Best Cell Phone That Doesn't Suck...?

[SteyrAUG]

Getting ready to dump my land line.

As much as I'd love a phone the surfs the web, to the best of my research only the iphone does that and it sucks as a cell phone.

So what is a good one that doesn't drop calls, fail or break?

I don't plan to play handball with it, but if there is a particularly durable model that is probably something I'd want.

[ChicagoTex]

As much as I'd love a phone the surfs the web, to the best of my research only the iphone does that and it sucks as a cell phone.

1. There are countless phones besides the iPhone that can surf the web well. I'd generally suggest you stick with Windows 7 Mobile or Android for alternatives though. You'll find a few here who like Blackberrys because they do a lot of emailing, but for web-surfing it's pretty weak.

2. Why do you think the iphone sucks as a cell phone? Mine's been infinitely better than any of the dozen or so phones I've owned in the past simply as a phone and I'm not aware of any other iphone owners who are particularly unhappy with their phone capabilities (they may, however, be unhappy with their network).

[D. Christopher]

Don't believe the hype regarding which phones are best and which ones suck. Only you can decide for sure which one is best. I can tell you from an engineering standpoint that the iPhone and most of it's current competitors can be excellent phones. It all depends on where you live and operate. The only way to be sure is to talk to as many friends and family members and even people on the street that you see that have THE EXACT MODEL of phone you are interested in and are using it daily in the area and environment you intend to use it in. iPhones are great in some areas, and in some areas they can only be used as a wireless device. I believe they have gotten a really bad rep as a phone because a high percentage of tech writers live in NYC, LA, and the San Francisco areas, which up until now are areas that had poor ATT coverage or were saturated by millions of users in a very small area. A single cell tower may be able to handle 20,000 or more simultaneous calls, but they weren't designed to handle the same number of people using data for extended periods of time. Take any "smart phone" into an area with poor coverage or with 100,000 technogeeks in the same cell and that's what you get.

Talk to people in your area that have been using the phone you want for at least a few months. It's best to talk to family members or at least neighbors who are as close your home, business, or wherever you live and spend most of your time to get a realistic idea of how well a particular model works. All the current crop of phones work really well as a wireless device if you like the operating system and user interface. But only you can tell if the radio will work for you in your area. (And don't go buy a new untested model, make sure you are buying the exact model your friends or family have been using successfully in your area. Once a new model or upgrade comes along you have to start testing all over again.) Good luck.

[chadbag]

I have been using iPhones since Dec 2007 and I think they work fine as a voice phone. I also use it often in speakerphone mode and have only had complaints once. (In fact, I think it is how cell phones SHOULD work in terms of interface. I have done a lot more 3 way calls, putting people on hold, etc on the iPhone than I ever did on my previous phones even though they had the capability too).

I do not live in NY/SF/Vegas and have no complaints on dropped calls etc. In the last 3 years I can probably count dropped calls that dropped from my end on less than 10 fingers. A friend in Seattle has the same story to tell.

Find other iPhone (or android or whatever interests you) users in your area and see how they like the service in your area.

The iPhone is also available from AT&T and Verizon (I have been on AT&T and AT&T generally has faster download speeds and can use voice and data at the same time but some people like Verizon as that is better in their area).

Apple supports the iPhone very well. (Most Android users are still waiting for an update to their phone -- many are still on 2.1 though 2.2 has been out for a long time now) -- the handset makers have little incentive to spend the time and effort to provide SW updates as they make their money on selling you a NEW handset, not upgrading the one you already have.

I should also add that I don't have a home landline and both the wife and I use the iPhone as our main phone. I also use it for about 30% of my internet use (mainly web and email) which saves me from having to go sit in front of the computer during family times etc and I can still sneak a peak at my email or reply to a customer etc. (My actual business line is a VOIP phone and wholesale service I subscribe to but I also get business calls on the iPhone and I very often call customers back using the iPhone)

[D. Christopher]

My experience is similar to yours chadbag. I haven't had a landline in over a decade and got a 1st gen iPhone in August of 2007. Mine worked great and was very reliable where I lived. I still use it around the house as a remote and a wireless device. I've had a 3gs for almost 2 years now and it has been flawless as a phone. I've never had a dropped call where I live and travel, and only a few times on the road way out west where the coverage was poor. I've had a Mac since 1986 so the iPhone is just another backup of my data in formats that I already have and know inside out. My phone is always locked with an advanced passcode, so if I loose it I won't loose any important data, I have the data already backed up in multiple locations, on other computers, and in the cloud. If someone finds my lost phone and enters the wrong passcode 10 times it will erase itself. I can also locate the phone from any computer or another iPhone, put a message on the screen or even remotely wipe the memory if I want to. I can have a replacement phone loaded with my data exactly like my lost phone in about an hour if I'm in my home town. I can get a replacement loaded in less that 24 hours if I'm on the road in a remote location, and I would still have access to all my data on another computer or from the cloud in the mean time.

No phone and no carrier will work for everyone in all locations. So far ATT (for 12 years Cingular/ATT) and iPhone (4 years) have worked very well for me where I live and travel. I use the iPhone for the same reason I use the Glock 19. Not out of blind loyalty but because so far, it has never let me down.

SteyrAUG be aware if you look at a Verizon iPhone that there are about a half dozen things that it won't do that an ATT iPhone will due to differences in the networks. The main thing of course is to find the phone you like with the carrier that works where you live, but if you are looking at an iPhone and live in an area that has good coverage from both companies, the ATT GSM network is technically superior in some ways. The ATT phone can use the phone and internet simultaneously, can hold conference calls of up to 5 users, call waiting and call forwarding can be turned on and off with the touch of a button instead of having to dial numbers, and a few other small things. The Verizon iPhone can't do any of these things due to the limitations of the CDMA network. An incoming call on the Verizon iPhone will interrupt your internet session and there is no way to turn that off or route the call directly to voicemail, you have to do that manually. The Verizon iPhone's radio is actually both GSM/CDMA compatible but doesn't have a GSM antenna. If you can wait a while the iPhone 5 will probably be announced in July and available shortly after that and will probably be a true world phone with both GSM/CDMA compatibility if you are a world traveler.

Of course the contract is the most expensive part of a new phone but if you or a member of your family already have an ATT contract you might be able to "add a line" for very little money. The 3gs that I'm still using and very happy with sells for $49.00 right now, so if you don't have to sign a new contract that is a great deal. If I had to sign a new contract and had to have one right now I would get the iPhone 4, but if I could wait I would get the iPhone 5 around August or September after things had calmed down again and I was sure there weren't any technical problems with the new version.

But that's just me, because they work for me where I live.

[rob_s]

Oh, steyr, you've poke the hornet's nest now and the apple-ogists are going to come out of the wordwork because you've blasphemed the false idol! This is gonna be funny.

I have one. And you're right it's probably the worst strictly phone I've ever had. and I'm in your AO so my experience is far more relevant to your situation than someone's experience elsewhere.

I just don't care. I don't like being on the phone. and a landline will always dial 911. In your case, with business to conduct, chances are good that the phone will work fine. If you know someone with an iPhone and they come over to your shop and have a signal, you'll likely have no trouble. Other than the calls it decides to drop for no reason at all.

For me, the email, web, and camera function of the iPhone is far more valuable than it is as a phone. The GPS is also helpful. Some of the other minor apps are nice to have, including those that are meant for shooters.

[ChicagoTex]

Other than the calls it decides to drop for no reason at all.

Dropped calls are almost always the fault of the carrier and not the phone. AT&T may not be the ideal carrier in your area.

If you find that fellow AT&T customers without iPhones in the area where you most frequently drop calls rarely or never experience dropped calls, insure your iPhone's firmware is up to date. If that fails, you may have a lemon, which is unfortunate because for all of Apple's pluses, their warranty services suck ass.

[mr_smiles]

I'd get a StarTAC if they still worked I ass dial people all day long.

[variablebinary]

Sprint: Evo, Epic 4G

Verizon: Thunderbolt (no iPhone4. Avoid like AIDS)

AT&T: Atrix, or iPhone5 in summer

T-Mobile: HD7, Samsung Galaxy S 4G

[rob_s]

I had two AT&T phones in this area before the iPhone. There are some areas where they all drop calls (like driving past the dump on the Turnpike). The iPhone drops calls for no reason, with no predictability. Others 'round here with the phones report the same issues. Unless we all bought on the same day and an entire truck of defective phones arrived locally all at once, it is not a lemon issue. Besides which I ordered mine direct and others bought theirs at the stores.

As mentioned, I don't really care because I don't like being on the phone and dropped calls for me means I can stop talking. For Steyr if he ditches his landline he's conducting all of his business on the cell phone. It may matter to him to be able to be on the phone without interruption. The iPhone may or may not accomplish that for him.

I don't think of the iPhone as a "phone" but as a "mobile device". For that I love the thing. But I'm not going to gloss over the problems that I've had and seen others have with it's function as a phone. Not to mention that even as a mobile device I've been places with my iPhone 4 that I can't even get data signal while a 3G (Iphone 2) trucks right along next to me.