[paladin.sponge]

Hey all, new guy here. Heard about the site from a T-Mobile sales rep when I started asking questions he couldn't answer. He recommended I come here and post on the forum.

So... basically I'm looking for some guidance from people who are more well versed in the cell phone arena than myself. Hopefully this is a good place to find that. I'm looking into getting a new phone and here's what I want:

It needs to be able to make and receive phone calls.

It needs to be able to quickly and easily search the web via google.

It needs to be able to run Adobe shockwave (Rosetta Stone online).

---

Let me paint a picture, to flesh out why I want the phone to do these things. When I go to work, I take my macbook, Verizon EVDO card, and a cellphone. I need all these things to do those tasks. Kinda inefficient. I'd like to streamline my load-out. The phone's ability to be used as a field-expedient research tool and run shockwave is a must to replace the laptop. That said, there are other considerations I would -like- but are not required:

1) A decent speakerphone. Bluetooth and I don't get along.

2) True GPS receiver. I'd prefer it to be accurate within a minimum radius of 100m from actual location. I'd also like it to spit coordinates out in MGRS (Military Grid Reference System), but UTM is alright too.

3) Camera with ability to toggle flash off. Optical zoom preferable.

4) Rugged construction. I abuse the **** out of equipment (Its why I can't have nice things). Quick anecdote, the last phone I bought was this thing from the verizon store that came with a 1 year water, shock ,and dust warranty. I broke it in a week flat without trying.

5) Portability. I'm not sure if that's the correct term, but my work takes me to far-off places for variable lengths of time; where most carriers that are good in a given region are no longer so useful. I don't mind paying to finish up a contract while starting another one, but I need the flexibility to transfer service from one carrier to another without... technical... limitations. E.G. iPhone + Verizon. (I don't think a hacked iphone can be taken to verizon, right? Hopefully you get what I'm referring to and I don't look like a giant tool-bag)

Other than that, sure, music and movies are nice, but those are more of window-dressing for me. If it can't do the first three things on the list, I don't want it. If it does everything I want/need, I'll buy two.

So, can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance for the help.

P.S. My current phone is a Nokia brick. Love it to death but, like anything else mechanical, it's going to break eventually.

[TheElderBerry]

I've seen a Flash Movie Player for the Storm, but as far as I know Flash isn't supported on other BB's. That may be enough information to narrow down your search if it's really that critical to you.

[paladin.sponge]

Storm, got it. I'll pop on over to the store tomorrow and see if I can't play around with one.

It's not -that- critical. People have gotten along just fine without mobile comms for awhile now. I'm sure I can too. It's just that... I can't really justify buying something like that for myself if it doesn't cover down, you know?

About a month ago I went to the AT&T store to buy an iphone for myself and a friend (as a gift). I ended up buying the gift-phone and a new battery for the decade old nokia. Reason being, after evaluating the thing for what I need as far as devices go, the iphone didn't significantly add to my operating ability. My go-bag would still have a macbook, air card, and cellphone, less $400+data plan. Doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks for the guidance and by the way, Elder Berry is probably the best online handle I've seen in awhile.

[RJNavarrete]

Get the Storm. You will not regret it.

[Jaceracer]

hopefully you dont live in oklahoma and if you do hopefully tulsa, only place to get verizon plan with storm, or you can pay a million dollars for an unlocked new, maybe find a good deal, but good luck and take your time.

[eve6er69]

Well where are these far off places your boss sends you to?
Are they other country's?
If they are then the storm is a world phone and you should be golden with it

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[rootbeersoup]

Jitterbug.

[eve6er69]

Hahaha jitterbug
Cue the old people dancing, lol

Ohh that was a good one.
Thanx for the late night laugh, lol

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[paladin.sponge]

That's two for the storm. Will pop over to the store in a few hours and definitely get my hands on one and take it for a spin.

Jace:

I haven't done any research on it yet (just woke up, taking the day off), but when you say unlocked, you mean its one of those Verizon only types of deals? That bites. But it'll be good enough until at least September, which grants me a bit of a reprieve. Who knows, maybe I'll stick around here for a few more years. Depends on the needs of the state. Read the contract, kiddies.

Eve:

Yeah, other states, other countries. I go TDY a lot. If its as ubiquitous as you say, it might be worth buying just to try out. Figure I've lost more money on less noble endeavors.

Rootbeer:

Jitterbug? Is that a phone? Judging by Eve's response, its a... dance? Thanks for the response bro, but could you kick a little more info my way?

[anon4705193]

the thing I would look into with the Storm is the VZW contract (even though it goes abroad, you may have to pay extra) and also if you go to a lot of dusty etc places, watch out for stuff getting under the screen.

[IowaGuyBB]

the thing I would look into with the Storm is the VZW contract (even though it goes abroad, you may have to pay extra) and also if you go to a lot of dusty etc places, watch out for stuff getting under the screen.

Yeah lol for sure about the dust......my 8330 has the same problem though so eh I am used to the dust.


No one can tell you what is right for you...go and try them all!

[redsoxrocker]

as far as rugged construction goes, i'm not sure how well a blackberry will fare for you. you broke a phone with a 1 year water, shock ,and dust warranty! in a week!

if you really want a blackberry, sounds like you need a solid case for it, and i hear otterbox is great for that. if you're interested...

We've Got Technology Covered // OtterBox.com


i'm personally digging the curve 8900, but ahh to each his own.

[IowaGuyBB]

ya if your going to be breaking phones make sure to get an otterbox.....their solid!

[Reed McLay]

Shockwave Player is a Web standard for powerful multimedia playback. The Shockwave Player allows you to view interactive Web content like games, business presentations, entertainment, and advertisements from your Web browser. Version 11.5.0.595 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

...

This is a show stopper.

Shockwave is not supported on BlackBerry.

No luck finding a BlackBerry compatible version.

[unlock_all_blackberry]

buy bb 9000

[paladin.sponge]

Hey all, again, thanks for the input. Like I said, this is an arena where I'm woefully underprepared and pretty much everything said here has been useful to me.

Before I get to the posts (I already read 'em), just an update. I went to the Verizon store (Best carrier in this region) a few hours ago. Unfortunately, their most advanced blackberry was the 8830 series. They also had that touch-screen version which I didn't care for and cannot recall the name of.

The guy said it would be good to go for what I wanted (laid out the 3 prime requirements listed in this thread), so I picked it up with the understanding that if it failed to meet my standards I was going to return it.

So, I've got a new phone that I'm going to be putting through the steps for the next couple of weeks. It's the 8830 "global", seemed more geared for what I expect to use it for.

---

Reed:

Hrmm, that makes me a sad panda. Maybe there's a third party solution? I'll see if there's a relevant thread around here that might be able to solve that one for me. If not, 30 days to find a fix or find a new phone. I'm good either way.

cdowner:

Thanks for the mention. I made sure to ask about "International Roaming" fees which are fine by me. That it -might- work overseas is a definite bonus, no matter the price.

Iowa:

Why reinvent the wheel? I'm sure I can't be the only guy out there who wants something like this. Hence the post. If it just takes a bit of time, saves me some hard-earned cash, and allows me to benefit from the experience of ya'll, there really isn't a downside. That said, the dust issue is... well, ****. It's a high-grade piece of technology. I expect it to break when I need it and not work when I want to use it. I figure that if I need it just one time and it's there, it'll justify the pain of dealing with finicky pieces of equipment for the rest of my natural life. Nature of the game, IMHO.

That old Nokia is probably the most reliable cell phone I've ever had. Despite the fact that I now have a phone that cost five of those, chances are it'll be put in storage (rather than thrown away) 'till the plastic decomposes. Just in case.

RSR:

Is it that uncommon for people to break phones like that? Funny part is, I didn't even know anything was wrong until I pulled it out to make a call and the thing wouldn't turn on. Blunt impact has that effect apparently. If those otterbox cases still allow the phone to fit in the holster, I'll definitely put in for one.

UAB:

Is that the BB storm? I don't think they had that one in the store when I went, but I'll be heading to a major metropolitan area (stateside) sometime next month. Maybe they'll have a better selection there.

---

Alright, thanks for the input all. Feel free to kick more suggestions my way, I'll put it on my to-do list. I'll check back here in a few days and report on my experience with the 8330. Who knows, maybe it'll work out.

[anonymous394857349875]

Shame he couldnt answer those questions for you and he in sales at TMobile... I would visit Verizon....

[paladin.sponge]

I put up two threads asking about the possibility of being able to run rosetta stone on my blackberry and the answers I got back were most unfortunate. Apparently, there currently exists no phone on the market that will do what I need it to do, at any price.

Since I've got it, I'll probably play around with it over the weekend, but will likely be returning it on Monday. Thanks for the input folks, sorry for wasting your time. Maybe in the future when technology catches up a bit with what I want I'll be back here.

Oh, and also, though the people I talked to at the store might not have had all the answers or the best information, they both told me to come here to find what I seek. So, they can't be all that bad.