Smartphone Recommendations/Advice

agentman

Feelin' Poontastic
Apr 30, 2005
384
11
18
I am looking to get a Smartphone, i don't know anything about them:confused:. Currently i have a 2 year old basic Nokia that's just started to malfunction on me. In terms of what i need, all i want is a basic low end touchscreen smartphone so i can send calls/texts and store short video clips, don't need anything fancy. My price range is around $150, i don't know if i should buy a used one on Craigslist or not ; if anyone can share their advice/recommendations/experiences. Any comments are appreciated, peace.
 

badbadboy

Well-known member
Nov 2, 2006
9,576
277
83
In Lust Mostly
Pretty much a crapshoot buying a phone off of Craigslist. Could be great or stolen.

I have dealt with this company in Ontario. They have all the latest and greatest. You will not get a new Galaxy for your price point but there are some contenders on this page:

http://www.sntradersonline.com/


I should add these are all unlocked phones unless they state they are locked to Bell etc. You will have to fill in all the APN info. Google usually finds the stuff you need for unlocked phones.
 

vancity_cowboy

hard riding member
Jan 27, 2008
5,499
7
38
on yer ignore list
I am looking to get a Smartphone, i don't know anything about them:confused:. Currently i have a 2 year old basic Nokia that's just started to malfunction on me. In terms of what i need, all i want is a basic low end touchscreen smartphone so i can send calls/texts and store short video clips, don't need anything fancy. My price range is around $150, i don't know if i should buy a used one on Craigslist or not ; if anyone can share their advice/recommendations/experiences. Any comments are appreciated, peace.
do you want to use it for business, or is this a play phone?

if it's business, you can get the new blackberry Z10 on a 3 year contract for under your 150. it's got awesome screen and browser, etc. speed outdoes apple and reliability outdoes anything android based. camera is awesome as well. it's got a few apps but plenty more on the way; besides, how many apps of human fart sounds do you really need?

if it's a playphone, it's hard to beat that samsung s2. i think it's on sale for 50 bucks with a three year contract at best buy right now
 
i always get compliments on my Samsung galaxy sg3. i never leave the house without an extra fully charged battery AND a charger if I think I might be gone another day (like missing the ferry or whatevr) Everything on it though, from the speech recognition to the GPS and of course Google at the touch of your fingers. I could never imagine going back.
 

riceraw

New member
Nov 28, 2010
69
0
0
with the new samsung galaxy 4
sony xperia x
and nokia (not sure what thats called)
coming out Im sure people will be off loading their old phones

but all the above mentioned phones look good
 

BallzDeep

New member
Oct 31, 2012
188
0
0
do you want to use it for business, or is this a play phone?

if it's business, you can get the new blackberry Z10 on a 3 year contract for under your 150. it's got awesome screen and browser, etc. speed outdoes apple and reliability outdoes anything android based. camera is awesome as well. it's got a few apps but plenty more on the way; besides, how many apps of human fart sounds do you really need?

if it's a playphone, it's hard to beat that samsung s2. i think it's on sale for 50 bucks with a three year contract at best buy right now
the speed test vs iphone5 is a load of crap. two phones on a table running on different networks does not a comparison make!

why anyone wants a q10 as opposed to a z10 is beyond me. might as well just keep your bold9900 if thats the case lol. blackberries flaw atm is lack of apps, and its lack of a cloud/sky drive media syncing amongst devices.

blackberry is a phone of the past.
 
L

Larry Storch

I am looking to get a Smartphone, i don't know anything about them:confused:. Currently i have a 2 year old basic Nokia that's just started to malfunction on me. In terms of what i need, all i want is a basic low end touchscreen smartphone so i can send calls/texts and store short video clips, don't need anything fancy. My price range is around $150, i don't know if i should buy a used one on Craigslist or not ; if anyone can share their advice/recommendations/experiences. Any comments are appreciated, peace.
Not getting into the whole which phone is best debate, but you can get a smart phone at Wal*Mart (yes, I know the evil retail giant that is bent on global domination) for about $60 + taxes. (You can get more expensive ones that have video.) On Koodo Prepaid you pay a monthly fee of $15, and put a Canada wide talk booster for $25; gives you 500 minutes that don't expire. Just keep up the monthly payment of $15 and top up your minutes as you need them. No contract to buy your way out of if you aren't happy.
 

agentman

Feelin' Poontastic
Apr 30, 2005
384
11
18
Clarification On

Yes i should clarify my requirements for a phone. I need one just for personal use only, using it for local calls and i a thinking of going for the pay-as-you-go route, i am trying to avoid a multi-year contract. Has anyone had any personal experience with
Wind Mobile or Virgin Mobile?? Are you happy with your mobile phone service provider?? (Jeez, the last part sounded like i was shopping around for escorts at a discount retail store---".....shoppers, for a limited time only a blue lite special in aisle 7, we have Gloria who has excellent track record and a bubbly personality but has a no refund policy. So shop smart, ...shop SSSSSS-Mart ").



 
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badbadboy

Well-known member
Nov 2, 2006
9,576
277
83
In Lust Mostly
Yes i should clarify my requirements for a phone. I need one just for personal use only, using it for local calls and i a thinking of going for the pay-as-you-go route, i am trying to avoid a multi-year contract. Has anyone had any personal experience with
Wind Mobile or Virgin Mobile?? Are you happy with your mobile phone service provider?? (Jeez, the last part sounded like i was shopping around for escorts at a discount retail store---".....shoppers, for a limited time only a blue lite special in aisle 7, we have Gloria who has excellent track record and a bubbly personality but has a no refund policy. So shop smart, ...shop SSSSSS-Mart ").




Register for Howardforums.com

They have a vendor area and a used area. You can buy a locked or unlocked phone and have it unlocked to your carrier. Easy stuff. You will have to pay for shipping from Greater Toronto area plus unlock codes if necessary. I have gotten half a dozen phones without a contract this way. You can resell them to your friends later.
 

vancity_cowboy

hard riding member
Jan 27, 2008
5,499
7
38
on yer ignore list
koodoo has the galaxy ace 2 phone that you can buy outright for $150. you can get a prepaid unlimited talk and text plan for 30 or 40 bucks a month or so... that might include canada wide, you'd have to check

i know somebody who has one and they're very happy with it
 

curmudgeon

Member
Aug 16, 2003
317
0
16
55
Vancouver
....<snip>....... My price range is around $150, i don't know if i should buy a used one on Craigslist or not .....<snip>......
I wouldn't recommend a used phone of craigslist. Especially if it's your first smartphone.

Do you plan to buy the phone outright and sign up with a discount carrier? Or do you intend to sign a contract?

An outright purchase (sans contract) for $150 will get you a current model entry level smartphone, or it will get you last years mid-range phone on clearance. If this is your plan, I'd get last year's mid-range phone.

A contract phone plus $150 gives you alot of options. You can get just about anything except a newly-released premium phone (eg. the iPhone 5 with 64 gb storage is out of reach, but the iPhone 5 32 gb is within range. Just about any Windows Phone is in range. And almost any Android phone is possible).

If it's your first smartphone, I'd probably go with last year's mid range phone, on a discount carrier, without a contract.

As far as the discount carriers are concerned, remember that:

Virgin Mobile and Solo Mobile are actually Bell.
Koodo is actually Telus.
Fido and Chatr are actually Rogers.

What that means is that you're going to get the same level of coverage, but at a "slightly" lower cost. And they will likely not have the premium phones available (they save them from the parent brand).

Wind Mobile and Mobilicity are the new entrants available here, and they are ALOT less expensive as far as the monthly plans are concerned, but you do have to pay more for the phone up front. They have spotty coverage in parts of the city, and particularly out in the suburbs. So if you live far out in the burbs, you'll be roaming occasionally. Mind you, the roaming rates (for phone calls) on these networks is quite cheap.
 

curmudgeon

Member
Aug 16, 2003
317
0
16
55
Vancouver
I know a guy that was pretty dissatisfied with his Ace, I think if he's going Android he should consider the google nexus line so he always gets the newest updates and the cleanest interface..
Personally, I'm a big fan of the Nexus series of phones. No bloatware, rapid updates, always unlocked and usable on any compatible network.
 

Steven

Well-known member
May 30, 2003
1,020
31
48
GVA
I had a I-phone 4 S and swithced to S3 - much prefer the Galaxie
 
L

Larry Storch

Are those unlocked phones?
I need to move a SIM from a Petro-Canada Pay-as-you-go but all the unlocked phones are $200+
I don't think they are unlocked.
If you want something really cheap go to 7-11. They're okay for emergency/occasional use.

I just received an old Blackberry Perl (circa 2006) and am thinking about getting it unlocked for a back up. I can have it done for $40 at Woodgrove in Nanaimo or get the code for $5 from unlock.canadagsm.ca.
 

ilikegurlz

Member
Dec 19, 2009
204
0
16
I think you should get a Top of the line Samsung...In a year or so it won't be top of the line anymore....same as any other phone these days...BUT...it will still be a great phone...

I got my first smartphone 2 years ago for $100 and a 3 year contract through Telus...Galaxy S2...LOVE IT...

The way I see it is the longer you have a contract... (I have been with Telus for 12+ Years)... the more free stuff you can get when you renew your contract...Every year when my contract is finished...I get a new phone for free...or at a discount...as well as demanding a discount on all other features in my contract...eg. more features or a discount on advertised data plans...

They don't want to lose your business so they will cave if you aren't asking for the world...

PS.... Ask to speak to a Customer Satisfaction Representative...the person you are talking to in India cannot help you...
 
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