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Help Is backflip a good choice for me?

Hi, newbe here. I want to stay with ATT and I'm ready to upgrade from my nokia 6126. Trying to decide between the backflip and the iphone 3G. both seem to be about the same price. I don't do any social networking. Need a phone for calls, texting, hotmail and gmail, internet access to ebay and another auction online and a few forums that I'm a member of. I hate to text on the 9 keyboard of my current phone. I've read the threads here and it looks like some of you came from the iphone to the backflip. If I wasn't in a dead zone for verizon at my house I would get a droid. Never have had a problem with ATTs coverage in this area, always have a strong signal and I have a G on my screen so I guess that means I have 3G here. For my usages is the backflip the best choice? thanks, sbr556
 
I love my backflip and I come from the hacking side of Android; running Android 2.1 on my AT&T tilt. I have used the iPhone and the keyboard SUCKS!; so far I have turned 5 iPhone users to the backflip, plus my wife who is not a tech person (mainly e-mail, text, web, camera and facebook) also loves her Backflip. Both phones have about a million apps, or somewhere near there. The backflip has a real keyboard and a 5 MP camera. If I were you, get the backflip; worse case if you really don't like it; you have 30 days to return it and get the iPhone. But to be honest, if you try it, you have a good chance that you will be keeping it.

PLUS!!! Android 2.1 upgrade is coming out in July-ish, so don't let any of the hype about 1.5 bother you.
 
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thanks j101399j, I'm definetly no techy. I know 4 people with iphones, they seem happy with them but i am leaning toward the android. The reviews I read rate call quality higher on the backflip than the iphone and that's important to me. I'm 62 and don't hear as good as i used to.
I also have to decide if I'm buying on line where the phone is free or go to ATT and have to Pay at least $100.00 for the phone. sbr556
 
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thanks j101399j, I'm definetly no techy. I know 4 people with iphones, they seem happy with them but i am leaning toward the android. The reviews I read rate call quality higher on the backflip than the iphone and that's important to me. I'm 62 and don't hear as good as i used to.
I also have to decide if I'm buying on line where the phone is free or go to ATT and have to Pay at least $100.00 for the phone. sbr556

I think you'll be very happy with the Backflip. As already stated, you can always return it before 30 days are up. BTW, you can buy the Backflip at Best Buy for $99 (without waiting on a rebate) in addition to online/AT&T.
 
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I personally love my Backflip, and if texting speed is important to you then the hardware keyboard of the Backflip will outperform the software keyboard of the iPhone any day. Also, you can find the phone basically for free ($0.01) at Amazon Wireless, without any rebate hassles or anything like that. Here is the link: AmazonWireless: Motorola BACKFLIP Android Phone (AT&T)
 
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Amazon Wireless actually makes it all very simple. All that you have to do is enter in your current AT&T number and it will check for eligibility and everything and you keep your existing account and setup. It even works if you are on a line of a family plan, like I am. Your account has to be eligible for an upgrade, of course, but you can verify this online at wireless.att.com. You will keep using your current phone until you get your new device, and then once you get the new device (before you turn it on), there will be a phone number to call in order to activate the new phone. Once you call you are supposed to wait like half an hour or so for everything to register on the network, then turn off your old phone and turn your new phone on and it should all be working. It is all pretty well explained during the whole process, so you shouldn't have any issues.
 
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I have only bought one AT&T phone online through a third party. I bought the phone through LetsTalk. The purchase was simple enough but I will not be doing it again. I had an issue with the battery and they only way they offered assistance was to send the phone back and wait. Best Buy/AT&T will take care of it on the spot when you buy from them.

For me, it's not worth saving $98.99 to have the hassle of dealing with shipping the phone back and forth for service. I'm not opposed to buying online, just not something I depend on like my phone. Luckily I have a few spares.
 
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If I have a problem I imagine I can have my old phone turned back on while I wait.
I drove to the city today, went to two ATT stores, two mall stores and best buy and walmart. Guy at 1st att store had an iphone but was pushing the backflip a little. 2nd att store, really got pushed toward the iphone. Went to a mall to the little stand alone kiosh, 2 girls working there, real iphone fan girls there. went to 2nd mall to a small att store. Guy there had an iphone but was pushing the backflip, then he called over the state att rep. who owned a backflip and really showed me a lot of the cool stuff the backflip could do. Also found out insurance on the iphone was $90.00 up front which no one else told me.
best buy and walmart were not any help either way, which didn't suprise me.
The iphone is very smooth and polished but I'm still leaning a little toward the backflip. sbr556
 
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I too am on the fence between the iphone and the backflip. I think if it weren't for the motoblur, it would be no contest but I am a bit leery about that. I really do not want to know what my FB friends are doing all day. I have been looking at android for months and it is exactly what I want, I just don't know that the backflip is going to do it for me. I love the look of the widgets and clocks, how you can customize the screens. You just don't get that with the iphone.
 
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@kkaiser48;

WHen you sign into motoblur you choose if you wnat to add your myspace, facebook... accounts. If you don't want them, don't enter the info and just delete the widgets off the home screen. And you are now not connected to any soical networks :D

@SBR556;

Sucks about the useless sales people. When went to Best Buy I told them I wanted the backflip and they got me the phone right then and there. Plus it is only $10/mo for bestbuy's insurance and they cover everything except theft.
 
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i was looking at both the iphone & backflip before i chose the backflip. reasons: 1) you can change the battery in the backflip; in the iphone you can't so when the battery goes so does your phone, 2) motoblur gives you the abiity to remotely wipe your phone if it's stolen, also to locate it for free; apple charges for this app 3) was able to get backflip for $0.01 thru amazon, no deals on iphone other than refurbs & then it's only about $50 cheaper.
some caveats: there is at&t bloatware installed on the backflip that you can remove from the screen, but not from the phone, & they charge you $2.99/month to use an app called where that is free for all other androids.
 
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Thought I'd chime in on amazonwireless.com. I've gotten 2 phones from them, had to return one of them because my wife didn't like the phone (not because of any fault/defect). I've had nothing but great experiences with amazonwireless. The return was easy. I made 1 phone call, they emailed me a link to a pre-paid shipping label, I taped it on the box they originally sent me the phone in, and dropped it in the mail box. Quick and painless.
 
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