I’ve been doing a lot of smartphone research lately, partly because we plan on creating a Music Forte cellphone app in the future but more so for my business and personal needs. It appears a few companies are very close to creating the "perfect" mobile device, in the sense that it has the best combination of the best technology, with all of today’s most basic mobile features, while offering the most efficient battery life possible.
After reading hundreds of tech blogs and member follow-up comments, it seems there is a large population out there that is frustrated that this "perfect combination" doesn’t already exist when the technology in the individual components they’re looking for has in many cases been around for years. There’s an asinine flurry of "but’s" out there 
…meaning most people would say "my phone is great…BUT…"
"but the screen is too small"…"but the speakerphone sucks"…"but i hate the keyboard"…etc., etc. I’ve found a lot of "but’s" with my first-gen iPhone, and with my 2-year contract expiring in June I will most likely be buying a different phone.
First-gen iPhone: I’ve enjoyed the visual voicemail, iTunes integration, loads of useful apps and a couple fun games. I’ve also enjoyed watching this phone spur on the app revolution now adopted by Google, RIM, Nokia, and others….BUT….the speakerphone is poor, the ear-piece isn’t the greatest, the touch-screen keyboard bugs me, the camera is sub-par, and there is no video cam. Software updates thru iTunes are nice, but I’ve been turned off greatly by Apple’s blatant manipulations. It’s clear that everyone has wanted landscape keyboard for texting, copy/paste, IM picture sending (MMS), and camcorder function, and Apple has not only failed to provide these in their updates but have blocked these 3rd party apps from being sold in their store. So the technology has been there from day one, but people have been forced to hack/unlock their phone and void their warranty just to get the features they want. I have a weird feeling Steve Jobs might have a different explanation to his shareholders though 
***The top 4 carriers all say they’re #1 in some aspect or another, so I’m not going to worry about that in making my choice. The features I’d like in my next phone are: a physical QWERTY keyboard, a good size high resolution screen with touch capabilities, good ear-piece quality and a great speakerphone, a nice camera w/ video capture, snappy internet and basic email function, visual voicemail, a nice music player, and customizable screens with a wealth of apps to choose from. Here is what I’m looking at for this summer (with @ release dates)….
1. Nokia N97 (mid-July) — might be the closest to "perfect". physical keyboard and touchscreen option, nice screen, very nice 5mp camera/video cam w/ lens cover and LED flash, and everything else i mentioned above. would like to hear the speakerphone and toy w/ the music player first, and the only possible knock i’ve read is the processor speed; though i hear it extends the battery life and appears quite snappy. also has 32gigs of internal memory!
2. HTC Touch Pro 2 (late-July) — looks to have the most brilliant screen, the best keyboard, and an amazing speakerphone. small bummer looks to be no LED flash for camera, and it’s only 3.2mp (though i’ve been reading a lot lately that a high quality lens may be more of a factor than megapixels). a lot of people are also wondering why there is no standard 3.5mm headphone jack, but you can buy an adapter…so this phone looks like a very nice combo.
3. Palm Pre (early-June) — revolutionary new OS looks to have some super cool features, but i have a feeling the "Palm Pre 2" will have a much bigger bang after a year of user feedback (i.e. iPhone) Multi-task features, finger-swipe technology, and the ‘Touchstone’ wireless charger look tempting…BUT…there appears to be no video cam, looks just a bit small for my taste, and the slide-out keyboard looks a bit suspect.
4. iPhone 3.0 (late-June?) — i’m still turned off by Apple but have to give it a look, and we’ll see what type of trade-up value they offer for my first-gen. still a lot of rumor here but supposed to have a slightly nicer 3.2mp camera w/ video cam (finally), landscape text, copy/paste, and IM pic sending. i assume the ear-piece and speakerphone will still be sub-par, and i’d really prefer a physical keyboard. so i’d really need to be surprised by Apple to go w/ this one.
Would love to hear any thoughts, and if you end up buying one of these phones, keep us informed.
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3 users commented in " Smartphone evolution? "
I had a very similar choices and considerations for the phone last month, except that I didn't know about the the Palm Pre. I ended up with Nokia E75 which is also a very neat smartphone. Keep in mind that it does not have a touch screen and it has a smaller screen (QVGA). However it has many good features. It has normal candybar form factor, meaning that it's quite small and pocketable. It has a normal alphanumeric keypad, so it is possible to type messages with one hand while walking on street or airport. For longer messages it has a qwerty keyboard that slides to the side. Very convenient. It has 3.5mm headphone jack and good audio quality (well comparable to my ipod nano). Camera is nice too. I've not used the GPS stuff yet, so I can't comment on its speed. Also, it's cheaper.
For the price point, the E75 is a great choice, but if you invest a bit more and get the N97, you won't be disappointed. The N97 "Bad Boy" is really designed around being connected 24/7; an internet device with phone capabilities, where the E75 is much less so. It's more of a phone with internet capabilities. As always, I recommend playing with all the new phones in the store and asking lots of questions. When spending that kind of cash on any device, always take your time making the purchase and buy what you want within the price point you can afford, but always consider how much per month it will also cost to perform best for you.
I like the E75 dual keyboard option…makes it easier to just dial a quick phone # and enter numbers in texts. I posted a full reply to this blog post at: http://www.musicforte.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=... With the sometimes extravagant pricing on new phones these days (even the tiny Palm Pre is $800+ unlocked) and restrictions of long term contracts, I would encourage more people to simply "test" phones out and return them for a full refund if it doesn't appeal to you. Sprint gives you 30 days to toy around with the Pre, but Nokia only gives you 7 days…so I'm really trying to do some major power using on my N97 right now to see if it's going to work out for me.
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