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Most iSync-ing, smallest, smartest, cheapest phone?

Toe said:
I've been leaning strongly toward the SE z600, but would like to actually see it before spending several hundred dollars on it. Is it physically available in any real stores or only on the net? I have yet to find it anywhere (the worst place to look is t-mobile stores... wow are they clueless).
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Oh, well this response from S-E customer service explains it:

Unfortunately, there is no way to get your hands on a Z600 without actually purchasing one, as we are the only ones selling them, and we only sell them either online or through our sales hotline. The best suggestion we can make would be to have one sent out as a purchase, and return it within two weeks if you are not satisfied with it. They can be either ordered through sonyericsson.com, or by calling 1866 837 7290.

Best regards,

Sony Ericsson Online Support​

Nice.
 
...bumping this thread up for an update...

Well, it's been about a year. This thread generally concluded that Sony-Ericsson and perhaps Nokia make some of the best phones for iSync and for being overall good phones. And that T-mobile has the best deal on all-you-can-eat internet.

Any developments change anyone's opinion?

I notice that T-mobile doesn't list any Sony-Ericsson's on their website anymore. What's up with that? I understand that I could still buy one from a 3rd party and then use it with T-mobile, but is S-E on the decline?

Any other input on phones these days, particularly in therms of iSync, internet access, and/or fit-in-your-pocketedness?

Anyone use a Nokia N-Gage with their Mac? Or a Razr? How is Cingular for net access? Looks expensive....
 
Most syncingest phone...now...

So, a year changes and what to do?

I think SE and Cingular have a little mutual contract going whereby Cingular gets all the latest SE phones first (of note, the z500 and the s710), which is why TMobile is no longer carrying any.

I am in the process of upgrading from a z600, which really fit the bill for the topic of this thread, perfectly, to a Nokia 6630. We'll see how that goes - I know that there will not be iSync support until 10.4, but I should be able to make do with Phone Agent until then. Worst comes to worst, I'll get a s710 from SE when I can get an unlocked one.

Y'all might want to check out the z800 as a possible good choice if you are big into SE, or else the s700/s710 are great choices if you don't mind paying a premium. Otherwise, Nokia is releasing some awesome phones at the moment, as is Samsung (surprisingly!). Check out My World Phone.com for some killer deals on the latest and greatest - all unlocked for your personal provider.

As for Cingular and net access...they aren't the cheapest, but for GSM offerings, they have got the fastest system in place for data, using 3G/EDGE. Very cool - I can watch tv on my phone, streaming ;-)

So far I have been happy with Cingular. Don't waste a dime on the RAZR - I'd sell it if someone gave it to me. Also, I've heard the bluetooth amplifier has issues and will often times have a very limited range. Plus, build quality sucks. SE's still have the best build quality out there. The only thing going for Moto's at the moment is the hype and the fact that many of their phones are quad-band, so you can truly roam around. FYI - Cingular uses the 850Mhz spectrum, where as T-Mobile uses the 900Mhz spectrum, so keep that in mind when choosing phones.

Good luck - I'll run down the 6630 and my syncing experiences when I have a better idea...
 
Thanks for the great input, abates.

I had been thinking about the z600, but now it doesn't appear on S-E's main product page. Maybe it's going away? What's the z800? I don't see it there at all.

I had thought about the z500, but... no bluetooth? What is this, the stone ages? :)

And what made you move to the Nokia? Did you have too much money? :D

I'm having trouble figuring out Cingular's internet plans (or those of any carrier, for that matter... I still can't get T-mobile to tell me if I can browse to any website or only their menu ones). As far as I can tell, it looks like you paid a handy price to watch a movie on your Cingular phone, no?
 
Toe said:
I had been thinking about the z600, but now it doesn't appear on S-E's main product page. Maybe it's going away? What's the z800? I don't see it there at all.
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Sony has begun to push the K-series phones over here. I'm T-Mobile will pick them up soon as replacements to their T610's. So there is a generation gap currently between the release of the new line phones and the clamshell versions. I don't know, besides the z500 (which is a US release only phone anyway - no where else would tolerate the absence of bluetooth), if we'll see any of the new clamshells over here stateside because of the release of the s7x0 series. If you're interested, I'm going to be selling my z600 on eBay soon, but if anyone here wants it, I'll sell it for $220 + sh. It's unlocked, and in good condition, but the paint has flaked off more than any other SE phone I've had (early clamshell problem I think, for SE).

Toe said:
I had thought about the z500, but... no bluetooth? What is this, the stone ages? :)
Click to expand...

Exactly! Which leads to...

Toe said:
And what made you move to the Nokia? Did you have too much money? :D
Click to expand...
Toe said:
As far as I can tell, it looks like you paid a handy price to watch a movie on your Cingular phone, no?
Click to expand...

Nah, but I found a way to get around the problem. I switched my AT&T plan to Cingular, and, as such, got the two SE z500 deal. The sales girl gave them to me free (supposed to be $50 after rebate), then I sold the phones, minus the UPC code, on eBay, for ~$180 each. Plus I got the rebates, for $150 for the two z500 UPC's. So I just turned that into the money for the 6630 (plus some). Which I'll likely sell once I can get an unlocked s710. But that could be a couple months. Oh, and it will be kinda cool to watch a movie ;-)

Toe said:
I'm having trouble figuring out Cingular's internet plans (or those of any carrier, for that matter... I still can't get T-mobile to tell me if I can browse to any website or only their menu ones).
Click to expand...

I highly recommend T-mobile. Their unlimited data bucket is great. And most SE's operate on their 900Mhz band. I went with Cingular because work pays for AT&T/Cingular, primarily, but also because they have EDGE, rollover minutes, and, I'm hoping, with the merger with AT&T, a bigger network (though I haven't travelled enough recently to test this).
 
NgageQD (s60 w/ BT, movie, mp3, isync support!)

The Nokia N-gage or NgageQD. Works like a charm in isync. cheap. plays movies, ect.
Plus they are literally giving them away at gamestop, ebgames, or various T-mobile retailers. In order to be totally free you might need to sign a contract (1year,) which is what I did [though you get games and stuff then too.] Seriously though, it has BT and syncs great, its small, and its battery lasts forever and its durable as anything. I would definitely pick QD over 'original' though the originals are rediculously even w/o a contract cheap now, the QD can do i-sync plus play mp3s, movies, do mail, ect. -its a suprizingly nice+compact phone, w/o crazy crap tacked onlike a videocamera, ect. and it has all the features of the Nokia s60 line. The games are not great though, but hey, the QD's been a great phone. and what I settled on for isync :)
 
So if I wanted to do some regular web browsing through Cingulars network while away from a normal internet connection (such as mac rumors ect.) does that cost anything or is it free? From what it sounds like you guys are doing general web surfing for free. :eek:
 
Well I am going to hang out for the Moto-Apple phone. It sounds affordable and I am guessing should sync pretty well...only 4 months to go :rolleyes:
 
Dr. Dastardly said:
So if I wanted to do some regular web browsing through Cingulars network while away from a normal internet connection (such as mac rumors ect.) does that cost anything or is it free? From what it sounds like you guys are doing general web surfing for free. :eek:
Click to expand...

If you get the unlimited bucket ($20 I think?), you can do what you will for an unlimited about of time/data. Their other two plans are data limited.
 
aswitcher said:
Well I am going to hang out for the Moto-Apple phone. It sounds affordable and I am guessing should sync pretty well...only 4 months to go :rolleyes:
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I was going to... but we still don't have iTMS here - so my guess is it will be not that much better than the current arrangement for us non iTMS countries...

even if we did have iTMS - I don't know I'd want to buy from my phone.
I might buy on my Powerbook then bluetooth or cable transfer the song to my phone?!?!

U have been attempting to resist buying a RAZR but I don't know how much longer I will hold out for. I've had lots of people tell me alot of reasons not to buy it... but it looks so good!
 
DJY said:
I was going to... but we still don't have iTMS here - so my guess is it will be not that much better than the current arrangement for us non iTMS countries...

even if we did have iTMS - I don't know I'd want to buy from my phone.
I might buy on my Powerbook then bluetooth or cable transfer the song to my phone?!?!

U have been attempting to resist buying a RAZR but I don't know how much longer I will hold out for. I've had lots of people tell me alot of reasons not to buy it... but it looks so good!
Click to expand...


ITMS will come...I think it should be here but for Aria...


As for syncing, I want everything to go smoothly, not just music...photos, calender, address book etc. Surely Apple wont allow the joint phone to look like a dog...


As for the RAZR...you seen the blackone...way cool. And more RAZR models to come say Moto...
 
aswitcher said:
As for the RAZR...you seen the blackone...way cool.
Click to expand...
I think I actually prefer the silver one! Matches the PB better and stands out!
aswitcher said:
And more RAZR models to come say Moto...
Click to expand...

MMm was just trying to find some more substantial rumours...
so you think I should wait?
 
T630

I've got a T630 and I'm not satisfied with it. The camera in my opinion is useless. I can't stand watching at images of such poor quality. I don't mind this too much except that I payed for it. I have a digital camara thats working fine.

The address book can't hold addresses! This really annoys me as I wanted it to replace my Palm V, which is worn out.

It can't handle repeating events such as my Spanish lessons every Wednesday or birthdays, which I can never remember.

It calls people when in my pocket, even though it's keylocked.

Otherwise I actually really like the phone, but these are essentials for me and ruining the day to day use of the phone.
 
DJY said:
MMm was just trying to find some more substantial rumours...
so you think I should wait?
Click to expand...


Moto are on a roll with the Razr, but when we can expect tos ee more is unknown.

Does the Razr have everything you want? Is the price right?

imobile just reviewed it and this might eb worth checking out

http://www.imobile.com.au/PhoneReviews/

Things I personally am disappointed with

- photo/video...its old tech now with almost every camera in the Razrs price range going to sport a 1-2 megapixel camera this year...

- polyphonic ring tones...I want my mp3s and AAC files as ring tones...amd see next issue for reason why thats a problem

- tiny internal memory 5.5MB...New phones are sporting 40MB and more, ir at least SD expandable.

- apparently a slow user interface...

- cable only sync with my mac

- no photo with caller ID from what I can tell as its not a Symbian OS phone...


But it is a great phone, and one of if not the, nbest looking phone available now.
 
Don't go with the RAZR!

I know the hype is there, but apart from a pretty cool looking phone with quad-band service, there is nothing to justify the price tag on it! The bluetooth is only 1.1 (poor range), the camera is only VGA (same camera as was used on the V600 a year before), with no flash or optical zoom, the build quality is marginal (they actually twist and creak!), and there is almost no memory. Any phone worth their money this year should have:

• high speed data (edge or 3G)
• good camera (1MP or greater)
• Bluetooth 2.0
• at least 16MB of memory, preferably an expandable option (mms, memory stick, etc.)
• Additional features (by this I mean things like MP3 player, video player/recorder, GPS, etc.)

If the phone doesn't have at least a few of these, you should not be paying more than $200 out of contract or less than $30 with contract. The Razr is like $400, even with a 2-year contract! That's just crazy. Also, moto's have sucked for the past five years. I'll admit they have begun to offer some decent phones, but not at that price tag.

The only good makes at the moment that I would put any faith into (myself) are SE, Nokia or Samsung. Yes, there are other phones which are good (say, the treo 650), but I am talking specifically about the major brands (SE, Nokia, Moto, LG, Samsung, Sanyo, etc.). Just my 2¢.
 
Wondering if anybody has the SE z200, and has tried to use that with iSync? (...using a USB cable of course, since SE of some unbelievable reason hasn't added Bluetooth to that model, nor the z500... what's with that...? Ericsson actually was the company that took the initiative to develop Bluetooth in the first place...) :(

I soon have to replace my old SE t68i, and I really like this phone, mainly for size, design and because it is just that, a phone, and not 200 different (inferior) gadgets, all in one (small) mess... ;)
 
It goes close to what I want... but I think the reason I don't have one here today is my concern with a couple of things...(despite Telstra most incompetent and useless staff in three shops and over the phone)

I can now I guess thank Telstra staff for not ringing me back, for not sourcing the phone, for continuing to give incorrect information, and for sales staff to continue to talk me out of it - or telling me I couldn't get it free on a business 60 plan...

ok so love the look of it...
Slight annoyance is only cable sync...
UI did seem a bit slow...
Phone Book display options very poor - and even when I finally worked out how to put multiple numbers per name... and worked how to display ALL numbers or only the primary number.... I thought it was cumbersom and old. Annoying how you can't display (view) all numbers for one name on ONE screen?!?!? You have to scroll down - as they display each number of a different screen.!

The UI did seem different - not sure if it is me just used to SE T610 - or whether they truly aren't vey intuitive.

Love love a RAZR V3.1 with new UI.
Better camera might be handy. I don't use my SET610 camera - cause its so bad... but I do have a good digital camera - so thats not a major issue - but after seeing the pics taken by a s7001 (?) the other day that a mate has - maybe I would like a better quality camera in my phone.

I really just want a good looking phone, that sync's seamlessly with iCal and Address Book. V3 does allow for MP3 ringtones... but the 24 (?) chord plyphonic sounds - didn't sound as good as some other phones I've heard... again not a major issue though - as on my T610 - I love the old landline (black phone) ringing sound!

sigh... sounds like I am talking myself out of the RAZR V3. Would like Moto and Apple to do something in the next few months though... PLEASE!
 
Toe said:
Ah... finally:
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/5776.html
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/336/C3730/
Expected to be released in Q2 of 05.

maybe I'll get Tiger and a new phone at the same time. :D

P.S. Of course, the z800 still isn't listed on S-E's products page. Nor the z600.
Click to expand...

FYI - the z800 doesn't operate on either 850Mhz nor on the EDGE network, making the s710a a better connected phone, at least. Otherwise, they seem to share everything else. But keep your eyes on Apples supported sync list at the same time as drooling over new phones. My Nokia 6630 is amazing, but I have to manually drag .ics and vCard files via bluetooth (which works) rather than using iSync. It is likely that Tiger will release a whole slew of new bluetooth profiles for new devices though...
 
Well, this changes things:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html
The list has been beefed up nicely for Tiger.

However, there are some notable exceptions, such as the Nokia 6630, the BenQ P30, anything by Samsung or Sharp or LG, the Danger/Sidekick, and of course the Blackberry.

It's nice to see the list expanded, but I would think it would be bigger... at least including more Symbian phones. And Samsung phones are supposed to be nice these days, no?

Well, anyway... anyone want to recommend again based on this list? The object is a tiny (comfortable in the pocket), smart, totally iSync-compatible phone that costs significantly less than a laptop.

Is that still the z600? Apparently the z600 does not support AIM....
 
Toe said:
Well, this changes things:
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html
The list has been beefed up nicely for Tiger.

...

It's nice to see the list expanded, but I would think it would be bigger... at least including more Symbian phones. And Samsung phones are supposed to be nice these days, no?
Click to expand...

thx for posting that link. i have (yet another) coworker that's thinking of switching, but he wants his phone to sync w/ his calendar & address book (not sure which phone he has). i meant to track that info down for him b/c i figured Tiger would have some new phones it supported. bummer about the samsung omission. they make some nice phones now.

unfortunately, i've had the same Moto (v70) for a while now, so i haven't kept up w/ all the latest gadgets. mine has a [gASp!] monochrome display, no camera [egad] and definately no BT [shudder]. but it IS small and cool and all i need.

good luck w/ a
 
Another bump up, this thread's been quiet for awhile.. any new phones people want to suggest? Anyone with experience of either the SE S710a or the Motorola v551?
 
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