhorse - never a problem. Be sure it is compatible with your intended carrier.

Bridge works great with the playbook.

Originally Posted by blackjack93117

my playbook/Bold 9700 combo with OS5

In case you didn't know, the 9700 is upgradable to OS6. It has the same CPU as the 9780 (which shipped with OS6) so it runs at the same speed. The only downside is it doesn't have much memory.