No good Android Sliders on T-mo?

[dbpaddler]

Have my old Sprint rep working for T-mobile and he's putting the press on me to switch our business account. Small potatoes in the grand scheme of corporate, but $26k per year isn't chump change either. We have quite a few Epics on the account and three of the big selling features are the 4" screen, dedicated number row and the 4 directional keys at the bottom right of the keyboard.

So the sidekick 4g and upcoming mytouch 4g slider seem quite lackluster. Small screens, no directional pads (though the Sidekick has a dedicated # row), and we can throw bulky in there too.

Just a shame to see such lackluster sliders coming on all fronts this year. The Moto Droid 3 (Milestone 3) is looking to be top notch. The LG G2x version that might be coming to Sprint will be a slider version if rumors are true. It's a shame there's no 4" love elsewhere.

 

[smoky]

I have a g2 and its a good slider phone

 

[dbpaddler]

As I mentioned....no 4" + screen, 5 row keyboard or cursor keys for secondary nav (essential for text editing and text nav in general). The optical pad just doesn't cut it. Besides, if people are getting new phones in the switch, making a lateral move that's also a couple steps back to what we have now and then be stuck with it for the next year or two just isn't happening.

It's a shame HTC makes a wp7 phone nobody wants in a form factore everybody does want in the Arrive with that nice tilt up screen and five row keyboard, yet shows none of that love to any of the android phones on any carrier. That tp2 like design in a 4+ inch slider would make for a spacious well laid out keyboard.

My rep said there is a g2 replacement coming next month and that's what we'll want, but I haven't seen any leaks or info on anything the 4g slide so I'll have to dig a little deeper.

My rep did say the

 

[smoky]

I went to a tmobile store bout 3days ago..they said the mytouch 4g slide was coming out by the end of the year..don't know if you wanna wait that long though

 

[dbpaddler]

Again.....

3.7" screen...no go
No dedicated # row....no go
No directional cursor keys....no go

The epic set a nice standard for many at my work. The droid 3 (milestone 3) is the only other known 4" slider that fits the criteria. Possibly the Sprint version of the LG G2x will fit the bill. Don't get how there can be so many 4+ inch slates and such a lack of sliders to compliment.

 

[nateap87]

sounds like you're living in the past. get over your need for a hardware keyboard and you'll be much happier. i used to be the same way. nothing matched up with my g1's keyboard and perfectly place trackball. nothing! then i got the OG droid and hated the keyboard so much that i got used to using on screen keyboards. also, i don't think you have the right to say that any phone is bulky if you're praising your epic. i STRONGLY recommend that you try the sensation, g2x, g2, mt4g and really those are the only phones anyone should consider.

 

[dbpaddler]

Sorry, but you have zero idea how others use their phones. And I've also owned a Hero and Evo for quite a bit. For "real work" a keyboard is key. It is not just about typing. That is part of it, but it's the screen real estate you give up to the keyboard. Makes working in DTG a bear on an ongoing basis. Editing text is just so much easier with a real keyboard and cursor keys. Selecting, cutting and pasting are a breeze. Has nothing to do with living in the past. It has to do with some people thinking they know how everyone should use their phone and a lack of acknowledgement of what works for some doesn't work for others. And if you're really trying to be constructive, leave the first sentence out. But I don't think you are.

And for a slider, the Epic isn't bulky for what it offers, and it's lighter than the 4" HTC slates as well as the 3.7" HTC Sliders. Not to mention fitting nicer in the hand with its rounded edges. It's also the same thickness as some of the newer smaller screened sliders out there.

 

[nateap87]

Its lightness is a major complaint by most. Also, i'd be willing to say the people that take the time to learn the on screen keyboard are just as efficient as people with a hardware. Don't come asking for advice, then getting butt hurt. Grow up.
So, obviously having these features on your phone is worth the 26k a year. i know this sounds rude but the fact is there's no phone that meets your list of requirements. it's tmobile. they're more focused on cheaper plans which appeal more to younger people which is why they have the trendiest line up of phones. sprint on the other hand appeals to businesses especially with the touch to talk feature. that explains why the epic is perfect for you. your BEST option is the g2. hands down. that's as close as you're gonna get.

 

[dbpaddler]

Not by those that own it. It's the Evo owners that equate weight with quality. I'll take lighter in the pocket any day.

And i didn't ask for advice, i asked where the real sliders were. I didn't ask for a very narrow opinion of why someone thinks his way of using the phone is the right way for all. Open up something in word or excel on your desktop. Work with it a bit. Then take your keyboard and slap it up on the bottom half of the screen and see how easy it is to work with.

And having these features worth 26k? You mean if I switch to T-mobile it's all free? It's more like if tmob saves $2k a year, is it worth it to switch to phones people aren't necessarily happy with. I'm not the only Epic user, and there are two more that want them. And touch to talk? talk about someone living in the past which is where the g2 is, the past. On its way to EOL. Makes zero sense to jump into a 2yr contract on a phone that's getting eol'd with its successor on the horizon, which i'll hopefully find out about on Thursday. Should be interesting to see because I haven't seen any sort of leaks of a G2 successor.

And Evo3d, Moto Photon 4g, GS2, and the rumored next iphone aren't trendy? Though the BB Bold Touch and a Gx2 slider are coming as well for those of us that need keyboards. I also know and see a few younger trendy types in college and just beyond that using Epics and Shifts because a keyboard is a must. Not to mention many of the comparison threads with the Shift and Epic have plenty of activity from the younger crowd. So you really need to break out of this shell of how you think people should use their phones, because young and old, work or pleasure, not everyone shares your sense of what is efficient and what works for them.

 

[nateap87]

It's not a shell. It's a marketing observation. Tmobile phones are usually colorful as opposed to sprints phones which usually have more stream lined industrial designs. Why would I use excel on my phone? I would think someone that was so business oriented would have a laptop for such a thing. Also, touch to talk is still commonly used in work yards for obvious reasons. And I misunderstood the part about 26k. I thought that's how much you'd be saving by switching. So obviously you already knew the answer to your question before you came here. Don't see what the point of bitching about lack of business friendly phones on a carrier that markets towards younger people is

 

[dbpaddler]

I actually came here thinking some people on tmo or into tmo might know something I couldn't find. Wasn't looking for one person's view on how i'm supposed to use a phone.

And why would I break out the tablet or laptop when i can be plenty productive with a single device? I do invoicing, update pricing, check out powerpoint presentations, write proposals and so forth on my phone. I have my home laptop synced up to sugarsync so all my work files make it to my 32gb card on my phone. I edit, create, update and so forth on my phone, and it's updated on my laptop. I'll also play a few games (much easier with four way cursor keys than a trackpad or on screen), roam the forums and do all the other basics. But this thing called convergence has allowed us to not have to carry a plethora of devices at all times. If the Epic had video out, I'd be doing presentations from it at work.

And touch to talk is a niche, it is far from being the thing sprint is known for anymore.

And you're quite wrong about who tmobile markets to. Well, just not completely right. Tmobile has a whole business side, dedicated business reps who very actively pursue new business. It was the one reason my sprint rep was lured away, and he's actually been very successful in bringing some of his sprint customers over. You know how many "younger people" it takes to bring in $2100/mo?

 

[nateap87]

The 4 major us carriers pursue businesses. It's not exclusive. It's just sprint advertises making video conference calls with business men. Where as tmobile usually has more "hip" commercials. I wasn't trying to tell you how to use your phone. I was just trying to say that it's definitely worth getting used to a virtual keyboard. Then you'd have to lot more options. The only keyboard handset known so far is the my touch 4g slide.

 

[alostpacket]

Try and keep it civil guys, spirited debate is good, but repect for others is also good

 

[dbpaddler]

Seemed to be just spirited to me once we put the no keyboard topic to rest

 

[dbpaddler]

Fyi..... Sidekick 4g > G2. If they would've filled some of that bezel with screen, it'd be a nice phone, goofy hard button layout aside. The slider is solid, well constructed and looks fixable should something go wrong. Definitely a nice backup phone.

 

[aci78]

check out the specs on the soon to be out mytouch 4g slider. Looks to be perfect for your needs.

 

[dbpaddler]

It's nowhere close. It's a nice camera and dual core processor wrapped in an aged rehashed design. Small 3.7" wvga screen. So no 4+ inch screen or qHD res. Not asking for both, but the former should be a prereq. No dedicated number row. Two button presses for a number belongs on portrait keyboards only. And directional cursor keys are much more functional than an optical pad especially when it's not near the keyboard.

The TP2 and Arrive should be their reference design to improve upon for future sliders, not this. A 4+ inch slightly thinner version of the Arrive would make for a flagship device that competes against the droid 3, epic/epic 2 and possibly a g2x slider.

check out the specs on the soon to be out mytouch 4g slider. Looks to be perfect for your needs.

 

[aci78]

I missed the part about 4" or better ( and I agree) but the 1.2 dual core processor and 8 mp camera with a supposed zero shutter lag is a major improvement over the last mytouch slider. You may want to be patient and wait for the new version of the Epic. It will take awhile, but it will be a great phone.

 

[nateap87]

He wanted an epic on tmobile to save his business some money. The closest you'll get for a while is the mt4g slide. It's screen is 0.2 inches smaller and no row for numbers but it's a great phone. I got to play with one at work.

 

[dbpaddler]

The moto droid 3 is going to bell. Does t-mob do hspa+ on 2100 band? The Bell version is 850/1900/2100. Think that covers Tmo's bases and would do their 4g as well.

I actually didn't care for the 4g slide keyboard. It's the same layout as the G2. Gimmicky www key in an odd placement. The custom keys taking up real estate, and the trackpad on the screen part is more cumbersome to use than actual cursor keys on the right side of the keyboard. I do a lot of invoicing, pricing and such in DTG and trying to get the other reps doing the same. The number row and cursor keys are much more useful than a couple custom keys and www key.

and the screen is .3" smaller. Actually makes a difference, again, having used the G2 for a bit. I actually preferred the Sidekick 4g to the G2. Shame the screen is so small.