Yet Another Help Me Decide Thread

Yes, yes I know. You see these weekly and are probably tired of replying to these threads.

-However-

I have done quite a bit of research on smartphones that I am interested in but I am now at an impasse.

I am currently with Big Red, where I have been for 6 years now with a 4-line family plan. Now that I no longer need the family plan (brothers and sisters becoming independent tax-paying citizens) I am looking for something new. I have knowledge in smartphones, although I am currently a phone-first device user (rocking the LG Cosmos). My contract with VZW ends 10/30 and I am not entirely sure if I want to stay with them (their stance on net-neutrality scares the bejeezus out of me).

I am employed by a service partner of all four big mobile companies, so I get a discount at all four companies. However, price is not really that big of a deal to me as I am willing to pay for what I get. I have narrowed it down to VZW and TMO however (I can't really stand AT&T or Sprint, no offense).

As far as phones go, that's really where I am at a loss. I'm stuck between 4 phones...two from each carrier.

So here it goes, if you would so kindly shed some light and give me some pros and cons (your opinion, I know the spec sheets) of the phones and maybe even some pros/cons of the carriers it would be really helpful.

VZW Phones:
HTC Incredible
BlackBerry Bold 9650

TMO Phones:
Samsung Vibrant
BlackBerry Bold 9700 (or the, shh! upcoming Curve 3G)

Form factor isn't that much of a deal with me as long as it has some semblance of a QWERTY keyboard (touch-screen applicable). I am a heavy texter, and even on my horrible phone-first device I use heavy data as well. I don't need phone-as-modem capability, but the idea of UMA and Wi-Fi is what has me heavily leaning towards BB and specifically TMO.

Coverage from both carriers is phenomenal in my area, and I travel to Chicago often so it's just as good there as well.

As far as Apps go...that's a tough one. I like the Android apps and have heard of some really awesome ones, but I'd probably end up with a boat load of downloadables that I'll use for 5 minutes before the fun factor is over with.

So...there it is. Help me right-fit myself!

Hello and welcome to the forums! :)

If your work requires a Blackberry to help you to perform well, I'd say go for a 9650. "Blazing fast" is what I can say with QWERTY BBs with regards to texting; email, amd scheduling. Two side convenience keys, home screen dialing off and you're set to fire up almost any app with 1-3 clicks (With QuickLaunch of course). Also, the trackpad is very underrated.

As for apps, I only download productivity, social feeds and news apps. I had brickbreaker on mine and it has been played with for a grand total of 60 minutes I believe. :D For what it's worth, they make things easier for me to monitor my savings account, upcoming tasks etc.

Browser is inferior and much slower compared to what you can get in a Droid device. If your life depends on getting data off the internet fast then you've to look elsewhere.

I personally only had experience with a Curve 8520 for 6 months, so sit tight and wait for more advice from other users!