Smart phones?

[bvibert]

I almost got the Bionic too. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something I just liked better about the Razr when trying them out in the store. I came really close to getting the Droid 4, for the keyboard, but the Razr wooed me at the last minute. While the salesman was in the back getting the phones I was playing with the Razr, when he came back out I told him I changed my mind. It was kind of impulsive, as I hadn't really done any research on the Razr.

 

[SkiDork]

the thin-ness of the Razr wasn't a selling point for me. I have it in a case I got from the Verizon store which makes it thicker and makes it easier to find the power and volume buttons on the side. The case has a fold out kick-stand in the back which is kinda cool.

 

[bvibert]

Yes, I actually bought the Bionic on the same day the Razr came out (11-11-11) The sales guy was surprised I bought a Bionic that day instead of the RAZR...not that the Bionic is a bad phone but just that the RAZR was so thin and all.
I actually liked the feel of the larger Bionic in my hand

The thinness of the Razr is taking some time to get used to. It's hard to get a feeling for that with the devices they have in the store, since they're attached to the brackets and tethered to the counter.

 

[bvibert]

the thin-ness of the Razr wasn't a selling point for me. I have it in a case I got from the Verizon store which makes it thicker and makes it easier to find the power and volume buttons on the side. The case has a fold out kick-stand in the back which is kinda cool.

I was talked into the same case.

 

[SkiDork]

I was talked into the same case.

I'm happy with that case. Removing it is a bit difficult but there is a trick. I'll show you on Saturday.

I also got the windshield mount which I'm very happy with as well.

 

[bvibert]

I'm happy with that case. Removing it is a bit difficult but there is a trick. I'll show you on Saturday.

I'm not normally a case kinda guy, my phones are normally in my pocket. However, with the size of this one I thought I may not want it in my pocket. The salesman had a Razr Maxx with the same case, he showed me the kickstand on his, which sealed the deal. It's kinda silly, but it worked. I get 25% off of accessories with my work discount, which helped sway me as well.

I also got the windshield mount which I'm very happy with as well.

That looks pretty slick, I may have to look into one.

 

[SkiDork]

I'm not normally a case kinda guy, my phones are normally in my pocket. However, with the size of this one I thought I may not want it in my pocket. The salesman had a Razr Maxx with the same case, he showed me the kickstand on his, which sealed the deal. It's kinda silly, but it worked. I get 25% off of accessories with my work discount, which helped sway me as well.



That looks pretty slick, I may have to look into one.

Get it from the verizon store its cheaper there.

I also get the discount through work.

I also got the car charger, it has an additional USB port so you can charge 2 devices at once. It plugs into the back of the car mount.

 

[Cannonball]

I like the kevlar case and gorilla glass on the razr

That almost sold it for me too. But even with that it didn't sound like it would hold up to the abuse I'm prone to dishing out. I ended up going with a Casio Commando. It gives up a lot in terms of capabilities and performance compared to the razr. But waterproof (1 meter), freeze proof, dust proof, etc makes made it work for me. The performance of the razr won't do me any good if I drown it.

 

[o3jeff]

I never knew Casio made phones.

 

[SkiFanE]

That almost sold it for me too. But even with that it didn't sound like it would hold up to the abuse I'm prone to dishing out. I ended up going with a Casio Commando. It gives up a lot in terms of capabilities and performance compared to the razr. But waterproof (1 meter), freeze proof, dust proof, etc makes made it work for me. The performance of the razr won't do me any good if I drown it.

I got the $99 AppleCare plan...came with a free $35 Speck case. Good for 2 years...water, disaster, all covered. Nothing will diminish my clutziness, so had to suck it up and buy the plan.

 

[Cannonball]

I never knew Casio made phones.

I've been using their G'zone rugged series for about 6 years. I've dropped them in the ocean, sent them through the laundry, buried them in mud, etc. I've never killed one. On the other hand, their sound quality kinda sounds like they've been dropped in the ocean even when they are brand new. So it's a trade off. The one I have now is their first smartphone. So gar so good.

 

[o3jeff]

I got the $99 AppleCare plan...came with a free $35 Speck case. Good for 2 years...water, disaster, all covered. Nothing will diminish my clutziness, so had to suck it up and buy the plan.

I got the Applecare too(not the case though). Can't beat it for about $4.00 a month. I had insurance on my old phone thru a third party for about $10 a month. If there was a un-repairable problem(drop, water damage, etc) they would mail(2-3 days) you a new phone and charge you $50 for the replacement. I like that you can go to the Apple store and either walk out with the phone fixed or a new phone and they have this for all of their products.

 

[hammer]

I got the Applecare too(not the case though). Can't beat it for about $4.00 a month. I had insurance on my old phone thru a third party for about $10 a month. If there was a un-repairable problem(drop, water damage, etc) they would mail(2-3 days) you a new phone and charge you $50 for the replacement. I like that you can go to the Apple store and either walk out with the phone fixed or a new phone and they have this for all of their products.

Those plans make some sense for the pricey smartphones but not so much for the basic phones. We paid the insurance for my daughter and when she dropped her last phone in the toilet we paid $50 for a refurbished phone (same model) that was a piece of junk.

On the advice of the salesperson where we purchased our basic phones, we kept our old phones as backup and went without the coverage.

 

[SkiFanE]

Those plans make some sense for the pricey smartphones but not so much for the basic phones. We paid the insurance for my daughter and when she dropped her last phone in the toilet we paid $50 for a refurbished phone (same model) that was a piece of junk.

On the advice of the salesperson where we purchased our basic phones, we kept our old phones as backup and went without the coverage.

I never usually buy the service plans. But I probably replaced one $10-15 flip phone every year or two (last was dropped in lake) and didn't think I'd act much different with an iPhone. But replacement for a new iPhone is $600+. And since I was planning to buy the $35 case anyway..the plan really only cost me $64 since I got the case I wanted with the plan. I got the $10/mo insurance with AT&T for my teen last fall for her iPhone, but for just through this winter - she cracked the screen of an iTouch falling while skiing, so will stop it after ski season...oddly they didn't mention the AppleCare program to us back then, or we would have bought that one, better deal and benefits IMO.

Edited: this phone was a complete and unnecessary treat for me lol...bought it to completely spoil myself, no other reason lol..if I was practical and smart I'd have been happy with a flipphone.

 

[wa-loaf]

I never usually buy the service plans. But I probably replaced one $10-15 flip phone every year or two (last was dropped in lake) and didn't think I'd act much different with an iPhone. But replacement for a new iPhone is $600+. And since I was planning to buy the $35 case anyway..the plan really only cost me $64 since I got the case I wanted with the plan. I got the $10/mo insurance with AT&T for my teen last fall for her iPhone, but for just through this winter - she cracked the screen of an iTouch falling while skiing, so will stop it after ski season...oddly they didn't mention the AppleCare program to us back then, or we would have bought that one, better deal and benefits IMO.

AppleCare didn't cover lost or broken phones until the 4s came out.

 

[SkiFanE]

AppleCare didn't cover lost or broken phones until the 4s came out.

Ahh...but my kid got the 4s. No big deal, she can get a cheapo phone if she breaks hers after insurance is gone haha...or she's in debt for 50 hours of babysitting.

 

[wa-loaf]

Ahh...but my kid got the 4s. No big deal, she can get a cheapo phone if she breaks hers after insurance is gone haha...or she's in debt for 50 hours of babysitting.

Ah, then she got hosed by the ATT salesman.

 

[SkiFanE]

Ah, then she got hosed by the ATT salesman.

Yeah...seems like it lol...can't win them all.

 

[mondeo]

I've given in at work and am switching to a Windows phone, HTC I think. The giving in is that it's an AT&T phone, and I have a longstanding grudge against them. I switched from Verizon to TMobile for BBerry for the wifi calling ability, but it's not as good as it used to be and seems to be useless now.

Titan? Looks like a beast. Gotta be super fast, given how quick mine is with the 1GHz processor.

 

[severine]

Get it from the verizon store its cheaper there.

I also get the discount through work.

I also got the car charger, it has an additional USB port so you can charge 2 devices at once. It plugs into the back of the car mount.

He did buy it at the Verizon Store. Some package deal with the same thing you're talking about.

I got the Applecare too(not the case though). Can't beat it for about $4.00 a month. I had insurance on my old phone thru a third party for about $10 a month. If there was a un-repairable problem(drop, water damage, etc) they would mail(2-3 days) you a new phone and charge you $50 for the replacement. I like that you can go to the Apple store and either walk out with the phone fixed or a new phone and they have this for all of their products.

What is this Applecare of which you speak...? I'm not fond of insurance plans for phones--especially since the deductible for the iPhone 4S is $150--but I wouldn't want to pay full price for a replacement, either. $10/mo seemed ok, especially since my old phone can't be saved as a back-up; it's a broken POS.