Mom wants a smartphone.......Where do we start?!

Greetings!
So, my mom is thinking about getting out of the firery depths of Nextel and going with a blackberry/smartphone thing-a-ma-jig.
This is new for us. If any of you know Nextel, you know that we are several years behind OTHER phone companies. ;D

Anyway, she said a co-worker she talked to has AT&T and got a blackberry for $99.99 and pays $50 a month for 4GB of data or something. Don't know what that means, but he's deaf, so he has no voice plan.

Okay let's get to the point,
can someone help me find one of the cheapest plan, and help me sort out these confusing terms?
Right now we're open to any plan that works in the west michigan area except Sprint/Nextel.

I'm looking at AT&T right now, and the CHEAPEST it could be for voice+data is the $39.99 voice plus $35.00 data.

What does tethering mean?

Her co-worker said he connects his blackberry to his computer and it's faster than dial-up. That's a HUGE deal for us since we are stuck with dial up, but I have no idea what any of this technology is.

I only know the CELL PHONE part of cell phones.....(gasp)
It's just so confusing.
I really just don't understand the data plans.


Anyone?
Suggestions?

Which blackberry or smartphone has the *useful* features, while still being really easy to use?

There are some pretty good online deals, which is good for me because my mom is sort of an impulse shopper online, which makes me think.....FAMILY PLAN! Well I can hope.

Does Alltel have any blackberries?

It's like discovering a whole new world......LIFE AFTER NEXTEL!

Sorry for being a little bit unorganized about this, but I have so many windows/tabs open I could scream.

Thanks everyone!
Tanner.

All I'm going to say is, avoid Windows Mobile like the Plague.. I've had 2 Windows Mobile devices, one on Ver. 5, and one on 6.. And have had nothing but problems with them both.. Once I sell my iBook, I'm going with a Blackberry Curve.

I'd say go with Blackberry or Palm.

Don't know about providers (I use Sprint and like it) but she might consider the Palm Centro. I am impressed with the Palm OS and all it does. One thing though: Sprint and Nextel have two different systems. Nextel has the older system. Sprint uses the faster system. I think Sprint made a big, big mistake purchasing Nextel, and then a bigger mistake not doing anything to improve it.

PapaNoHair said:

I think Sprint made a big, big mistake purchasing Nextel, and then a bigger mistake not doing anything to improve it.

Click to expand...

Amen to that.
Now the snotty customer service representatives represent Nextel AND Sprint...before it was just Nextel.

Just because our bill is never what it should be, the customer service people are idiots, we're leaning away from Sprint.
The Nextels get HORRIBLE service in my area, and my Virgin Mobile uses Sprint and doesn't get much better signal. Maybe the signal would improve with an actual Sprint phone, but who knows. PTT (Push To Talk) is the only think keeping us (And should I make the stretch and say everyone?) with Nextel.
I think Sprint/Nextel (Never really got the hang of calling Nextel Sprint) has gotten arrogant. They know that EVERYONE who uses PTT regularly will stay with them, it seems like they really take advantage of it. Not to mention the phones are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Went in there yesterday and they said the cheapest camera phone was $99.99 WITH 2 year contract.

End of Rant.


Verizon and Alltel are like the dominant carrier in this town.
We like to say that Lowell is "In a hole", so it's hard to get decent service.
Verizon has been the best so far. Never tried AT&T or Alltel.

Anyone know the specifics of "test driving" the network for free?

I have the BlackBerry curve 8310 with the $39.99 BlackBerry Personal Plan which is UNLIMITED internet/data (email & internet, and for all data neccessary applications)

It is totally worth it if you NEED internet EVERYWHERE you are, but this is my last month with internet.

Now if you want to hook your phone to your computer and use it as a modem, also known as tethering, you MUST have a tethering package added on. AT&T has a package for i think $70/month which includes Data/Internet and tethering.

Now the phone she gets is totally up to you. As punkr0x0r said, stay away from Windows Mobile phones. They are really buggy and their applications suck, period. I personally think that the BlackBerry Curve (8310) is the best phone for her, because it has the same features as the 8830, and has camera

Just my 2 cents...

Good luck

Tethering! That's it!
Thanks Josephali, that's a great start!
So I know that I need Tethering.
Now what's with the data plans?
Is it worth it for unlimited?
How is data measured on a phone?


And what's 3G about?

punkr0x0r said:

All I'm going to say is, avoid Windows Mobile like the Plague.. I've had 2 Windows Mobile devices, one on Ver. 5, and one on 6.. And have had nothing but problems with them both.. Once I sell my iBook, I'm going with a Blackberry Curve.

I'd say go with Blackberry or Palm.

Click to expand...

I totally disagree. I've had great success with my Windows Mobile devices. If the iPhone never came out, I would still be using a Windows Mobile device today.

Okay,
I'm reading a tiny bit on 3G, and I've determined that 3G is faster than, uh, 2G, for data. Seeing as smartphones come with DATA plans...3G would be beneficial on a smartphone.

How much more beneficial?
All the 3G stuff from AT&T seem to be only windows mobile, or really expensive.

Okay, so I can't seem to find some dumbed down explanation on Tethering.
How does it work?
The smartphone acts as a modem?
So that's where the unlimited data plan would come in handy, right?
How does one tether?
Is the phone still useful while tethering?

So many new words! (Head SPins)

Yea, with tethering the phone acts as a modem. You connect your computer to it either via USB or Bluetooth and then turn on the Internet sharing application on the phone.

iPhones are always nice to consider. Not sure if it's out of your price range or whatever.

I'd have to agree, avoid WM as much as possible. I had a Moto Q and it was terrible.

I would seriously consider an iPhone. The basic plan which includes 450 minutes, 250 text messages, and unlimited data (internet, e-mail, etc.) is $59.99/month. IMHO, it is well worth the price.

Now to count down my contract with US Cellular...

Sorry, forgot to add...

I agree with the above posters about Windows Mobile. A complete waste of time, effort, and $$. BlackBerry software is better, but can be buggy at times. Palm software is excellent, but for the same price per month you can get an iPhone...

iPhones aren't the best choice for a lot of people, they can be quite fragile, and I would assume they are high on the list of stolen phones.

A BlackBerry would be a good choice, you just have to find the right one.

Down here, Sprint dominates this area, and for good reason. They have the best reception in town, with a store or two in the area. (Their phone prices are absolutely insane, but that's besides the point) I don't know about where you are, but AT&T is the worst provider here. They have horrible reception, and have unfair prices for their plans.

I would recommend Verizon, as they seem to have it together pretty good.

I have the blackberry curve 8310 with AT&T here in Alaska and love it. The iphone seems like a toy to me compared to the curve. I don't like the touchscreen either. The curve is easy to use, has everything a smart phone needs, does not run windows mobile, and is not too big or anything like that.

To PinkLemonade:

iPhones have been known to be extremely durable. Some have lasted minutes under water, with the touch screen. The glass is extremely tough, resisting cracks for most drops. The worst iPhone damage I have seen myself and on the internet is some scuffing around the edge.

Verizon is nice if you don't mind how much they destroy the phones they sell. It's like, they take an amazing phone (most likely for GSM), and call LG or whoever to see if they would want to make them in CDMA, they say yes. But then verizon tinkers with them and and uses their Crap Team of Phone Cripplers™ to make them slow, ugly, and crippled to the point that using the phone may in fact kill you.

iRye said:

Verizon is nice if you don't mind how much they destroy the phones they sell. It's like, they take an amazing phone (most likely for GSM), and call LG or whoever to see if they would want to make them in CDMA, they say yes. But then verizon tinkers with them and and uses their Crap Team of Phone Cripplers™ to make them slow, ugly, and crippled to the point that using the phone may in fact kill you.

Click to expand...

You sir, win the entire internet. Not just a select number of internets, but the whole internet.

All of it.

I agree wholeheartedly with that. They put custom firmware on their phone to save them tech support costs, and the tech support you get is neither helpful or pleasant.

Avoid Verizon like the plague. The only thing they have going for them is their wide coverage area, which is really only necessary if you live in the boonies or a house made of concrete with no windows or doors. Odds are, you'll be in the coverage area of the other major carriers the majority of the time anyway.

AT&T and Sprint are almost guaranteed service. T-Mobile doesn't have as wide of a coverage area, but I have had no problems with it as long as I'm not in the deep woods, and for that, I have my emergency prepaid Verizon phone which, as much as I hate it, it does get service almost everywhere.

Sprint's coverage is slightly less amazing than Verizon, but they don't ruin their phones with crappy firmware, and the customer support is much better, and the same can be said for AT&T.

I personally use T-Mobile, and from the sounds of it, they wouldn't be right for you, but I wouldn't switch carriers for the world. The customer service is amazingly helpful and pleasant, the coverage isn't the best in the world, but it's still very good, and the prices on plans are very competitive.

Just my two cents about carriers.

As far as phones, I have a BlackBerry 8700g, which I love. Either the Curve or the iPhone would be solid choices, all depending on what you want to do with your phone.

The 8700 is a more business oriented model, without a camera or much along the lines of multimedia, but it does everything I need it to do, and it does it very, very well.

Your mom will probably want more multimedia stuff, so I suggest the Curve or the iPhone for her.

Okay...even though you said that you want to stay away from Sprint, they do have an unlimited everything plan for $99.99 a month...which would be a good deal of one were to text and talk a lot (which I do). That also includes data and will work as a Blackberry plan. That being said...I would never be will to cancel my contract with Verizon and move to Sprint, so I have Verizon's version of that plan, and it is around 30 dollars more expensive a month, but Verizon's coverage and customer service are really good (at least in my experience).

I understand that may be more than you were wanting to spend, but I was just giving you the low-down on how I see it, so happy hunting for a provider.

Sprint phones are harder to steal... you can't just switch SIM cards.

Derek McNelly said:

Avoid Verizon like the plague. The only thing they have going for them is their wide coverage area, which is really only necessary if you live in the boonies or a house made of concrete with no windows or doors.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's actually true for us. lol.
The boonies part, not the concrete house part.

It would be a huge plus for us if we were able to use our cell phones IN OUR HOUSE. Our landline phones are always busy since we have dial up, so our cell phones are the only way to communicate by phone.

The Nextel phones don't work so well, and my phone uses the Sprint network and there isn't any service either. My PagePlus Verizon phone worked great out here, so I know Verizon would be good, I don't know about AT&T.

My mom seems to have her mind set on AT&T. I don't know why. AT&T does seem to have a huge selection of phones.
Where are the smartphones on the verizon site? I didn't see any.
I've heard a lot about Verizon bill nightmares too, but then again it can't be much worse than our Sprint bill nightmares.

I don't know if she would like the iPhone. I think it's a little out of her price range anyway. (I'm keeping in mind that the more she saves, the more likely she's bound to get a family plan )
Oh and i'm pretty sure she wouldn't enjoy syncing it with iTunes.

If she got the tethering plan with 5GB of data, what would she be able to do?
These things have internet and IM and all that?
Is it like just in wi-fi areas or something?

Crazy!