Help me choose a phone

[MadBurgerMaker]

Yeah, I was scratching my head too. Maybe the situation's different in Canada?

Oh yeah, could be.  The things are definitely all over the place here though.  My wife got that Focus of hers a couple months after launch, and there were already three or four models available.

Edit:  Well a quick Google search comes up with this, dated 11 Oct 2010:

http://www.techvibes.com/blog/windows-7-phones-coming-to-canada

In Canada, Microsoft announced the following partners and devices, available later this year.
Telus: HTC 7 Surround and the LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone.
Bell: LG Optimus Quantum.
Rogers: Samsung Focus.

Looks like the same ones that were available here.  That Surround seems/ed stupid.

[fhdz]

Oh yeah, could be.  The things are definitely all over the place here though.  My wife got that Focus of hers a couple months after launch, and there were already three or four models available.

I've used a couple of feature phones, an iPhone 3G, an HTC Hero, an HTC EVO 4G, and an HTC Arrive. The Arrive's my favorite of the bunch, by far. People can say anything they like about marketshare - and it is absolutely possible that Apple and Google will be able to drive MS out of the phone business - but it can't be denied that the Windows Phone development team has given us the most thoroughly-designed user interface in the smartphone market to date.

[Barrister]

Hey, I tried to stick up for Android against my better judgment, but I could not in good conscience suggest a Windows phone.  It has miniscule marketshare, I've never seen one in real life, and the app catelog is puny.  A Windows Phone might be an interesting option in 2012 when Nokia makes a big push, but in 2011 you'll have trouble even finding a Windows phone to purchase.

There is at least one Windows Phone on all four major carriers, right now as we speak.

The catalog contains all the apps I ever used when I had an Android phone and I don't feel like I'm missing a single thing.

Android marketshare was "miniscule" at the very beginning, too.

NB: I loved my iPhone, just hated AT&T. So I'm not one of those "Apple sux lol" guys. More competition in the smartphone market improves all the products.

crazy canuck is, by some shocking surprise, in Canada.

I just checked.  Rogers has one Windows Phone (Samsung Focus) and I had to dig to find that on the web site.

I can't find one for Bell.

And there is one (LG Optimus 7) for Telus.

And that's availability off the website.  If you go into a store you're going to have to hunt to find either one of those phones.

Like I said - Windows Phone might be an interesting option down the road.  But today it's probably a bad bet unless there is some specific feature you really like about it.  You mentioned early Android phones - well from what I read early Android phones weren't very good, and didn't allow you to upgrade to the latest version of Android for the most part.


[For what its worth, remember RIM is a Canadian company and all of the carriers push RIM to a much greater extent than in the US.  That perhaps has the effect of pushing out room for Windows]

[fhdz]

You mentioned early Android phones - well from what I read early Android phones weren't very good, and didn't allow you to upgrade to the latest version of Android for the most part.

That's still a problem.

[crazy canuck]

I just checked.  Rogers has one Windows Phone (Samsung Focus) and I had to dig to find that on the web site.

I can't find one for Bell.

And there is one (LG Optimus 7) for Telus.

And that's availability off the website.  If you go into a store you're going to have to hunt to find either one of those phones.

I have a chap coming to my office.  I am told I just have to choose what I want and he will make it so.  I just cant choose what I want.

[MadBurgerMaker]

I have a chap coming to my office.  I am told I just have to choose what I want and he will make it so.  I just cant choose what I want.

You should go up to a store and play around with all the smartphones to see which ones you like.  Does Best Buy in Canada have a cell phone section where they have stuff from every carrier?  Might be a good place to start before you go heading out to individual stores.  Unless the stores are closer than Best Buy or whatever.

[Barrister]

What I found amusing was when I went to the Telus page, all the Android phones are indicated by the Android symbol, and BBs and iPhones are pretty obvious, but there was nothing at first indicating that the Optimus 7 was a Windows phone!

[MadBurgerMaker]

What I found amusing was when I went to the Telus page, all the Android phones are indicated by the Android symbol, and BBs and iPhones are pretty obvious, but there was nothing at first indicating that the Optimus 7 was a Windows phone!

Look at the screen.  The Windows phone interface looks a lot different (there aren't little icons or anything like that, for one).  No little icon necessary, except for the tards, who probably shouldn't be on anything but the iPhone page in the first place. 

I did notice they had it up at the top ("Windows Phone" on the screen) though.  Wonder why they didn't have it with the product itself.

[Barrister]

What I found amusing was when I went to the Telus page, all the Android phones are indicated by the Android symbol, and BBs and iPhones are pretty obvious, but there was nothing at first indicating that the Optimus 7 was a Windows phone!

Look at the screen.  The Windows phone interface looks a lot different (there aren't little icons or anything like that, for one).  No little icon necessary, except for the tards, who probably shouldn't be on anything but the iPhone page in the first place. 

I did notice they had it up at the top ("Windows Phone" on the screen).

When you look at the page for the individual phone, yes it is clearly labelled a Windows Phone.  I meant the page where it listed, together with pictures, all the phones available.

I dunno - other than Blackberries all these phones kind of look the same to me...

[fhdz]

I dunno - other than Blackberries all these phones kind of look the same to me...

30 seconds spent messing with a Windows phone would disabuse you of this notion.

[MadBurgerMaker]

When you look at the page for the individual phone, yes it is clearly labelled a Windows Phone.  I meant the page where it listed, together with pictures, all the phones available.

I dunno - other than Blackberries all these phones kind of look the same to me...

I know what you meant.  I went to that site (I told them I live in BC heh) when I was looking to see what they have on the market up there.  Just spun the scroll wheel until I saw the green grid, since I am completely unable to keep up with the names of the things anymore.

OPTIMUS...right next to the DEFY    Totally dorky names.  I don't know what the hell an "Atrix" is either.  The name of my previous phone, Aria, was a little interesting at least.

[The Brain]

No one can be told what the Atrix is.

[fhdz]

I know what you meant.  I went to that site (I told them I live in BC heh) when I was looking to see what they have on the market up there.  Just spun the wheel until I saw the green grid, since I am completely unable to keep up with the names of the things anymore.

OPTIMUS...right next to the DEFY    Totally dorky names.  I don't know what the hell an "Atrix" is either.

I am just waiting for the CHUCK NORRIS.

[crazy canuck]

I have a chap coming to my office.  I am told I just have to choose what I want and he will make it so.  I just cant choose what I want.

You should go up to a store and play around with all the smartphones to see which ones you like.  Does Best Buy in Canada have a cell phone section where they have stuff from every carrier?  Might be a good place to start before you go heading out to individual stores.  Unless the stores are closer than Best Buy or whatever.

Yeah, that is some good advice.  By chance our IT guy was in the office and I asked him his opinion.  He uses a Samsung Windows phone.  I tried it but my hands are too big to use the on screen key board.  He told me the same thing as you - "go get some hands on play time with the various phones".

[fhdz]

Yeah, that is some good advice.  By chance our IT guy was in the office and I asked him his opinion.  He uses a Samsung Windows phone.  I tried it but my hands are too big to use the on screen key board.

You'll have trouble with the iPhone, too, then - actually you'll have trouble with any touchscreen phone except possibly the over-4"-screen phones.