Chocolate? Blackberry? What flavor do you choose?

[Julie Williams]

OK... asking your advice...

I'm in market for a new phone (and phone service) Time for a Smartphone! I was looking at Blackberry Pearls and Blackberry Curves online last nite... also the new iphone, and Palm treo.

I wanted an iphone, but I hear that AT&T service isn't good... and they're the only ones who have it. I'm also told that iphone doesn't have a to do list you can check off like a pda./ I would use that a lot.

Haven't checked out "chocolate" (Verizon?) That would certainly fit for me, huh!

What I want is a PDA phone, where I can store demos, check email (and attach demo to it) on my phone, record into it (like a quick audition to attach to an email)

All the bells and whistles. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Amanda Geyer]

AT&T has a 5 year contract with Apple for the iPhone. I don't know about the to-do-list, but it's possible you could probably get somebody to jogger something together as a web-based app. A friend of mine has already written a fairly decent scientific calculator for it, with the coding for it contained in the bookmark information, so you can even use it where there's no cellular access at all.

I have AT&T/Cingular service right now, and while it's not thrilling, it's still better than the T-Mobile service we had a couple of years ago.

[Julie Williams]

Wow...I had just decided to go with TMOBILE. What were the problems iwth it?

I like their WING phone. It's Phone/pda/ a lot of the ones like the new iphone aren' t pda phones.

In a perfect world, I'd be able to email and attach mp3 demos to the email...all from the phone... so I could audition in my car while on the road, without booting up.

I liked what I saw of TMobile best... and my sisters and mom have been on it for years. They love the service. Thta's why I was actually thinking of going TODAY to switch.

I have a local provider, who gives unlimited 24/7 minutes every day and free long distance... for about $50/mo. Roaming kills you...but that only happens a few times a year for me. It'll be quite a switch to count minutes... but my current provider is so behind technologically, that they just now have picture phones. There's no way they'd support a pda phone!

[Amanda Geyer]

My problem has been connectivity. Our t-mobile phones would just lose connection if you looked at them funny, and we had ZERO reception in the house we're in now. At least with AT&T, we get (oooo) One Bar, for the most part, and 3 in the back yard.

Granted, this was several years ago, so I don't know what upgrades T has done in the San Gabriel area, and I don't know how much better the current/bleeding edge phones hook into the network.

[Jon Robbins]

IMHO it really is a regional thing. I always go with the provider who has the best ability to connect and stay connected (no droppped calls). As an example, I was doing a LOT of traveling between two cities in the South and many of the providers (save ONE) did not provide service...I can say that AT&T does not really have good connect in Raleigh...for me Verizon had the best connect in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill and have had pretty decent and consistent service...Smart phone is definitely the way to go--had a blackberry and while they are decent and addictive, very limited in what you can do. e-mail is almost obsolete due to spam and social networks anyway...most people I know text.

This link might help

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/e...smart_ov_1.htm

Ratings for CR are as follows:

ADVANCED
T-Mobile MDA (64) mainly because battery life is better
Palm Treo 680 (61)
Palm Treo 700P (60)
Palm Treo 700WX (59)

BASIC
Samsung Blackjack (61)
Cingular 3125 Smartphone (60)
Blackberry Pearl (58)
T-Mobile Dash (58)
T-Mobile Sidekick 3 (54)

GOOD Luck!

[Julie Williams]

For email, I was really thinking of being able to check emails for emergency auditions, and perhaps to attach my demo from the phone and send to client.
I am looking at T MObile WING phone. it looks pretty good. Touch screen, and all bells and whistles.

I've never sent a txt msg in my life, and dont' see that I would...except perhaps to my son?

[Jon Robbins]

It's ok to let go :)

Just wait til the electronic implants kick in...beam me up.