Need a BB-style Android phone with good battery life

[JHW]

Folks --

I am a happy Android user and have an HTC Desire Z. A family member has a basic Nokia texting phone (Nokia C3) and I would like to get her an Android phone so that she can have her Google e-mail and calendar on-the-go. I will buy the phone second-hand / unlocked. We are in Canada.

Key criteria:

• QWERTY is a must, prefer BB form factor
• Good battery life (especially on standby)
• As lightweight as possible

She doesn't have a data plan (will use Wifi only) and I will likely set the phone to use 2G only, to save battery life. (It is notoriously difficult to estimate battery life from reviews, as they don't generally look at standby time or non-data usage)

Trying to keep the cost as low as possible, I've been looking at a few models:

• HTC Status
• LG Gossip Pro
• Sony Xperia Mini Pro

Which of these (or another phone) would be preferred, given my criteria?

TIA

 

[blisterpeanuts]

You could try a used Blackberry instead; their keyboards are probably the best, and she can do her gmail and calendar on the browser.

 

[JHW]

Thanks, but she doesn't want to pay for a data plan, and if she needs the browser to look at Gmail or Google Calendar, she won't be able to look at them when she is away from Wifi.

 

[MSUgEEk]

Check this phone out. Not sure of cost but it came to mind when you said BB style.

DROID Pro by MOTOROLA - Business Cell Phone - Overview - Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA

 

[breadnatty08]

It's certainly dated, but can you get an unlocked Motorola Droid Pro? Only other qwerty I know of is the HTC Status. Not sure I can really recommend it, but it looks to be a solid beginner smartphone.
(both are pretty old though)

 

[blisterpeanuts]

Thanks, but she doesn't want to pay for a data plan, and if she needs the browser to look at Gmail or Google Calendar, she won't be able to look at them when she is away from Wifi.

I'm pretty sure you can import gmail/gcal into a BB. But otherwise, maybe she'd like a cheap refurbished Android, except most of them don't have physical keyboards.

I got my wife an LG android phone a few months ago, and she's adapted to it pretty well, after some initial resistance. Both she and I loved our old Palm Pilots, which were so much better integrated and offline-functional than modern smartphones, but once you get used to android/iPhone power, it's hard to go back

 

[candroid11]

I don't know every droid phone since there are just too many, but I noticed that the HTC Status is very similar in shape to a BB, and it has a qwerty keyboard as part of the hardware. I held one in my hand and it feels great. Not for me though because I need a large touchscreen.