Suggestions on which phone is best for my needs...keyword being MY needs

[nuggets_fan]

So I'm new here and I'm having a serious debate as to which carrier/phone to go with that best suites MY needs. From the looks of it, it seems like everyone thinks their phone is best and never seem to take into consideration that everyone is different and has different wants. This makes it extremely hard to find out which phone would give me the best experience for what I want. Now obviously my two options are the EVO or the droid x. Or possibly waiting for something else to drop.

So it here it goes...I am a basketball nut (see username). I love to watch all NBA basketball games regardless of the team or time of season. If I picked up a smartphone with the unlimited data plan, the only thing that really matters to me is being able to watch my games wherever I want. When it comes to the web, I

 

[IOWA]

Samsung Galaxy S Pro specs leak out? -- Engadget

Check that out. It's going to be a 4G phone as well(with keyboard!). Should be dropping real soon.

Trust a fellow chicagoan

 

[HustlinDaily]

There is an NBA League Pass app! It is $10 (though can be downloaded online illegally) and I hear it streams well well through WiFi (only thing is, you can't watch local games. But since you are a Duggets fan in Chicago, should not be a problem for you).

If you plan on watching basketball games outside of a WiFi area, then it would be smartest to get 4G. Verizon is expected to be rolling out LTE in early 2011, if you can wait til then (should be around midseason), then the best phone probably will be the Droid X due next month (4.3" screen, great CPU/GPU in OMAP, expected to be a great phone).

If you cannot wait til early 2011, then Sprint already has a 4G network, which as you stated, is fast in your area. I think it should be fast enough to stream NBA games as it is as faster than low end DSL.

Sprint has 2 phones which I think can suit your needs. The Evo 4G which is currently out and the Samsung Galaxy S Pro which should be due sometime this summer.

Evo 4G:
4.3" Screen with kickstand (plus for viewing games)
-LCD screen

Galaxy S Pro:
-4" Screen (probably big enough, not as big obviously)
-Keyboard (if you don't like virtual keyboards, then this would be better for your document editing. I personally use Swype and am used to it, so I don't consider it a big deal)
-Faster CPU/GPU (Samsung Hummingbird. Fastest of any Android phone. Evo 4G has a good processor in Snapdragon but Hummingbird is better. Could be better for your streaming video)
-Super AMOLED screen

Here is a video which compares LCD (Xperia X10- left), AMOLED (Desire- center) and Super AMOLED (Galaxy S- right) in DIRECT sunlight- YouTube - Galaxy S vs X10 vs Desire in direct sunlight


Both have promised FroYo updates in the second half of this year, so around the time bball season starts, you should get full flash in the case that you do not like the NBALP app.

 

[takeshi]

On top of that, I checked their 4G coverage map and my house has good reception (in-building reception) as well as my college which are two places I would be using it most of the time.

Checking a coverage map is a good start but you need to confirm that coverage meets your needs once you have the device (and before your return window closes). I've run into plenty of situations where a coverage map indicated good coverage and I had poor to no coverage.

From the looks of it, it seems like everyone thinks their phone is best and never seem to take into consideration that everyone is different and has different wants.

It's typical. Once you get a better understanding of how features meet or don't meet your requirements you can cut through the bias a bit easier. Most people apparently can't see past their own noses when it comes to this.

 

[nuggets_fan]

Thx for the link IOWA, that's a phone I was definitely considering...

...

Dude, I can't thank you enough for that info. Thank you for actually reading my essay and suggesting a phone/service and backing it up with actualy specs that matter for what I want such as the processor and screen which I had no clue about.

I was definitely thinking about waiting for the glaxy s pro specifically because if it's virtual keyboard which I find much better than the virtual one, but my LG Dare keyboard is probably way behind the responsiveness of the current phones, though I still think hard keys is beneficial to the documents as you said.

There's and nba leage pass app?? I had no clue about that. That's realy awesome. I guess I have more research to do when it comes to 3G and 4G though and actually seeing the difference. Maybe I can go to Sprint and ask to see the EVO running the same webpage with one on the 3G and the other on 4G. Anyways, thanks again for all that useful info, the best help I've had yet.

 

[cds0699]

IOWA, Are you considering getting the Samsung Galaxy S pro if it comes out as described?

 

[HustlinDaily]

Thx for the link IOWA, that's a phone I was definitely considering...



Dude, I can't thank you enough for that info. Thank you for actually reading my essay and suggesting a phone/service and backing it up with actualy specs that matter for what I want such as the processor and screen which I had no clue about.

I was definitely thinking about waiting for the glaxy s pro specifically because if it's virtual keyboard which I find much better than the virtual one, but my LG Dare keyboard is probably way behind the responsiveness of the current phones, though I still think hard keys is beneficial to the documents as you said.

There's and nba leage pass app?? I had no clue about that. That's realy awesome. I guess I have more research to do when it comes to 3G and 4G though and actually seeing the difference. Maybe I can go to Sprint and ask to see the EVO running the same webpage with one on the 3G and the other on 4G. Anyways, thanks again for all that useful info, the best help I've had yet.

Yeah dude you are welcome.

As for NBALP- NBA League Pass Mobile v1.2.1 Application for Android | Sports . I have never used it (playoffs are blacked out and I got my phone during the postseason. Don't think I would use it much as I am a huge Rockets fan who lives in the greater Houston area and I TiVo every game) but ratings seem pretty hit or miss. Apparently local games/natl TV games are blacked out and games that don't sell out may be blacked out (ridiculous). Picture quality is not HD and audio lags about a second (don't think that is too big of a deal and am sure as time goes on, they will update the app). However, replays of all previous games are available at any time (which is a major plus. That alone is worth the $10 cost of the app imo).

But as previously stated, both phones are promised updates during the 2nd half of this year. Once it updates to FroYo, you will get full flash support (though, 1 year ago, Samsung promised 2.0 for the Behold II which they never delivered on. However, the Galaxy S is a far more powerful phone and a Samsung flagship phone which they intend to release a variant of on over 100 carriers around the world). Once that update comes, you can always watch it on Justin.tv (and it is nice because the NBA season starts late in the year).


But yeah, I think it would be smartest to go into a Sprint phone and play around with the Evo to test how fast 4G is. Maybe download the Speedtest app and run a test on 4G, then go home and run the same Speedtest on your PC to see how speeds compare to your WiFi. Maybe do the same thing in a Verizon store to see how speeds compare to their 3G.




On another note, I read somewhere that Verizon is going to use tiered data plans (like AT&T recently introduced) for their LTE 4G. While it may be faster, if you intend on streaming video, you absolutely need unlimited data making Sprint a better choice there.

 

[IOWA]

IOWA, Are you considering getting the Samsung Galaxy S pro if it comes out as described?

Definitely a phone I've got my eye on, however, it won't be until november that I make my move.