Mermaids, Unicorns and iSync Compatible Phones

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm starting to look for a cell phone in earnest. I still don't like them, but when they're useful they're useful.



So, I figured I might as well try to take advantage of this whole Digital Hub thing and get an iSync compatible phone. After an evening looking around, I'm beginning to think that a search for flying pigs would be more fruitful. The iSync compatible devices I can find are mostly these huge bricks with thumb keyboards and a raftload of things that I don't care about for a price about five times higher than I'm willing to go.



Undoubtedly, some of this is due to my location. Wireless service is an iffier proposition out here than it is in, say, New York City. Cingular doesn't offer service in Iowa at all. Most other providers offer maybe ten phones, and those are mostly LG and Samsung. But even AT&T Wireless, the most phone-rich service available, currently lists a whole slew of phones that don't show up on the iSync page, and a handful of bricks that do.



It's kind of depressing.



Is anyone else in this pickle? It's not really that big a deal, because I have an iPod and I can sync that, but some things like Address Book would be better suited on a phone.



Ignoring iSync compatibility, are there any phones I should avoid? I'm basically looking for solid construction, a good phone UI (hardware and software), good reception, clear sound... basically, a solid, well-made phone.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Amorph, I've struggled with the whole coverage/phone with features thing for a long time. For a while, I thought I'd settled on a GSM service at the expense of coverage. But, I decided that I couldn't do that and have a good phone.



    Bottom line is Verizon wireless has the best coverage but their phones are complete jokes. I believe they have a couple iSync compatible phones but the majority of their phones are from the stone age, technologically speaking.



    I don't know what your coverage area is like, but GSM is probably not a good bet for you. That means you're stuck with ancient phones. Sorry. The best you could probably do (affordably, that is) is the Moto t720. I've heard bad things about that phone, though. :/ Sorry.



    But there is hope: BitPIM is under development and it will open up your options considerably. When I last used it, it was pretty primitive but it made entering the majority of my numbers much easier. I'd check the howardforums.com vendor specific forums for more details.



    Good luck. (you'll need it....)
  • Reply 2 of 12
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I'm in the same boat, Amorph, and being the greater NYC metro area doesn't help much. Ignoring the iSync issues for a moment, friends and family have tried to dissuade me from literally every service around here for one reason or many. Verizon is expensive, they have lousy customer support and their phones stink. Cingular's coverage stinks around here. AT&T is terrible at everything except the phones. (FYI, Cingulcar brings AT&T Wireless into the fold at the end of the year.) T Mobile's coverage also stinks and next to AT&T are the kings of surcharges. ?Etc., etc.



    Anyway, the phones which seem to be in the iSync range for me have been the Moto 720, Moto v60, the Siemens S55/56, the SE T610 and the Nokia 3650. The v60 and the 3650 seem to be fairly prevalent among the carriers. There's a bunch of Siemens phones like the M56, the C56, etc, offered by the carriers but I don't know if they're basically the same as the S56 and compatible with iSync or not. There are so many LG phones, I wonder why none of those phones don't support iSync and vice-versa.



    Having iSync just for the Address Book synchronization would be a godsend. It's a shame that this isn't more of a priority for Apple to update the compatibility charts for iSync. For those who do use it, it's very valuable to them, and it could be valuable to many more people.



    edit: some links?



    http://www.howardforums.com (of course)

    http://www.macmedia.sk/ (Nokia and SE phone stuff)

    http://www.clubsonyericsson.com/en/s...acintosh.shtml (according to this page, all bluetooth SE phones can sync)

    http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling...ker/index.html (Salling Clicker of course)

    http://www.macosxhints.com/article.p...40102061412498 (atrick to fooling iSync into thinking more recent Nokia phones are supported)



    I'm finding this stuff via the HowardForums search for iSync, by post, in one forum at a time to cut down on clutter. The consensus there seems to be that iSync will be updated soon, as some people have mentioned that it will support certain phone models like the Moto v### phones, etc. with the next revision. Can't speak about the validity of those reports though.
  • Reply 3 of 12
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    Don't waste your time with Sprint. They have horrible customer service. I got my cell phone from them and they gave me a number that someone else already had.



    That, and I pay close to $100 a month, and have no idea how the bill got that high! The guy at Radioshack, though I take everything I hear at retail stores with a grain of salt, said it would be $30/month. I don't even use long distance, and only place ~100 minutes a month of calls, with a 500minute/month plan.



    Sorry, I just hate Sprint. And have a two year contract!
  • Reply 4 of 12
    sh0ewaxsh0ewax Posts: 114member
    I'm in the same boat. I have a shared plan with 2 other individuals, we pay about 130$ bucks to Sprint monthly, are in a 2 year contract and are having the worse experience ever. Coverage sucks, phones suck, I'm waithing to save up the 150$ ish bucks that it costs to break 2 year agreement and move on. I definately try to keep you away from sprint, its the coverage thats the final nail in the coffin for me.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    Amorph,



    I have a SE T610 with T-Mobile, and I highly recommend it. It works great with bluetooth and iSync. I never enter numbers on my phone. I always use address book, and then sync them to my phone. I can also use the "T-Zones" internet connection as a modem on my iBook. I can connect to the internet through the cell phone using bluetooth. It blows my friends away that I can surf the web with my laptop while we are driving in their car. Also, if you get a SE phone you can use the Salling Clicker software. I haven't bothered to get a DVD player. I just hook up my iBook to the TV and use the cell phone as a remote. Again, it blows away the friends. You can use bluetooth to browse the phone and copy off pictures that you take. The quality is horrible, but sometimes its handy. A guy at work has a T610 and his service is AT&T. Let me know if you have any questions.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Mr Beardsley

    Amorph,



    I have a SE T610 with T-Mobile, and I highly recommend it.




    Problem is that Amorph lives in the boonies () and I doubt T-Mo would work well up there.
  • Reply 7 of 12
    dmband0026dmband0026 Posts: 2,345member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by torifile

    Problem is that Amorph lives in the boonies () and I doubt T-Mo would work well up there.



    Would T-Mo work well anywhere? A few of my friends have it, and they all hate it.



    I have Verizon, and I really like it. The plan isn't a bad deal, the customer service is above par, and the coverage is excellent (in northern Illinois at least) As far as phones go, I have no idea, mine is wicked old (and I built part of it myself...interesting story, but I'll spare y'all) and so I don't know what Verizon currently offers.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    formerlurkerformerlurker Posts: 2,686member
    I got a nice T721 Motorola from AT&T which is wonderful with iSync.



    Unfortunately, if I had a dime for every dropped call, they'd be paying me to use the service...
  • Reply 9 of 12
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by torifile

    Problem is that Amorph lives in the boonies () and I doubt T-Mo would work well up there.



    Actually, T-Mobile has a regional franchise out here, which does pretty well. Its main attraction is a landline-replacement subscription, but that's not what I want out of a cell phone. I can't speak to the quality of the service, but their coverage is actually fairly impressive.



    There are enough cell phones in this town to pave the roads. We might be out in the corn, but half of the University of Iowa's undergraduate enrollment comes here from Chicago.



    I've ruled out the T720 - I found it for $249 after rebate, and not only do I not want to spend that much if I can help it, I don't want to spend it on something that isn't all that hot. It's the right idea, basically.



    AT&T Wireless is blowing out the Nokia 6800 right now, and the design speaks to my inner gadget freak, but some research reveals why they're blowing it out. So...



    ... among premium phones, the SE T616 is pretty much it, sofar. It's either that or I just get something that doesn't pretend to be more than a self-contained phone and content myself with that.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    akumulatorakumulator Posts: 1,111member
    Am I the only person on the planet who's never had a cell phone? \
  • Reply 11 of 12
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    This thread is for those uninitiated with the cellular world. I'm actually surprised there's more than one of us here.



    I can't imagine Des Moines is that out of the loop with regard to cell coverage and services. For most of these companies, it's a matter of coverage in the most urban areas plus coverage off the beaten path. Usually, more suburban areas and places along major highways are fine. The only reason why city centers (this might just be a NY thing) have coverage problems is due to the buildings interfering with signals.



    Amorph, when you say that after some research, you see why AT&T is blowing out the Nokia 6800, are you going by word-of-mouth or is there a link or periodical you found this info from?



    I'd just be wary of AT&T; they are widely regarded as the worst carrier in these parts anyway. If Verizon only had a decent set of phones, there wouldn't be as much of an issue. Actually, if Cingular just got better coverage, there would be a clear duopoly between Verizon and Cingular in this region.
  • Reply 12 of 12
    homhom Posts: 1,098member
    Ah, where to begin?



    First, iSync has withered on the vine. Apple has seen fit to entirely ignore this piece of software and refuses to support any phone that is newer than six months. On the Windows side this is not nearly as much of an issue as all the phone companies provide their own syncing software. Apple got in the business of making the sync software and now has abandoned it. But then again, iSync isn't iTunes so why bother maintaining it?



    Now, for service providers. Generally speaking, CDMA based providers will have better coverage in outlying areas based on the technology. This is not a hard fast rule at all and there are tons of exceptions, but CDMA waves travel further than GSM waves. From my own research and personal experience, Verizon has the best network, but due to a massive influx of customers they are experiencing some growing pains in more populated areas. The biggest draw back with Verizon is their terrible customer support ( I almost had to take them to court on two separate occasions) and by far the worst selection of phones. They simply refuse to offer BT on any phones and are 6-18 months behind the industry in terms of features. They offer two Moto phones, the V60 and T720, which are iSync compatible, but require a USB cable.



    I've had Verizon, T-Mobile, and Cingular as providers in the last year and have found that Cingular offers the best compromises. The combination of their massive roaming agreements, GSM network, and rate plans have kept me as a customer. When the combined Cingular/ATTW network is fully integrated their network should surpass Verizon in terms of coverage. Now if Cingular doesn't offer service in Iowa they don't offer service. Not much you can do about that until Cingular gets ATTW's licenses in your market.



    I've had LG, SE, Nokia, Hiptop, and Handspring phones in the last year. No real complaints about any of them except the Hiptop. All had pluses and minuses, but nothing that would prevent you from using the phone as a phone.



    Last piece of advice for the moment. Take advantage of all the providers return policies. Buy your phone from a company owned store so you cant try them out. They all offer at least a two week return period so you can see which provider offers the best service where you are going to be using the phone. Similarly, if you are not porting a land line or previous mobile number over, getting a new number every 14 days shouldn't be much of a problem.



    Oh, and never ever sign up for a two year contract. It doesn't matter what rebate they are offering, it's not worth it. You don't want to be locked into a provider that can't carry an Apple iPhone do you?
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