Opinions on these phones...

[Bodex]

I'm taking the plunge and getting an Android phone. My current phone is a Sanyo Eclipse... so anything is going to be a major difference, I know.
So many great looking choices out there, but I think I have it narrowed down to these three:
-Galaxy S (Verizon or T-Mobile)
-Droid Incredible (Verizon)
-MyTouch 4G (T-Mobile)

All great choices, but I'm just looking for a little personal feedback before I pull the trigger. I'm going to have the phone for the full 2-year contract most likely, so something that will do well for that time period.
My wife is also going to be getting the same phone, and while I would like to tinker a little with hacking (I have a Pandigital Novel running Android 2.1), she would prefer I not "mess with her phone"

The DInc seems very popular, but I believe it's a little older, will it still be a great phone in one year? or two?
The Galaxy S line looks great, but I've read about Samsung being slow to update. If the phone is amazing aside from that and just needs hacking to be at the top I'm sure I can manage that... but is it still nice enough out of the box for my wife?
The MyTouch seems like it might be a slightly updated Incredible... looks like a great phone, but I haven't heard much about it.

Personally, I'll use the phone for a little bit of everything: games, music, web/email/news, GPS, etc. The wife loves her Facebook and music, maybe light web use.

Also, I've used Verizon and know the coverage is great, but I've never used T-Mobile. Are they comparable to Verizon, service-wise? It seems like I might be able to get better pricing with T-Mo, but I'm a little hesitant since I haven't used them first-hand.

Any and all opinions are very welcome... not exactly new to Android, but new to Android phones and help is appreciated!

edit: Also, any other phone someone would recommend above these? I'm open to ideas, except phones with 4.3" seem a bit too large.

 

[SButler]

I have used both networks and yes verizon is better but not by much and Tmo is always expanding there network. I recently left verizon because I was sick of the high bills for 2 phones but that's more personal to me.

As for phones in had the evo on sprint which is very similar to the inc. I have also had the fascinate on verizon and loved that phone as well it would be a good choice for your wife with what you said she needed it for. If you're planning on Rooting the fascinate isn't a bad choice but personally I'm fed up with the lack of support in the update department. The other thing is the fascinate is probably the lightest phone of all the ones named, have you looked at the different operating systems? Htc sense is pretty sweet.

Just my opinion sorry kind of a back and forth. Don't know much about the my touch 4g other then it's the only one that is 4g capable as for the galaxy s and dinc they are a toss up comes down to personal preference.

 

[Medion]

Coverage: Verizon's entire footprint is 3G, whereas T-Mobile's 3G/"4G" coverage is limited to urban areas and most highways. If you travel a lot, Verizon is the better bet. Also, Verizon's network is so large that you rarely ever roam. T-Mobile roams on AT&T a lot, and when it does, it's limited to GPRS/Edge. If you plan to use your phone as a GPS when traveling, this will be an issue. Top realistic speeds for Verizon are 1-1.5mb/sec, while T-Mobile will hit 1-2.5mb on 3G, and up to 5-8mb on 4G, but those areas are very limited. When on GPRS/Edge, to include roaming, it's back to 8kb-200kb. That's not fun. I prefer the consistency of Verizon, and I have had speeds in excess of 2mb, but I don't consider that "normal."

If you go Verizon:

It's between the Fascinate (Galaxy S) and Incredible for you. Samsung is trying to make the Galaxy line into their iPhone, so while they may be slower with updates, I'm getting a "gut feeling" that they will be updating these phones well beyond their shelf life (possibly a whole year after they stop selling). HTC tends to discard updates once they take the phone from the shelf, which is end of March 2011 for the Incredible. I'd expect 2.3 to be the final OS version for the Incredible, but we may not even get that. we may only get 2.2 + New Sense. I'd be shocked if Samsung didn't put 2.3 on the Fascinate, even if it takes them another 6 months.

From there, each phone has it strengths. The Incredible uses Sense, and the Samsung uses Touchwiz. I think they are both outstanding UIs, but the upcoming Touchwiz used in the 2.2 update has many GPU acclerated components added, to include better browser response. It also has a better media player. Hardware wise, the CPU in the Incredible is slightly faster, but the GPU is MUCH faster in the Fascinate. If you do any 3D gaming, the Fascinate wins. Also, the battery life on the Fascinate is better.

The Incredible is listed as having 8GB internal memory, but only about 500MB is available for apps, compared to about 2GB for the Fascinate. They also come with 2/16GB MicroSD out of the box, so effective storage for both phones out of box is 10GB w/500MB for apss (Incredible) and 18GB w/2GB for apps (Fascinate). Overall, for the average person, I think the Fascinate is the better phone, but I just love my Incredible for MY needs.

If you go T-Mobile:

Obviously you stated the MyTouch 4G and the Galaxy S (Vibrant), so you should also be considering the Google Nexus S, IMO.

The MyTouch, as you said, is an Incredible successor. It's using the 2nd gen Snapdragon, which has better battery life and a much better GPU. Same speed CPU, which is slightly faster than the Galaxy/Nexus S CPUs in speed, but more future proof due to having some enhancements found in the upcoming A9 CPUs. The GPU is a little slower than the Samsung-made phones. So, decide how important 3D gaming is compared to general tasks. If gaming is important, either will work, but the Samsungs are a little better.

The MyTouch also does NOT use Sense. So the Vibrant will have Touchwiz (like the Fascinate), while the Nexus and MyTouch are vanilla Android. T-Mobile is anal about updating their handsets, so you can expect the MyTouch to be supported well beyond what is typical for HTC, since it's T-Mobile branded. The Nexus S will be the first or one of the first for every version of Android. The Vibrant will be last to see updates, but again, has a custom user interface that may be worth the wait for you. Your call.

Both the Nexus S and Vibrant come with 16GB internal storage. The Vibrant comes with a 2GB MicroSD pre-loaded with the Sims 3 (game) and Avatar (full length movie). The Vibrant can be upgraded to a 32GB MicroSDHC, while the Nexus S does not support expandable memory at all. So if you want more than 16GB, do NOT get the Nexus S. Also, the Vibrant lacks the camera flash of the Fascinate/Epic/Nexus S. The Nexus also has a front-facing camera (like the MyTouch), and that new chip that is supposed to someday replace credit cards.

Hope this info is helpful, and please let me know if I can be of any further assistance, if I haven't already confused the heck out of you.

 

[Bodex]

Thank you for the responses so far.

Medion, exactly what I was looking for! The Nexus S would be at the top of my list, but since I can find the other phones between $0 and $50, I really can't even look at the Nexus for $200. Loved the look and feel of it in the store though.

Between your notes and more reading, I think I've ruled out the Incredible. Great phone, but as you say, it may be nearing the end of it's shelf life. The Galaxy S line also being lighter with better battery life are pluses, as well as the front facing cameras. Not sure how much I would use video chat, but nice to know I can if I need to.

A few more questions now that I'm narrowing things down...

Are all the Galaxy S phones (Captivate, Fascinate, Vibrant) the same? Aside from a different designed shell, are the internals and build quality all equal?

Also, since you seem to know your carriers, how would you compare AT&T to VZW and T-Mo? I have U-verse with AT&T and have been happy with it, but haven't heard the greatest things about their mobile services.
They don't seem to offer an unlimited plan, but 2G 'should' be enough and is a little less expensive than the other unlimited plans. Amazon is offering the Captivate for free with contract right now, while the other Galaxy phones are $40-$50 in other places.

Sorry, I know I'm asking a lot, trying to decide on a device and service, but you've already been a great help

 

[Medion]

Are all the Galaxy S phones (Captivate, Fascinate, Vibrant) the same? Aside from a different designed shell, are the internals and build quality all equal?

Same basic hardware (Hummingbird SOC @ 1ghz, 4" SAMOLED screen). Continum (2nd Galaxy S on Verizon) is a 3.4" screen with a ticker at the bottom. I'm not a fan of it and don't recommend it.

Basically, the CDMA Galaxy phones (Epic/Fascinate) have 2GB internal, 16GB MicroSD included, camera with LED flash, and the Sprint version has a slide out qwerty and a front-facing cam (FFC). The GSM versions (Vibrant/Captivate) have 16GB internal, and the Vibrant comes with a 2GB MicroSD pre-loaded with content. Not sure on the Captivate. Neither of the GSM versions have an LED flash for the camera or an FFC, but their night-mode is still outstanding. The Nexus S comes with the FFC, the camera flash AND 16GB internal storage, but again, no support for any external storage. Also, it uses Vanilla Android.

I think that about covers the differences. I prefer the Captivate of all the Galaxy phones (best build quality by far, and when rooted doesn't have issues with AT&T side-loading). Nexus is off my list due to 16GB limit.

Also, since you seem to know your carriers, how would you compare AT&T to VZW and T-Mo? I have U-verse with AT&T and have been happy with it, but haven't heard the greatest things about their mobile services.
They don't seem to offer an unlimited plan, but 2G 'should' be enough and is a little less expensive than the other unlimited plans. Amazon is offering the Captivate for free with contract right now, while the other Galaxy phones are $40-$50 in other places.

Carrier coverage is like this. AT&T (GSM) and Verizon (CDMA) are true nationwide voice carriers. T-Mobile (GSM) and Sprint (CDMA) roam on them to get their nationwide voice access, which they do not have natively. Verizon's ENTIRE footprint is 3G, and they plan to have their entire footprint as 4G by end of 2014. They don't like dropoffs and dropped calls. AT&T has a wide 3G area, but mostly around urban markets and highways. T-Mobile's 3G footprint is smaller still. Sprint has a sporadic 3G footprint that seems to be better than AT&T's. When roaming, T-Mobile and Sprint are limited to 2G data speeds. Also, Sprint only allows customers to use up to 250MB of data when roaming on Verizon, per month, even on unlimited plans. Not sure if T-Mobile has any such restrictions.

As far as coverage/performance, I rate them as Verizon > AT&T = Sprint > T-Mobile, with the caveat that this is all dependent on where you live (even Verizon has deadzones not covered by roaming agreements). In terms of price, I rate them T-Mobile (off-contract) > Sprint > T-Mobile (on contract) > AT&T = Verizon (the latter two dependent on if you prefer unlimited data or a cheaper 2GB cap).

I always tell people, choose the carrier first, then choose the phone. For me, it was Verizon, no contest. On their network, I prefer the Incredible, and still do. But if your area is all 3G/4G on T-Mobile, and you don't travel a lot (or need a GPS when you do), then T-Mobile is fine, and you have 3 excellent phones to choose from. I'd go with the MyTouch 4G, but again, that's my preference.

Let me know if you have any further questions. And please consider further input, as my opinions on carriers are far from the de-facto truth. Everyone has an opinion on these carriers.

 

[takeshi]

Personally, I'll use the phone for a little bit of everything: games, music, web/email/news, GPS, etc. The wife loves her Facebook and music, maybe light web use.

Selecting a device is always about finding what suits you best. I don't really see anything above that would really make one device stand out amongst all the others except that faster processors never hurt with gaming. Have you looked at any in person to assess your preferences for physical characteristics?

The DInc seems very popular, but I believe it's a little older, will it still be a great phone in one year? or two?

Unless you're the type to stick with a smartphone for 2-3 years or more, no.

Also, I've used Verizon and know the coverage is great, but I've never used T-Mobile. Are they comparable to Verizon, service-wise?

If you're asking about coverage you really need to ask people that use TMO in your area. General discussions about coverage are pointless despite how the carrier fanboys tout their carriers as "the best".

It seems like I might be able to get better pricing with T-Mo, but I'm a little hesitant since I haven't used them first-hand.

Every carrier gives you time to cancel without ETF. Make the most of that period to evaluate the new carrier and decide if you don't want to go with them after all.

Verizon's entire footprint is 3G

Is it really? I do recall ending up with 1xRTT coverage on several occasions.

I always tell people, choose the carrier first, then choose the phone.

This cannot be emphasized enough.

But if your area is all 3G/4G on T-Mobile, and you don't travel a lot (or need a GPS when you do), then T-Mobile is fine

What's the reason for the GPS comment?

I'd suggest considering a GSM carrier if you travel a lot internationally (or at least a global phone from the CDMA carriers).

 

[dan330]

to Medion,

most of what you say is true...but...

Epic only have 512mb / 512mb
Samsung Epic 4G - Full phone specifications

Sprint is a nationwide carrier.
and have very good coverage.
they have true unlimited plans..
where they have lapse in coverage or weak.. they roam on Verizon.

OP..
You do not want a big screen..
give Sprint a look: EVO Shift 4G is coming on Jan 9, 2011.
Epic is a Galaxy S phone with a keyboard.
If you do like TMobile... my vote is for Mytouch4g

 

[Bodex]

I believe I'll be going with Verizon, so I guess the other phones are out. I live in the metro Detroit area, but some of my family lives in pretty rural areas (one person who will be on my family plan in a few months included), so Verizon does sound like a safer bet, although slightly more expensive than the others.

Takeshi, I've been able to play briefly with a working Incredible and a dummy Fascinate. They both felt fine in the hand, but I do like the idea of having the nicer screen on the Fascinate.

I think I've pretty much decided on the Fascinate, but a few things are making me worry a little... A good deal of the reviews I've read have a lot of negativity about Bing being the default search, and of course the issue of Samsung being slow to update to 2.2. Most of the reviews I've read are a little old however. Are these still major concerns? Is 2.2 around the corner or nowhere in sight?

As I said, I don't mind tinkering with, rooting, etc. my phone to make it do more/better. I was able to get my crappy Android tablet running on stock 2.1 thanks mostly to a lot of reading and some great directions from the devs. How is the hacking community for the Fascinate? It doesn't seem like it's quite as popular as some other similar phones... and it always seems like the most popular devices see the most work from hackers/developers.

To dan330, I would love to wait for the latest/greatest phone tech, but those come with a premium price. The only reason I'm looking at these phones now is because the prices have dropped to almost nothing... and exactly nothing in the case of the incredible I can justify spending the $40-50 more for the Fascinate if it is worthwhile though.


I'm probably being way too picky with this, since any of these Android phones would be great, but I just like to be sure of my decisions when I'm spending money and/or getting stuck with them for 24 months

Thanks again all for the great feedback!

 

[Medion]

Is it really? I do recall ending up with 1xRTT coverage on several occasions.

Yes, the entire footprint is 3G. However, when you hit a congested area, you'll sometimes fall back to 1x. That will happen to me even in the middle of the city. But, it's usually short term. Some rural areas, while also 3G, aren't set up to handle thousands of simultaneous connestions, so you'll hit 1x there as well.

What's the reason for the GPS comment?

If you're using Google Maps, it doesn't let you download the entire map like a real GPS, though it will cache your route fairly well now. Prior to their route caching update, if you went outside of a data coverage area, your GPS stopped working. Not sure how well it works with the caching now, but I'm not a gambler.

to Medion,

most of what you say is true...but...

Epic only have 512mb / 512mb
Samsung Epic 4G - Full phone specifications

Sprint is a nationwide carrier.
and have very good coverage.
they have true unlimited plans..
where they have lapse in coverage or weak.. they roam on Verizon.

Thanks for the correction on the Epic. So, that phone has up to 512MB for storage (probably not that much accessible).

Also, Sprint and T-Mobile are Nationwide carriers because they roam so much on Verizon and AT&T respectively. They don't have their own true nationwide setup yet, as VZW and ATT do. Also, Sprint doesn't have true unlimited anymore. On 4G, there's no cap, but you're still limited to 250MB of roaming data. On 3G, there's a cap of 5GB, and you still have the 250MB roaming cap. It's in the fine print.

 

[dan330]

Also, Sprint and T-Mobile are Nationwide carriers because they roam so much on Verizon and AT&T respectively. They don't have their own true nationwide setup yet, as VZW and ATT do. Also, Sprint doesn't have true unlimited anymore. On 4G, there's no cap, but you're still limited to 250MB of roaming data. On 3G, there's a cap of 5GB, and you still have the 250MB roaming cap. It's in the fine print.

i will argue....

true.... while roaming there is a point you will start to be charged with data usage... over 250 or 300mb.. not sure.
what is the limit on Verizon or ATT? Tmobile has a speed cap at 5gb.. they will turn down the speed way down.

i do travel some.. and i seldom see roaming warning on my phone. I still think sprint has really good coverage.
a quick check at sprint webstie and you will know if the areas in question have sprint or not.

Cap... on sprint there is a 5gb cap.. but only on modem devices..NOT on phones. NOT on 3g or 4g.... while in coverage area, it is unlimited!

 

[Medion]

I'm sorry that you disagree with me. I'll try to better clarify my point.

i will argue....

true.... while roaming there is a point you will start to be charged with data usage... over 250 or 300mb.. not sure.

It's 250MB according to the Sprint terms of service.

what is the limit on Verizon or ATT? Tmobile has a speed cap at 5gb.. they will turn down the speed way down.

AT&T had a 5GB cap on their "unlimited" plan. While most people had no problems going a little over, AT&T reserved the right to terminate your account for going over. T-Mobile throttles your speed to 64kbps after you hit 5GB. Verizon has a 5GB cap on data modem users, but is truly unlimited on smartphones (for now).

i do travel some.. and i seldom see roaming warning on my phone. I still think sprint has really good coverage.
a quick check at sprint webstie and you will know if the areas in question have sprint or not.

Oh trust me, they have great coverage. However, they don't have the voice footprint that ATT/VZW have, which is why they have roaming agreements setup to alleviate that. I list them as being on par with AT&T or only slightly behind.

Cap... on sprint there is a 5gb cap.. but only on modem devices..NOT on phones. NOT on 3g or 4g.... while in coverage area, it is unlimited!

One of the perks Sprint promoted as part of the extra $10 that Evo/Epic users have to pay is that the 5GB cap is removed as part of that service.

From reading some articles while responding, it seems that Sprint saw the positive reaction from the truly unlimited 4G plan, and bumped 3G users up to the same. But, make no mistake, they did have a 5GB cap on EVDO data plans for smartphones until very recently. Still, I appreciate the correction.

 

[dan330]

I believe I'll be going with Verizon, so I guess the other phones are out. I live in the metro Detroit area, but some of my family lives in pretty rural areas (one person who will be on my family plan in a few months included), so Verizon does sound like a safer bet, although slightly more expensive than the others.

Takeshi, I've been able to play briefly with a working Incredible and a dummy Fascinate. They both felt fine in the hand, but I do like the idea of having the nicer screen on the Fascinate.

I think I've pretty much decided on the Fascinate, but a few things are making me worry a little... A good deal of the reviews I've read have a lot of negativity about Bing being the default search, and of course the issue of Samsung being slow to update to 2.2. Most of the reviews I've read are a little old however. Are these still major concerns? Is 2.2 around the corner or nowhere in sight?

As I said, I don't mind tinkering with, rooting, etc. my phone to make it do more/better. I was able to get my crappy Android tablet running on stock 2.1 thanks mostly to a lot of reading and some great directions from the devs. How is the hacking community for the Fascinate? It doesn't seem like it's quite as popular as some other similar phones... and it always seems like the most popular devices see the most work from hackers/developers.

To dan330, I would love to wait for the latest/greatest phone tech, but those come with a premium price. The only reason I'm looking at these phones now is because the prices have dropped to almost nothing... and exactly nothing in the case of the incredible I can justify spending the $40-50 more for the Fascinate if it is worthwhile though.


I'm probably being way too picky with this, since any of these Android phones would be great, but I just like to be sure of my decisions when I'm spending money and/or getting stuck with them for 24 months

Thanks again all for the great feedback!

if you like verizon.. that is cool.. they have a great selection of phones.

Fascinate...is a Galaxy S phone from Samsung.
History has shown that Samsung only cares about selling the phone.. then move on to the next great phone from them. Look at any of the past smartphones from samsung.. and read all the complaints about support.

all Galaxy S on other carriers have android's google search. because ATT wants to keep apple happy.. they have always did something to all android phones to make them a little less. Bing is by microsoft on a google phone.

The Galaxy S phones are great.. as they are.. Do not expect it to be supported to much by samsung.

 

[Medion]

if you like verizon.. that is cool.. they have a great selection of phones.

Fascinate...is a Galaxy S phone from Samsung.
History has shown that Samsung only cares about selling the phone.. then move on to the next great phone from them. Look at any of the past smartphones from samsung.. and read all the complaints about support.

all Galaxy S on other carriers have android's google search. because ATT wants to keep apple happy.. they have always did something to all android phones to make them a little less. Bing is by microsoft on a google phone.

The Galaxy S phones are great.. as they are.. Do not expect it to be supported to much by samsung.

The problem with Samsung hasn't been updates so much as speed of udpates. They were one of the few to update a WinMo 6.1 Professional device to 6.5 (the Samsung Epix). They announced the updated about 6 months after the phone had been fully discontinued (which is unheard of) and then actually delivered it. I can't think of another single WinMo 6.1 Pro phone that got an update from 6.1 to 6.5.

They also delivered on their Behold II update after many had thought it was dead. All indications from Samsung are that the Galaxy S line is there flagship line to compete with the iPhone, and as such, will see an annual hardware refresh plus continuing software support.

I'm willing to bet that, while my HTC Incredible will get updates faster than the Samsung Fascinate, that ultimately, the Fascinate ends up with a more recent Android OS. I think that the Incredible will stop at either 2.2+new sense, or 2.3. I'd be willing to bet that Samsung puts at least Honeycomb on the Galaxy S line.

But again, this is all speculation. Samsung's support hasn't been absent as some claim, just really slow.

 

[dan330]

AT&T had a 5GB cap on their "unlimited" plan. While most people had no problems going a little over, AT&T reserved the right to terminate your account for going over. T-Mobile throttles your speed to 64kbps after you hit 5GB. Verizon has a 5GB cap on data modem users, but is truly unlimited on smartphones (for now).

One of the perks Sprint promoted as part of the extra $10 that Evo/Epic users have to pay is that the 5GB cap is removed as part of that service.

From reading some articles while responding, it seems that Sprint saw the positive reaction from the truly unlimited 4G plan, and bumped 3G users up to the same. But, make no mistake, they did have a 5GB cap on EVDO data plans for smartphones until very recently. Still, I appreciate the correction.

the OP will be a new contract with new phone.. if i read his post correctly.

all grandfather accounts in past at att and verizon.. is unlimited... but now new contracts are tiered. at 3 to 4 levels. something like: (both are different)
250mb-300mb for $15 - $20ish
2Gbish...
5GBish...
8gbish...$50 -$80ish
no unlimited options.

sprint unlimited plan on both 3g and 4g... has always been unlimited for phones. other than the roaming thing.

what you are talking about is the modem or hotspot devices.. ex: wireless devices to plug into your laptop and the Overdrive hotspot. That is where there was a cap.. and which with 4G it is uncapped.

 

[dan330]

The problem with Samsung hasn't been updates so much as speed of udpates. They were one of the few to update a WinMo 6.1 Professional device to 6.5 (the Samsung Epix). They announced the updated about 6 months after the phone had been fully discontinued (which is unheard of) and then actually delivered it. I can't think of another single WinMo 6.1 Pro phone that got an update from 6.1 to 6.5.

I had the HTC Touch Pro 2... it was on win 6.1.
before I sold it...
I loaded the official 6.5 update and it updated perfectly.

saw that update on sprint's site and got the file from HTC's site.

 

[EarlyMon]

OP..
You do not want a big screen..

I don't think that you can know that because that's entirely a personal choice.

I absolutely agree that the nearly-perfect Android phone exists and here's how to get it:

1. Choose the right carrier for you
2. Survey their available Android phones
3. Buy the most you can afford taking both performance and your preferences for form factor into account

Maybe also consider putting the new Verizon phone, code-named HTC Thunderbolt (Desire HD-class with kickstand, DInc was Desire-class, with Verizon 4G) on your list. SKUs were reported an hour ago going into Verizon's system. I mention this not as an HTC lover or Samsung hater or out to add confusion, but because you said that one of your primary uses was GPS - HTC is said to be ahead in that regard.

And maybe push Verizon, point blank, what specials they may be running when CES hits - Jan 6. I don't know their track record, but it's just commerce in today's economy - new models are being announced for various stuff in the coming week.

 

[lordofthereef]

Regarding TMO, I have lived in various areas of California, and now Iowa. We had TMO for a while, but reception was spotty, even inside a map where it was supposed to be good (we lived near LA for heaven's sakes!). We swapped over to Verizon when the contract was up but got screwed with a non-working phone that they were unwilling to help us out with... at all, so we dropped them like a bad habit. Went back to TMO as we moved out to IOWA, and reception was ok, but weak inside buildings and couldn't get good enough reception to hold a phonecall inside our home (and these are our primary lines), so we switched to ATT (we actually loved the coverage but not so much the bill). Now we are on Sprint and are happy with all of it. Everyone's milage may vary. I loved TMO's customer service (they actually let us kill our contract 8 months early because of the problems we were having without additional fees), but the network just wasn't there. As I udnerstand it, they have done quite a bit of improving in the past year though.

 

[dan330]

I don't think that you can know that because that's entirely a personal choice.

Hi.... I think you miss-understood what I was saying.

I was not telling him to "not get big screens".
I was confirming that he dont like big screens. so I was staying away from the big screens. Read the last line of the first post of the OP.

 

[EarlyMon]

^Ah - I was confuzed.

OK, my bad.

 

[Bodex]

Thanks again all who commented and gave their opinions. It was all very helpful for me to make a comfortable decision.

I pulled the trigger today on three Fascinate's with Verizon for myself, wife and brother. Really looking forward to when they arrive... and the subsequent pleasures/pains I'll surely have with rooting/hacking, etc